Veteran knifemaker Bill Herndon long has put a little bit of himself into each of the knives he builds, but his Bill’s Knee Knife takes the concept to new heights.
Also a contributor to BLADE® Magazine, Herndon, who goes by the acronym of OFAU (Old, Fat And Ugly), employed a part of his surgically removed knee bone as an escutcheon for the handle of his reproduction of an antique bowie knife.
“At the time of my first of four knee surgeries, I asked the surgeon to save the bone he removed from my left knee. After the two small pieces of bone were delivered and dried, I asked Ken McFall of Knife & Gun Finishing Supplies to stabilize the bone. He did so but under protest!” Herndon noted, doing his best to keep a straight knee, er, face. “Some eight years later, I decided to put that bone to use. The inlaid helm—my logo—in the ebony handle on this Samuel Bell bowie reproduction is the result. I have really put a part of myself in this knife!”
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A lockback folder with a stunning mammoth tooth handle, copious filework and engraved bolsters distinguishes one of knifemaker Pete Truncali’s latest offerings.
Featuring a 2 9/16-inch blade of ATS-34 stainless steel, Pete’s folder was engraved by Tony Pitts. Closed length: 3 7/8 inches.
For more information on Pete’s knives click www.truncaliknives.com or visit his table, 3E, at the 2012 BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com) June 8-10 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta .
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.
Custom knife purveyors can help you find the knife that’s best for you. In the foreground, from left: Dan Delavan, knifemaker Pat Crawford, Strider Knives’ Josh Lee and Dave Nittinger. Dan and Dave are veteran custom knife purveyors.
Choosing the custom knives that are best for you can be a tricky proposition. There are a number of things to consider, including how much money you have to spend, whether you’re buying the knife to use, collect or resell, and other factors. Especially if you’re new to the market, looking to change the focus of the kinds of knives you buy or simply unsure which knife is best for you, a custom knife purveyor (also known as a dealer) is out there who can help you.
There are a number of different types of custom knife purveyors. Some specialize in one type of knife only, such as art knives or tactical knives. Since tactical knives have been hot for a long time, there are probably more tactical knife purveyors than any other type.
The serious ones have websites with professionally photographed images of the custom knives they offer for sale, and/or advertise their purveying service in knife magazines and/or other media. A sign of a purveyor who is in business for the long haul is one who advertises consistently over an extended period of time. (The latter also goes for knifemakers.) Still other purveyors may photograph their knives for marketing purposes—with some being quite good at it—own a brick-and-mortar retail knife store, and a very few produce/coordinate their own knife shows. Some purveyors do two or more of the preceding and at least one does all three.
To find out which purveyor fits your needs, ask around at knife shows, knife discussion forums, social media sites and other venues, check websites and knife magazines, etc. Talk to your friends or acquaintances who buy custom knives or ask them for the names of others who buy custom knives. Tell them what kinds of knives you’re looking for and ask them which purveyors are the best at providing such knives and offer the best customer service. Get as many opinions as you can. It’s better to have more information than not enough. Whittle the purveyors down to a select few you think you might want to work with and call them and feel them out. Go with the one you connect with best—in other words, go with your gut feeling in picking the one you want to use.
Before we continue, some fundamentals on how purveyors obtain the knives they sell is in order. It’s really pretty cut and dried: the purveyors attend select knife shows in search of the top knives and makers and/or establish relationships with those makers—and a select knife show is always a great place to both meet the maker and see some of his/her best work. The best purveyors work with proficient makers who are good at meeting deadlines on the knives they agree to make, offer good customer service if something goes wrong with the knife, and who, in general, appeal to custom knife enthusiasts of most all stripes. The purveyor will reach an agreement with the maker to buy one or more of his or her knives and then sell the knife/knives at enough of a markup to make a profit, stay in business and buy more knives for sale. That’s pretty basic, but that’s essentially how it works.
Why should you buy from a purveyor instead of a maker? Actually, if you can bypass the purveyor and buy directly from the maker, you probably should. However, that’s not always possible and is where purveyors come in. (Besides, as noted, if you’re new to the market or unsure of what to buy, the guidance a capable purveyor can provide in buying a custom knife can be invaluable.) Through the working relationships they establish with leading makers, purveyors have access to knives from those makers that most individual custom knife enthusiasts do not. Many makers have to struggle to make deadlines for other custom orders and knife shows, and often cannot fill your order quick enough or before the knife loses some of its luster and is no longer “hot.” Purveyors, on the other hand, may have the knife in question in stock or something from the maker that will fill your needs immediately.
As an aside, if you look around enough, you will no doubt hear from some that one purveyor or another is prejudiced in favor of a certain maker or makers. Whenever you hear this, take it with a grain of salt because most all purveyors will indeed be prejudiced in favor of makers that are a) easy to work with and b) make deadlines—traits that you would probably like in a maker as well.
These are just some of the things to look for in a custom purveyor. The more you look and ask around, the more you will find other traits that will make the custom purveyor the best for you and your knife needs.
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.
The Spyderco Persistence is a small knife that cuts like a bigger one and gets the once-over in our “Cutting Critique.”
The Spyderco Persistence is one of those compact cutting knives you may or may not like—depending on your tastes in general and how the knife fits your hand.
I have a medium-size hand and if I hold the handle in the standard grip, half of my little finger overlaps the butt. That’s bordering on too small for me.
However, for detail or draw cuts where I place my finger atop the blade spine, the fit is just about perfect. The 2.75-inch blade is 1.25 inches at its widest and tapers quickly to the point. Under 3 inches in blade length is a good thing in terms of many legal length limits. (Be sure to check your local and other pertinent knife laws.)
The G-10 handle material is good and solid and provides a nice abrasive-type feel for sure gripping for most any type of cutting.
The clip is reversible for tip up or tip down right-hand carry.
The plain-edge blade of 8Cr13MoV stainless steel out of the box is razor sharp and is a cutting moose. I like the blade shape, which is along the lines of the Spyderco Caly I carry on a regular basis.
The Michael Walker LinerLock@ is nice and tight and has a good spring to it that makes you work just a bit—though not too much—to push it open. I like that because it reinforces the notion that the lock will not disengage easily—always a good thing.
The Persistence is one of Spyderco’s knives made in China, and as many industry observers are noting, the Chinese are getting better and better at making knives—and the Persistence is an excellent example of this improvement.
At 4 ounces the Persistence may seem a bit heavy to some for a knife of its size (4.125-inch closed length), but not me. I like the overall weight and feel. It’s a small knife that cuts like a bigger one.
Buck Knives Inc. is pleased to announce the signing of Haley Heath and “Family Traditions with Haley Heath” to a multi-year license agreement which includes a signature line of hunting knives designed for female hunters.
This unprecedented partnership in the cutlery industry will enable Buck Knives and Haley Heath the opportunity to fulfill a long overdue need in the cutlery marketplace. “I am incredibly excited to be the first female featured with her own line of hunting knives from the number one brand in hunting, Buck Knives,” stated Heath. “We have a great opportunity to create a new line of female specific products. From my travels and interactions with people around the country, I know this is a need and I am happy to work with Buck Knives to provide knives to all the other ladies who enjoy the outdoors as much as I do. Buck Knives has been producing quality USA made knives since 1902 and to work with them is awesome.”
Chuck Buck, Chairman of Buck Knives stated, “We are all so pleased to be able to work with Haley, G.O., and the entire Heath family. They represent everything we believe in when it comes to family, outdoors and hunter safety. I have no doubt that Haley and G.O. will be great ambassadors for Buck Knives.”
“Family Traditions with Haley Heath” is a popular program on the Sportsman Channel that epitomizes today’s generation of hunters and shows first-hand how family traditions can be passed down in powerful ways. Haley, a 5th-generation hunter, “Ultimate Outdoorsman Finalist” and the first woman to receive The Sportsman Channel’s “Viewer-Favorite” award, hosts the show. She hosts the show with her husband G.O. and their son Gunner and daughter Dakota for the true “Family Traditions” experience.
Shock and claw karambits help highlight the latest BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
“Shock and claw” karambits, the damascus knives that changed knife history and the complete lowdown on the 4th Annual BLADE University at the 36th Annual BLADE Show are but a few of the highlights of the latest BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
Boasting a blade shaped like a sickle, the karambit has been adapted for martial arts use today. However, it remains an effective cutting tool as well. James Morgan Ayres tests four of the latest editions in his story, “Shock & Claw.”
As the world’s biggest and most important knife event, BLADE Show 2017 attracts the best knifemakers and knife pros in existence. What better talent pool is there to select from as teachers for BLADE University, three days of knifemaking and other cutlery classes on a wide variety of sharp subjects? Check out who will be teaching what and how you can attend in “Back To Sharp School” by this writer.
Also this issue: Pat Covert’s test of four of the latest factory flipper folders; Dexter Ewing’s assessment of some of the newest factory machetes; part two of Frank Trzaska’s salute to the knives used by U.S. soldiers during World War I on the 100th anniversary of the USA’s entry into “the Great War”; the latest paring knives just in time for Mother’s Day, by Daniel Jackson; some of the top drawknives and how to use them, by Abe Elias; a farewell to ABS journeyman smith Larry “The Hammer” Harley; and much more in the latest BLADE—on newsstands now or subscribe here.
