It’s perfect timing considering the thousands of knife manufacturers, purveyors, collectors, dealers, enthusiasts and media professionals traveling to the BLADE Show May 31-June 2, 2013 in Atlanta. Yet the article will remain relevant long after the BLADE Show and into the future.
“Travelers need to be aware of knife laws where they go to make sure they are legal, and, of course, know the policies of the airlines, TSA, or whatever mode of transportation they use” related Jan Billeb, Executive Director of AKTI.
“Some municipal laws may not allow certain knives, or some states may have restrictions on knives at airports.”
As Haskew puts it, “In the post 9-11 era, traveling with knives by air or ground requires a heightened awareness of applicable laws and methods for safe carry and transport to and from the destination. When an airline is involved, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) enforces strict rules. A knife owner traveling with his or her trusty two-blade trapper is subject to scrutiny and possible confiscation, just as the knife dealer traveling to a show with multiple collectible pieces, or the chef heading home from a culinary event.”
Jim Bowie is not amused with my lack of knowledge about steel mixes.
Knowing what you don’t know sometimes means knowing when to stop researching and just play with your knife. In the course of more fully educating myself about knives, I find that everything, and I mean every little thing, involves further study. It can be paralyzing. And sometimes it needs to just get silly so I can stop worrying about it.
I’m in charge of maintaining the style sheet at BLADE, which is an alphabetical list of knife industry-specific terms and instructions—or exceptions to instructions—regarding how we present certain things in BLADE. We want to be consistent.
The other day my boss and BLADE editor, Steve Shackleford, sent me something like, “Just so you know… the V in MoV is always capitalized. For example, 8Cr13MoV: Cr refers to chromium, Mo refers to molybdenum and V refers to vanadium—all elements in the steel mix.”
Cool, I thought.
And then I thought: The periodic table of elements? Seriously?
For an English major with a history minor—even one into guns and knives—this concerned me. Oh sure, there’s science in the acids and bases of a batch of cookies in the oven, but I honestly never imagined printing out that chart after I left high school. But there it lies, adding color to the growing pile, its information so obvious in hindsight. Jim Bowie perpetually scowls with what I imagine can only be his disappointment in my slow pickup.
So, when Steve explained how BLADE presents Rockwell hardness: “the Rockwell hardness is 58-59 HRC,” I figured I should try to fit more about that topic into my rock hard head.
After work I called a friend.
His response: “What is the Rockwell hardness scale and what does it mean to me?”
It all makes perfect sense. I think I can now move on to worrying about whether there’s a good mix of ATS-34, 440C, CPM S30V, CTS steels and 5160, O1, D2, 1095, L6 steels represented in our Knifemaker Showcase pieces.
Your Knifemaking Questions, Answered
Get all your knifemaking questions answered in this collection of expert advise from former BLADE columnist Wayne Goddard. The Wonder of Knifemaking makes a thoughtful gift for someone interested in starting or perfecting their knifemaking skills
No purchase necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. Open only to legal residents of the United States and the District of Columbia age 18 years or older. Online entries must be received by 11:59 PM June 30, 2011. Limit: One online entry per person.
Spyderco’s knife that changed knife history is a headliner in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!
Spyderco’s knife that changed knife history, Creek Stewart of Fat Guys In The Woods fame and his knives, the top knives of the SHOT Show and more highlight the latest issue of BLADE®, on newsstands now!
In addition to his TV show on The Weather Channel, Stewart is known for his survival skills—and what’s survival without knives? While Creek gave knives away to the top “survivor” at the end of each episode of his show, he decided he wanted to take things a step further and work with a small American business to produce a line of knives. Whiskey Knives from Hank Gevedon’s Reptile Toolworks are the result and the focus of Erin Healy’s “Samurai Woodsman” on page 12.
Along with the annual BLADE Show—which is set for June 2-4 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta—the SHOT Show is the place where many factory knife companies debut their new knives for the year. Check out the hottest knives of SHOT, along with a number of new companies under new flags, in the story on page 26.
There’s much more in the latest issue, including tests of camp knives, custom hunters and the return of an old friend—the newest factory boot knives; the urban survival knife and whether yours meets the demands of your environment; those who forge and sell stainless damascus to knifemakers worldwide; on the 100th anniversary of the USA’s entry into World War I, the first of a two-part story on the knives carried by U.S. Army personnel, aka The Doughboys; and much more, all in the latest issue of BLADE, available in the digital edition and also by subscription.
Shelley and Sarah Berman show off some of the custom knives in their collection. (Dave Harvey photo)
The custom knife industry has few better friends than Shelley and Sarah Berman, and that point was driven home once again when Shelley wrote about custom knives in the May 31 issue of The Wall Street Journal.
A long-time comedian and actor, Shelley penned the story titled “The Comedian in the Tomato Patch” in the WSJ edition that appeared the Friday of the 2013 BLADE Show & Living Ready Expo (www.bladeshow.com). An accompanying picture showed Shelley and Sarah working the tomato patch in their garden. While Shelley started off talking about his garden, he wrote more about his custom knife collection and damascus steel than anything.
“I collect custom knives,” he wrote in the WSJ story. “In many cases, I know—or knew—the maker. Many of my knives are one of a kind. Some of the great knifemakers are no longer with us. Some of the younger knifemakers are fine at the trade, though many of us old-time collectors still respect and revere the ones we’ve known … One section of the knives in my collection is mostly damascus process. In every case, one side of the blade has an almost scattered pattern, but, oh, what a blade. Frankly, I am very proud of my knife collection.”
Shelley’s affinity for custom knives is well known to many BLADE (www.blademag.com) readers and many in the custom knife industry. He has written stories about his knives and has been interviewed about his collection in BLADE. He has attended any number of custom knife shows over the years, including the California Custom Knife Show, the Solvang Custom Knife Show, the Art Knife Invitational and the Knifemakers’ Guild Show. In fact, he has performed his comedy act at a number of knife shows, including a most memorable performance at the 25th Anniversary Guild Show in Orlando, Florida.
Hats off to Shelley and Sarah Berman—two class acts and valued friends of the custom knife industry.
Get hunting knives designed by Alaska hunting guide/award-winning maker Russ Kommer or build your own via a Gene Osborn video at ShopBlade.com.
The CRKT Kommer 2-Shot Skinner is a smaller semi-skinner designed for the biggest game. The 3.15-inch blade is 12C27 Sandvik stainless and the handle is orange G-10. The accompanying horizontal sheath also has two pockets to handle ammo from .243 up to .338. ShopBlade’s price: $104, a savings of $26 over the regular cost.
For a limited-edition Kommer skinner built in Russ’s Fargo, North Dakota, shop, check out GATCO’s 20th Anniversary Kommer model. The 3 9/16-inch blade is ATS-34 and the handle is black ash burl. ShopBlade’s price: $600, a savings of $150 over the regular cost.
If you’d rather build your own hunter, Gene Osborn’s “Kit Knife Video 2 Hidden Tang Hunter” takes you through the process from start to finish. ShopBlade’s price: $25.
In addition to the great old knives are the dealers, many of whom have been in the business for decades and have forgotten more about antique knives than most knife enthusiasts know. These dealers are fountains of knowledge. Not only will they sell you great vintage knives but they also can answer your questions about your antique knife or knives as well.
Sevierville is also home to Smoky Mountain Knife Works, one of the world’s largest retail knife stores if not the largest, which also contains the National Knife Museum. In the shadow of the storied Smoky Mountains, Sevierville is also within a short ride of Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, home to Dollywood and other attractions, and Gatlinburg, one of the South’s most popular mountain getaways.
The show kicks off tomorrow at noon, with the doors closing at 6 p.m. Friday hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday’s are 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Admission is $7 per day or $15 for a three-day pass. An early bird pass is $20, which allows for “special entry time” each day and free parking at the event.
