Steve Shackleford's Blog

Learn Knife Grinding at BLADE U.

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April 13, 2015

Learn knife grinding at the 2nd Annual BLADE University brought to you by Premium Knife Supply in a three-part class taught by knifemakers Lucas Burnley, Tom Krein and Chris Williams.

BLADE U. will be held in conjunction with the 2015 BLADE Show June 5-7 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta. Also held in the Cobb Galleria, BLADE U. will begin the Thursday (June 4) before the show and end show Saturday. The grinding seminar is but one of a full range of classes on a variety of knife subjects taught by some of the world’s leading cutlery professionals.

In their blade-grinding instructional, the three makers will outline the proper tools and equipment, the importance of safety and show you how it’s all done.

In the classroom setting of part one, they will discuss two-wheel vs. three-wheel grinders; variable speed vs. fixed speed; the differences between 1- and 2-inch contact wheels; belts and belt backings; flat platens; small wheel attachments; rotary attachment; grinding jigs; and more.

From the classroom to the outside setting of The Courtyard of the show’s adjoining host hotel, the Renaissance Waverly, in part two the three makers will teach grinding for beginners on machines provided by Wilmont Grinders. The session will include how to scribe the centerline and grind lines on the blade, how to hollow grind to the grind lines and grind a swedge/clip, and more. Finally, in part three, Burnley will cover advanced blade grinding—including grinding in a fuller—and recurve, compound and convex grinds.

For more information including how to enroll in BLADE University and/or buy tickets for the BLADE Show, visit BLADE Show or e-mail [email protected].

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Making Tactical Fixed Blades DVD

Learn both basic and advanced knife making techniques with expert instruction from Allen Alishewitz in Tactical Fixed Blades. Allen demonstrates how to craft a double-edged tactical fixed blade knife from start to finish, and creates two knives in order to fully illustrate the knife building process. You’ll learn:

– Profiling and Drilling the Knife
– Tang Tapering on a Grinder
– Tang Tapering on a Mill
– And more!

Order here

Sharp Knives of the SHOT Show

Steve Shackleford

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January 28, 2015

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Orange handle rocks Victorinox Hunter Pro. — The Hunter Pro from Victorinox is hard to miss in the new orange handle.

Kershaw booth, SHOT Show. — The Kershaw booth was abuzz with activity at the SHOT Show.

The latest in factory knives and accessories were among the surest of bets at the recent Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor, Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas.

New automatics—no doubt spurred in part by the recent repeal of antiquated switchblade bans in a number of states, a move led by pro-knife groups Knife Rights and the American Knife & Tool Institute—were introduced by such companies as Buck, Kershaw, Hogue, Timberline, Pro-Tech and Benchmade. Tomahawks/hatchets were also a hot item, with new versions offered by Spyderco, Puma, 5.11 Tactical, Hogue, Kershaw, SOG and Camillus. Big knives, including machetes, bowies, bolos and camp models, also sizzled, with DPx Gear, Benchmade, CRKT, HK, Steel Will, Outdoor Edge and Condor Tool & Knife among those in the mix.

There were a number of other knives of note, including a new lightweight tactical fixed blade designed by ABS master smith Jerry Fisk based on a longer, flattened out version of his Sendero hunter for White River Knife & Tool. Canal Street Cutlery, in a departure for it, also offered a new tactical fixed blade with slabs provided by VZ Grips and models named after battles of the Iraq War.

Buck Knives, Impact — With its Impact model, Buck was among the companies introducing new automatics at the SHOT Show.

Smooth-operating folders abounded, including the reasonably priced Hootenanny designed by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion for CRKT. Emerson Knives, Inc., had four new tactical folder models: the Iron Dragon, Sheepdog, Hattin and Combat Systems Fighter. Coast Cutlery featured a number of reasonably priced tactical folders, all designed with specific input from spec ops personnel. SOG presented a small utility folder in its SOG-light series with four brilliant LEDs and a thin, lightweight profile—notable in terms of incorporating lights, lightweight and slender ergonomics in a folding knife.

“Celebrity steel” also proliferated, including a new Utica/Kutmaster knife inspired by the Pigman TV series, tactical fixed blades designed for Camillus by retired Green Beret Grady Powell and retired Navy SEAL Jared Ogden of TV’s Ultimate Survival Alaska, and a chopper from Condor used by survivalist Matt Graham on TV’s Dual Survival.

Meanwhile, Buck presented the 245 Matt Would Go knife based on the design of Navy SEAL Matthew Leathers. Leathers gave his life for his country in 2013 when he was lost at sea during open ocean training exercises.

Smith's Edgesport 10-N-1 Suvival Multi-Tool offers 10 different survival tools in one. — Smith’s Edgesport 10-N-1 Suvival Multi-Tool offers 10 different survival tools in one.

Mora introduced what for it is a higher-end kitchen knife set—three models in birch handles and 14C28N Swedish Sandvik steel at an MSRP of $299. Zero Tolerance offered new, smaller folders in the $200 MSRP range, and Kershaw introduced a new, larger version of its CQC-4 Ernest Emerson collaboration. Spyderco presented a number of new models, including a Craig Douglas (aka “Southnarc”)/Michael Janich “two-way” fixed blade called the “Reverse” in which the handle slabs can be detached and the knife flipped/reversed and the handles reattached, resulting in mirror-image “edge-out” ergonomics, or two knives in one. Meanwhile, ESEE announced the debut of its long-awaited bushcraft line of fixed blades.

Case introduced its “reborn” version of the V-42 with a special hollow grind based on the original blueprint of the knife made famous by the First Special Service Force, the father of today’s spec ops units, of World War II. A special treat was two surviving members of the FSSF—90-year-old Del Stonehouse and 93-year-old Eugene Gutierrez—on hand at the Case booth. Look for a special story on them in a future issue of BLADE® magazine.

For the complete rundown on the knives from the SHOT Show, see the June BLADE in March.

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KNIVES 2015

See the latest knives, swords, and edges of all types, and explore the latest trends in blades, steels, styles, and materials. Gaze upon a “State of the Art” section parading engraved, scrimshawed, jewel-inlaid, carved, etched, sculpted and forge-welded, and Damascus and mosaic-damascus knives. Click here.

See the BLADE Show Japanese Sword Demo

Steve Shackleford

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May 1, 2013

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The BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) will welcome the action-packed Japanese sword demonstration of James Williams May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta.

Williams will perform his demo at 1:45 p.m. the Saturday of the show in The Courtyard, aka the parking lot of the host hotel, the Renaissance Waverly.

Williams will present a number of Japanese sword methods, including the tameshigiri—the cutting of bundles of straw mats, bamboo and other media.

Williams uses both one- and two-hand techniques to cut 4- and 5-inch bundles of straw mats. Especially popular are his multiple cuts in rapid succession, including cutting already severed chunks of the mats before they can hit the ground after he cut them the first time.

President of Bugei Trading Co., a specialist in Japanese swords and their accouterments, Williams has been conducting his sword demos at the BLADE Show for many years. He has studied the martial arts since 1960 and taught them since 1975. He also teaches close quarters combat to military and law enforcement and his “The System of Strategy” is based on the skill set of ancient warriors. He is known worldwide as a trainer of special ops unit and government agencies, domestic and foreign. He has taught such agencies and their personnel as the Naval Special Warfare Combatives Instructors, Brazilian National Police, U.S. Army Special Operations, U.S. Navy Special Warfare, U.S. Marine Recon and others. He has appeared on such television programs as National Geographic’s Force Recon, Discovery Channel’s The Ten Greatest Weapons and the Outdoor Network’s Shooting Gallery.

He is also a knife designer, designing CRKT’s Hissatsu, Hisshou, Shinbu, Sakimor, and Otanashi Noh. According to Williams the goal of the Hissatsu folder was not to replace the fixed-blade knife but “to offer the best alternative possible when circumstances demand other options.”

Steel Star Power of the BLADE Show

Steve Shackleford

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May 18, 2015

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Gil Hibben, who made knives for the Expendables move franchise, will be among many with steel star power connections at the BLADE Show. — Gil Hibben, who made knives for the **Expendables** move franchise, will be among many with steel star power connections at the BLADE Show.

The world’s greatest knives and greatest knifemakers are the main focus of the BLADE Show June 5-7 at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia, but there are also many legends and legends in the making who attend the show that help give it steel star power.

A Gil Hibben bowie knife. — A Gil Hibben bowie knife from the **Expendables**.

For instance, Todd Begg, star of the Discovery Channel’s Blade Brothers, will be displaying his knives at booth 722. Robert Young Pelton, journalist, documentary filmmaker and author of The World’s Most Dangerous Places as well as host of the Travel Channel’s series of the same name for six years, is the headman of DPx Gear (booth 415).

Any number of makers in the show hall have made knives for movies, the most notable being BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Gil Hibben (table 5K) and the knives for the third and fourth Rambo movies as well as The Expendables series of flicks, all starring Sylvester Stallone.

Others who have made knives for movies include Allen Elishewitz (booth 59) and Cold Steel (booth 318) for Sinners and Saints; Ernest Emerson (booth 104) for Black Hawk Down and Night of the Running Man, among others and also for some TV shows; Daniel Winkler (booth 606) for Zero Dark Thirty, Sommersby and The Last of the Mohicans; and TOPS Knives (table 20U) for The Hunted and The Punisher. R.W. Wilson (table 25R) made the tomahawks for the early 1970s classic, Jeremiah Johnson. There are no doubt other makers at the show who made movie knives that we’re leaving out. And on the TV side of the ledger, Condor Tool & Knife (booth 739) supplies the knife for Matt Graham, star of the Discovery Channel’s Dual Survival, and Zero Tolerance knives (booth 99) appear regularly on the long-running hit TV show, NCIS.

On the entertainment side of the ledger, Southern Grind (booth 41) is owned by Atlanta’s Zac Brown of Zac Brown Band renown. And Adam Drescher of Adam Unlimited (table 15S) has been appearing on a number of TV shows in assorted character roles of late.

Last but not least are the legends of the knife industry itself—the members of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame© who regularly attend the show: Goldie and A.G. Russell of A.G. Russell Knives (booth 102), the only married couple in the Hall; Ken Onion of Ken Onion Culinary Designs (booth 303); Sal Glesser of Spyderco (booth 23); Bruce Voyles of J. Bruce Voyles Auctioneers, writer and book author (table 703); the aforementioned Gil Hibben; custom knifemaker D’ Holder (table 1M); knife entrepreneur and writer Bill Adams (table 4AA); and B.R. Hughes, writer, author and one of the founders of the American Bladesmith Society, who will be found holding court in the ABS section of the show hall.

Come see them all and much more at the BLADE Show.

Michael Krein and Tom Burch—er, Make That Michael Burch and Tom Krein

Steve Shackleford

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June 15, 2012

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For the record: that is Michael Burch at top and Tom Krein below him. (Krein photo by Mike Searson)

Two of the most important things about a person are his/her name and likeness. As Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Bruce Voyles stresses, “I don’t care what they say about me as long as they spell my name right.”

A person’s likeness is equally—some might even argue more—important than his/her name. All of which came crashing down on me on page 42 of the April BLADE®.

On that page is the likeness of knifemaker Tom Krein. Only problem is, the caption identifies him as maker Michael Burch. The knife on the page is by Michael and, for some reason I cannot quite fathom, I gave instructions for our graphic designer to insert the likeness of Tom with the knife, thinking it was Michael’s likeness. I know Tom when I see him and I know Michael when I see him. Again, I can’t explain my mistake.

I could blame it on Mom. I have two sisters, Chris and Juli, and a brother, Pat, and, for as long as I can remember, Mom has often called each of us a smorgasbord combo of all four. “Uh, Chris-Juli-Pat-Steve,” she goes through a checklist of all four names before finally arriving at mine, “tuck your shirt in, stand up straight,” etc. On the other hand, she has never mistaken me/my picture for any of my siblings/their likenesses (though on more than one occasion during my misspent youth she made me wish she had).

Similarly, at last year’s BLADE Show I saw Gavin Hawk, talented knifemaking son of talented knifemaking father Grant, walking into the show, and for some reason I called him Grant. “That’s Gavin, Steve, Gavin!” he stressed. I sheepishly ducked my head and muttered, “Oops! Sorry.” Of course, I can understand Gavin’s frustration. He no doubt is called Grant from time to time, it being natural for people to associate him with his father, and he is no doubt extremely proud to be the son of such a creative dad. At the same time, Gavin wants to be recognized for his own achievements, and understandably so.

In case you think I am getting old and forgetful—which, of course, I am—there have been a number of times over the years when I wasn’t so old that I misidentified people in person, too. There was the time at a Guild Show when I stopped at knifemaker Dennis Bradley’s table and carried on a conversation with him for several minutes, calling him Gayle (after knifemaker Gayle Bradley) repeatedly. Finally, when we were through talking, he said, “And oh, by the way, I’m Dennis.” Ugh. I slinked away.

Another is production knife guru Vince Ford. On more than one occasion I have called him Paul, thinking he was knifemaker Paul Fox. Each time Vince has been gracious enough not to lose his temper, just shaking his head and giving me that funny little look he gives so well.

On the other hand, some people in the knife industry simply look like others. I always thought in his later years Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bob Loveless resembled the older, heavier Peter Lorre. (And no, I never told Bob that. What, do you think I have a death wish or something?) I also think our managing editor, Joe Kertzman, looks like retired Major League Baseball catcher Mike Piazza. Heck, one time Mrs. Debbie Voyles told me I looked like Tom Hanks. Of course, that was a long time and many hair follicles ago. Or maybe it was just that I reminded her of Forrest Gump.

Anyhow, I caught my mistake with Michael and Tom, though it was a day late and a dollar short—the day after the April BLADE went to the printer. I immediately fired off an e-mail with the subject line, “Man, did I screw up!” to Michael and Tom, as well as Mike Searson, the photographer of Tom’s picture that we used. Both Michael and Tom were equally gracious. “Now that will be funny!” Michael replied via e-mail. “I always wanted to be Tom for a month.” Not to be outdone, Tom e-mailed, “No worries! Michael never looked so good!”

Thank you, Michael and Tom, for being good sports. And thank you, BLADE readers, for putting up with a well-meaning but often all-too-imperfect editor.

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. Click on http://www.shopblade.com/blade-magazine-one-year-subscription-us for more information.

Knife Icon Chuck Buck Passes Away

Steve Shackleford

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February 9, 2015

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Chuck Buck, chairman of Buck Knives and a long-time member of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame©, passed away Friday. He was 78.

One of the most revered and admired of all factory knife industry executives, Buck had been suffering from poor health for a few years. However, as recently as the summer of 2013 he ignored health concerns and appeared at the 25th annual anniversary of the Buck Collectors Club Inc., shaking hands with club members, attending the club’s banquet along with his wife of so many years, Lori, and otherwise enjoying himself during the celebration.

Please keep the Buck family in your prayers, stressed the Buck Collector Club’s Larry Oden. “Obviously, there are also many Buck Knives employees who are greatly saddened by Chuck’s passing,” he noted. “He was loved by so many and was a highly respected man. The entire cutlery world has lost an icon.”

“It is with heavy hearts that we regret to inform everyone that we have lost a legend,” Buck Knives, Inc., noted in a statement on its Facebook page. “[Mr. Buck] was an industry icon and friend to all.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all those touched by this industry giant. Legacy planning for a company is always difficult; many companies do not survive the transition to the second generation, fewer still the third. Chuck was the grandson of company founder Hoyt Buck. It is a testimony to his leadership that the company remains strong today, still widely respected under the fourth-generation leadership of Chuck’s son, Buck Knives President and CEO CJ Buck.”

Along with his father, fellow Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Al Buck, Chuck was a member of Buck’s board of directors appointed after the company was incorporated in 1961. Three short years later the Buck 110 folding hunter was introduced and the factory knife industry would never be the same. The Buck 110 just celebrated its golden anniversary last year.

A Celebration of Life for Chuck Buck will be held at 2 p.m. PST on Friday, Feb. 13, in Post Falls at Real Life Ministries Church. The service will be open to the public. Real Life is located at 1866 North Cecil Road, Post Falls, ID 83854/ 208-777-7325.

The family also will have a memorial service in San Diego, California, on May 13. Chuck was born on May 13, 1936. He will be laid to rest in his family plot there. More details are to come on the memorial. It also will be open to the public.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Franklin Graham’s Samaritan’s Purse, www.samaritanspurse.org, or by calling 1-800-528-1980. Please ask that the call be directed to donations in honor of Charles T. Buck.

7 Pearl Knives For Dec. 7

Steve Shackleford

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December 7, 2015

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Perry pearl. — John Perry employs the classic gunstock-lobster pocketknife pattern to showcase the mother-of-pearl. (Chuck Ward image)

Osborne pearl. — Gold engraving by Martin Butler borders the stunning black-lip mother-of-pearl inlay in Warren Osborne’s interframe folder. (SharpByCoop image)

7 pearl knives for Dec. 7 somehow seems oh so fitting. Dec. 7, 1941—the date which lives in infamy marked the USA’s entry into World War II and the awakening of a military dynamo that would vanquish Japan and play a crucial role in the defeat of Germany in Europe. Japan’s bombing of Pearl Harbor early that day thrust America headlong into the maelstrom that would change the world forever.

With the 74th anniversary of that momentous event upon us, we thought a fitting way to observe it would be with knives sporting one of the most beautiful of handle materials: mother-of-pearl. Called pearl by most, the material is coveted on higher-end knives and makes for a most worthy edged presentation.

Herein are seven of those knives in memory of Dec. 7. Enjoy!

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