Our Knife Of The Day X is a curvaceous bowie by Kevin Casey with gold-inlaid engraving by Joe Mason. The ferrule and 6-inch blade are Casey’s feather-pattern damascus, the guard and buttcap 416 stainless steel, and the dropped handle is stag. The sheath is by Paul Long.
For more information contact Kevin Casey, 10583 N. 42nd St., Hickory Corners, MI 49060 269-719-7412 www.kevincaseycustomknives.com.
A contemporary version of the Mount Rushmore of Knifemakers is one of many feature stories in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!
A contemporary version of the Mount Rushmore of Knifemakers, a secret of knife collecting, knives with nice butts, the Bob Loveless knife that changed knife history and more touch up the edge of the latest BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
BLADE did an all-time “Mount Rushmore of Knifemakers”—the top four makers of the modern era—in the May 2015 issue. Afterward, one of the participants, Dan Delavan of Plaza Cutlery, suggested we do a Mount Rushmore saluting contemporary makers. The result is our poll of leading industry observers that pinpoints the top four makers—four to fit on our Mount Rushmore—from 2000 to 2017. Check out who they are, as well as the ones who just missed, in the latest issue.
Collecting custom knives must be fun and rewarding for you or else why do it? One way to make it fun and rewarding is to be successful at it, and one way to do that is to be aware of the life cycle of popular knife genres. BLADE field editor Les Robertson makes a living staying abreast of the life cycles of hot custom knife genres, something he has been doing for almost 35 years now. Learn what the cycles are, their history and how you can use them to enhance your collection in “The Circle Remains Unbroken.”
In knife parlance the end of a knife handle is called a butt—and knives with the nicest butts often are the kind that attract knife aficionados most. See why this is so and some examples of some of the best of their kind in “Knives With Nice Butts.”
Rick Hinderer will be among the leading names in knives serving as instructors at the 2nd Annual BLADE University.
Leading knifemakers Rick Hinderer, Ryan Johnson of RMJ Tactical, ABS master smiths Jerry Fisk, Joe Keeslar, Tim Potier and Lin Rhea, Lucas Burnley, Tom Krein, Jason Brous, Murray Carter, HEPK master smith Ed Fowler and many others will be among the instructors for the 2nd Annual BLADE University.
Held the Thursday prior to and through the Saturday of the BLADE Show—the latter which will be June 5-7 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta—BLADE University is a whole new concept in knife show instruction that covers knifemaking, knife collecting, engraving, Japanese swords, knife design, bushcraft, sharpening and much more.
The class schedule:
THURSDAY, JUNE 4
Knives The ABS Way, Room 104
10 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Introduction to Bladesmithing—ABS master smith Tim Potier
12:30 p.m.-2 p.m.: How To Make a Knife From Meteorite, with ABS master smith Lin Rhea
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Part I of Handles and Guards, with ABS master smith Joe Keeslar
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Part II of Handles and Guards, with ABS master smith Joe Keeslar
FRIDAY, JUNE 5
How To Grind a Knife Blade Part I, Room 109
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Proper Tools and Safety Gear/Tips, with knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley, and Chris Williams of Wilmont Grinders
-How To Grind a Knife Blade, The Courtyard
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.: How To Grind, Part I, with knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley, and Chris Williams of Wilmont Grinders
-How To Grind a Knife Blade, The Courtyard
11 a.m.-12 p.m.: How To Grind, Part II, with knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley, and Chris Williams of Wilmont Grinders
GRS Engraving Instruction, Room 107
8:30 a.m.-10 a.m.: Introduction and techniques, including drawing, transfer and graver sharpening
10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.: Hands-on engraving, including hand engraving, finishing and Q&A
How To Sharpen Any Blade, Room 104
12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: Big Knives, Axes/Tomahawks, Razors and More, with knifemaker Murray Carter
How To Choose Your Knife, Room 104
2 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Choosing a Knife You Can Depend On For Survival, including Design Aspects, Construction and Questions to Ask The Maker, with Ed Fowler, HEPK Mastersmith
Collecting Wartime Randall Knives, Room 109
3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m.: What’s Hot In Wartime Randall Knives, with Randall knife purveyor Gary Clinton
Collecting & Maintaining Japanese Swords, Room 107
5 p.m.-6:15 p.m.: What To Look For When Buying a Japanese Sword and Proper Japanese Sword Care/Maintenance, with Wally Hostetter
SATURDAY, JUNE 6
From One-Man Shop To Semi-Production/Production: How The Pros Do It, Room 107
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Jason Brous/Brous Blades
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.: Rick Hinderer/Rick Hinderer Knives
Bushcraft Knife Survival School, Room 109
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.: Knife Design & Function, with Abe Elias
11 a.m.-12 p.m.: Knife Skills: How To Get The Most Out Of Your Knife, Including Proper Grips and Cutting/Chopping Techniques, with Abe Elias
Using 3D CAD/CAM Software In Knife Design & Knifemaking, Room 107
11 a.m.-12 p.m.: Ryan M. Johnson, RMJ Tactical, LLC
Designing and Making a Combat Knife, Room TBD
11 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Design, Manufacture, Uses, Soldiers’ Needs, Peacetime Effects and More, with knifemaker Bill Harsey and Curtis Iovito and Mark Carey of Spartan Blades
How To Get Your Knife Design Put Into Production/Do A Factory/Custom Collaboration, Room 104
12:30 p.m.-1:45 p.m.: Knifemaker Brian Tighe and Rod Bremer of CRKT
3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m. ABS master smith Jerry Fisk & John Cammenga of White River Knife & Tool
For details on how you can enroll for BLADE University and/or to buy tickets for the BLADE Show, visit bladeshow.com or CLICK HERE. For more information, e-mail [email protected].
Recommended for You:
Knife Grinding Secrets (Download)
Author R.J. Martin, whose knives are some of the most popular and sought-after in the industry, instructs on flat- and double-hollow-grinding knife blades. Martin a frequent contributor to BLADE® Magazine, frequency, offers up his methods for blade grinding. You won’t be disappointed. Follow along as R.J. covers:
– Profiling a Chisel-Ground Blade
– Grinding the Bevel of the Kwaiken Model
– The Finesse of Grinding
– The Feared Flat Grind
– More!
The Blondie Man’s Blades, the latest in filework, the hottest knives of the hottest custom makers and much more highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!
ABS master smith Wally Hayes was an up-and-coming maker when he first met Chris Stein at a late 1990s New York Custom Knife Show. The co-founder and guitarist of the new wave band Blondie featuring lead singer Debbie Harry, Stein has collected knives for decades and added another one to his collection when he bought Hayes’s first double-edged wakizashi at the show. Get the story on Stein and his knife collection in “Blades of the Blondie Man.”
The Blondie Man’s Blades are in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands now!
Filework is one of those understated yet elegant bits of embellished finery that many of today’s leading makers incorporate onto the spines of their knives. Daniel Jackson picked the brains of some of the top practitioners of the art in his story, “Cutting The Tool That Cuts”—which includes the Panama Trapper cover knife by Luke Swenson.
Staying abreast of the hottest knives of the hottest custom knifemakers is something the leading custom knife purveyors must do on a continuing basis if they want to keep bringing home the blade bacon. BLADE polled seven of the industry’s top purveyors to see which knives of which makers apply in “Top Of The Food Chain.”
Tactical knives have enjoyed varying degrees of popularity since the mid-’90s, but they never really go away for long before getting hot again. One of the reasons for their popularity is that they seem to constantly evolve to meet market needs. Get the lowdown on what is, isn’t and what’s to come in the genre in “Is It Tactical?”
The latest installment in our “Knives That Changed Knife History” is on the Buck 110. When the iconic folding hunter first appeared in 1964, lockback folding knives had pretty much faded into the background. The Buck 110 was big and strong and worn on a belt. It was much more a hardcore using knife than a pocketknife and it changed knives forever. Learn about the groundbreaking cutter in “The Buck That Went Bang.”
There’s much more in the latest BLADE. Get it on newsstands now!
Our Knife Of The Day XII is Joel Worley’s tapered-tang straight knife with a 5.5-inch fileworked blade of a raindrop-pattern damascus forged from 1080 and 15n20 carbon steels. A flared finger groove doubles as a guard. The handle is sheep horn and the belt sheath features pit viper inlay.
For more information contact Joel Worley at [email protected] or visit jaworleyknives.webs.com.
R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey will sign autographs and pictures at the 2013 BLADE Show.
The BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) will host R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey as he returns to sign autographs, pose for photos and chew the fat with show patrons at the SOG Specialty Knives & Tools booth show Saturday, June 1, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The BLADE Show will be May 31-June 2 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, Georgia.
At press time, SOG was conducting a contest to win one of two pairs of tickets to dinner with SOG personnel and The Gunny the Saturday night of the BLADE Show. The contest was slated to run on the SOG Facebook page through May 22, with the winner chosen and confirmed on May 24. The Gunny also will be the keynote speaker at the Knife Rights banquet the Saturday morning of the BLADE Show.
It will be The Gunny’s second tour at the BLADE Show for SOG. The retired Marine, veteran motion picture and television actor, and all-around supporter of the U.S. military—especially the Marines—also appeared at the SOG booth during the 2011 BLADE Show to sign autographs and pictures and otherwise interact with BLADE Show patrons.
The Gunny’s credits include History Channel’s Lock N’ Load with R. Lee Ermey, Mail Call and his breakthrough role as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in Full Metal Jacket. In addition to being a spokesperson for SOG, The Gunny also designed knives for the company: the Gunny Folder and Gunny Fixed Blade.
The Gunny enlisted in the Marines in 1961 and medically retired as a staff sergeant in 1971 for injuries incurred during his tours, which included 14 months active duty in the Vietnam War. He also served as a drill instructor.
The movie that inspired many legendary custom knifemakers to grind and/or forge their first blade, The Iron Mistress, will air on Turner Classic Movie Channel at 8 p.m. EST today.
Starring Alan Ladd as frontier hero James Bowie, the movie is about Bowie’s early years before he went on to die at the Alamo. It also stars Virginia Mayo as Judalon de Bornay, Phyllis Kirk as Ursula de Veramendi and Anthony “Tony” Caruso as “Bloody Jack” Sturdevant. It is based on the book of the same name by Paul I. Wellman.
Check out Bowie’s knife in the movie. Prop maker Arthur Rhoades made it and there were several versions Rhoades made for various scenes. Most if not all of the knives surviving from the movie are in the collection of Joseph Musso.
Our Knife Of The Day X is a curvaceous bowie by Kevin Casey with gold-inlaid engraving by Joe Mason. The ferrule and 6-inch blade are Casey’s feather-pattern damascus, the guard and buttcap 416 stainless steel, and the dropped handle is stag. The sheath is by Paul Long.
