Best Custom Knives and Factory Knives

How To Build a Survival Shelter

Joe Kertzman

March 13, 2013

The following is excerpted from a feature article by James Morgan Ayres that ran in the April 2013 issue of BLADE® Magazine.

Over 90 percent of wilderness deaths by mischance are caused by hypothermia. Knowing how to build an emergency shelter quickly can mean the difference between freezing to death and surviving. You can build a survival shelter that offers protection from cold and snow or rain in no more than 30 minutes, and with only the tools at hand—which is where knives can make the difference in getting the shelter up before it is too late.

5 Keys to An Emergency Shelter

1) Evaluate your situation and decide if you need to spend the night out before it gets so dark you cannot see to build a shelter; 2) If available, select a level spot that provides natural shelter—a large tree or boulder, for example. Barring that, choose a place that has building materials such as saplings or brush nearby; 3) Build a framework using the natural shelter as a base; 4) Cover the framework with branches, leaves, brush and whatever materials are available. If possible make the covering 6 inches to a foot thick; the thicker the covering, the better the insulation. If you are in an area where there are limited building materials, having a reflective blanket in your pocket could be a lifesaver. It weighs only about 3 ounces, is no larger than a handkerchief and can make a difference of up to 20°F, and; 5) Cover the floor with six-to-12 inches of leaves, pine needles, duff (decaying leaves and branches), or whatever is available for insulation. Leave the area near the entrance clear of debris. After making the cleared area safe for burning small pieces of kindling, build a small fire in it. The fire should be no larger than a soup bowl.

If you are properly dressed for the climate, you can spend the night in such a shelter with a tiny fire not only safely but also comfortably. Having the know-how to build the shelter is critical. Having a good knife can make building the shelter quick and easy.—by James Morgan Ayres

Author’s note: The shelter in the photos using pine boughs was built in a national park, not a true wilderness area. We were required to “leave no trace” and return everything as it was. Therefore, we did not thatch the roof nor build up the floor with boughs and leaves as described in the text, as you would in a survival situation.

My associate and I used and evaluated four very different knives to construct two survival shelters. The review knives fall into two categories. The Mora and Condor both have ‘Scandi’ grinds and are economical. The Bark River and Fallkniven have convex grinds and are priced like the premium knives they are.

CONDOR BUSHCRAFT

The Condor Tool & Knife Bushcraft Basic Camp Knife has a comfy wood handle, a 4-inch blade of 1075 carbon steel with a lot of belly, and a full tang. When driven into a tree it was strong enough for a 200-pound guy to do a pull-up on; we tried it, no problem. The belly of the black-epoxy-powder-coated blade proved its worth in general use, but a little more tip would have been welcome. In knife design everything is a compromise and this is a good one. The welted leather sheath holds the El Salvador-made knife securely and is unusually nice for a package in this price range ($34.98 MSRP).

BARK RIVER AURORA

The Bark River Aurora ($239 MSRP) is Bark River honcho Mike Stewart’s personal design for an all-around bushcraft knife. The American-made fixed blade displays excellence in design and use. The convex blade of A2 tool steel provides easy, controllable push cuts, supports the edge for batoning, gets into a cut aggressively, and has a centerline point for precise control. The handle is ergonomically contoured, does not slip and is comfortable in hard use. The balance is so good and the 9.5-inch knife feels so lightweight and quick that it seems to weigh less than the specs (6 ounces) would indicate. The pouch-type leather sheath is handsome, secures the knife well, carries comfortably and has a loop for a firesteel.

I suspect the Aurora has a reserve of strength that we did not come close to tapping in our review. Though not billed as one, I think the Aurora is an excellent choice for a wilderness survival knife.

MORA BUSHCRAFT

Made in Sweden, the Mora Bushcraft Survival Knife ($57.95 MSRP) comes with a firesteel and diamond sharpener—both valuable tools—in a composition sheath. The thick, 4.25-inch blade sacrifices nothing in slicing and wood-shaving ability. It has a good, usable point and is strong enough for batoning. The handle is very comfortable. The knife popped out of the sheath, which was worn on a belt, while we were jumping over a log. A cut or the loss of the knife could have resulted.

FALLKNIVEN PHK

Fallkniven markets its Professional Hunter (PHK) as “one of the best hunting knives in the world.” It is also a very good all-purpose bushcraft and survival knife. The convex grind and long, curved edge combine to make a strong 5-inch blade of 3G steel that just wants to cut. It batons well, makes good push cuts and snap cuts efficiently on small branches. It would even do a little light chopping, though no knife this size (9.4 inches overall) can be an efficient chopper. The PHK’s nonslip Thermorun™ thermoplastic handle is comfortable in any grip, even during hard use.

Made in Japan, the knife offers a choice of a leather or Zytel® sheath. I much prefer the leather one since the Zytel sheath must be snapped to secure the knife, as we learned when the knife fell from the unsnapped sheath while we were running. MSRP: $470.

HOW THEY FARED

In general, we found the knives with the Scandi grinds to be somewhat better for fine woodwork, such as making fuzz sticks, while the convex-ground blades cut more efficiently and with less drag in deep cuts. All the knives’ handles were comfortable and did the job. On the other hand, each knife had its own character and pros and cons.

The Bark River was everyone’s all-around favorite, and if there had been a prize for most handsome, it would have won. The Fallkniven displayed the high level of function for which the brand is known, and clearly had enough reserve strength to serve as an urban destruction tool. The standard Mora is a good all-around bushcraft blade at a very low price. It is a bit stronger than other Mora models we have seen, and the inclusion of a firesteel and diamond sharpener produces a very nice package. However, the sheath needs work—otherwise you had better use duct tape to secure the knife, as we did. The Condor brings a welcome alternative to the bargain-priced market and stands on its own merits as a strong, efficient choice for the bush.

The premium-priced Bark River and Fallkniven exhibit higher-quality construction and did almost everything better than the less expensive Mora and Condor. Nonetheless, the difference was a matter of degree. All would serve to build a shelter and produce firewood, and maybe save your life.

African Blackwood is on the Rise as a Custom Handle Material

Mike Haskew

May 9, 2021

African Blackwood is on the Rise as a Custom Handle Material

Maybe it’s a bit of a contradiction, but both elegance and simplicity are elements of African blackwood, a handle material with a rapidly rising profile in the custom knife industry.

The color of the material combined with properties that make it a pleasure to work with has resulted in an explosion of interest. Ranging in luster from a reddish to a deep black hue, the wood is the product of a flowering tree also known as granadilla or mpingo. A relatively small tree, it grows primarily in the forests of Senegal east to the horn of Africa and in some parts of South Africa. Long used in musical instruments and high-end furniture, African blackwood is protected in order to prevent overharvesting.

Ken Hall’s sgian dubh features a 4.25-inch blade of twist damascus in a blend of 1075 spring and 15N20 nickel alloy steels. The pommel is formed from stone and giraffe bone. The African blackwood handle not only is ideal for its carvability but also in keeping with the sgian dubh’s name, which is Scottish for black knife.

When the material finds its way to a knife handle, something dazzling happens, and the makers who use it sing its praises. “I’ve always loved black-handled knives, especially with brass,” related Abel Price of Fayetteville, Arkansas, a part-time maker who is completely self-taught. “The black and gold combo just pops and gives it a beautifully elegant Art Deco feel.”

In the mountains of western North Carolina, ABS master smith Andrew Meers finds African blackwood a pleasure to work with. “It’s a dense and stable wood with a consistent grain structure that is excellent for handle material. It is workable and carves well,” he noted. “It has a rich, dark color and finishes out beautifully when sanded, and I haven’t noticed any cracking, shrinking or expanding, especially compared to the cracking I’ve noticed at times in similar looking wood such as ebony. I think these qualities contribute to its growing popularity among makers.”

Abel Price used African blackwood for the handle of his Deco Petty kitchen knife. He said the handle “was sculpted to contain design elements of the Art Deco era while hitting several notes of contrast: smooth and stippled, round and flat, black and white, and straight and sweeping lines.”

Andrew uses rasps and files for shaping, a flex shaft for carving, and prefers to sand and buff to finish his handles of the material. Last of all, he applies a coat of Danish oil. So, the finished product is just what the maker wants, and getting there is most often a pleasurable journey rather than an arduous trek. African blackwood exhibits excellent stability and takes a shine quite well. Custom makers agree that the material is ideal for carving, though whether it carves easily or not is open to the interpretation of the individual maker.

“I think the main reason for its carving ability is that it is hard,” commented Pekka Tuominen, a 17-year maker from Keitele, Finland. “Wood has to be hard if you wish to carve it with sharp and tight curves, and also polish those curves. Let’s say it’s not easy to carve, but when wood is hard you can get a good finish. Of course, it’s popular, too,” he observed. “Everybody knows that if some famous knifemaker uses a material, then the rest of the makers at least want to test it.”

MORE ATTRIBUTES

Waynesville, North Carolina-based ABS journeyman smith Ken Hall appreciates additional attributes of African blackwood. “I like using it because it’s a very dense wood, doesn’t require stabilizing, is hard and does not crack easily,” he stated. “It has a tight grain structure, so you don’t have to fill voids, and it can be carved or shaped without difficulty and provides a dark contrast to a steel blade.”

Huginn and Muninn are the names for two bowies by Richard Dawes. Huginn and Muninn are two mythical ravens that attend Odin. Dawes carved the African blackwood handles in a bird’s-head motif based on the style of bladesmith Bill Bagwell, one of the founders of the American Bladesmith Society.

Securing the handle to the blade most often involves a quality epoxy and a combination of pins, depending on the type of knife under construction. “I use rivets, pins and epoxy,” Pekka said, “but I don’t use African blackwood for full tangs. With hidden tangs sometimes just epoxy will keep the tang solid inside the handle.”

When Price went to work on his Deco Petty, a kitchen knife creation with a 6.5-inch blade of AEB-L stainless steel, overall length of 12 inches, and a handle of African blackwood, deer antler and a copper spacer, he knew just what he wanted to achieve. “The goal was to hit form and function,” he commented. “The ultra-thin cutting edge flexes with lateral pressure, and a Rockwell hardness of 61 [HRC] makes for a laser sharp tool in the kitchen. The handle was sculpted to contain design elements of the Art Deco era while hitting several notes of contrast: smooth and stippled, round and flat, black and white, and straight and sweeping lines. African blackwood does everything you want it to do with a perfect finish.”

Hall fashioned his sgian dubh as an interpretation of a historical Scottish knife. “African blackwood is the ideal wood for the sgian dubh because it can be carved and shaped to the hourglass design of the traditional sgian dubh handle,” he noted, “and provide an eye-catching contrast to the stainless steel bolster and pommel.” He added that blackwood is his preferred wood for a handle with a keyhole design because it can take the force applied to pressing the wood into the keyhole.

AESTHETICS & FUNCTION

Meers made the striking Vulpecula with a 12-inch damascus blade of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel alloy steels. Meanwhile, something of a surprise is embedded in the African blackwood handle.

Matt Gregory’s LWT (Lum-Walton Tanto) is based on a design by Mike Walton inspired by the late Bob Lum. The African blackwood handle is polished to a mirror shine and tapers slightly in reverse of the tang, and has a delicate bulge in the center to provide for a subtle yet improved grip. The sheath (not shown) is by Jill Gregory.

“Vulpecula is a reliquary dagger,” Andrew explained. “It is inspired by the tradition of keeping objects, often hair or remains, in an embellished vessel. I found a fox tooth and had it sealed in a glass vial by a friend. I then built this dagger to house the vial as a reliquary.

“The blade fittings and handle are adorned with 24-karat gold inlay depicting a large fox, its skull and paw prints. The hardware is torch-cut steel plated with gold that is brushed back. Vulpecula, the ‘Little Fox’ constellation, is set into the blade with blue diamonds.

“It was a combination of aesthetic and functional choices that made me choose blackwood for this piece,” he concluded. “The wood machines and carves well, so for this handle it was the ideal choice. The blackwood’s depth serves as a rich contrast to the bright gold used in small inlays to represent a starry sky and the fox prints as well.”

Tuominen built his Protector, or Suojaleijee, dagger with a 5-inch welded damascus blade of 1080 and 80CrV2 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels, a guard of Nicorros (a copper/nickel alloy), African blackwood handle, and a handmade leather sheath with stainless clip. The blade is 7 inches and overall length is 12 inches. “It’s a custom order for an American collector,” he noted. “I used African blackwood because it’s black and more stable than other black-colored woods.”

SOURCES

While African blackwood remains protected, it can be found through various sources. However, Abel has a warning.

“I stocked up at a Rockler store a few years ago,” he remarked. “I’m not looking forward to finding another supplier. I believe the demand is outpacing the supply, and as conservation efforts increase, as they should, so will the price.”

Kelly Vermeer Vella em-
ploys African blackwood
and sterling silver for the
handle of her dagger. The
blade is a damascus of
1075 spring and 15N20
nickel-alloy steel.

Hall searches eBay for African blackwood and makes his selection based on what is available. Pricing, he says, runs $20 to $30 for a handle block or set of scales. While Pekka often sources his African blackwood from European knife shows, he also checks the internet for block-size pieces. Meers has had success with retail suppliers and finds a broad range of dimensions.

The custom knifemaker and the consumer alike have taken a new interest in African blackwood, and that fascination is not likely to fade in the near future.

IT’S ALIVE! The Living Knife by Jean-Marc Laroche will grab you—literally

BLADE Staff

December 15, 2021

IT’S ALIVE! The Living Knife by Jean-Marc Laroche will grab you—literally

“A knife capable of movement and gifted with intelligence …”
—Jean-Marc Laroche

“On fitting your hand into that of the knife, you already feel a strange clasping in response when, suddenly, the mechanical fingers close! You can’t get free! With the same movement, an eye opens and stares at you intensely. It’s awake! Now you are under its control, and the knife is master of you who dared to take it in your grasp.”

Above: The Living Knife by Jean-Marc Laroche features a mechanical hand for a handle that, as you grab it, literally grabs you back. The damascus blade is a composite of 15N20, 15LM and UHB11 high-alloy nickel and carbon steels in explosion, twist and random patterns forged by Swedish maker Roger Bergh. Overall length: 25 inches. (images courtesy of Jean-Marc Laroche)

In addition to the above, French knifemaker/artist Jean-Marc Laroche refers to his latest creation—this issue’s cover piece—as “The Living Knife.” Since it has a “hand” for a handle with “fingers” that close, an “eye” and an overall lifelike appearance, who are we to argue? As you grab the handle, the “fingers” actually grab back so that it’s hard to tell who’s holding whom. And, as the fingers grab your hand, the “eye” opens. The hand also is embellished with gears in the Steampunk style.

A close-up of the silver-plated bronze hand shows the detail of the gears in a Steampunk motif. (image courtesy of Jean-Marc Laroche)

The Living Knife is indeed a most unusual creation—but then Laroche has been making otherworldly pieces for over two decades. Even by his standards, though, this one takes his knife art into uncharted territory.

“It was from the cinema of fantasy films that I drew my inspiration,” he notes. “It took me 12 years to implement my idea, six months to carry it out and a fair number of technical difficulties had to be overcome.

“Yet here it is, like a cunning thing from another time that a mad inventor out of the 19^th century would have dreamed up. This biomechanical being activates its workings to move its fingers; it seizes control of the situation with its eye’s intelligence.”

The Living Knife is an assembly of mechanical parts, the prototype having been made in resin. A few rare versions in bronze, gold and silver are in the process of being forged.

“Swedish knifemaker Roger Bergh participated in this project. Indeed, I have been talking to Roger about it for 10 years and he has always been enthusiastic,” Laroche observes. “Roger first forges damascus steel to obtain various types of structures; he then assembles them into magnificent combinations. A world-renowned knifemaker, he has remained down-to-earth and open. Working with him is a real pleasure.”

In addition to knives, Jean-Marc Laroche sculpts skeletons on a lifelike scale. An example is his “Warlord,” a kind of Javanese king holding a kris.
The skeleton is resin on a steel structure. The crown is assorted animal bones, the eyes are natural quartz crystal, and the necklaces and bracelets are from “different ethnic tribes.” The knife is made from an old Indonesian kris blade, some teeth and hematite.

KNIFE SPECTACULAR

BLADE® first learned of Laroche at the 1992 East Coast Custom Knife Show, where his knives with “alien-head” handles were a show hit. The alien heads were those of animals he customized and coated with a special resin.

In 1997 Laroche’s “Mother Ship with Fighters”—a set of four knives including one large one and three smaller ones with dagger blades and curved, claw-like guards—was a winner of the annual BLADEhandmade Best In Show Award. His “Byakhee,” a spectacular knife with a handle resembling a large, bat-like bird inspired by the science-fiction stories of H.P. Lovecraft, won Best Fantasy Knife at the 1998 BLADE Show West.

Laroche introduced The Living Knife to an appreciative audience this past June at the FICX, an invitation-only knife show in Paris that also featured a few U.S. makers, including Kevin Casey. It was Jean-Marc’s first knife show since 2002. Since then he had been involved in other forms of sculpture and exhibiting them worldwide.

Actually, The Living Knife is not Laroche’s first attempt at such a piece, his “Devil Hand” predating it. However, the Devil Hand did not have the mechanical grasping capability, the same materials or other select features of Laroche’s newest rendition. Laroche said he also has made two knives similar to The Living Knife, the first being sold to the Instituto Ricardo Brennand (http://www.institutoricardobrennand.org.br/index2.html), a museum in Recife, Brazil.

For a video on how The Living Knife operates, watch the video below: