Steve Shackleford's Blog

New BLADE Hits Newsstands TODAY!

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February 25, 2014

What does it take to be a full-time knifemaker? Was BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Michael Walker’s LinerLock™ an innovation or a redo? Do you know how to make a damascus plug weld? These questions and more are answered in the latest issue of BLADE®, debuting on newsstands TODAY!

Custom knives have a mystique and following all their own, and the hottest makers of same enjoy a cult-like status with their most ardent fans. However, what’s it really like to be a full-time custom knifemaker? Read part one of veteran maker Shane Sibert’s story “26 Hurdles To Making Knives” and you will get a healthy dose of reality. In other words, if you’re thinking of becoming a knifemaker, Shane’s article is must reading.

Michael Walker invented the LinerLock in 1981, but it wasn’t until 1987 that other makers started producing folders with the ingenious locking mechanism. Since then the mechanism has exploded in popularity, and today is probably the most popular lock on contemporary folders. Along the way, Walker had to fight to maintain his claim of being the inventor of the LinerLock. He tells you all about it and other things in “LinerLock: Innovation or Redo?”

Also: Check out the first-ever knives offered by Maxpedition, including this issue’s cover knife, the Ferox. Learn all about some of the best knives you may not know of and also what is behind the re-emergence of blade fullers, also known incorrectly as blood grooves, on today’s knives.

Knifemaker Stanley Fujisaka passed away on the last day of 2013 but not before he left an indelible impression on scores of knifemakers, knife enthusiasts and, of course, his loving family and friends. Dan Delavan shares his memories of the endearing Hawaiian maker and person in “Fujisaka: A Great Mentor Remembered.”

Stay tuned to www.blademag.com for the latest in knives, knife trends and much more.

Feds Ban Trade of Elephant Ivory

Steve Shackleford

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February 12, 2014

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Except in “a very limited number of circumstances,” the federal government has announced a ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory, according to a report from the office of the secretary of The White House.

How the ban will affect existing knives with handles of elephant and fossil ivory and existing supplies of elephant and fossil ivory held by knifemaking suppliers, knifemakers and others is not exactly clear at this time. However, if past experience is any barometer, knife professionals and enthusiasts should expect the worst.

Announced yesterday, Feb. 11, the ban prohibits, except under the aforementioned very limited number of circumstances, the import, export or resale of elephant ivory within the United States.

To implement the new controls, federal departments and agencies will immediately act to:

•Prohibit the commercial import of African elephant ivory, including antiques;

•Prohibit the commercial export of elephant ivory, except for bona fide antiques, certain noncommercial items and in “exceptional circumstances permitted under the Endangered Species Act”;

•Clarify the definition of “antique” so that the ivory must be more than 100 years old and meet other requirements under the Endangered Species Act. It will be up to the importer, exporter or seller to prove the item passes muster;

•Limit the number of African elephant sport-hunted trophies an individual can import to two per hunter per year; and, lastly;

•Finalize a proposed rule that would “reaffirm and clarify that sales across state lines are prohibited, except for bona fide antiques, and will prohibit sales within a state unless the seller can demonstrate an item was lawfully imported prior to 1990 for African elephants and 1975 for Asian elephants, or under an exemption document.”

In the coming months, the report noted, the federal government will take further steps to implement the “National Strategy,” and will work with Congress to strengthen existing laws and adopt new ones to enhance its “ability to address this global challenge.”

In other words, the federal government has declared war on all things ivory.

Stay tuned to www.blademag.com for further developments.

EX-03: More Than Just Another Black Handle Tactical

Steve Shackleford

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February 11, 2014

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EX-03: More Than Just Another Black Handle Tactical

Sometimes it’s easy to denigrate the many black-handle tactical folders on the market, but Hogue Knives’ approach to the grip material for its EX-03 sheds new light on black.

The handle material for the EX-03 is a polymer known as Polyphenylene Sulfide. The trade name is PPS.

“This material was selected for its high-tensile strength—29,000 psi—along with many other strength categories which are superior to a more commonly used reinforced nylon such as Zytel®,” noted Jim Bruhns, president of Hogue. “PPS is also much more thermally resistant than nylon, which is more of a big deal that you would expect.

“In most applications reinforced nylon, also known as glass-filled nylon, works very well through a wide range of temperature. We have seen occasion where polymer products fail as a result of extreme temperature in some obvious places, such as the trunk of a car where extreme highs and lows can occur. Again, PPS wins in this category with a much higher deflection temperature than nylon.”

The internal components that make the EX-03’s mechanism are 17-4 stainless steel. The real trick, Bruhns stressed, was getting such a robust assembly staged into an injection-mold tool in a way that the blade could be added and adjusted as part of a final assembly after molding.

“This was something that was met with quite a bit of skepticism, as the problem is quite challenging,” Bruhns continued. “This really goes to the root competency of what we do here at Hogue.”

Bruhns was able to develop the needed tooling for the task and the results speak for themselves.

“We now have a single-piece polymer frame folder with all of the best-known materials available in a rock-solid assembly,” he stated. “This knife is the best bang for your buck available today.”

For more on the Hogue EX-03, see the May BLADE®, on newsstands Feb. 25.

SHOT Show: The Anniversary Edition

Steve Shackleford

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January 29, 2014

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The new knives, sharpeners and knife-related accessories for 2014 were the order of the week at the recent SHOT Show in Las Vegas.

It also was the scene of several companies announcing anniversaries in 2014, including: Boker (145th); Case and Ontario (125th); Gerber (75th); Buck’s 110 folding hunter (50th); Kershaw and Frost Cutlery (40th); Lansky (35th); Outdoor Edge (25th); Microtech and CRKT (20th); and Canal Street Cutlery (10th).

Knife companies from around the world descended on the Sands Convention Center Jan. 14-17 to display the latest in new models, materials, mechanisms and more. A sampling included:

•Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Case showcased a new Harley-Davidson line of knives, the latest Tony Bose factory-custom collaboration “teardrop” design and new Marine Corps knives;

•In addition to celebrating its 40th anniversary and welcoming Willie Robertson of TV’s Duck Dynasty fame (Willie was there to plug the upcoming Kershaw/Duck Dynasty knives and other new Kershaw/Duck Dynasty offerings), Kershaw introduced three new Ernest Emerson factory-custom collaborations and several of its new Black Wash handle models, including one designed by Rick Hinderer;

•Buck celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Buck 110 with a special golden anniversary 110 and introduced the new Strong Lock flipper;

•Queen showcased some new Schatt & Morgan designs and a Joe Kious factory-custom collaboration;

•On its 125th anniversary, Ontario debuted two new Dan Maragni designs: a bushcraft/survival knife with fire starter and a big machete, both sporting 5160 carbon blade steel;

•Lansky is celebrating its 35th anniversary and introduced a new line of Mikkel Willumsen folders;

•Victorinox touted its assimilation of Wenger and the former Wenger knives it will incorporate into the Victorinox line, including a number of the Eco models, as well as introducing a Carl Elsener damascus commemorative in a production run of 7,000 pieces;

•Gerber is observing its 75th anniversary with a renewed emphasis on domestic production, including three new folders in CPM S30V, CPM S35VN and 154CM stainless steels;

•CRKT is celebrating its 20th anniversary and introduced factory-custom collaborations designed by Lucas Burnley, Alan Folts and Ryan Johnson.

There was, of course, much more. Read all about it in an upcoming issue of BLADE®.

New BLADE® Hits Newsstands TODAY!

Steve Shackleford

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January 28, 2014

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The “Shoreline” kick-stop flipper by Lee Williams jumps off the cover of the new BLADE®, on most newsstands TODAY!

Need your quarterly fix on the hottest custom knives of the hottest custom makers? Let the industry pros clue you in on page 12. If you’re into knife performance, see how two skinners stack up against one another on page 36.

Looking for the latest in fire-starter knives? Check out the hottest in the genre on page 30. Wonder what goes on in the minds of survivalists Mykel Hawke and Ruth England, stars of TV’s Man, Woman, Wild and Lost Survivors? See page 50.

Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day are near. If you’re in search of sharp gift ideas with heart, see page 22. If you want history on U.S. presidents and their knives and some of the latest retail examples thereof, see page 74.

Knifemaking supply companies are the lifeline of knifemakers and hobbyists. One of the leaders of the genre is Jantz Supply. See what Ken Jantz and Co. have on tap for your knifemaking experience on page 36.

The Super Bowl is nigh, so get your kicks with a Super Bowl knife. Nick Mesenbourg made one for Matt BIrk, starting center for last year’s champs, the Baltimore Ravens. See page 34.

If sheaths and antique bowies are your bag, keep pace with our two continuing series on the subjects: Ed Fowler’s “Sheath How-To, Step By Step” and Jim Batson’s ode to antique dog-bone bowies in part one of “Every Dog Bone Has Its Day,” pages 26 and 80, respectively.

Into the international knife scene? Join Joe and Lori Szilaski as they take you through one of the Old World’s best-kept knife show secrets, the 10th Annual International Knife Exhibition and Fair in Budapest, Hungary.

There’s much more in the latest BLADE, including editor Steve Shackleford’s “Unsheathed” on the advantages of not being a knife snob, Joe Kertzman’s revamped “Knifemaker Showcase,” and much more.

For a digital subscription to BLADE, click on

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For a print subscription in the USA, click on

http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us

For Canada, click on

http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-canadian

For international, click on

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Today is Deadline to Stop Proposed Ivory Ban

Steve Shackleford

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December 26, 2013

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Today is Deadline to Stop Proposed Ivory Ban

An all-inclusive ivory ban that would target ancient ivory such as mammoth and mastodon in addition to elephant ivory likely will pass without your help by the end of day today, Dec. 27.

A Presidential Advisory Committee that met on Dec. 16 recommends a total ban of ivory within the USA to the task force on Wildlife Trafficking. The ban would apply to the sale of all ivory in any form and include pre-ban and antique ivory in knives, guns, musical instruments, pianos with ivory keys, etc. The ban would affect collectors, makers and anyone who sells within or to the USA. The committee will file its report on Dec. 28, so any entreaties opposing the proposed ban must be e-mailed by no later than today in order to be registered and considered before the report is filed.

The address to send your email to is [email protected]. Copy and paste the following letter—though feel free to tailor it as you see fit—to an email, and email it to the above address:

Dear Advisory Committee,

I stand against a total ban of all ivory sales in the USA.

As called for in the Presidential Executive Order, I ask that the recommendations continue to allow for “legal and legitimate commerce.”

The ivory market in the USA is stable and/or declining, and seizure records indicate that a high proportion of the seizures were personal effects lacking the correct paperwork, not the so-called blood tusks reported on by the media. The Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) analysis indicates that the amount of ivory by weight seized annually has not increased in recent years. We are not the consumers of the poached ivory. Therefore, banning ivory sales within the USA will do nothing to save the remaining world population of elephants.

The CITES MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) September 2013 report analysis, page 64, states, “Africa’s elephant populations are managed sustainably,” and that in 2013 the quote for permits for legal elephants was 1,350 animals. There is legal trade that can be monitored with DNA testing and permitting. Enforcing and policing a ban would require funds that should be used to support the ban on imports already in effect.

I fully support CITES rules, closing international borders to elephant ivory trade, a law already in effect that should be fully supported and enforced. I stand against a total ban of all ivory commerce within U.S. borders, a decision that would be an enforcement nightmare. Like Prohibition of the 1920s, it would cause a new wave of illicit commerce where a legitimate one now exists. Museums, antique dealers, collectors, artisans and individual citizens have invested in a legal and valuable material. Sanctioned trade in ivory that is legal (culled and pre-ban) and comes from unthreatened sources (mammoth, boar, warthog, antique and recycled products) can pose no possible threat to elephant herds in the wild.

I believe our mutual goals are the same and a solution can be reached. Please keep the focus where it belongs. To increase the elephant population, the killing must be stopped in Africa and at its borders.

Respectfully submitted,

____________________________ (TYPE YOUR NAME)

New Knife Store Will Host Duck Dynasty Celebrity

Steve Shackleford

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December 12, 2013

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New Knife Store Will Host Duck Dynasty Celebrity

Frost Cutlery’s new retail knife store will host a Duck Dynasty celebrity Saturday, Dec. 14.

Tim Guraedy, better known as “Mountain Man” from A&E’s “Duck Dynasty” TV show, will be at The Knife Shoppe to meet and greet customers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event is free to the public.

Mountain Man is one of several guests Frost will have in the coming months to help promote The Knife Shoppe located by the company’s headquarters and warehouse in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Boasting 9,000 square feet of space, the new store features a wide range of knives and knife brands—not only Frost knives but also those of Buck, Schrade and many others. Swords, hatchets, sharpeners and a wide assortment of other edge-related items also are on the menu.

Frost opened the story this past Black Friday. Company officials decided the store was long overdue to attract the millions of motorists that pass by Frost Cutlery on Interstate 75 each year.

Owned and operated by Jim Frost, Frost Cutlery generates $30 million in annual revenue, including $18 million from Cutlery Corner, a four-hour live knife show the company films and broadcasts four nights a week. The show reportedly reaches 90 million viewers in weekly replays. Frost Cutlery is known for a wide range of knives in its own brand, perhaps most famously the line of Dale Earnhardt knives it has done for many years.

The Knife Shoppe’s store hours are Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. It’s closed on Sunday. For more information call 423-305-6911.

For the latest knives, knife news and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

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New BLADE Hits Newsstands TODAY!

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SHOT Show: The Anniversary Edition

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Today is Deadline to Stop Proposed Ivory Ban

New Knife Store Will Host Duck Dynasty Celebrity

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