The BLADE Blog w/Steve Shackleford

Knives, knife people, knife news, knife use, knife collecting, knifemakers, knife events, the BLADE Show, BLADE Magazine, and more.

Best Knives Under $50 Top New BLADE

The best knives under $50, how to make one of the industry’s hottest folders, and two custom knife industry veterans doing their best to protect elephants and your legal ivory are among the highlights of the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Budget concerns are at the top of most people’s lists these days, including those of knife enthusiasts. Dave Rhea shows you how to save a few bucks and still get an outstanding knife at a reasonable price in “Best New Knives Under $50.”

Best knives under $50 in new BLADE.
The best knives under $50 and more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Sandra Brady and Linda Karst-Stone are known throughout the custom knife industry as two of the best scrimshanders. They have a vested interest in the nationwide attack on legal elephant and ancient ivory by the federal and state governments. If you think all Sandra and Linda care about is their livelihoods and not the plight of elephants and the state of legal ivory, you would be wrong. Find out what the federal and state grab on legal ivory is really about in the “Dynamic Duo of Ivory” by Pat Covert.

Popularized by the late BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Kit Carson, flipper folders remain one of today’s hottest knives in the custom and factory industries. ABS master smith Wally Hayes shows you what goes into making one of these fast-opening models in “How To Make A Flipper Folder.”

Protecting a knife from the physical degradations of hard use, the elements and more is one of the reasons many companies coat the blade and sometimes even the handle in a variety of different finishes. Find out what the finishes are, how they are applied and more in Mike Haskew’s “Coats of Many Colors.”

Also this issue: tests of the latest hatchets, neck knives and two new folders, those who forge damascus in quantity for use by other knifemakers and companies, 41 reasons you may be an edgeneck and much more in the latest BLADE.

 

 

Veterans’ Knives for Veterans Day

Case V-42 dagger.
The classic Case V-42 with thumbprint ricasso. (SharpByCoop image)
World War II Mark 1's.
Two Mark 1’s, one by Pal (top) and Robeson (bottom).

In honor of Veterans Day, here are a few of the veterans’ knives that have seen action over the past century in the service of our country:

•U.S.N. Mark 2/U.S.M.C. fighting-utility knife: Known to many simply as a KA-BAR or kabar, it was made during World War II not only by Union Cutlery/KA-BAR but also, among others, Pal, Case, Camillus, Utica, Conetta and Robeson Shuredge. The iconic picture of it on the hips of U.S. Marines on the black sands of Iwo Jima tells it all—it was there and so were the Marines, who, by the way, are also celebrating their 240th anniversary. Semper Fidelis!;

•U.S. Mark I Trench Knife: It has all the trimmings: skull crusher, dagger blade, and the four finger holes in the knuckle guard. It reeks of Doughboys, Over There and Jimmy Cagney’s The Fighting 69th;

•Randall Model #1-8: WIth its stacked-leather grip and flowing blade, slightly dropped handle, double guard and narrow tang opening into a magnificently ground clip-point blade, the Model 1 has some of the most beautiful lines of any knife ever made;

KA-BAR Mark 2's.
Two Mark 2’s stamped “KA-BAR.”

•Case V-42: Classic skull crusher, cylindrical/swell-center handle, double guard, dagger blade and the clincher, the thumbprint indentation iwth grooved lines on the ricasso alone would guarantee the V-42 a place in any pantheon of military knives;

•Gerber Mark II: The one with the “cat-tongue” handle—so-called because of the feel of the grip created by spraying molten stainless steel onto the aluminum—and the wasp-waisted blade is a favorite from the Vietnam War;

•SOG Recon: The “twin-peak” blade spine readily identifies this military classic from the Vietnam War. “SOG” comprises the last three letters in the MACV-SOG acronym, the seven which stand for Military Assistance Command Vietnam-Studies and Observations Group;

•Ulster Mountain Pocketknife: These utlilitarian pocketknives reportedly were issued to the First Special Service Force during World War II and later to the troops of the 11th Mountain Division.

Marines at Iwo.
U.S. Marines land at Iwo Jima, their U.S.N. Mark 2’s/Ka-Bar fighting/utility knives at their sides.

What Makes a Knife Sexy in New BLADE

What makes knives sexy? Find out in the new BLADE®!
See what makes a knife sexy and much more in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now! The cover knife is the Chris Reeve Knives TNK Flag Sebenza 21.

Learn what makes a knife sexy, why select makers of custom folders are crossing over to making different styles, whether James Bowie was an orator, rowdy or some of each—and more—in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!

You hear it all the time: “Man, what a sexy knife!” or “That knife has sex appeal!” So what makes a knife “sexy”? Part of it is what our special story identifies as the “feminine factor”—which includes knives that look and feel good and perform well. But there’s more to it than just that. Get the details in the story on page 74.

While tactical folders have been king in the knife industry for many years, some top custom makers have resisted making them—until now. Some award-winning makers of custom slip joints are trying their hand at tacticals or even hybrid tacticals, as are some makers of high-end custom folders. Les Robertson takes you on a tour of those who are doing it and why, and what it means for the present and future of custom knives in “4 Unintended Consequences of Tactical Folders.”

BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member James Bowie has been portrayed in any number of ways in recent years, including as a brawler, a drunkard and other unflattering descriptions. However, what did those who served with him before and during the Alamo siege think of him? In part five of “James Bowie Legend: Fact or Fable?” Jeffrey Dane shares what some of those who served with Bowie wrote about the famed frontiersman. See what they had to say in the story on page 30.

Also: Learn how you can enroll in J. Neilson’s special class at BLADE University on how to qualify for the hit TV show, Forged In Fire (BLADE University will be held in conjunction with the 35th Annual BLADE Show); see how four new Asian-style blades perform, as well as two of the latest skinning knives; immerse yourself in the latest of quick blades in “Golden Age of Autos?”; discover how bone remains at or near the top of handle materials in terms of popularity in “Bone in the USA!”; join in BLADE‘s salute to the late Warren Osborne in “‘Good Enough’ Wasn’t Good Enough For Him”; and much more in the latest BLADE.

 

Viking “Ulfberht” Sword Stars on Nova Tonight

Watch Nova on PBS tonight as Ric Furrer takes you through the creation of the legendary Viking sword known as the “Ulfberht.”

    Specializing in the forging/making of steel via the ancient methods, Furrer has conducted seminars and demonstrations on how to make steel from sand at a number of venues, including the Batson Bladesmithing Symposium at the Tannehill Ironworks in McCalla, Alabama.

    Little is known for sure about the legendary Ulfberht sword. Believed to have been made somewhere around the 10th century, the Ulfberht is described thus by the late Hank Reinhardt (pictured above in a photograph by Patrick Gibbs at a past DragonCon event) in his The Book of Swords:

    “Sometime early in the 10th century, the ability to produce a large enough bloom of steel to make a full sword was developed … [The resulting] steel swords also had a slightly different shape [than their predecessors]. Instead of the edges being parallel, there was a defined slope to the point. The point was still rounded but the slope put weight closer to the hand, thereby making them somewhat quicker on the stroke and on the return. These new swords all had the name ‘Ulfberht’ engraved on the blades. It’s fun to speculate how this sword was developed and who this person was.”

    For more on tonight’s program, click on http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/secrets-viking-sword.html

    For more on the latest in everything that cuts, subscribe to BLADE®. For subscription info, click on http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?lid=SSfbbl101012

Knifemaker Norman Bardsley Passes Away

Long-time knifemaker Norman Bardsley of Pawtucket, Rhode Island, passed away yesterday.

     Probably best known for his fantasy knives, Mr. Bardsley also made working knives. His patterns included fighters, boot knives, and renaissance and native American styles in upscale and presentation fashion. He used exotic hides for his sheaths.

     Among others, Mr. Bardsley made knives for such actors as Geoffrey Lewis, known for his role as Clint Eastwood’s sidekick in Everyway Which Way But Loose, the leader of the trio that seeks revenge on the town of Lago in High Plains Drifter and other films.

     Mr. Bardsley’s funeral arrangements are pending.

BLADE MAGAZINE 2012 AMERICAN-MADE KNIFE OF THE YEAR®

The late great purveyor J.W. Denton said the best-looking knives were shaped like sports cars, and the Microtech Socom Delta—the Blade Magazine 2012 American-Made Knife Of The Year®—is one J.W. would have loved to take around the block for a cut or two.

MICROTECH SOCOM DELTA

•Pattern: Single-action folder

•Blade steel: Powdered CPM S35VN stainless

•Blade length: 3.75”

•Handle material: G10/carbon fiber

•Closed length: 5.25”

•Weight: 4.2 ozs.

•Special stuff: Carbon-fiber handle has a titanium lockbar w/removable insert to hold the blade securely in place; ceramic bearing system provides smooth, fast action

•MSRP: $330

•Available: Now

    The Blade Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards are voted on each year at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) by the show’s exhibiting booth holders, plus a panel of five special judges, the latter whose votes count double. The 2013 BLADE Show will be held May 31-June 2, once again at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.

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 on http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us/?lid=blss091712

Tactical Knife From Bin Laden Raid Up For Bid

Bids for the Emerson CQC-7 tactical knife carried by “Mark Owen,” a SEAL given the order to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, will be accepted through 8 p.m. EST today, according to Ernest Emerson.

Ernest Emerson holds one of his tactical folders.
Ernie Emerson’s CQC-7 used in the Osama bin Laden is on auction through May 15.

Owen is the pseudonym of the author of the book on the Bin Laden raid, “No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission that Killed Osama bin Laden.”

Emerson is one of the leading names in tactical and hard use knives, both custom and factory. He is also known for his system of self-defense and knife combatives training, instructing military, law enforcement, civilian and other agencies worldwide.

He said he gave the knife to Owen in person. “I’ve known him a long time,” Emerson noted. “I gave it to him in 2005. It’s the real knife, the real deal and the real guy.”

Emerson added that he will supply letters of provenance indicating the tactical knife is what Owen says it is.

As these words were written, the latest bid was $15,400.

Emerson will have a booth at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia. He will conduct a special seminar, “Train Like A Madman,” conduct a lottery for his knives, and display a number of his new, never-before-seen custom knives—at least 12 prototypes—at the show. He also will appear on Armed Citizen Radio this Sunday discussing knives and, among others, mentioning the BLADE Show. Visit Emerson’s booth for more information on the time and location of his knife lottery.

To place your bid, visit http://www.24fundraiser.com/site/stores/5/events/5/items/114.

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