The BLADE Blogs

The new book, “Spirit of the Sword,” edited and written by yours truly, Steve Shackleford, is now available from Krause Books/F+W Media.

The book includes comprehensive stories on the capital of the sword world; how to produce a hamon, by ABS master smith Don Fogg; the most popular sword style ever; how an ABS master smith visits the museums of Europe to study closeup the ancient swords he reproduces, by Vince Evans; a profile of one of the world’s pre-eminent swordsmiths, Yoshindo Yoshihara, by Leon Kapp; a history of swords in the movie industry; and the swords they used and how they used them in combat in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, by John Clements. In addition, there is a dedication to the late Hank Reinhardt.

There is also a huge directory of today’s swordmakers in unprecedented form, including detailed information on the swords they make, how they make them, the materials used, pictures of the swords, where to get them, a sword dictionary and more.

For more information, click on “Shop” or visit http://www.shopblade.com/product/spirit-of-the-sword/1

Collectibles Retailer Partners With World-Class Designers
 
Moultrie, GA – (January 26, 2011)

United® Cutlery, industry leader in licensed adult collectibles, is proud to announce new partnerships with three custom designers: Mykel Hawke, Wesley Hibben and Mikkel Willumsen. Their world-class custom designs and innovative ideas will allow United® Cutlery to discover the newest mechanisms, modern materials and custom finishing techniques.

Mykel Hawke is a U.S. Army Special Forces Veteran and Co-founder and Director of Specops, an international tourism and training company. Hawke stars in Discovery Channel’s hit survival series, MAN, WOMAN, WILD. Hawke also serves as a media personality in TV and film and is the author of two bestselling books, Hawke’s Green Beret Survival Manual (Running Press) and The Quick and Dirty Guide to Learning Foreign Languages Fast! (Paladin). Renown for his survival skills and tactics, Mykel Hawke brings his talents and real field experience to his exclusive knife designs. Hawke’s designs prove to be the most useful all-purpose utilitarian survival knives on the market today.

Wesley Hibben has been making knives since he was eight years old, having learned the craft of knifemaking from his father, Hall of Fame knifemaker Gil Hibben. Hibben makes a variety of knives including fantasy, hunting and tactical knives. Hibben spends his time knifemaking and teaching Kenpo Karate in Anchorage, Alaska. Renown for his survival skills and tactics, Wesley Hibben brings his talents and real life experience as an avid hunter and fisherman in Alaska to his exclusive knife designs. Hibben’s designs are quickly becoming recognized on the market today.

Mikkel Willumsen graduated as a teacher in metal and woodwork and decided that since he was always interested in knives as a child, knifemaking was what he would do. Willumsen has been a custom knifemaker for the past ten years in Copenhagen, Denmark, calling his designs Urban Tactical. Specializing in folders, fixed blades and balisongs, Willumsen’s designs are based on functionality and quality, mixing classical designs with modern tactics. Willumsen also makes kitchen knives that have been used on Danish National Television and TV2 “Goodmorning Denmark” for several years.

“I am excited to add three talented designers to the United® team,” said Clint Kadel, CEO and owner of United® Cutlery. “These new designers will help United® continue to offer the most innovative and functional designs in the industry.”

The New Hampshire Senate joined the state house in passing a knife law preemption bill yesterday, leaving only the signature by the governor to officially make the bill law.

“I hope to see this move quickly but there is no guarantee we will be done by the BLADE Show. I hope so!” said New Hampshire State Representative Jenn Coffey (pictured holding her Kershaw knife in her regular job as an EMT), the champion of the bill known as HB 544.

Coffey said both the state senate and house passed the bill unanimously. “I think that is a first nationwide” for such a law, she added of the dual unanimity.

Though usually the governor’s signature is a formality, especially when the senate and house pass a bill unanimously, Coffey cautioned that nothing is a given.

“He can sign it, not sign it and it becomes law five days after it hits his desk, or he can veto it, in which case we vote to override his veto,” Coffey explained. “It will take a couple of weeks, I think, to hit his desk. It has to go through the enrolled bills process first to ensure there are no spelling errors and such, the house speaker and senate president sign off and then the secretary of state sends it to the governor.”

In essence, Coffey said that in passing the bill, the New Hampshire state and house unanimously agreed that it makes little sense for towns to be allowed to make conflicting laws regulating knives. “If one were to pass from jurisdiction to a jurisdiction with conflicting law, you could easily find yourself in conflict with a town ordinance that is different than your destination or place of origin,” she noted. HB 544 prevents that from happening, creating the same state preemption New Hampshire citizens now enjoy with firearms.

For more on HB 544 and how you can repeal anti-knife laws in your state, join Rep. Coffey in her special BLADE Show seminar, “Got Liberty? How To Repeal Anti-Knife Laws.” The show will be June 10-12 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.