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The BLADE Blogs

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

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Elvis and Gil: A Sharp Evening To Remember

Steve Shackleford
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Elvis Presley died Aug. 16, 1977, but it was only three years earlier in 1974 that Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Gil Hibben got to spend some time with the rock ‘n roll legend.

    Along with Phil Lobred, coordinator of today’s Art Knife Invitational, Hibben gained an audience with Presley and Ed Parker, grand master of American Kenpo karate. It was only for one evening but Hibben and Lobred spent quality time with Elvis talking knives, music and more.

    It was, of course, an evening neither Hibben or Lobred will ever forget.

    Hibben has made knives for Sylvester Stallone in two Rambo movies and two Expendables movies. The second Expendables film, Expendables 2, is in movie theaters nationwide now, and the new knife Hibben made especially for it is the cover piece for the November BLADE®, on newsstands NOW.

    From left above are “The King” striking a pose while holding a Hibben knife, Parker and a young, lean Gil Hibben. Kenpo is spelled incorrectly as “Kempo” in the caption below the picture. I tried to crop it out but as a computer layout artist I am a miserable failure. (photo courtesy of Gil Hibben and Mike Carter)

 

For the latest knives, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. Click here to start a subscription.

Knife Purveyor Of The Day I

Steve Shackleford
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     The first in our Knife Purveyors Of The Day series is Neil Ostroff (shown above with a Darrel Ralph Madd Maxx folder at a past BLADE Show) of True North Knives in Williston, Vermont. Formerly based in Canada, TNK is now U.S.-based and brings you some of the finest in tactical and utility custom knives, a number of which are exclusives, from such makers as Kirby Lambert, Strider Knives, Darrel Ralph and others.

     For more information, click on www.truenorthknives.com.

     For more on the latest knives, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us/?r+ssfb301211#BL1SU

Midweek Maker Forged-Style: Mike MacInnes

Erin Healy
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Midweek Maker Forged-Style: Mike MacInnes

Mike MacInnes of Holland, Michigan, remembers his first two knives, both given to him by his dad. The first was a Buck 110 clone and the second was a Solingen hunting knife. Mike has been involved with black powder rifle hunting and gunsmithing all his life.

Mike MacInnes is a part-time bladesmith who forges his knives.
Mike MacInnes is a part-time bladesmith. He only makes, and therefore sells, the kinds of knives he likes to make, one of the joys of keeping making as a hobby while he holds on to his day job as a vending route supervisor in Michigan.

In 2012 he wanted to donate a knife for an auction to benefit the Michigan State Muzzle Loading Association. He called his friend Al Englsman and asked if he would help him make a Scagel-style knife. He enjoyed making the first one so much it lead to others. He advanced quickly, probably because his work on rifles aided his craftsmanship.

Betty is owned by Mike MacInnis, a Michigan knifemaker.
Betty is a mountain cur, dogs specifically bred to trail and tree small game or hunt and bay larger quarry.

Mike had met Al, who is a breeder of Mountain Cur, when he went to buy his squirrel-hunting dog, Betty.

Bladesmith Mike MacInnis and his wife, Erin, have two children.
Mike MacInnes and his wife, Erin, sometimes get out to Holland State Park in Holland, Michigan. The lighthouse in the background is called Big Red.

Mike is a route supervisor for a vending machine company by day, but loves his hobby. He only sells what he likes to make. He’s grateful for the influences of Bill Binky growing up, Marv Palmer and Joe Valentin. He lives near Lake Michigan with his wife, Erin, and their two children.

  • Best-selling knife patterns: full-tang hunter with 3- to 4-inch blade; hidden-tang drop-point hunter with 4- to 5-inch blade
  • Favorite blade steels: 1080; 5160
  • Blade grind: full flat
  • How he tests his knives: slice paper, shave hair, cut phone books, chop wood
  • Favorite handle materials: Michigan native maple, walnut, ironwood, ash
  • Price range: $175 to $450
  • Knife shows he attends: Badger Knife Club Knife Show
  • Facebook Groups he participates in: The Real Knife Makers of America, Knife Gods, Blade Smithing World
This 4 ¾-inch drop-point hunter was forged from 1080 steel. Handle is made of oak burl with black fiberboard liners. Overall length is 8 ½ inches. Pins are brass. Price is $175-$450.

Mike’s isn’t taking any more orders until he catches up on the orders he’s taken and finishes knives for upcoming shows. Follow him on Facebook though for updates on peeks at works-in-progress and finished pieces.

Mike MacInnes made this hunting knife using 1080 carbon steel with a bocote wood handle.
This hunter has a 3.25-inch blade forged from 1080 carbon steel. Its handle scales are made from bocote wood. The pins are brass. Maker’s list price: $185. Contacts listed at the bottom of this article.
Mike MacInnes used beautiful walnut harvested in his native Michigan to make the handles for this knife.
This Mike MacInnes piece was forged from 1080 carbon steel. The blade is 4 inches long with an overall length of 8.25 inches. “The handle is made of some of the nicest walnut that was even harvested here in Michigan,” Mike declared. The shape of the handle is a little thicker in the butt than he normally makes, but it felt so good he will probably do more in that style. The guard was forged from 416 stainless steel with a matching pin. The sheath was hand-stitched and -tooled by Mike. Maker’s list price: $350. Contacts listed at the bottom of this article.

Contact Mike MacInnes at [email protected], 616-405-8759, at MacInnes Knives & Forge on Facebook or on Instagram @macinnesmike.

A Digital Subscription To BLADE Is The Answer

Save $4 off the print price of a annual subscription to BLADE Magazine with a digital subscription.
You can read your digital issues of BLADE Magazine anywhere you have your phone, tablet or computer, and there’s no need to find storage for all your old issues.

If piling-up issues of magazines seems like a waste to you… If you feel like you don’t have time to read a magazine… If you like the stories we offer in BLADE, but want a more economical option, then a digital subscription is the answer. An annual subscription to BLADE is $17.98, $4 off the print price.

Fairbanks Knifemaker Gets Good, Solid Press!

Joe Kertzman
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Fairbanks, Alaska, knifemaker Mark Knapp not only built and reportedly patented a cool .1911 Combat Survivor Knife, but he recently received some well-deserved press on the piece. For more combat and survivor knives, click here.

If any of you are familiar with Mark and his work, he fashions some high-art, yet utilitarian fixed blades and folders with “mosaic” handles of exotic natural materials from Alaska and around the world. He forges his own damascus, is a full-time maker and built his first knife in 2000.

The article first ran at www.newsminer.com, a domain of the Fairbanks Daily News – Miner, on Monday, March 18, 2013. Click here to read the feature article. 

 

Midweek Maker Military-Style: Allan Reid

Erin Healy
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Midweek Maker Military-Style: Allan Reid
Allan Reid is the talent behind ARctc Knives.
Allan Reid of Allan Reid Cut Throat Custom Knives is a part-time knifemaker who is a nurse by trade. He served in the U.S. Army. as a combat medic, obtaining the rank of sergeant.

Allan Reid of ARctc Knives, which stands for Allan Reid of Cut Throat Custom Knives, is a part-time maker who currently works as a nurse. He served for six years as a U.S. Army combat medic, achieving the rank of sergeant. In 2005-2006 he deployed on Operation Iraqi Freedom. Most recently, he earned his registered nursing credentials.

Allan Reid of ARctc Knives served in the U.S. Army as a combat medic.
Allan Reid of ARctc Knives parlayed his combat medic training into a nursing career. He has completed his schooling and is awaiting his state board certification.

Allan has been fascinated with blades and martial arts since childhood. “I was exposed to several custom knives while on deployment, which spurred my interest in knifemaking,” he noted. He learned about stock-removal methods by reading and asking questions on knife forums. He is now learning to forge blades under the mentorship of close friends James Helm and Tobin Nieto.

Allan is the father of four with another on the way. He and his family live in San Antonio, Texas.

  • Best-selling knife patterns: tactical, utility and bushcraft; Alpha-1, Nessmuk and Mini-muk models
  • Favorite blade steels: high-carbon and tool for edge retention; 1084 for ease of heat-treat and durability. “I also utilize 5160 spring steel for my larger blades, and often incorporate O1 and 1095.”
  • Blade grinds: full flat or saber
  • How he tests his knives: If Allan knows the intended use, those mediums will be cut, however, almost all of his blades are tested on 2-by-4s.
  • Favorite handle materials: G10 and Micarta for toughness, durability, color selection and low maintenance
  • Price range: $145-$400
  • Knife shows he attends: Texas shows, BLADE Show 2018
  • Forums he participates in: BladeForums.com when time allows
The Alpha-1 is just one of many knife designs offered by ARctc Knives.
As a former soldier, knifemaker Allan Reid of ARctc Knives is a fan of easy-to-maintain and cost-effective handle materials.

The Alpha-1 above has a 5-inch blade made out of 1084 steel with a full flat grind and acid stonewashed finish. The scales are Camo Micarta fitted with Black Micarta pins. Overall length is 9 ¼ inches. Maker’s list price: $165.

Allan Reid tried out a kwaiken design on his latest edged creation.
The ARctc Knives kwaiken-design knife has a 4.5-inch combination-ground blade made out of O1 tool steel. It’s 9 inches overall. The handle features an epoxy-sealed red paracord base under a black Japanese lace wrap. Maker’s list price: $180 with Kydex sheath and belt attachment.

Contact Allan Reid at [email protected], on Facebook at Allan Reid and on Instagram @arctc_knives.

Ballerina’s Knife Dance

Steve Shackleford
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Ballerina’s Knife Dance

A remarkable video entitled “En Puntas” (“On Points”) featuring ballerina Amelie Segarra and her “knife dance” is on www.boredpanda.com—and it is worth a watch.

At just over three minutes in length, the video starts with a ballerina putting on her leg wraps and then a pair of ballerina slippers with “kitchen knife” blades at the toe ends. She proceeds to somehow gain her balance atop a grand piano and then “dance”—though it’s more like a drag and stick of the blade shoes into the surface of the top of the piano. It’s really very good and about how you might expect such a venture to unfold—the ballerina wobbling, gasping and shouting at times as she does her best to keep her balance. The knife blades appear to be real, as the scratched surface of the piano top would attest. In fact, the top of the piano appears to get quite marred/carved up in the process.

Segarra dances what is called the “en pointe” ballet technique, the classic style in which the ballerina dances on her toes. According to the accompanying copy on the site, Segarra’s performance is “a testament to the intense dedication and sometimes physical suffering required of ballet performers.” The knives look pretty sharp, too. Exactly who made them or what brand they are we have no idea. They get to the point, though.

To see the full video, visit http://www.boredpanda.com/ballerina-with-knife-shoes-performs-en-pointe-javier-pere

Props to BLADE® contributor Stephen Garger for turning us onto this video.

For the latest in knives, knife news and the sharpest stuff anywhere, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

 

Watch as a ballerina dances atop a grand piano in her knife shoes. The chef's knife is by Kershaw. (Kershaw photo)
In a remarkable video, a ballerina does a “knife dance” with shoes sporting kitchen knife blade tips. This is the Kershaw chef’s knife. (Kershaw photo)

The “Iron Waitress” Bowie

Steve Shackleford
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The “Iron Waitress” Bowie
Steve Hill dubbed his eBay bowie find the "Iron Waitress."
Steve Hill found the “Iron Waitress” on eBay.

One of the many things that make knives so fascinating is the unusual pieces that turn up from time to time. Such is the case with a bowie knifemaker Steve Hill (www.stevehillknives.com) dubbed the “Iron Waitress” as a play-on-words salute to the famous “Iron Mistress.”

He found the Iron Waitress on eBay a few years ago. He and I had been emailing back and forth about the upcoming Bowie Knife Show in Natchez, Mississippi, and he emailed pictures of the knife and gave me a brief history.

“It was listed as a World War II theater handmade knife,” he wrote. “It’s for sure inspired by the ‘star’ of the Alan Ladd flick—or is that vice versa? Perhaps the designer of the movie knife remembered seeing this back in ‘The Big One’?

“I have fitted it with a brass spine since acquiring it. Joe Musso [the leading authority on knives from the Iron Mistress movie] thinks it’s most likely a Korean War theater knife. It’s an impressive piece of work with a sharpened false edge and cool stacked-leather handle with an escutcheon plate engraved Normand(y?). There’s good steel in the blade and it even has a tight radiused and sharpened point so it keeps on cutting through a slash maneuver without hanging up like a needle point could.

“To paraphrase Nez Coupe, the fictional Cajun friend of Jim Bowie in Paul Wellman’s Iron Mistress book, ‘This knife, she is death!’ Of all the knives in my collection,” Steve noted, “this one does seem to intimidate those who see it.”

According to Steve, the knife made the front page of a Vidalia, Louisiana, newspaper with a close-up of Knife World Editor Mark Zalesky looking cross-eyed—“Too funny!” Steve added—at it during a previous Bowie Knife Show.

For the latest knife news, stay sharp with www.blademag.com.

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