The Custom Knife Collectors Association (CKCA) announced it has raised $6,598.30 for the Jimmy V Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.
The money was raised through the CKCA’s raffle of a special bowie made by ABS master smiths/CKCA members Larry Fuegen and Tim Hancock. The winner was knifemaker/CKCA member Joel Chamblin.
The CKCA’s contributions to date to cancer research projects totals $34,053.30.
After much hue and cry from those who equate knives with all that’s evil and wrong with the world, the Transportation Security Administration has backed off from its plan to allow small carry-on knives on commercial flights.
Knives will continue to be allowed in checked luggage.
The goofball wording that also would have allowed bats, golf clubs, hockey sticks, pool cues, ski poles and lacrosse sticks probably didn’t help the original ruling that would have allowed knives.
A big reason it failed, though, was due to such anti-knife zealots as Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, as well as 145 House members signing a letter to TSA Administrator John Pistole to keep the current rules in place. Also, flight attendant union protests and airline officials’ opposition played a part, too.
Meanwhile, more anti-knife mania reared its ugly head in the form of a Homeland Security spending bill that would block the TSA from spending money to implement the change. That bill is still in the works and is expected to pass.
While some, such as Debra Burlingame, whose brother was the pilot of one of the planes that hit the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, reversed their opposition to the change after hearing Pistole’s arguments, it wasn’t enough to hold off the anti-knife circus.
For more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com and BLADE® Magazine.
The “Shoreline” kick-stop flipper by Lee Williams jumps off the cover of the new BLADE®, on most newsstands TODAY!
Need your quarterly fix on the hottest custom knives of the hottest custom makers? Let the industry pros clue you in on page 12. If you’re into knife performance, see how two skinners stack up against one another on page 36.
Looking for the latest in fire-starter knives? Check out the hottest in the genre on page 30. Wonder what goes on in the minds of survivalists Mykel Hawke and Ruth England, stars of TV’s Man, Woman, Wild and Lost Survivors? See page 50.
Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day are near. If you’re in search of sharp gift ideas with heart, see page 22. If you want history on U.S. presidents and their knives and some of the latest retail examples thereof, see page 74.
Knifemaking supply companies are the lifeline of knifemakers and hobbyists. One of the leaders of the genre is Jantz Supply. See what Ken Jantz and Co. have on tap for your knifemaking experience on page 36.
The Super Bowl is nigh, so get your kicks with a Super Bowl knife. Nick Mesenbourg made one for Matt BIrk, starting center for last year’s champs, the Baltimore Ravens. See page 34.
If sheaths and antique bowies are your bag, keep pace with our two continuing series on the subjects: Ed Fowler’s “Sheath How-To, Step By Step” and Jim Batson’s ode to antique dog-bone bowies in part one of “Every Dog Bone Has Its Day,” pages 26 and 80, respectively.
Into the international knife scene? Join Joe and Lori Szilaski as they take you through one of the Old World’s best-kept knife show secrets, the 10th Annual International Knife Exhibition and Fair in Budapest, Hungary.
There’s much more in the latest BLADE, including editor Steve Shackleford’s “Unsheathed” on the advantages of not being a knife snob, Joe Kertzman’s revamped “Knifemaker Showcase,” and much more.
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Cut, handle or chop it—or lock it or look it up—in BLADE’s Complete Knife Guide 2017, on newsstands now!
The knife industry’s only annual buying journal, the 2017 BLADE’s Guide includes a comprehensive listing of anyone and everyone who does business in the factory knife industry, including manufacturers, importers, accessory, material and equipment makers and suppliers, knifemaking schools, photographers, embellishers and more. The Guide also has a special section on some of the top factory knives that will debut in the coming year.
Looking for today’s hottest blade steels? In “Steel Trek: The Search For Sharp,” David W. Jung takes you through not only the latest ones but also the ones that are being used by custom knifemakers and manufacturers most on their newest knives. Need a wedge of hardened steel to chop, whop or split logs, kindling and more? James Morgan Ayres outlines the sharpest in hatchets and hand axes in “Cut Me Some Whack!”
Knifemakers who use elephant ivory have been among those under attack by federal and state legislation, but those who use ancient ivory have found themselves under the gun as well. Meanwhile, the suppliers who sell handle materials are having to change with the changing market. Mike Haskew examines the issue from the sellers’ standpoint in “Ivory: How Knife Suppliers Adapt.”
Framelock folders offer some of the most secure lockup of any folding knife—a good thing for all knife enthusiasts, including the ladies. Daniel Jackson outlines four of the latest such folders from a woman’s perspective in “Framelocks From the Feminine View.”
Also in our special annual issue: knife handles designed for those with big hands; knives that double as bottle openers; an excerpt from the world’s greatest knife book, KNIVES 2017, on bowie fighters; an introduction of BLADE® Magazine’s new managing editor, Erin Healy; and much more. Subscribe, buy the digital edition or tramp on down to the newsstand for the latest issue!
According to an ABC News report, a former Transportation Security Administration official says knives and other items should be removed from the prohibited items list for airline passengers.
Former TSA administrator Kip Hawley, who ran the TSA from 2005 to 2009, advocates that the TSA no longer look for weapons that cannot penetrate the cockpit door.
“Blades, sharp objects, tools, all those things should be removed from the prohibited items list,” Hawley told ABC News. “Carry a big knife, carry five knives. What are you going to do with a knife or five knives? You are not going to take over the plane. … The focus should be explosives and toxins — things that can kill a lot of people very fast before security measures can stop someone from making that attack.”
He argues since 9/11, objects that cannot kill a lot of people in a short period of time are no longer a significant threat. He says allowing screeners to concentrate on detonators and bomb parts instead of small weapons would make flying safer, and the screening process more convenient.
“The captain is not going to open up the door. The captain is not going to surrender the cockpit and the passengers are not going to sit by and let the guy stand there with a knife,” Hawley said. “I mean, you have to think of it as risk management. What is the risk that somebody is going stand up there with a knife to somebody — a child, a flight attendant — the risk that they’re going to do that and then take over the plane? And do we put people through these long security lines, fishing through their bags, two million people a day, just to prevent the eventuality that somebody might get killed? That’s a tradeoff.”
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The Knifemakers’ Guild and the American Bladesmith Society will hold their first-ever joint knife show Sept. 18-20, 2015, in Kansas City.
The show will be called the International Custom Cutlery Exposition (ICCE) and will include knives displayed by members of both the Guild and the ABS. It will be held in the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. The original Guild Show also was held in Kansas City.
It is a historic meeting of the minds of two knifemaker organizations that basically have competed with one another for almost four decades.
“The main thing is we’re coming together to put on a show,” the Guild’s Gene Baskett noted.
Baskett said everything will be “50/50” between the two organizations and both will have equal say so on matters concerning the show. For example, each organization will have 75 tables to allot to its members, giving the show 150 tables in all.
Guild members who want to inquire about exhibiting at the show should contact the Guild c/o Charlie Mathews, and ABS members should contact the ABS c/o Harvey Dean.
Baskett said the officials of the Kansas City Marriott “bent over backwards” to accommodate the Guild and the ABS for the show. The hotel recently underwent $14 million in refurbishments. Veteran knife observers will recall that the Guild Show enjoyed a very successful run at the Orlando Marriott for many years.
Admission for show patrons will be $10 for one day and $15 for three days. All Guild Honorary Members will be admitted for free, as they always have been at past Guild shows. Baskett said the ABS will make its own arrangements concerning admission for its special members.
“There will be more information to come once we get more details,” Baskett added.
For more information visit americanbladesmith.com or knifemakersguild.com.
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(photo of Jerry Ahern courtesy of JerryAhern.com)
Jerry Ahern, novelist, author of nonfiction books and many magazine articles, passed away Tuesday, July 24. He was well known internationally for his extremely popular “Survivalist” series of novels. Mr. Ahern was a fan of the Detonics line of handguns, so much so that he acted as president of the company, then named Detonics USA, from 2004 to 2007, while it was located in Pendergrass, Georgia.
Mr. Ahern was 66. Survivors include his wife, Sharon, children, grandchildren and a nephew. Arrangements were made through Evans Funeral Home, Jefferson, Georgia. 706-367-5467, http://evansfuneralhomeinc.com.
