Steve Shackleford's Blog

Knife History Made In Kansas City

-

September 21, 2015

Modern custom knife history was made this past weekend in the first-ever International Custom Cutlery Exposition (ICCE) held at the Marriott Downtown in Kansas City.

It was the first time the Knifemakers’ Guild and the American Bladesmith Society, the world’s two oldest and best-known knifemaker organizations, combined forces to hold a joint knife show.

And from all indications, things went about as smoothly as anyone could have hoped.

Over 120 makers exhibited their knives at the show. A number of exhibitors commented on how nice it was to see makers from both organizations displaying side-by-side and getting along so well. Of course, that was a far cry from the old days when the two groups competed openly and did not get along so well, to say the least. However, those days seemed to be forgotten over the weekend as both organizations came together and voted on the best knives of the show, with members of each group often voting for knives by makers in the other. Among the winners of the awards were Bruce Bump for Best In Show for his cut ‘n shoot knife, Paul LeBatard won an award for his stag hunter, Adam DesRosiers for Best Combat Knife and Best Hunter, Jerry Moen for Best Tactical Folder, Johnny Stout for Best Folder, Charles Vestal for Best Fighter, and J.W. Randall for Best Damascus. Other honors included Betty Dowell being presented with the Nate Posner Award and Dianna Casteel winning the Red Watson Award.

There was a lot of history at the show, as it was held in the very same showroom as the one where BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Bill Moran introduced his revolutionary damascus knives at the 1973 Knifemakers’ Guild Show. In honor of that monumental event, the ICCE presented a special Bill Moran Memorial Damascus Knife Award, with the winner being Bill Burke.

A complete rundown of other of the show’s knifemaking awards and other highlights will be in a future issue of BLADE®.

Recommended:

Stay abreast of the latest developments on this and many more knife rights issues with a subscription to BLADE.

Spyderco’s Knife That Changed Knife History

Steve Shackleford

-

March 22, 2017

0

Spyderco in BLADE — 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!

Spyderco is celebrated worldwide for its signature folders with the hole in the blade and also a pocket clip and serrations. The first-ever Spyderco knife with the hole and the clip was the Worker, which debuted in 1981. Mike Haskew visited with BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Sal Glesser for the back story on the knife that changed the way an industry made and used knives forever.

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.

The Bermans: Valued Friends of Custom Knives

Steve Shackleford

-

June 13, 2013

0

The Bermans: Valued Friends of Custom Knives

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.

Read more about custom knives in the new Knives 2014 book.

Hunter’s Edge: 2 Kommer Skinners, How To Make a Hunter Video

Steve Shackleford

-

September 28, 2012

0

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 more info click on http://www.shopblade.com/kommer-2-shot-skinner-2840?lid=blss092912.

For a limited-edition Kommer skinner built in Russ’s Fargo, North Dakota, shop, check out GATCO’s 20^th 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.

For more info click on http://www.shopblade.com/gatco-20th-anniversary-kommer-knife-6020?lid=blss092912

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.

For more info click on http://www.shopblade.com/kit-knife-video-2-hidden-tang-hunter-no-tang-showing-with-gene-osborn-w5378?lid=blss092912

Parkers’ Knife Show June 13-15

Steve Shackleford

-

June 12, 2013

0

If antique knives are your bag, Parkers’ Greatest Knife Show tomorrow through Saturday, June 13-15, is for you.

Held in the Sevierville Events Center at Bridgemont in Sevierville, Tennessee, the 20-plus-year-old event draws antique pocketknife dealers and collectors from around the region—the heart of the old pocketknife network of the mid-South. And it’s not just pocketknives—antique fixed blades will be there, too. From Case to Boker and many well-known and not so well known brands, vintage cutlery will be in abundance at an event started by the late BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Jim Parker and continued by his son, Buzz.

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.

For more information call Ed Henley at 423-892-0448 or visit http://www.insidesevierville.com/things-to-do/sevierville-events/parkers-greatest-knife-show/.

For more on the latest knife news, stay on www.blademag.com.

Check out such classic knife names as Case at Parkers' Knife Show. — Case and many other legendary knife names will be featured at Parkers’ Knife Show.

BLADE Show Will Feature Steampunk How-To

Steve Shackleford

-

April 25, 2013

0

BLADE Show Will Feature Steampunk How-To

The BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) will feature a seminar by ABS master smith Wally Hayes on how to make a steampunk tanto.

Slated for May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the BLADE Show is the world’s largest and most important knife show. Hayes, meanwhile, is one of the world’s hottest makers, and his Steampunk knifemaking how-to will be the Sunday of the show, June 2, at 11 a.m. in Room 103 of the Cobb Galleria Centre.

Steampunk knives are inspired by the science fiction genre that features steam-powered machinery from such novels as 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne. “I first saw a Steampunk knife made by Van Barnett and talked to him about it at the 2012 BLADE Show,” Hayes writes in his how-to story in the May BLADE®. In fact, Barnett’s Steampunk folder won Best Art Knife at last year’s BLADE Show and was voted one of the top 14 custom knives of the 21st century in the current July BLADE. A number of other makers have made the style as well.

An accomplished guitarist as well as an award-winning knifemaker, Hayes made a Steampunk tanto for Richard Fortus of the rock band Guns N Roses. Fortus requested it as a gift for a friend. A similar model served as the cover knife for the May BLADE.

In addition to his upcoming Steampunk seminar, Hayes has conducted a number of BLADE Show seminars in the past, including one of his most popular on how to wrap a Japanese knife handle. He will have a table showing his knives at the BLADE Show, and so will Van Barnett, among scores of others.

For the latest in BLADE Show and other knife industry news, subscribe to BLADE

www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us?icid=SHBLNCF2BL1SU-030613?lid=ssfbbl042513

Cutting Critique: HTM Lightfoot Bullwhip

Steve Shackleford

-

July 18, 2013

0

Cutting Critique: HTM Lightfoot Bullwhip

The HTM Lightfoot Bullwhip Tanto is one of those deceptive heavy-duty tactical folders that feels big to the touch but, at 6.5 ounces, is surprisingly lightweight—and is our latest entry in our “Cutting Critique” series.

Designed by award-winning knifemaker, motorcycle racing enthusiast, kayak builder and all-around man of many talents, Greg Lightfoot of Alberta, Canada, the HTM tanto version of the knife is exclusive to ShopBlade (www.shopblade.com). The 3.5-inch hollow-ground blade with a hint of a recurve is coated black and the factory edge is razor sharp for any number of cutting jobs straight out of the box. The tip is also razor sharp and thickened on the spine end, ideal for penetration, a hallmark of any classic tanto blade design.

The robust, hump-backed handle is 5/8-inch thick and features Lightfoot’s “shark-skin” texture on the non-clip side for enhanced purchase. A slight finger groove in the bolster, reverse bird’s-beak butt and flipper guard keep your hand squarely in control of the knife.

The Maxx Glide Pivot Bearing System, designed by Darrel Ralph, operates effortlessly by way of the flipper opener. The tension on the locking liner spring is nice and tight—though not too tight—to keep the blade securely open during use.

The only thing I do not like is the sharp end of the flipper. While it provides excellent traction for opening the knife, the sharp end can jab you at inopportune times—not enough to seriously injure you but enough to be uncomfortable. However, it’s nothing that can’t be remedied with a few swipes of your favorite abrasive.

A cool black zippered pouch with the HTM (Hand-Tech-Made) logo completes the package. ShopBlade’s price: $299.99.

Click here to get the HTM Lightfoot Bullwhip Tanto.

Can You Define Knife Choil?

Build a Knife From The Latest Knife Kits

D2 Tool Steel Just Keeps Cutting

Knives of The Expendables 2

BLADE Show 2018: Plan Now!

Knife History Made In Kansas City

Spyderco’s Knife That Changed Knife History

The Bermans: Valued Friends of Custom Knives

Hunter’s Edge: 2 Kommer Skinners, How To Make a Hunter Video

Parkers’ Knife Show June 13-15

BLADE Show Will Feature Steampunk How-To

Cutting Critique: HTM Lightfoot Bullwhip

Must Read Articles

Knifemaking 101 – Read This Before You Make a Knife

8 Things You May Not Know About “Forged in Fire”

How to Forge Damascus

How to Create Damascus Patterns

Why Are Switchblades Illegal?

The BLADE Blog w/Steve Shackleford

Must Read Articles