The BLADE Blogs

There’s a new place just for saying “hi” on the Knife Showcase Forum. Click here to meet your neighbors.

As many of you know, Bob Neal was in a bad motorcycle wreck last week. Neal’s good friend, Les Robertson, visited him in the hospital and offered the following:

I visited Bob in the hospital today. I talked he listened—nothing unusual about that. I passed along everyone’s good wishes.
He is going to be in ICU for some time to come. If you would like to, please send cards to Bob at:
Grady Health System
80 Jesse Hill Jr Drive SE
ICU 7L – James Robert (Bob) Neal
Atlanta, GA 30303
For the time being I will be handling Bob’s knife business. I checked the in box on his computer today and it is completely full and there is a problem with memory. So it may be awhile before I can respond to those emails. Feel free to email me with regards to orders at [email protected]
If you are so inclined, please pray for my friend.

New on the forum is the Marketplace. This is for Knife Showcase featured members to post items for sale. Free members may reply to the posts, but can’t start threads.

Click here to see the new Marketplace section.

Interested in becoming a featured member? Click here.

The outpouring of support for our Campaign For Japan was more than we could have expected. Sales of items–50 percent of the profits of which go toward victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami–were up across the board for the duration of the sale, which ended Wednesday.

Again, thank you all for your support. We are certain the thousands of victims of the devastation will thank you as well.

From Montgomery Community College:

At a recent meeting of the North Carolina Custom Knifemakers Guild, (NCCKG) over 60 craftsmen from around the state gathered to present a hydraulic forging press to Montgomery Community College’s (North Carolina) continuing education department.

The press was donated in memory of Georgia knifemaker John Poythress, charter member and founding president of the Georgia Custom Knifemakers’ Guild.

Poythress was killed in a motorcycle accident in 2005. His long-time friend Tommy McNabb, was instrumental in arranging the donation. McNabb is a professional custom knifemaker, NRA knifemaking instructor at Montgomery, and member of the NCCKG. He met Poythress at a knife show in Georgia and the two became friends after Poythress joined the NCCKG.

Poythress would travel from his home in Swainsboro, Ga. to Montgomery Community College to take knifemaking classes. He was an avid custom knife enthusiast and member of the NCCKG before he chartered the Georgia guild. Many other Georgia guild members also attended knifemaking classes at the college, leading to a decision to donate the press to help the college with future classes. The North Carolina guild members presented the donation on behalf of the Georgia guild in Poythress’ memory.

Knifemaking students will be able to use the press to flatten and shape hot metal pieces quickly, saving time in the classroom. Classes range from three to four days in length and students leave the class with a custom knife they make themselves.

“The forging press will greatly enhance our students’ ability to complete their projects in a short amount of time,” said Gary Saunders, Montgomery Community College’s dean of continuing education.

The college has been offering NRA Short-Term Gunsmithing, Knifemaking and Armorer’s Courses for over 20 years. Students from across the country and other parts of the world come to Montgomery County to learn these specialties from well-known craftsmen. The college is one of only four in the country offering these classes, sponsored by the National Rifle Association.

For more information about the 2011 NRA short-term classes at Montgomery Community College visit www.montgomery.edu/cenra.htm.