The BLADE Blogs

You can now purchase tickets online for the BLADE Show. Just point your browsers here:

http://bladeshow.com/ehome/21409/30568/?&;

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.

From SOG Specialty Knives and Tools:

Do you have the grit, guts and gall to show their best impersonation of the one and only Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey, a.k.a. The Gunny, to the world?

SOG Specialty Knives and Tools has kicked off the “Are You The Gunny?” contest. Participants will be asked to videotape and upload their best Gunny impression to SOG’s Facebook page. The best impression will be selected with a winner and guest flown to Las Vegas for the 2011 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show and Conference. Besides gaining access to the show as a guest of SOG, the winner will be invited to a special cocktail party on the first night to meet The Gunny himself.

Full entry information and contest rules are posted on the SOG Facebook page under “Contest,” along with a special video message from The Gunny. The contest ends on December 21st. I have also included information below on some of the brand-new products SOG will be introducing at the 2011 SHOT Show.

After years as a drill instructor in the U.S. Marine Corps, R. Lee Ermey became widely known for his Academy Award-nominated performance in Full Metal Jacket, as well as roles in Apocalypse Now, the Toy Story trilogy and the History Channel series Lock N’ Load With R. Lee Ermey. Ermey is a spokesperson for SOG, a brand for specialty knives and tools by the military, law enforcement, industrial tradesmen and outdoorsmen worldwide.

The SHOT Show is the world’s largest and most comprehensive trade show for professionals involved with the shooting sports and hunting industries, and is the premier showcase of combined firearms, ammunition, outdoor apparel, optics and more. It will be held at the Sands Expo & Convention Center from January 18-21. Full information can be found at www.shotshow.org.

The schedule of classes for 2011 for the Moran School of Bladesmithing at Texarkana College, Haywood Community College, and the New England School of Metalwork are now posted on the ABS Website. Check the school schedules and the ABS Bulletin Board as some new classes have been added at each of the schools for 2011.

Scott Taylor is the new Coordinator for Continuing Education at Texarkana College and is ready to assist you with bladesmithing class registration and information. Scott can be contacted at (903) 832-5565 Extention 3237 or email.

Dereck Glaser reports that the recent Introduction to Bladesmithing class at the New England School of Metalwork had students from Florida, Maryland. Minnesota, Massachusetts, Bermuda, and Israel.

Get ready for hunting season! Check out Buck’s new knives on the New Products page. Selected knives on sale!

We’re re-designing Knife Showcase, so please bear with us as changes are made.

Thanks!

-Ben