Steve Shackleford's Blog

New BLADE® Salutes Military On 9/11

Steve Shackleford

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September 10, 2013

Military heroes past and present and their favorite knives are the focus of the new BLADE® (www.blademag.com) on the 12th anniversary of 9/11—on many newsstands NOW!

Featuring a Bob Dozier Freedom Fighter on the cover that stopped a bullet and likely saved U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Josh Clysdale’s life, the latest issue of BLADE (www.blademag.com) is our 4th annual military issue, and it covers the subject of military knives like no other.

The issue kicks off with a heart-rending story about Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25th Marines, all save one of whom—Lance Corporal Travis Williams—were killed by an enemy IED in Iraq. Williams eventually returned home and began making knives part time under the tutelage of knifemaker James Behring Jr. Williams made a knife in honor of Lima Company that was auctioned to raise money to support the work of an artist who was painting life-size portraits of the Lima Company Marines killed by the IED. It’s must reading for military and knife aficionados alike.

There’s much more, including stories on the aforementioned Lance Corporal Clysdale and his “bullet-proof” knife; one on if a soldier had just one knife in a military emergency, what that knife would be; a knife collaboration between Andy Sharpe and Chuck Richards to honor the American GIs who fought off a furious Japanese Banzai attack in a little-known battle on Attu Island in Alaska during World War II; a ground-breaking new program to not only teach returning vets how to make knives but also to help equip them with the tools and equipment they need to do the job; a new “Arkansas Veterans” knife from A.G. Russell Knives, with $10 of the sales of each knife going toward an emergency fund for vets who are students at the University of Arkansas; a one-of-a-kind Bob Loveless Lawndale boot knife made specially for Pat R. Dailey, thought to have been a CIA operative; and much more.

For your copy, check your newsstands. To subscribe to the digital version of BLADE, click on

www.shopblade.com/blade-1-yr-digital-subscription?lid=ssfbbl091013

James Black Descendant Gets a Bowie

Steve Shackleford

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September 4, 2013

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While there is still no definitive proof that James Black made a knife for Jim Bowie, one thing is certain: a descendant of Black’s received a “recreation of a James Black knife” during the Natchez Antique Bowie Knife Show last month.

ABS master smith James L. “Jim” Batson made the reproduction of the knife and presented it to Mrs. Celia Johnson, who claims to be a descendant of Black. She says she is descended from Gradison DeRorysten Black, the son of James Black. Celia and her husband, Jerry, traveled from Baytown, Texas, to accept the silver-mounted knife and sheath fashioned by Batson and based on what is believed to be a Black knife in the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Johnsons stayed at the Dunleift Hall, owned by Mike Worley, during the show. Worley sponsored the show, which was held in Natchez, Mississippi.

The Johnsons brought a scrapbook full of old family pictures and a handwritten list of ancestors and originally showed it to Batson during the American Bladesmith Society’s 2012 All-Forged Knife Expo in San Antonio, Texas (see page 44, July 2012 BLADE® www.blademag.com). Batson is one of the world’s foremost authorities on Jim Bowie and James Black. He has conducted extensive research on Bowie and bowie knives, written any number of stories on the subject for BLADE, a book on Bowie’s famous Sandbar Fight, coordinated Bowie Symposiums at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com), and much more. He also coordinates the Batson Bladesmithing Symposium each spring in McCalla, Alabama, and is a past multi-term chairman of the ABS.

Batson pored over the Johnsons’ documents and pictures at the 2012 San Antonio show. Among the topics of their discussion was the famous 19^th-century daguerreotype that reportedly shows James Black and Judge Jacob Buzzard, the physical resemblance of the man some believe is Black in the daguerreotype to that of some of Celia’s ancestors, and Black family history in general.

For the latest on knives, knife news and more, stay honed at www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

What’s Your “Comeback” Knife?

Steve Shackleford

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September 3, 2013

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Is there a specific knife model, a knife style or some other knife feature, gizmo or what have you that you don’t see anymore but would like to see make a comeback?

It can be just about anything—custom or factory, combat or kitchen, utility or fantasy—you name it and you discuss it. A picture of it sure would help matters.

Here’s an example.

I’d like to see Spyderco bring back the Maddox one-hand utility knife. Designed by Joe Maddox for a friend who had a broken arm, the Maddox is tailor-made for use by those who can use only one hand. However, my wife Susan—who has two healthy hands, by the way—uses it on a regular basis in the kitchen for any number of chopping/dicing chores. The ulu-style blade and handy wood handle combine to make a great tool for exerting downward pressure and a rocking-type cutting motion on a cutting board.

By the way, I got the idea for this short story from Spyderco’s Joyce Laituri, winner of the BLADE Magazine 2013 Publisher’s Award for her stellar career as Spyderco marketing manager and public relations guru.

What about you? What knife would you like to see make a comeback, or what knife or knives made long ago but are no longer would you like to see offered today? Or, is there a style or type of knife that’s rarely made that you’d like to see more of? It can be most anything—a special kind of folder, multi-blade, folding bowie, etc. Or, it can be a knife made from a vintage blade steel or handle material, an old style of embellishment no longer or rarely used, etc.

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

The Gathering 5 In Las Vegas This Weekend

Steve Shackleford

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August 28, 2013

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The Gathering 5 In Las Vegas This Weekend

Join Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion and others at The Gathering 5 Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas. (SharpByCoop.com photo) — Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion will be among the exhibitors at The Gathering 5. (SharpByCoop.com photo)

Knifemakers, knife manufacturers, knifemaking suppliers, purveyors—anything and everything to do with knives, gear, lights and toys, particularly of the tactical kind—will party down this Labor Day weekend for the Usual Suspect Network’s Gathering 5 in Las Vegas.

Held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and billed as the “Ultimate Party for USN Enthusiasts,” The Gathering is set up in “quads,” where a novice and two established makers or suppliers join a major maker. A circular traffic flow ensures you won’t miss any exhibitor and makes it easy to re-locate them as well.

One of the world’s fastest growing knife shows begins Friday, Aug. 30, at 9 a.m. The show closes at 6 p.m. and many show exhibitors and patrons will reassemble at 7 p.m. until the wee hours in Traders’ Cove, a watering hole and gathering spot. The same show hours apply for Saturday, Aug. 31, with the reassembly in Traders’ Cove at 7:30 p.m. to late. Thursday is registration day for all exhibitors, though the show will unofficially kick off that night at 7 p.m.—yes, until very late again—in Traders’ Cove.

Though subject to change, the lottery schedule includes exhibiting knifemakers Brad Southard, Todd Begg, Pete Carey, Rick Hinderer (he will have two), Ernest Emerson, Jeremy Marsh and Todd Rexford, Derek Munroe and Sal Manaro, Gerry McGinnis, and Brian Fellhoelter.

A short list of exhibitors includes Benchmade, Bob Terzuola, Burchtree, Charles Marlowe, CRKT, Daniel Winkler, DPx Gear, Allen Elishewitz, Greg Lightfoot, Hawk Knives, KAI USA, Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion, Kirby Lambert, Lee Williams, Luc Burnley, Matt Cucchiara, Mel and Joe Pardue, Microtech, Plaza Cutlery, Pro-Tech, Richard Rogers, Rick Barrett, RMJ Tactical, Sniper Bladeworks, Spartan Blades, Spyderco, Strider Knives, Tim Britton, Tom Ferry, Tom Krein, Tom Mayo, True North Knives and many more.

For more show information visit http://usngathering.com/info/moreinfo.htm or call 305-255-9176 ext. 215.

For the latest knife news, stay glued to www.blademag.com.

How Do You Open Your Knife?

Steve Shackleford

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August 21, 2013

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So which do you like best to open the blade on your folding knife? Are you a fan of the “Spyderco hole” or do you prefer the thumb studs of such knives as the Timberline SOC Folder? How about a disc atop the blade? Or do you simply grasp the blade between thumb and index finger and snap the knife open? Do flippers do it for you or are you one of those rugged individualists from the 1960s who can open your Buck 110 folding hunter one-handed by the nail nick? Or do you go back even further and prefer opening your traditional slip joint with two hands? Or do you shun all folders and use fixed blades only?

Opening folding knives is one of those things that seem to galvanize Americans everywhere. From the anti-switchblade hysteria of the 1950s caused by Hollywood’s sensationalizing the knife through such film fantasies as The Blackboard Jungle, Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story to today’s assisted openers, methods for opening folding knives have been miscast as the root of all evil, the means of corrupting our nation’s youth and other social pariahs. Meanwhile, those who use knives for 99.9 percent of what most are used for—cutting—have hailed them for their convenience, utility and, at times, ability to save lives in situations where the user had only one hand to open his blade and cut his way out of danger.

Yes, the one-hand folder is one of the most sensible tools on the planet, and we want to know what your favorite version is. Tell us in words, pictures or however you want to do it. Here’s your chance to set the record straight and maybe even convert some poor miscreant who really thinks one-hand knives are the modern equivalent of the apple in the Garden Of Evil.

Click here for more on the Timberline SOC Folder in coyote tan in our store.

A Cool Lady’s or Gent’s Knife

Steve Shackleford

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August 20, 2013

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The Spyderco Ambitious is advertised as a small (3.5 inches closed) palm-sized workhorse offering big performance in a compact knife package. It definitely fits in my palm—in fact, with my hand being perhaps a tad larger than medium-sized for an adult male, it swallows the G-10 handle completely. Ergo, fully grasped, the butt is a good inch shy of the end of my palm. This is a tad small for my tastes, but then the Ambitious comes as advertised.

The edge of the 2.25-inch, flat-ground, 8Cr13MoV stainless blade is razor sharp out of the box, effortlessly slicing stationery, shaving hair and cutting cardboard with authority. It also digs into wood aggressively and makes a handy pencil sharpener if you’re in need of one, the small handle ideal for a three-finger grip that enables you to exert cutting pressure in the “little whittles” needed to sharpen something as small as a pencil. Though short, the blade is wide enough (1.25 inches at its widest) to handle larger cutting jobs, with a jimped area on the ramp to place your thumb for cuts that might take more bearing down.

The blade opens and closes off a Michael Walker LinerLock™ that, despite the knife’s small size, operates smoothly and securely after a little practice. A reversible clip runs about two-thirds the length of the small contoured handle. An integral guard offers some protection from the hand running onto the blade, though I would like to see a bit more downward lip on it to enhance that protection.

One of Spyderco’s models made in China, the Ambitious is yet another example of just how good the Chinese are getting at making quality knives that cut extremely well. Though compact, the Ambitious is solidly built and makes a great gent’s knife, backup piece or lady’s knife. ShopBlade’s price: $35.96—you save 35 percent! For more, visit http://www.shopblade.com/ambitious-black-g-10-plainedge-w8477?lid=ssfbbl082013.

Hot Knives at Denver Custom Knife Show!

Steve Shackleford

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August 14, 2013

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The 21^st Annual Denver Custom Knife Show will feature some of the world’s finest custom knives, knifemakers, custom knife purveyors and knifemaking supply companies this Friday through Sunday, Aug. 16-18, at the Crowne Plaza-DIA in Denver, Colorado.

Bring in the flyer from page 25 of the October BLADE® (www.blademag.com) or page 11 of the November BLADE and receive $2 off on the admission price.

Sponsored by the Professional Knifemakers Association (PKA), the show will include custom folding, hunting, fishing, tactical, kitchen and art knives. Demonstrations will be given on forging and grinding. PKA members’ knives will be presented through a special raffle and door prizes will be given out daily.

The PKA is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious organizations of custom knifemakers, and the PKA Show is among the best knife shows in the Western USA.

Exhibiting knifemakers will include Eddie Baca, Mardi Meshejian, Wayne Hensley, Al Warren, John Bartlow, Eddie Stalcup, Mike “Whiskers” Allen, Mike Mooney, Harvey King, Mike Irie, Don Bell, Steve Rollert, Pete Truncali, Chuck Fraley, Jerry McClure, Mike Tyre, Olamic Cutlery, Fred Ott, Terry Schreiner, Mike Miller, Albert Trujillo, Craig Steketee and many more. Knifemaking supply companies will include Culpepper & Co., Lonestar Knifemaker Supplies, Pop’s Knives & Supply, Fine Turnage Ivory and others. Knife photographer Bob Glassman also will be an exhibitor.

Show hours are 12 to 6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Regular admission is $7 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and children under 12 are free.

The host hotel room rate is $104 per night. Be sure to mention PKA for the rate single or double. Call 303-371-9494 for reservations.

For more information contact Whiskers or Denise Allen at [email protected] or call 903-489-1026.

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

Rebooting Collections Works Wonders

10 Family Gift Knives Sport Holiday Spirit

Best Blade Steels Unleash The Sharp

Thanksgiving Cutters, Japanese Style

First Family of Knives?

New BLADE® Salutes Military On 9/11

James Black Descendant Gets a Bowie

What’s Your “Comeback” Knife?

The Gathering 5 In Las Vegas This Weekend

How Do You Open Your Knife?

A Cool Lady’s or Gent’s Knife

Hot Knives at Denver Custom Knife Show!

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