The BLADE Blogs

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

You Already Have Plans for 2011 … Keep June 10-12 Open

Shhhh! Don’t tell anybody. We wouldn’t want yet more people filing through the doors of the biggest knife show on earth. Let’s keep it our little secret. But mark your calendars for the 30th Annual 2011 BLADE Show & International Cutlery Fair, to be held June 10-12, 2011, at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

That’s right, 30 years. Now that’s something special, and there will be a slate of seminars, 750 tables of handmade, edged goodies, booths of factory, semi-production and even custom knives and swords, and much, much more. You know the drill, and what a sweet routine it is!

Yee ha!

Special Military Issue/December BLADE On Most Newsstands By Today

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BLADE Managing Editor Joe Kertzman already has alerted you to new December BLADE, and I’d like to add to his alert by telling you that the December BLADE is on most newsstands as of today, Sept. 14.

It’s the first-ever issue we’ve done almost exclusively on knives used by the military. Buy it now before they’re all gone! The cover knife is the XM-7 EOD by Les George. Other knifemakers and knife companies with knives mentioned editorially in that issue, in no particular order, are: Burt Foster, Strider Knives, Spartan Blades, Allen Elishewitz, Justin Gingrich, Blackhawk, Klotzli, Schrade, Case, Gerber, Leatherman Tool, Bobby Branton, Al Mar Knives, the old Camillus, Columbia River Knife & Tool, Cold Steel, Bob Dozier, Aaron Frederick, Benchmade, Pro-Tech, Spyderco, Michael Ruth Jr., Byrd, Mike Draper, Todd Begg, TOPS, Grayman Knives, Emerson Knives, Inc., ESEE, Buck, SureFire, Jerry Partridge, Paul Granger, Jay Fisher, Brent Beshara, Jim Hammond, Ka-Bar, Chris Reeve Knives, SOG Specialty Knives, Ontario, Steve Huey, Pat & West Crawford, Derrick Wulf, George Tichbourne, Michael Holtschulte, John Horrigan, Jerry Fisk, Zero Tolerance, Sebertech and Bob Terzuola.

Knifemaking Pioneer Bob Loveless Dead at 81

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We received news just now that Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer© Bob Loveless passed away today at 11:30 a.m. He was 81.

Jack Lucarelli, author of the book “James B. Lile The Arkansas Knifesmith,” informed BLADE by e-mail at 4:50 p.m. of Bob’s passing. Jack, who is also an actor, stuntman and long-time collector of Loveless knives, said Bob’s health had declined rapidly the past two months. Loveless had suffered from lung cancer. Lucarelli said despite his declining health, Bob was in good spirits and mentally sharp up to the end.

There will be special stories in BLADE on Loveless in the coming months. Meanwhile, please join us in remembering the man who is probably the most important knifemaker in modern cutlery history.

BLADE Issue Devoted Entirely to the Military

The December 2010 issue of BLADE, on most newsstands and subscribers’ doorsteps by September 14th, is devoted entirely to the fighting men and women serving in the military, as well as to industry professionals, including custom knifemakers, who support our troops. It’s a first of its kind in the world of knife magazines.

The cover knife—a Les George XM-7 EOD Combat Knife—was developed over four years of hands-on experience and feedback from United States Marine Corps explosive ordnance disposal technicians at home and in assorted combat zones. Wait until you see and read about it.

You won’t want to miss the December 2010 issue. Stories feature “Knives Made By Soldiers and For Soldiers,” how the “Troops Deserve Better Issue Knives,” a profile on six-year Navy veteran and full-time knifemaker Aaron Frederick, a heartwarming piece on A.G. Russell Knives, Smoky Mountain Knife Works, the Paralyzed Veterans Association and others who help support the troops, “Knife Families On Active Duty,” what knives the soldiers really carry, “Twin Brothers, Makers and Heroes,” “Knives They Carry in Iraq,” and an intriguing piece you are sure to love titled “Sting, Uncle Jerry And the Frozen Chicken.”

The December issue is filled with knives our fighting men and women need, carry, cherish and depend upon. Being able to provide such information, honoring our troops, my friends, was a humbling experience. This is one issue you’ll save, read, re-read and possibly pass along to friends and relatives with the admonition, “I want it back!”

Better yet, get a few extra copies for your friends. And enjoy!

Take A National Knife Museum Tour

Take a couple of minutes out of your busy schedule to relax and participate in a spectacular tour of the National Knife Museum housed in Smoky Mountain Knife Works. It’s a well-done, albeit homemade, video set to a couple of catchy tunes, and will definitely renew your energy and give you a fresh outlook on life, whether it’s to start or end your day. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehSTQ03_ICE

Researchers Find Ancient Disposable Cutlery

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And here you thought you were so modern with that plastic fork! A discovery in Israel points to the use of disposable cutlery by ancient peoples. Here’s the article from the AP. You can read the rest at Breitbart.com.

JERUSALEM (AP) – Israeli archaeologists believe thousands of ancient shards of flint found scattered around a fire pit in a cave near Tel Aviv might be the world’s oldest known disposable knives.

Dating to the Stone Age, the tiny knives are believed to be at least 200,000 years old. A Tel Aviv University excavation team found the tools around a fireplace littered with charred animal bones.

Archaeologist Ran Barkai said he believes Stone Age hunter-gatherers used the rough, round-shaped cutlery—ranging from the size of human teeth to guitar picks—for slicing through cooked meat because they were found next to the animal bones. The bones were used to determine the age of the knives.

The number of knives found, coupled with the fact that they had no signs of sharpening, indicates they were disposable because they would have dulled after several uses, he said.

The knives were made from recycled material—parts of larger knives and tools designed for other uses such as butchering animals and scraping hides, he said.

Click here to read the rest.

Knife Giveaway

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Greetings From KnifeBroker.com

With all the excitement of the Johnny Stout knife give away, we have decided to extend the free listing period for an additional 30 days, but that’s not all.
KnifeBroker.com is going to give away another knife in September, each time you list a knife in the month of September you will automatically be entered into a drawing to be held October 1st 2010.
We are giving away a custom made knife by legendary knife maker Gil Hibben with a retail value of 400.00 dollars. The contest starts September 1st and ends September 30th. It’s that simple, just list your knives and your in the drawing, the more you list the better your chances of winning this beautiful Gil Hibben custom made knife.

Thank You,
KnifeBroker Staff

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