Master Smiths JR Cook, Mike Williams, and Jerry Fisk demonstrate the cutting potential of their forged blades on water bottles, rope, cans, and an apple. To …
Take the BLADE® Quiz and Get Sharp!
When knife enthusiasts think Knifemakers’ Guild, thoughts of Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Buster Warenski cannot be far behind. His gold dagger includes a gold separator band between the guard and also a gold pommel. The handle is carved antique ivory with twisted gold wire. The engraving is by Julie Warenski-Erickson. (from the Dave Nittinger collection; photo by Dave Siegel)
From One Cutlery Cradle To Another
The first BLADE Quiz focuses on Sheffield and the early days of the Knifemakers’ Guild
ARE YOU UP ON YOUR KNIFE HISTORY, especially the golden age of Sheffield and the beginnings of the Knifemakers’ Guild? Our first installment of a new BLADE® department, the “BLADE Quiz,” should let you know how schooled you are in short order. The answers appear below.
1) The very early Sheffield knives carried the stamp “GR.” To what/whom did the initials refer and what were the knives better known as? A) Green River and Green River Knives; B) King George and Green River Knives; C) Great Britain and Green River Knives
2) Knifemaker Ted Dowell served as a gunnery officer on which U.S. Navy ship during the Korean War? A) U.S.S. Minneapolis; B) U.S.S. Missouri; C) U.S.S. Intrepid
3) How many cutlery factories were in Sheffield in 1910? A) 400; B) 1,400; C) 4,000
4) Which Guild knifemaker was known early on by the moniker of “El Lobo Solo” (Spanish for “lone wolf”)? A) Chubby Hueske; B) Ruffin Johnson; C) Clay Gault
5) Upon completion of 50 years of service, each Joseph Rodgers & Sons Ltd., employee was presented with: A) A 5-inch-tall silver statue of Vulcan holding the Rodgers trademark of a six-pointed star and a Maltese cross; B) a replica of the world-famous Rodgers “Year Knife”; C) a gold watch
6) The obverse side of the blade is: A) the front or display side bearing the maker’s mark; B) the side without the maker’s mark; C) the blade spine
7) Knifemaker Red Watson’s first name was A) Red; B) Herbert; C) Quinton
8) In 19th-century Sheffield, the men who worked knife grinders feared: A) grinder’s asthma or grinder’s consumption; B) shattering grindstones, which could kill a worker; C) A and B
9) Who stated, “Is knifemaking an art? I feel that anything done well is an art, be it a Rembrandt, a custom knife, or the Golden Gate Bridge. In short, what is art? More important, what isn’t?” A) Bud Cronk; B) Buster Warenski; C) Harvey McBurnette
10) A cross guard has: A) Two quillons; B) one quillon; C) no quillons.
11) According to The Knifemakers Guild Directory of the Membership, Bob Dozier is the son of: A) a blacksmith; B) an ironworker; C) a farrier
12) The tool used by many Sheffield cutlers to put inlay holes in mother-of-pearl scales or to drill holes in scales is known as the: A) stidder or stiddy; B) parser or parsey; C) doller or dollie
13) The first female knifemaker to apply for membership in the Knifemakers’ Guild was Carolyn Tinker, at the 1974 Guild Show. However, there was also another female maker who applied for membership at the ’74 show. Her name? A) Mary Jean; B) Ethel Waters; C) Rita Winter
14) The term pocketknife originally referred to: A) a knife with blades opening at one end only; B) any knife that could be carried in a pocket; C) a knife that was always handy and could be used for any number of cutting chores
15) Which of the following is not a founding member of The Knifemakers’ Guild? A) Jon Kirk; B) John Applebaugh; C) John T. Smith
16) In old Sheffield, a bolster was cast or forged from nickel, iron or brass and had a projection used to tommy it to the liner. In this instance, to tommy means: A) to pin; B) to rivet; C) to solder
17) Xylonite was the first of many types of imitation: A) bone; B) ivory; C) pearl
18) Knives with handles made by burning an imitation tortoiseshell pattern into clear horn with lye were known as: A) spotted penknives; B) shell knives; C) turtle blades
19) The Deguello, the tune Santa Anna adopted to signify no quarter would be given to the defenders of the Alamo, was originally used by: A) the Moorish invaders of Spain; B) Christopher Columbus; C) the Spanish conquistadores
Answers: 1) B; 2) B; 3) C; 4) B; 5) A; 6) A; 7) C; 8) C; 9) C; 10) A; 11) A; 12) B; 13) A; 14) A; 15) C; 16) B; 17) B; 18) A; 19) A. Scoring: 0-3—Your tongs just got gonged. 4-7—Have you considered foregoing knives and taking up Farmville? 8-12—You’re spending too much time playing mumbley-peg. 13-16—Your knife neurons are starting to fire. 17-18—You are qualified to run for mayor of The Pit at the BLADE Show. 19—You must be Pete Cohan, curator of the National Knife Museum.
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. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb050512#BL1SU.
Knife Of The Day XXIII: Abalone Case Peanut for Mother’s Day
NOBODY APPRECIATES A SHARP UTILITY TOOL LIKE MOM—and all the better if it’s pretty. The Case abalone peanut is just the ticket for Mom on Mother’s Day.
The swirling abalone scales are very attractive and the clip blade and scissors—all in a 2 7/8 inches-closed package that weighs in at a scant 1.2 ounces—will give Mom all the cutting and snipping power she needs on her special day.
For more information click on www.wrcase.com.
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. Click here for a subscribe to BLADE Magazine.
Top 11 Self Knife Promoters
The Spyderco Caly 3 (above) features a blade of ZDP-189 stainless and a carbon fiber handle. For info on how to buy one, click here.
THE CUTLERY INDUSTRY OFFERS MANY GREAT FACTORY KNIVES, but not all the companies who sell them promote them effectively. On the other hand are those who do. My top 11 list* of those who do it best follows.
No. 1: Spyderco. Spyderco’s catalog excels in content and looks. The company has a comprehensive website with high-resolution, easily downloadable images for media use, runs colorful, creative ads, and even has a professional calendar illustrated with a Spyderco knife for each month. The company exhibits at most high-profile knife shows, has a solid Internet knife discussion forum presence, and curries an outstanding stable of collaborative makers who are Spyderco ambassadors by proxy.
No. 2: SOG Specialty Knives. Any company that gets R. Lee “The Gunny” Ermey to plug its knives through ads, appearances at knife shows and elsewhere gets my vote. SOG exhibits at many high-profile knife shows, has a professional catalog and supplies the media with high-resolution images of its knives.
No. 3: A.G. Russell Knives. Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member A.G. Russell is nothing if not a master self-promoter, and his company has it all in terms of great catalogs updated and mailed on a semi-annual basis, an informative website, professional ads, a healthy Internet knife discussion forum presence—and its own annual knife show to boot.
No. 4: Cold Steel. Cold Steel’s catalog is very well done and mailed to customers on a regular basis, with seasonal updates. The company is a master of “promotion in motion”—that is, it offers a number of CDs that show Cold Steel knives being used. The company’s website is outstanding, with high-resolution, easily downloadable images for media use.
No. 5: Buck. Buck recently signed Haley Heath of the “Family Traditions with Haley Heath” program on the Sportsman Channel to have her own line of Buck hunting knives. Buck has a comprehensive catalog and offers high-resolution images for media use. It excels at sending e-mails on the latest in its knives and other company initiatives. It exhibits at most high-profile knife shows and benefits from the goodwill and publicity generated by the Buck Collectors Club.
No. 6: Benchmade. A top-notch catalog, a complete media supply of outstanding high-resolution images, a steady stream of e-mail updates on company doings, an impressive array of collaborative makers who promote the company line by osmosis, a presence at most major knife shows, and effective use of such celebrities as Michael Waddell and the Bone Collector line make Benchmade a prime-time self-promotion player.
No. 7: Case. A great catalog, intuitive use of such American icons as John Wayne, Johnny Cash and celebrities that have included Blake Shelton and others on company knife lines, providing high-resolution images of its knives to the media, an “American heartland” approach to ad content and design, exhibiting at most high-profile knife shows and more all guarantee Case a top spot in the self-promotion sweepstakes. Plus, the Case Collectors Club adds its 19,000 members to the mix.
No. 8: Columbia River Knife & Tool. CRKT’s catalog is right up there with Cold Steel’s and Spyderco’s. CRKT offers high-resolution images, including great close-ups of specific knife features, for media use. It exhibits at most high-profile knife shows, and its vast stable of collaborating knifemakers serves as a P.R. agency in and of itself.
No. 9: Boker. Another of the companies with a great catalog, Boker supplies a comprehensive array of high-resolution images of its complete knife line to the media. Like CRKT, Boker has a vast fleet of collaborating makers who no doubt spread the good word of their designs for Boker as well. It exhibits at most major knife shows.
No. 10: William Henry Studio. William Henry recognizes the value of celebrities to promote its knives (i.e., actor Joe “Pants” Pantoliano’s appearance at the 2009 BLADE Show). It offered a William Henry knife valued at $10,000 to celebrate the 30th Annual BLADE Show and gave it away at last year’s show, creating mini-membership drives for Knife Rights, the American Knife & Tool Institute and the Custom Knife Collectors Association in the process. In other words, William Henry’s good P.R. for others was also good P.R. for William Henry. The company offers elegant ads, too.
No. 11: Gerber. Two words: Bear Grylls. Gerber has a nice catalog and supplies high-resolution images of its knives to the media, but it is the Bear Man that puts it on this list.
*The list rates the companies’ promotional ability only, not the quality of the knives. However, “perception is reality,” and effective self-promotion influences many people’s opinions of knife quality, whether it is an accurate barometer of quality or not.
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. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb043012#BL1SU.
Knives, Knifemakers, Tips On Knife Collecting Today and Tomorrow
Great knives, knifemakers, tips on knife collecting and much more are in the offing at venues across the country and abroad today and tomorrow, April 28-29.
The Solvang Custom Knife Show is in Solvang, California, today ONLY. Some of the world’s finest custom knives and knifemakers are there. For more info click on www.nordicknives.com.
The 30th Annual NCCA Extravaganza Knife Show is at the Hilton Hotel in Mystic, Connecticut, today and tomorrow.
The Wolverine Knife Collectors Show is in Novi, Michigan, today and tomorrow at the Suburban Collection Showcase.
The ABS Spring Piney Woods Hammer-In is today and tomorrow at the Texarkana College/Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Washington, Arkansas. For more info click on www.americanbladesmith.com.
The 13th Annual Knifemakers Show is at the German Blade Museum (Deutsches Klingenmuseum) in Solingen, Germany, today and tomorrow. For more info click on www.messer-macher-messe.de.
And finally, today is the final day of the Mason Dixon Knife Club Annual Show at the Best Western/Grand Venice Hotel in Hagerstown, Maryland.
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. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb042812#BL1SU.
DPX Gear HEST F 2.0 Folder Knife by review by Waysun Johnny Tsai
When Waysun Johnny Tsai gives his stamp of approval to a knife, you can bet it’s a good one. “After a month it is STILL my EDC,” he wrote in the description of this video.
Manaro Knives Bullseye Grip Frame Lock
Sal showing a bullseye Grip Frame Lock that he just completed.
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