Knife collecting is an extremely rewarding experience for knife enthusiasts. There truly is a knife for everyone. Many increase or hold their value throughout the years, making collecting knives something to pass on to the next generation of knife collectors.
PROCEEDS BENEFIT WOUNDED WARRIOR OUTDOORS AND WILD SHEEP FOUNDATION
The Raboud Dagger by award-winning knifemaker Dennis Friedly sold for $50,000 at a live auction this last January, with proceeds from the sale benefitting both Wounded Warrior Outdoors, Inc., and the Wild Sheep Foundation.
Sponsored by Heritage Collectables, the knife was auctioned during the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) Show in Reno, Nevada.
The dagger is named in honor of Ron Raboud, founder of Wounded Warrior Outdoors (WWO). The quote Sandra Brady scrimshawed on the handle is from the closing speech Raboud gave at the Wild Sheep Foundation Banquet in 2016.
“Wounded Warrior Outdoors is a non-profit charity providing recently wounded servicemen and women with therapeutic outdoor adventures across North America,” Dennis wrote. “WWO is a completely volunteer charity with no paid staff or needless overhead. It is an honor to work with these organizations.”
For more information contact Dennis Friedly, Dept. BL8, 12 Cottontail Lane E., Cody, WY 82414 307-527-6811 [email protected], friedlyknives.com. For more on WWO, visit woundedwarrioroutdoors.com. For more on WSF, visit wildsheepfoundation.org.
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When it comes to crafting a knife, Pat Antuzzi works one flake at a time.
“What I do is go back to the Stone Age,” Pat Antuzzi says of his knapped obsidian knives. He has been knapping blades for almost a quarter century.
In that time he has found the best of the best obsidian to be the royal Mexican variety from the state of Jalisco in Mexico, a variety that’s basically been mined out. He used the material for the blade of his straight-edged fixed blade, as well as Portoro marble from Italy for the handle. But it’s the royal Mexican obsidian itself and how it’s knapped that are the keys.
“Every indentation you see on the blade is one flake removal from [the obsidian], and if it’s done right, you’re going to see it one flake after the other, just like the ancients would’ve done it,” he explained. “It’s wicked sharp.”
Hand-Knapped Fixed Blade Specs Maker: Pat Antuzzi Blade length: Not quite 5” Blade material: Mexican gold obsidian volcanic glass from Jalisco, Mexico Handle material: Portoro marble from Italy Overall length: 9.5” Maker’s price for a similar knife: N/A
John H. Davis’ knives, from top: oosic/ivory bowie, twist damascus of 1084/15n20, copper guard, spacers and butt, 13 inches overall; India stag bowie, ladder-pattern damascus, copper guard, spacers and butt; India stag and buckeye burl drop point, 1084/A203E damascus, nickel-silver fittings; mammoth ivory boot dagger, 1084/15n20 damascus, nickel-silver fittings; and a mammoth tooth ivory and snakewood locking-liner folder, 1095/nickel damascus. Davis’ sheaths, from top: the first two are belt-loop pouch types in custom leather with python inlay; a pouch type in custom leather with cobra skin; and a belt-loop-and-snap pouch model in custom leather with snakeskin inlay. The maker’s list prices for similar outfits, from top (the prices include sheaths where applicable): $500, $400, $350, $350 and $350. (Point Seven photo)
John H. Davis offers nice knife-and-sheath combinations—and don’t forget the folder!
Some makers do not offer sheaths with their fixed blades. ABS apprentice smith John H. Davis is not among them.
His selection of damascus fixed blades includes handsome sheaths, including one in a cobra-skin inlay he said “a couple of guys do back flips over.” Other sheaths have python and snakeskin inlays. A computer field engineer by day, Davis also has a background in metal fabrication, which helps explain the copper he uses for guards on some of his models. “I’m one of the few who uses it for guards,” he noted. “I love working with it. It’s an underrated material.”
In terms of offering the total package of knife and sheath, underrated also would seem an appropriate way to describe Davis.
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Knife to Know: Blade has a forged distal taper; handle butt flared to enhance purchase
Weight: 12 ozs.
Overall Length: 20″
Sheath: Wood with handcarved details
Sheath Weight: 3 ozs.
I received a bolo made in the Philippines from my friend, Mike Key, as a gift a couple of years ago. He went on a three-day search for good bolos made from carbon steel in villages, not the souvenir type. He was successful in his quest.
I ran a triangle file down the edge and it skated off, an indication the blade is hardened steel for sure. The forged blade has a smooth distal taper, starting around 3/16-inch thick down to 0 inches at the tip. The knife sports hidden-tang construction. The wood for the sheath and handle are from a local shop in the Philippines. Of course, a blade must cut no matter where it’s made.
Cutting Tests
Up first: the paper slice. Despite a coarse edge, the bolo still managed to give clean slices in 20-pound bond paper. Normally, a bigger blade is cumbersome slicing paper, but the bolo has a perfect balance due to its distal taper.
The bolo was very aggressive on the plastic foam. The author held the pool noodle suspended in air with one hand and sliced it. He indicated the knife is very controllable and the handle is indexed perfectly.
A pool noodle was next on the test menu. The bolo was very aggressive on the plastic foam. I held the pool noodle suspended in air with one hand and sliced it. The knife is very controllable and the handle is indexed perfectly.
Next up: chopping into a hard cardboard tube with the noodle inserted to prevent wall collapse. It worked on the first two chops, but then I hit too close to the previous pair of chops and the tube crushed under the force of the blows. Still, the blade made it halfway through the tube.
When you have trees encroaching on your property, you have to take steps to keep your yard clear. One such branch had scraped me for the last time while I was mowing the lawn. Its 2.5-inch diameter was a breeze for the bolo. Five whacks and the branch was down.
Five whacks and the 2.5-inch-diameter branch was down.
I dragged it away from the fence to whack it into smaller pieces. This is what the bolo was designed to do. One chop per branch and it was in pieces quickly. Just a wrist snap carried the blade halfway through a 1.5-inch-diameter branch. The bolo is a very fast chopper.
A note on the wooden sheath: It’s flat on one side for resting against your body and slightly rounded on the other. The maker even added some hand-carved detail into the wood. Excellent workmanship!
A big thank you goes out to Mike Key for finding this gem of a bolo for me.
Changes
On a blade this long, I would like to see a pin in the handle for a mechanical connection.
Final Results
The bolo is a very balanced working model. You can use it all day without wearing your hand or arm out. It exhibits great workmanship in the forging and the woodwork!
Justin Gingrich flanked by two retired Army Rangers, from left: Roy Motsumoto, an original member of Merrill’s Marauders of World War II fame and a Ranger Hall of Famer, Gingrich and Korean War veteran Bill Spies. At right is Paul Vorhees, owner of Ranger Joe’s. (photo courtesy of Justin Gingrich)
On this Memorial Day, be sure to think about those who have fought, were wounded and who died in the service of their/your country. Think of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and gave their lives but also of those who survived and subdued those who would take our freedoms. Included among the latter, of course, are those wounded warriors who bear the physical and mental scars that will stay with them throughout their lives. We must never forget.
As I watched Merrill’s Marauders, the movie about the U.S. Army outfit that fought so valiantly during World War II, I remembered a picture (above) we ran in the December BLADE® of Justin Gingrich and two other of our valiant military heroes, including ann original member of Merrill’s Marauders, Roy Motsumoto. Here’s to Mr. Motsumoto, Korean War veteran Bill Spies (who was also pictured) and Mr. Gingrich, and all the others who make it possible for us to enjoy living in the best country in the history of the world, USA.
It doesn’t get any better, does it?
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As Mel Brooks says in The History Of The World, Part I, “It’s good to be the king.” And Jody Muller’s “King Arthur” dress locking folder, the 25th installment in our “Knife Of The Day” series, resembles Brooks’s remark.
Boasting damascus forged by Jody, a handle of carved ancient walrus ivory, and 24k-gold and copper inlays, the knife gives Camelot a whole new dose of cool.
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Stan Buzek based his slip joint on a Bill Ruple two-blade trapper. The hollow-ground blades are Damasteel damascus and 3.5 inches each. The fileworked liners are 416 stainless steel. Closed length: 4 3/8 inches. Buzek’s list price to make a similar piece: $1,950. (SharpByCoop photo)
Blade Counts Count
Custom slip joints are hot again and have been for a while. Why are they so hot and how long will their popularity run this time?
“I have seen a bit of an uptick in pocketknife sales in the last couple of years,” notes custom knifemaker Stan Buzek, whose turnaround time on orders is three to four months. “I think this is due to the fact you can have both multiple- and single-blade slip joints,” as opposed to the single blades of tactical and other locking folders (though lockbacks are experiencing somewhat of a surge in sales, too).
Tobin Hill’s five-blade sowbelly sports feather-pattern damascus blade steel in hollow grinds and a mammoth ivory handle. The maker’s list price for a similar piece: $1,200.
A Bright Future Ahead For Slip Joints
Adds Johnny Stout, who has a backlog of six to eight months, “From what I’m seeing at the shows and online in the past few years, pocketknives are alive and well. I see a bright future for slip joints.”
“I have seen slip-joint groups on Facebook grow by 300 percent in the last three years,” Tracy LaRock states. “I also have a group called ‘Making Slip Joints and Lockbacks’ that has grown a lot recently, with many new slip-joint makers.”
As for his sales, Tracy says, “My books are closed but I intend to open them in early 2020 when I retire from the military. In the meantime I list available pieces in my Facebook group and on Instagram.”
Tracy LaRock pushes the envelope of traditional slip-joint design with his Ethan Jack. The 3-inch blade is D2 tool steel and the handle and frame are Timascus™. Closed length: 4 inches. His list price to make a similar knife: $900. (SharpByCoop photo)
Pocketknife Sales Are Up In General
“I think there’s an upswing in pocketknife sales,” Tom Ploppert agrees. “Plus, a strong economy hasn’t hurt anything.”
Tom says he continues to take orders and has no idea how far behind he is.
“I will write an order down. I do not take deposits. I will call when it’s your turn. If you commit, then we will discuss price and I will start on building it,” he says matter-of-factly.
Turnaround time notwithstanding, the exquisite slip joints by Stout, Buzek, LaRock and Ploppert are well worth the wait—though you might want to get a leg up now. The more demand increases, the longer you’ll have to bide your time until you can get your hands on one of these gems.
