One potential problem with the ban is that some fossil ivories resemble elephant ivory, such as the mammoth ivory on the handle of this dagger by Russ Andrews. (SharpByCoop photo)
The recently announced federal ban on ivory not only seems to outlaw all import, export, interstate and intrastate sales of elephant ivory, it also appears to make all potential exceptions to the rule such as antiques virtually impossible to meet.
Initially announced on Feb. 11, the ban received more coverage Feb. 26 when the federal website http://www.fws.gov posted a story outlining the ban in more detail, including Director’s Order No. 210 from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service.
The story indicated that while virtually all elephant ivory is now illegal, a few exceptions exist, such as antique elephant ivory. However, to qualify as antique, elephant ivory must adhere to a hodge-podge of requirements that not only are virtually impossible to meet but present prohibitive costs in the process.
For instance, to qualify as an antique, the ivory must be 100 years old or older. However, the person claiming the ivory is that old must “definitively prove” the identity of the species. Such proof “can be in the form of bonafide DNA analysis,” a qualified appraisal or “other documentation,” such as “family photos, ethnographic fieldwork or other information.” If such analysis is required on each and every piece of elephant ivory, it would be cost-prohibitive for individual knifemakers. What’s more, the appraiser and the appraisal must meet strict guidelines in terms of the appraiser’s credentials, the scientific method used to determine the age or species must be described in detail, a detailed history of the article including proof of authenticity must be presented, etc.
Not only are the requirements draconian in nature, they don’t even take into account the fact that no one kept such records of their ivory when they bought it months or years ago, and to obtain such information now is virtually impossible.
Further, there must be proof that the ivory was imported through one of 13 specific ports of entry—12 in the USA and the other in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Notarized statements or affidavits by the exporter or seller are not adequate proof.
The maximum penalty for violations—which would qualify as violations of the Endangered Species Act—is one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for the individual, and $200,000 for an organization. Those who submit false records or identification of ivory face a maximum penalty of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
For the latest knives, knife news, trends and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.
Knifemaker Stefan Neil Palmer made a knife in memory of Dustin Chamberlain to be auctioned off. He never knew it would change his life.
While at his parents’ Siloam Springs, Arkansas, home for Christmas break 2011, 20-year-old Dustin Chamberlain was shot dead by an intruder. Nearly five years later, knifemaker and racecar driver Stefan Neil Palmer was asked by his racing mentor if he would make a knife to auction off to raise money for Dustin’s Dream, the charity foundation organized in Dustin’s memory. Stefan agreed, but when he laser-engraved Dustin’s favorite saying on the handle, everyone agreed that the knife could never be auctioned off.
On Dec. 15, 2011 Dustin, a biology-pre-med sophomore at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, was resting at home after a minor outpatient procedure. Both his parents left for work with Dustin’s reassurance that he didn’t need anyone to stay with him. His father, Don, had planned to have lunch with him. At approximately 10:45 a.m. Dustin’s mother, Deondra, called the house and Dustin’s cell phone repeatedly but got no answer. She called Don and asked him to check on their son.
Don walked into the Chamberlain home to find his son lying dead just inside the door with four gunshot wounds. In the family room, he found a stranger with what police subsequently said appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound that later proved fatal. The investigation revealed that the stranger was a local man who had been reported missing, depressed and possibly suicidal. He had wandered onto the Chamberlain property, and evidence showed he’d been on the premises for two hours before the Chamberlains left for work.
It’s an understatement to say that the Chamberlain’s lives were changed forever, but as day followed day, God showed them how they could carry on Dustin’s name and spirit, Don explained. “It’s been therapeutic,” he said, referring to the charity they set up in remembrance of their son. In honor of Dustin’s dream to one-day become a doctor, Dustin’s Dream sets up medical clinics in third-world countries and funds teams to conduct medical mission trips to those countries. They also offer scholarships for aspiring medical students.
Knifemaker Stefan Neil Palmer made a knife to auction off in benefit of Dustin’s Dream.
In 2013, two years after Dustin’s murder, Chamberlain family friend Steve Butler decided to use his racing hobby to support Dustin’s Dream. Steve introduced Stefan to Dustin’s Dream Racing, which raises money for the foundation “while being a positive, Godly influence” in the sport of racing, according to their web page. In the summer of 2016 it was suggested that Stefan make a knife to auction off to benefit Dustin’s Dream.
So Stefan set out to make the best knife he could to honor Dustin. The 3.112-inch hollow-ground drop-point hunter was constructed using buckshot-pattern steel forged by Brad Vice’s Alabama Damascus. “It’s my favorite pattern,” Stefan said. And buckshot- or raindrop-pattern damascus is his favorite steel. The handle was made from camel bone and brass with—fittingly—a checkerboard inlay front and rear of the handle. The shinbone of the camel is an economical choice, but it’s the ideal medium for laser engraving, explained Stefan. The rubbing compound left in the pores of the bone lend it that gray undertone. Signature filework runs from the tip to the butt of the spine. “It turned out great,” stated Stefan.
Stefan Neil Palmer’s accompanying sheath notes Hebrews 12:1-2, which includes in part “let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
He went to Steve to see if there was anything that Dustin was known for saying. Steve showed Stefan what the Chamberlains had written about Dustin. “Whenever anyone asked Dustin how he could consistently make wise choices and live his faith, Dustin would say, ‘Because I love God with all my heart and I don’t want to give Him anything less than my best.’” Stefan explained, “I put that on the knife. When I looked at the finished product, I knew the knife was not for someone to buy. It was priceless and needed to go to Don.”
Stefan took his dilemma to Steve and it was agreed that a second knife would be made for the auction. The trick was to keep Don’s knife a secret, made harder by the fact that Don expressed great interest in the knife. Steve suggested to Don that he not bid on it because people would then back off their own bidding in an attempt to make sure that Dustin’s father ended up with Dustin’s knife. The racing team wanted the knife to bring in as much money for the foundation as possible.
In the end, at Dustin’s 5th Heavenly Birthday Chili Supper and Baked Goods Auction on Dec. 10, 2016, Stefan presented the original knife to Don, with both giver and receiver ending up in tears. “It changed my life,” Stefan said. “I’m not so likely to cut someone off on the race track with the Dustin’s Dream sticker on my car,” he added with easy laugh. (The T in the Dustin’s Dream logo is in the shape of a cross.) He relates how so many people have been affected for the better through Dustin’s example and the strength of the Chamberlains. “So much beauty has come out of it,” Stefan said.
Dr. Carl Duncan, left, ended up with the knife Stefan Neil Palmer, center, made in honor of Dustin, the son of Don Chamberlain, right.
The Chamberlains never returned to their home. Don manages a beef cattle ranch and other properties for his boss, and the couple and their daughter stayed at the ranch the night of the murder. They found a place to rent, but the two payments nearly put them under financially. All the while, Don said he was thinking, “I wish I could afford to just give it away to a couple who could help foster children.” Two years later, a doctor—surprise, surprise—Carl Duncan and his wife, Carol, purchased the home, and—you guessed it—they had foster children.
It was Carol who ended up with the winning bid of $3000 on the second knife, and she presented it to her husband. According to the Dustin’s Dream website, the racing team has raised $45,000 for the foundation.
Stefan’s wife, Raquel, bringing the story full circle, is returning to school to become a doctor—in the same specialty as the doctor who purchased the house and the knife. She and Stefan hope one day to accompany a medical mission team through Dustin’s Dream. Don and Deondra, a nurse, are returning to Guatemala through Dustin’s Dream for his second trip and her third. If you want to know what you can do to get involved, visit www.DustinsDream.net/give.
When Don returned to the house that fateful day, he thought it was odd that the family’s Jack Russell-rat terrier cross was out in the yard. Cricket was trembling in fear, and, uncharacteristically, she would not come to Don. It is believed that she raised a ruckus when the intruder broke into the house near her bed. Dustin came to see what the fuss was about. In yet another connection, I breed Jack Russells.
According to what police revealed to Don, the shooter asked his wife what it meant if someone was very depressed. She answered that it meant the person needed professional help. The husband and father of four reportedly said that he felt he was too much of a coward to do that. He took a gun and left the home.
I asked Don if he knew how the family was doing now. He said he didn’t, but that it had been on his heart to find out, and that my asking had solidified that course of action for him. And “no,” he said quietly, “I could never use that knife.” He has it on a dresser, along with the sheath and some photos. He wants to put it in a shadow box. “I could never use that knife,” he repeated.
“Art of the Knife” doesn’t require anything more than being appreciated for its beauty.
If you want inspiration for your own knifemaking, here’s your eye candy. Over 500 knives are pictured, and they run the gamut from highly polished and bejeweled to hunters with artistic flair. Author and former BLADE managing editor Joe Kertzman covers scrimshaw and engraving, as well as the art of each style of knife. Normally, $35, this beautiful book is now on sale for $21, a 40-percent savings.
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 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
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.
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.
The Spyderco Persistence is a small knife that cuts like a bigger one and gets the once-over in our “Cutting Critique.”
The Spyderco Persistence is one of those compact cutting knives you may or may not like—depending on your tastes in general and how the knife fits your hand.
I have a medium-size hand and if I hold the handle in the standard grip, half of my little finger overlaps the butt. That’s bordering on too small for me.
However, for detail or draw cuts where I place my finger atop the blade spine, the fit is just about perfect. The 2.75-inch blade is 1.25 inches at its widest and tapers quickly to the point. Under 3 inches in blade length is a good thing in terms of many legal length limits. (Be sure to check your local and other pertinent knife laws.)
The G-10 handle material is good and solid and provides a nice abrasive-type feel for sure gripping for most any type of cutting.
The clip is reversible for tip up or tip down right-hand carry.
The plain-edge blade of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel out of the box is razor sharp and is a cutting moose. I like the blade shape, which is along the lines of the Spyderco Caly I carry on a regular basis.
The Michael Walker LinerLock@ is nice and tight and has a good spring to it that makes you work just a bit—though not too much—to push it open. I like that because it reinforces the notion that the lock will not disengage easily—always a good thing.
The Persistence is one of Spyderco’s knives made in China, and as many industry observers are noting, the Chinese are getting better and better at making knives—and the Persistence is an excellent example of this improvement.
At 4 ounces the Persistence may seem a bit heavy to some for a knife of its size (4.125-inch closed length), but not me. I like the overall weight and feel. It’s a small knife that cuts like a bigger one.
One of the things that makes the knife industry such a pleasure to be involved with is artisans, bladesmiths and knifemakers in general sharing their knowledge, teaching people their craft and passing down the handcraft from generation to generation.
March 7, 8, and 9, 2014
Spring Great Smoky Mountain Hammer-In
Haywood Community College, Clyde, North Carolina
ABS Contact – Bill Wiggins (828) 226-2551 or Email [email protected]
April 26 and 27, 2014
Spring Piney Woods Hammer In
Texarkana College – Moran School of Bladesmithing, Washington, Arkansas
ABS Contact – BR Hughes (903) 838-0134 or Email [email protected]
July 11, 12, and 13, 2014
New England Hammer-In
New England School of Metalwork, Auburn, Maine
ABS Contact – Mace Vitale (203) 457-5591 or Email [email protected]
August 22, 23, and 24, 2014
Mid America Hammer-In
Miami County Fairgrounds, Troy, Ohio
ABS Contact – Butch Sheely (419) 832-5801 or Email [email protected]
September 13 and 14, 2014
Fall Piney Woods Hammer-In
Texarkana College – Moran School of Bladesmithing, Washington, Arkansas
ABS Contact – BR Hughes (903) 838-0134 or Email [email protected]
October 4 and 5, 2014
Heartland Hammer-In
Washburn Institute of Technology, Topeka, Kansas
ABS Contact – Steve Culver (785) 484-0146 or Email [email protected]
October 2014
California Hammer-In
College of the Sequoias, Tulare, California
ABS Contact – Mike Vagnino (559) 636-0501 or Email [email protected]
October 18 and 19, 2014
Smoky Mountain Fall Hammer-In
Haywood Community College, Clyde, North Carolina
ABS Contact – Bill Wiggins (828) 226-2551 or Email [email protected]
The Spyderco Caly 3 (above) features a blade of ZDP-189 stainless and a carbon fiber handle. For info on how to buy one, click here.
THE CUTLERY INDUSTRY OFFERS MANY GREAT FACTORY KNIVES, but not all the companies who sell them promote them effectively. On the other hand are those who do. My top 11 list* of those who do it best follows.
No. 1: Spyderco. Spyderco’s catalog excels in content and looks. The company has a comprehensive website with high-resolution, easily downloadable images for media use, runs colorful, creative ads, and even has a professional calendar illustrated with a Spyderco knife for each month. The company exhibits at most high-profile knife shows, has a solid Internet knife discussion forum presence, and curries an outstanding stable of collaborative makers who are Spyderco ambassadors by proxy.
No. 2: SOG Specialty Knives. Any company that gets R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey to plug its knives through ads, appearances at knife shows and elsewhere gets my vote. SOG exhibits at many high-profile knife shows, has a professional catalog and supplies the media with high-resolution images of its knives.
No. 4: Cold Steel. Cold Steel’s catalog is very well done and mailed to customers on a regular basis, with seasonal updates. The company is a master of “promotion in motion”—that is, it offers a number of CDs that show Cold Steel knives being used. The company’s website is outstanding, with high-resolution, easily downloadable images for media use.
No. 5: Buck. Buck recently signed Haley Heath of the “Family Traditions with Haley Heath” program on the Sportsman Channel to have her own line of Buck hunting knives. Buck has a comprehensive catalog and offers high-resolution images for media use. It excels at sending e-mails on the latest in its knives and other company initiatives. It exhibits at most high-profile knife shows and benefits from the goodwill and publicity generated by the Buck Collectors Club.
No. 6: Benchmade. A top-notch catalog, a complete media supply of outstanding high-resolution images, a steady stream of e-mail updates on company doings, an impressive array of collaborative makers who promote the company line by osmosis, a presence at most major knife shows, and effective use of such celebrities as Michael Waddell and the Bone Collector line make Benchmade a prime-time self-promotion player.
No. 7: Case. A great catalog, intuitive use of such American icons as John Wayne, Johnny Cash and celebrities that have included Blake Shelton and others on company knife lines, providing high-resolution images of its knives to the media, an “American heartland” approach to ad content and design, exhibiting at most high-profile knife shows and more all guarantee Case a top spot in the self-promotion sweepstakes. Plus, the Case Collectors Club adds its 19,000 members to the mix.
No. 8: Columbia River Knife & Tool. CRKT’s catalog is right up there with Cold Steel’s and Spyderco’s. CRKT offers high-resolution images, including great close-ups of specific knife features, for media use. It exhibits at most high-profile knife shows, and its vast stable of collaborating knifemakers serves as a P.R. agency in and of itself.
No. 9: Boker. Another of the companies with a great catalog, Boker supplies a comprehensive array of high-resolution images of its complete knife line to the media. Like CRKT, Boker has a vast fleet of collaborating makers who no doubt spread the good word of their designs for Boker as well. It exhibits at most major knife shows.
No. 10: William Henry Studio. William Henry recognizes the value of celebrities to promote its knives (i.e., actor Joe “Pants” Pantoliano’s appearance at the 2009 BLADE Show). It offered a William Henry knife valued at $10,000 to celebrate the 30th Annual BLADE Show and gave it away at last year’s show, creating mini-membership drives for Knife Rights, the American Knife & Tool Institute and the Custom Knife Collectors Association in the process. In other words, William Henry’s good P.R. for others was also good P.R. for William Henry. The company offers elegant ads, too.
No. 11: Gerber. Two words: Bear Grylls. Gerber has a nice catalog and supplies high-resolution images of its knives to the media, but it is the Bear Man that puts it on this list.
*The list rates the companies’ promotional ability only, not the quality of the knives. However, “perception is reality,” and effective self-promotion influences many people’s opinions of knife quality, whether it is an accurate barometer of quality or not.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, 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-subscripti…?r+ssfb043012#BL1SU.
James D. Julia Auctioneers, one of the world’s oldest and most respected sellers of high-end guns, knives and other items, will conduct the sale at its state-of-the-art facility in Fairfield, Maine. Absentee bidders will be able to participate online and via telephone.
Dr. Lucie, 83, who served as Scagel’s personal physician before the granddaddy of modern custom knives died in 1963, amassed almost 80 Scagel knives over 50 years of collecting. Now, he said, it is “time to let go.”
“Scagels took 40 years of my life,” the ABS journeyman smith observed. “I was into them in my 30s, 40s and 50s. Now it’s time to pass it to others in their 30s, 40s and 50s. I want to get back to making knives, to making Scagels the way they should be made,” adding he has a nice backlog of orders after spending most of the past year or so working on his comprehensive book, Scagel Handmade, a history in word and picture of Scagel and his knives.
“It will be a monumental sale,” Julia said. “I don’t think anybody’s had 10 Scagels in one auction before. This one has 80 and they are the highest-quality Scagels in existence. It will be the biggest and best Scagel auction ever, and I can’t imagine an auction to match it in the future.”
The knives will be sold as part of a two-day auction that also will include two important gun collections, Confederate Civil War items and Class III machine guns. All the Scagels in the collection will be sold.
Dr. Lucie wrote the descriptions for the knives for the “lavish catalog” on which Julia prides himself for all of his company’s auctions. “Normally we use a vast array of consultants and experts in the field but in this case we [could not] get anybody better than Dr. Lucie” to write the descriptions, he noted. Julia guarantees the catalog descriptions for up to 45 days after the auction. “Nobody else does this,” he said. “That way if there’s a serious problem with the knife, you can cancel the sale.”
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe toBLADEMagazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click onhttp://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb031212#BL1SU
