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The BLADE Blogs

The blogs of the BLADE editors, Steve Shackleford and Erin Healy.

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Help USA Knifemaker Help Harvey Victims

Steve Shackleford
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Help USA Knifemaker Help Harvey Victims
Harvey and makers
Donate now to USA Knifemaker’s program to assist full-time makers’ shops flooded by Hurricane Harvey.

Help full-time knifemakers whose shops have been damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Harvey through a program initiated by the folks at USA Knifemaker.

A leading supplier of knifemaking equipment, materials, tools and other products used to make knives, USA Knifemaker’s assistance program is designed to help full-time knifemakers—and with floodwaters continuing to rage in and around Houston, Texas, the effort comes not one moment too soon.

“We would like to help our knifemaker brothers that have been wiped out to get back on their feet,” notes Tracy Mickley of USA Knifemaker. “This isn’t about advertising. This isn’t about making us look good. This is about doing the right thing and about helping people in need. If I could do this quietly I would, but I can’t. These guys need your help and I am going to bang the drum as loud as I can to get some help headed their way.”

USAknifemaker.com will match donations up to $2,000 in knifemaking supplies for full-time knifemakers that have lost their shops to the hurricane and flood. “If I can manage more I will but right now it’s the best I can do,” Mickley writes. “If public donations do not reach $2,000 for the match, we will still give out the full $2,000 in the form of gift certificates to USAknifemaker.com. I hope we can max this out to $4,000 plus.

“We will give $250 gift certificates to eight—at the minimum, we hope for at least 16 or more—full-time knifemakers that have had their shops destroyed by floods. It’s not enough to restock a shop. I get that. I also understand there are hundreds, maybe thousands of part-time makers that also have had tragic losses and I wish we could help everyone. Those makers that depend on knifemaking as their primary income can use our help as a community.”

Makers and Harvey
If you know any full-time makers in the Houston area whose shops were damaged or destroyed by Harvey, you can help through USA Knifemaker’s assistance program.

Send a check, cash, use Paypal or a credit card. “We will cover the Paypal and credit card fees,” Mickley notes. “We will total up the donations and match up to $2,000 to be given out as gift certificates to eight full-time makers. If the total of public donations exceeds $2,000, we will compile the extra and give out as many $250 gift certificates as the funds allow. One-hundred percent of donations will be given out. We will recap all activity on Knifedogs.com for full transparency here.

“We are asking you to provide names and contact information of full-time knifemakers in and around the Houston area that you know who have lost their shop or had significant shop damage. We do not need a list of random names of makers in the area. We need to know who got hurt in this. We will have to filter out opportunists so we will require proof of loss in the form of pictures of their shop and a short description of damage. To be clear, we aren’t ‘covering’ any other losses. There are other agencies for that. We are trying to help those that lost their knifemaking shop.

“I am hoping for a lot of interest and support,” Mickley continues. “I will have a thread on Knifedogs.com to track donations, candidates and awards, and to keep this transparent. I welcome your input and suggestions on how the knifemaking community can step up and lend a hand. Post your comments and suggestions here.”

 

Knife Of The Day XXV: Jody Muller’s “King Arthur”

Steve Shackleford
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As Mel Brooks says in The History Of The World, Part I, “It’s good to be the king.” And Jody Muller’s “King Arthur” dress locking folder, the 25th installment in our “Knife Of The Day” series, resembles Brooks’s remark.

    Boasting damascus forged by Jody, a handle of carved ancient walrus ivory, and 24k-gold and copper inlays, the knife gives Camelot a whole new dose of cool.

    For more information on the knife, click on www.mullerforge.com.

For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. Click on http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us for more information.

Buck Knives Begins Year With Employee Promotions

Joe Kertzman
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In with the new! Buck Knives began 2011 by announcing the promotion of four employees.

 

Michael Dolmage was promoted from New Products Manager to Director of Product Development.  Dolmage oversees Buck’s product development team and works closely with the executive team and industry experts to lead the company into the continuous creation of new and innovative knife designs. He has been with Buck Knives for six years. Dolmage started his career with Buck Knives as a product engineer.   

 

Bob George has been with Buck for four years and was promoted to Director of National Sales and Marketing. George started as National Sales Manager, and then in 2009 he became National Sales and Marketing Manager. He oversees the company’s external sales force, builds relationships with dealers, develops sales and marketing programs and constantly works to promote the Buck Knives brand worldwide.  

 

Lisa Pounds was promoted from General Accounting Manger to Controller.  Lisa has been with Buck for 14 years and started as an accountant. She was one of several key employees who were invited to make the move from San Diego to Post Falls, Idaho. Lisa oversees the accounting team and manages the day-to-day financial processes. 

 

Jake Boomer has been promoted from Information Technology Supervisor to Information Technology and E-Commerce Manager. Boomer started with the company as a Network Administrator four years ago. He is currently busy upgrading Buck’s ERP system, and is always exploring new ways to expand Buck’s online presence.

Act NOW on Ivory Comment Extension

Steve Shackleford
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Act NOW on Ivory Comment Extension
Request an extension on the comment period for the punitive proposed federal ivory regulations NOW! Jean Louis Regel uses ancient walrus ivory for the handle of his bowie. (SharpByCoop image)
Request an extension on the comment period for the punitive proposed federal ivory regulations NOW! Jean Louis Regel uses ancient walrus ivory for the handle of his bowie. (SharpByCoop image)

To help save all ivory from proposed punitive federal regulations, request an extension for the comment period on the regulations from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service NOW!

Among other unreasonable stipulations, the regulations would require you to prove that the ivory on your knife or other item was imported prior to Jan. 18, 1990—a near impossibility for most people to prove about such items. The regulations also claim that the USA continues to play a role as a destination and transit country for illegally traded elephant ivory. However, as Sandra Brady of the Elephant Protection Association noted, the regulations offer no proof of this claim and no figures as to what percentage of illegal ivory is “laundered” here.

The proposed regulations were released on July 29, and concerned citizens were given only 60 days to contact the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) with any objections the citizens might have to the regulations. Since there are 27 pages of proposed regulations, regulations the government had over 13 months to research and write, it seems only fair that concerned citizens get more than 60 days to respond. In fact, the law provides for up to a 90-day comment period, which is especially appropriate for regulations that are so voluminous and affect so many Americans.

The Elephant Protection Association has composed a form letter for you to use to request the extension. The letter is located here. Keep your request short and simple. Amend the letter to fit your association/group but don’t try to make a substantive case of why the extension should be granted so much as simply let FWS know the extension must be granted. The more people, associations and groups that request the extension, the better. In this instance, it’s more a matter of the quantity of requests than the quality of them.

The Elephant Protection Association strongly advises that you send your letter via priority or overnight mail with a means of confirming receipt.

For more information visit elephantprotection.org.

 

Washington Bill Attempts to Restrict Blade Length

BLADE Staff
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From Knife Rights:

A Washington state representative has introduced a bill amending Washington law to outlaw concealed carry of knives with blades longer than 3 1/2 inches. While Arizona, New Hampshire and other states are making progress in the personal choices law abiding citizens make regarding the type of knives they carry, Rep. Sherry Appleton (D – LD23) is looking to set her state’s knife laws back decades.

Rep. Appleton bill would mean that the average fisherman, fishing one of Washington’s many coastal areas or rivers whose jacket falls over their 6-inch filet knife would suddenly be committing a crime. Washington has many hunters and is a popular hunting destination for those who travel to hunt. The average hunting knife is considerably longer than the arbitrary 3 1/2- inch limit, exposing hunters to committing an unintentional crime as well. But, the most egregious aspect of this proposed law will be to render illegal many simple pocket knives that law-abiding citizens carry everyday for work and recreation.

“Why anyone would go back to this 1950’s legislative mentality is beyond me,” said Doug Ritter, Chairman of Knife Rights. “While many states are modernizing or eliminating restrictive laws coving the essential tools millions of Americans carry for everyday chores, we now have a legislator in Washington State who thinks it’s a good idea to go backwards.”

Read the proposed bill: http://bit.ly/fCACxE

Factory Friday: Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility

Erin Healy
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Factory Friday: Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility

The co-owners of Spartan Blades, in keeping with the company name, decided to call their 10 7/16-inch reverse-tanto sheepsfoot-bladed combat/utility knife, Hybris. Those familiar with Greek mythology might vaguely recall indirect reference to her hubris (over-inflated pride), insolence and arrogance. However, she is also the goddess of violence and outrageous behavior, necessary traits in elite warriors, no matter the era or place in which they fight. According to myth, she was the last among her peers to marry, so Polemus, the god of war and battle, married her. Clearly, an ideal christening for Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility Knife.

Spartan Blades' Hybris Combat/Utility Knife is available in a number of different blade, handle and sheath colors.
The 5 7/16-inch reverse-tanto sheepsfoot blade on the Spartan Blades Hybris Combat/Utility Knife is made with CPM S35VN steel with a black or earth finish. Handle comes in black or green canvas Micarta. MSRP: $330. Contact Curtis V. Iovito, Spartan Blades, LLC, 625 SE Service Road, Southern Pines, NC 28387; 910-757-0035, [email protected], www.spartanbladesusa.com.

Should you want to accessorize, Spartan Blades offers an appropriately warrior-looking line of beads in spartan helmet, skull with beret, shield and crusader cross designs, MSRP: $5-$10. However, there’s also a line of beads in sterling silver and bronze, including the exclusive-to-Spartan-Blades plumed spartan helmet, crafted by GD Studios in Latvia and exclusively imported by veteran-owned GD Skulls USA in Florida, MSRP: $98.

Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey co-founded Spartan Blades in 2008. The two retired from U.S. Army Special Forces with over 40 years combined service. They prefer to focus on providing military personnel and outdoor enthusiasts with functional, durable knives, rather than chasing the latest innovations, which may or may not have staying power. They stick to using U.S. materials, and batches are small so that quality control can remain exacting. Accompanying sheaths are made by American- or U.S. veteran-owned businesses. At the BLADE Show® Spartan Blades’ Kranos framelock flipper model won the BLADE Magazine 2017 American Made Knife Of The Year®.

Since Curtis and Mark taught at the U.S. Army Special Operations Command sniper school (Special Forces Sniper Course), they continue to support the school and USASOC International Sniper Competition. At one event, they ran into guest speaker Sebastian Gorka, intelligence analyst, best-selling author of “Defeating Jihad, The Winnable War” and now-former deputy assistant under President Donald J. Trump.

Sebastian Gorka, military and intelligence analyst, stopped to chat with the co-owners of Spartan Blades, Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey.
American military and intelligence analyst, author of “Defeating Jihad, The Winnable War” and former deputy assistant to President Donald J. Trump, Sebastian Gorka (center), spoke at a U.S. Army Special Operations Command event attended by the co-owners of Spartan Blades, Curtis Iovito (right) and Mark Carey (left).

Read About New Releases From Knife Manufacturers In BLADE

A U.S. subscription to BLADE magazine, 13 issues, is $21.98.
An annual U.S. subscription to BLADE is $21.98. You can get your 13 issues sent to Canada for $39.98 and internationally for $49.98. Or go green and get your issues sent digitally for $17.98.

Each month BLADE Magazine features new knives from manufacturers and custom makers in its What’s New section. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out. You can also read about some of them here on our website. Be sure to Like and Follow us on Facebook at BLADE Magazine.

 

 

The Iron Mistress on TCM Today

Steve Shackleford
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The movie that inspired many legendary custom knifemakers to grind and/or forge their first blade, The Iron Mistress, will air on Turner Classic Movie Channel at 8 p.m. EST today.

Starring Alan Ladd as frontier hero James Bowie, the movie is about Bowie’s early years before he went on to die at the Alamo. It also stars Virginia Mayo as Judalon de Bornay, Phyllis Kirk as Ursula de Veramendi and Anthony “Tony” Caruso as “Bloody Jack” Sturdevant. It is based on the book of the same name by Paul I. Wellman.

Check out Bowie’s knife in the movie. Prop maker Arthur Rhoades made it and there were several versions Rhoades made for various scenes. Most if not all of the knives surviving from the movie are in the collection of Joseph Musso.

For more on the movie visit http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16828/The-Iron-Mistress/.

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