Knives, knife people, knife news, knife use, knife collecting, knifemakers, knife events, the BLADE Show, BLADE Magazine, and more.
Looking for a digital version of the current newsstand issue of BLADE®? Look no further than ShopBlade for the special military annual ish.
Get it now for only $5.95!
For more info click on http://www.shopblade.com/blade-dec-2012-digital-issue?lid=blss100412
Long-time knifemaker Phil Boguszewski, one of the world’s leading crafters of cool, smooth-operating custom folders, has passed away.
A resident of Lakewood, Washington, Boguszewski was known for such folders as his “Spike” and, later, the “Cobra.” In the July 2013 BLADE® Magazine, a panel of veteran industry observers chose the Cobra as the top custom knife for the years 2001-2012.
A full-time knifemaker, Boguszewski sold his first knife in 1979. According to “Phil Boguszewski: Folding Knife Specialist” in the May/June 1988 issue of BLADE, the first 40 knives he made were all folders. He specialized in utility folding knives, including those in the latest materials, filework and slick mechanisms. He joined the Knifemakers’ Guild as a probationary member in 1984 and became a voting member in 1986.
His folders were highly sought after and sold for anywhere from $550 to $3,000 each—and he rarely if ever had trouble selling them. He was a regular at such exclusive knife shows as the Tactical Invitational and others.
“Phil was an amazing, innovating man,” began Larry Brahms of BladeArt.com. “I guess he is best known for the incredible smoothness and fluidity of his flipper folders, specifically the Cobra, a smoothness that really set the standard for what has become a mainstay in a knifemaker’s stable.
“He really is a legend in his own right and our community will miss him.”
Of Boguszewski’s Cobra, purveyor Les Robertson of Robertson’s Custom Cutlery noted, “With its recurve blade, handle that fits like a glove and that signature smooth opening, it is always a sought-after knife. Phil set the standard for all other makers wanting to build a knife with a flipper opener.” Added Neil Ostroff of True North Knives, “The Cobra excels for its durability as Phil’s best-selling knife.”
For the latest on the hottest knives, knifemakers and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.
The Living Knife by Jean-Marc Laroche will literally grab you from the cover of the new BLADE®, on most newsstands today.
Featuring a damascus blade forged by Sweden’s Roger Bergh, the Living Knife includes a mechanical “hand” for a handle, the fingers of which will grasp your hand in return when you grip it! Find out more about this ingenious creation by Laroche, a French knifemaker and sculptor well known for his otherworldly approach to knives.
Speaking of out of this world, ABS master smith Lin Rhea visited Steve Arnold, one of the stars of the Discovery Channel’s “Meteorite Men” TV show, and obtained some meteorite material from Arnold for use in the damascus blade of a special bowie. Get the complete story on the meteorite material and its origin, how Lin made the knife and much more in this issue.
Speaking of damascus, it is one of the most fascinating materials for knife blades, among both knife neophytes and aficionados alike. How did this storied material first come about? How many different versions have there been? Get the inside scoop on this ancient material in the new BLADE.
The American Bladesmith Society traces its creation to the man who reintroduced damascus to the modern custom knife movement—Bill Moran. One of if not the largest organizations of knifemakers in the world, the ABS presented its annual best knife and bladesmith honors at the 2014 BLADE Show. See what those top knives and who those premier smiths are this issue.
Hunting season is in full swing and hunting knives are in hot demand. But is just one enough? Find out why two hunting knives are better than one in the new BLADE.
There’s much more, including a test of two automatics, the latest ceramic kitchen knives, a Nordic knife for every budget, the sharpest Christmas gifts anywhere, how Dan Keffeler won the BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competition and much more in the January BLADE, on newsstands NOW!
Just in time for those preparing for the upcoming hunting season, Buck Knives will debut its new Compadre Series of knives and edged tools in a hot red finish at the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow Aug. 6-9.
Consisting of a camp knife, hatchet and chopping froe, the series is highlighted by a red powdercoat finish on the 5160 carbon steel blade of each piece. WIth MSRPs in the $80 to $160 range, each tool is affordable for the serious hunter. The blade selection also is attractive in that the set addresses most of the cutting, kindling needs and brush-clearing tasks associated with hunting and camping.
For instance, the model 104 Camp Knife’s 9.5-inch overall length makes it the choice for certain game care chores as well as all-around cutting duties. With its forward weighting, the 1 pound, 7.7 ounce Compadre Hatchet is tailored for chopping and also game prepping and other hunting and camping chores. And, at an overall length of 16.75 inches and weighing in at just under 2 pounds, the heavy-duty Compadre Chopping Froe can handle any number of brush clearing, heavy chopping, splitting and baton duties
The handles on each piece are made of Heritage walnut Dymondwood®, and both the 104 and Compadre Hatchet include black leather sheaths.
Held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market Tradeshow, like its name implies, is targeted to those who have a passion for the outdoors. Thousands of retailers will be on hand to see the latest in outdoor products, and the new Buck series will be just one of many.
If the Buck series is something you think you’d like, check with your local retailer and see if he’s attending the show to get more information on it. If he’s not attending, see if he’s aware of the new series for possible stocking in his store.
Knives 2014, 34th Edition
By Joe Kertzman, Editor
Knives 2014 provides the types of knives they make, technical information, and embellishments like engraving, scrimshaw, jewel inlay, wire inlay, carving, sculpting and etching.
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.
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;
•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.
While some might think Republicans taking control of Congress as a result of the Nov. 4 elections will be good for those fighting a pending legal ivory ban, such may not be the case.
Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association indicated that though the election results would seem to make a Republican majority in Congress more effective at challenging “out-of-control administrative agencies” that want to ban all legal ivory, including knives with handles of legal ivory, it could also have the opposite effect.
Since President Obama has indicated he will do what he thinks necessary to deal with aliens in the country illegally through executive order or administrative action by the end of the year at the latest, it also may mean he will take a similar approach to such issues as the ivory ban. “If so,” Mitchell writes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) “may become more aggressive with regulations putting politics ahead of science-based conservation.”
Moreover, he added, such non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as the World Wildlife Fund, Africa Wildlife Foundation, Wildlife Conservation Society, international and American humane societies and others will “continue to spread misinformation in Congress to confuse issues and push an animal rights agenda in spite of the harm it will cause to legitimate conservation efforts and people who own legal ivory.”
As a result, Mitchell urges all those against the ban on legal ivory to either contact or to continue to contact their legislators and see where the legislators stand on House Resolution 5052 and Senate Bill 2587. In a nutshell, if approved, both measures would roll back the attempt by USFWS to ban legal ivory to the status quo of February 2014, “while allowing the government to pursue other means to combat elephant poaching and other wildlife trafficking.”
For more information on the ivory ban and related issues, visit elephantprotection.org.
Recommended for You:
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.
