Page 116 – BLADE Magazine

How To Use Drawknives

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May 25, 2022

Drawknives Are A Woodworker’s Best Friend And One Of Many Unique Knives Craftsmen Use Regularly

Knives take on many shapes and sizes. As tools, their designs sometimes focus on specific tasks. In the case of the drawknife, it is designed for woodworking. Drawknives have been found to date back to the Viking era more than a millennium ago.

The design itself takes many different shapes for a variety of purposes. At times, it is not referred to as a drawknife but, at first glance, you can see the relationship and how a number of tools can be considered part of the same family. As with any tool, different cultures have different interpretations of how the tool should be designed.

What Is A Drawknife?

A drawknife is a single-beveled blade placed between two handles. The tool gets its name from how it is used. You simply grab both handles and draw the knife towards you bevel up. Controlling the angle that the blade enters the wood will control the depth of cut. A steep angle will get you a deeper, more aggressive cut but will also require more effort.

Lowering the angle makes for a shallower cut and also gives you a finer finish as the material is removed less aggressively. Some designs have long handles on plane with the blade. Other designs have the handle tight in and below the plane of the blade. No matter where the handles are, the action is the same but the point of control changes.

Top row, from left: a German-style drawknife made in Western Germany, Mora push knife, English-style drawknife, Flexcut 5-inch drawknife and a cooper’s knife. Bottom row, same order: Round drawknife and a chair maker’s scorp.

How To Use A Drawknife

When working with a narrow stock up to two inches wide, it’s easy enough to draw the knife straight back toward you. On wider stock, it is better to skew the knife. Skewing the knife provides a leading edge and causes less resistance during the cut. When working with hardwoods you want to keep the cut light, as the dense grain provides more resistance and bogs the knife down.

If you skew the knife and work the corners it is easy to remove long curls.

Even when working a flat when skewing the drawknife blade you can get some beautiful shavings.

Learning to use a drawknife properly is a bit like working a puzzle. The easiest way to make a cut is to work the facets of the material. For instance, say we are working on a piece that is square. To shape the piece to the required size it is easier to work the corners down, creating more corners until you get to your desired shape. By working the flats, you must use more energy and struggle to make a cut.

When first using a drawknife, the tendency is to use your arms to power the tool. Instead, use your back muscles, which are larger and less likely to fatigue quickly. Draw the knife back as if you were using the same muscle for rowing. If done right, it should feel like your shoulder blades are trying to meet in the middle of your back. For safety’s sake, keep your elbows in tight. As you draw the knife back your elbows will hit your core acting as a safety stop, preventing you from slipping and cutting yourself.

Types Of Drawknifes

A debarking knife is usually a larger style of drawknife used for extracting bark from logs. They are larger and heavier than their woodworking counterparts so that you can blast through the bark.

It has been my experience that when working green wood, the knife doesn’t need to be kept as sharp. In fact, it is somewhat more helpful to keep the knife a bit dull when cutting green wood so as to avoid diving too deep into the wood itself. On seasoned logs, because of the lack of sap between the bark and sapwood, I find it better to have the knife a bit sharper.

Woodworking drawknives come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The two main types I have used: English and German. The English style has a blade that bares a slight arch and the handles are on the same plane as the blade. German-style knives have handles that sit lower than the blade and the blade tends to be straight. The knives’ handles can vary. Most of mine have a pear-like shape. There are other styles like a round knob style, which is a ball shape.

The English style drawknife has a small but thin bevel that makes for some beautiful curls.

The German knife has a steep angle to the bevel. If used straight across a narrow piece wood, it can remove large amounts of material. At the time of the photo, the author had not finished cleaning up the blade, ergo the hammer marks in it.

Specialty styles of knives include any drawknife that is shaped to obtain a specific result. A cooper’s knife is shaped to accommodate the making of barrel staves. I also have a handle-making knife. The handle-making knife is a tight arch designed to make handles for things like brooms or garden implements. The basic shape is a half circle, so instead of trying to round a piece off by angling a number of cuts, you get a piece of wood close to size and simply let the knife shape it.

The cooper’s shave is designed to hollow out the staves of a barrel.

Push Knife

A Scandinavian invention, the push knife is similar to a drawknife in that it has a blade attached by two handles on either side. Using a push knife is different in the way that you are expected to force the edge away from your body instead of pulling it toward you. Unlike a drawknife, the handles come straight out from the sides, which allows you to either push or pull the knife. I normally use the knife in the manner that gets the job done—meaning on occasion I will draw the knife toward me rather than push.

What Is A Scorp?

Technically, scorps are not drawknives. However, in terms of looks and use you can’t help but lump them in the same family. I have a chair maker’s scorp that is designed to hollow out the seats of chairs. On older chairs is a slight depression where the person sits. A chair maker’s scorp was used to produce the shape. The tool operates just like a drawknife except it has a shorter blade with a more pronounced arch.

How To Sharpen A Drawknife

Like any other cutting tool, a drawknife must be sharpened. Perhaps the trickiest part of sharpening a drawknife is finding a way to brace it. I find dynamic sharpening the easiest way to sharpen a drawknife. I brace the knife and move the sharpening medium instead of the other way around. One way to brace the knife for sharpening is to put one handle in your armpit and hold the other handle in your off hand. Once the knife is braced this way, take a stone to it. Another way is to brace one handle on the bench, lean your chest on the other handle, and then begin sharpening. Keep in mind a drawknife must be sharp (except where noted previously) but since it is not necessarily a fine woodworking tool, don’t get carried away.

YouTuber James Wright shows you how to sharpen a drawknife using a set of sharpening stones in his shop.

Lastly, keep it oiled. Even the newer ones are not made from new high-tech steels. Most are from simple carbon stock and a light coat of oil goes a long way. Among others, Flexcut offers a contemporary drawknife.

Other Wood Carving Tools

Beyond drawknives and planes, there are many other types of wood carving knives out there that can help with some of the finer points of woodworker. Small, nimble wood carving knives like a sloyd knife or a spoon knife.

A sloyd knife is a short, sturdy blade good for small, finite carving tasks. A spoon knife, as the name suggests, is meant to carve out the concave scoop of a spoon but can be used for any other situation where you are trying to create a concave dip in the material.

There are certainly more than just these few tools to being a successful woodworker, but knowing how to use wood carving tools big or small can get you on the path to success.

Why To Use A Drawknife

Long before there was solar power, fossil fuel power, steam power, etc., there was muscle power. Humans developed the world using tools with muscle and sweat. There is something satisfying about making something by hand. The feel of a good day’s work is sometimes what the soul needs. A drawknife not only gets the job done but also gives you an accomplishment to savor.

Where To Buy A Drawknife

Bob & John Horrigan: Brothers In Arms And Blades

Mike Haskew

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May 24, 2022

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Bob & John Horrigan Made Knives Together. After The Former Died Defending The Country, John Kept Their Knifemaking Legacy Alive

It was a night mission, and it was dangerous—just like every mission, every moment in the deserts and villages of western Iraq or the mountains of Tora Bora in Afghanistan.
“You don’t have to come,” the others said matter-of-factly to Master Sergeant (MSG) Bob Horrigan. “You’ve only got two weeks left in the country.” The veteran Delta Force NCO, with 19½ years in the U.S. Army, three tours in Afghanistan, and a fifth in Iraq coming to an end, simply replied, “If you’re going, I’m going.”

True enough, Horrigan was just days away from returning to the USA, and he planned to retire from the Army in six months, then, in peace, to make custom knives in his shop and share that time with his twin brother, ABS master smith John Horrigan.

This night, however, there was dangerous work to be done. A raid was planned on a safehouse known to be frequented by terrorists, particularly Iraqi al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a ruthless murderer pledged to support Osama bin Laden. Horrigan

A veteran Delta Force NCO, Bob Horrigan served 19½ years in the Army, including three tours in Afghanistan and five in Iraq. He was killed during a raid on a safehouse frequented by terrorists, including Iraqi al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Bob was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

When the call went out for someone to serve as a master breacher during the mission, blasting doors and first inside a building where hostiles might be hiding, Bob Horrigan said without hesitation, “I’ll breach.” In the town of al Qaim in western Iraq, the Delta Force team, accompanied by additional Special Forces personnel, moved toward the suspected Zarqawi safehouse. With MSG Michael McNulty at Bob’s side and the rest of the team close by, the two were first to enter the enemy compound.

Bob made it into a nearby room, and a machine gun opened up. McNulty was hit in the doorway. Bob was fatally wounded seconds later. Both died within a few hours.
“It was about 7 in the morning. I was at home, and Bob’s brother-in-law, Mark England, came to the house,” John Horrigan recalled. “Our sons were best friends, and I thought he was coming to tell me that my son had gotten into trouble. He said, ‘No, John. It’s Bob.’”
The news was devastating, and Bob Horrigan was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, following a funeral service in Austin, Texas. He left behind his wife, Denise; young daughter, Courtney; older sister, Lisa; younger brother, David; many friends and relatives; and, of course, twin brother John.

To say Bob and John shared a special bond, even as identical twins, would be an understatement. Their mannerisms and speech patterns were so alike, and they experienced the joy of growing up inseparable. They also shared their love of service to their country, and later came a great interest in custom knives.

First Drop Zone

The brothers were born in Limestone, Maine, on Jan. 13, 1965. “I came into the world seven minutes before Bob, so I cleared the drop zone. We always said he was a hung jumper,” John smiled. “We’re identical twins, so I got into fistfights for him, and he got into fistfights for me. It was like the Doublemint®-Spearmint commercial, and it was that way in school and in the Army. He continues to be half of me. He is still here, and I can feel his presence out in the shop now and then.”

John made his first knife in high school. Instead of making a planter as his shop project, he found a piece of O1 tool steel and went to work on the knife. His son carries the same fixed blade today, first with a cherry handle and later with one of maple. For 24 years now, John has worked as a firefighter with the Austin Fire Department, the family’s hometown after moving from Maine to Florida and then to Texas years ago.

John enlisted in the Army in 1984, six months ahead of Bob. The two became Rangers, elite soldiers engaging in demanding training programs and taking on the most hazardous combat operations. They served in the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and Captain Stanley McChrystal, who later reached the rank of general and commanded American forces in Afghanistan, led Company A.

John spent three years on active duty as an Army Ranger. Bob stayed in and spent about eight years with the 7th Special Forces Group and 9.5 years with Delta Force. Even among the elite of the 7th Special Forces and the clandestine Delta Force, Bob stood out. He attended just about every training school imaginable, including the Basic Airborne Course, Jungle Warfare Training Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, Military Freefall Jumpmaster Course, and several others. In 1987, he competed in the Best Ranger competition at Fort Benning, Georgia, and placed second.

He was a leader of hardened, highly trained military professionals, and among his numerous decorations were the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, Combat Infantryman Badge, and Expert Infantryman Badge. The full list of his accomplishments during a distinguished two-decade career is literally too long to include in this story.
Several well-known authors have written about his exploits, including Brad Thor, Pete Blaber, Sean Naylor, and George Hand IV. In writing of the funeral of a central character in one of his novels, Thor is actually describing Bob’s funeral, an all-too-real and somber event.

In his book The Mission, The Men, and Me, former Delta Squadron Commander Blaber remembered Bob and wrote, “After unshouldering his ruck, Bob H. scotched forward on his belly. He stopped behind a small pile of rubble. Canting his head slowly, he spied the valley below. His eyes and ears strained to detect any unnatural noise or movement; Bob was focused like a man whose finely tuned autonomic nervous system is programmed to maintain perfect equilibrium between the thrill of the hunt and the thrill of the chase. Bob understood his status as both the hunter and the hunted. He liked it that way … Courage has been called a contradiction in terms, meaning a strong desire to live manifesting as a readiness to die. It described Bob and his mates to a tee.”

During those long deployments to combat zones, Bob stayed in touch with John, mostly via email. “He would send one to me, and I would respond,” John said. “The next morning there was another one waiting for me. Robert downplayed a lot of what was going on. He’d say, ‘Not much happening here … I’m bored.’ But he was lying. They were in firefights every day; he just didn’t want people to worry about him.”

In his book The Mission, The Men, and Me, former Delta Squadron Commander Pete Blaber wrote of Bob Horrigan (above): “Bob understood his status as both the hunter and the hunted. He liked it that way … Courage has been called a contradiction in terms, meaning a strong desire to live manifest as a readiness to die. It described Bob and his mates to a tee." — In his book The Mission, The Men, and Me, former Delta Squadron Commander Pete Blaber wrote of Bob Horrigan (above): “Bob understood his status as both the hunter and the hunted. He liked it that way … Courage has been called a contradiction in terms, meaning a strong desire to live manifest as a readiness to die. It described Bob and his mates to a tee.”

Meanwhile, there were those precious times that Bob came home, mostly during the Christmas season, and the twin brothers picked up where they had left off during a prior visit. One of their primary topics was—of course—knives.

$50 Sander

John was 21 when he left the military, and he visited a knife and gun show in Austin with a pair of his own custom knives and a couple of makeshift cardboard wheels under his arm that he used as sharpeners. He met Houston-based custom knifemaker Ed Thuesen, who also owned Texas Knifemakers Supply.

“Ed saw those under my arm and said, ‘Don’t use that crap!’” John recalled. “I told him I couldn’t afford a new sander, and he said that he had a used one in Houston that he would sell for $50, but I would have to drive there to pick it up, and he wanted cash. I said, ‘Deal!’” Later, John bought a brand-new Bader sander and sold the used one to Bob—
for $50.

“I got into knifemaking, and then I got Bob into it,” John smiled. “He mainly made military fighters for guys in his unit, for Navy SEALs or whoever. He had more business than I did.”
At Fort Bragg, North Carolina, home of the Army’s Airborne and Special Operations Forces, Bob set up a knife shop in a lawnmower shed. Power was supplied with an extension cord, running through a sliding glass door to the shop’s tools. He enjoyed working with 440C and 154CM stainless steels, but he couldn’t forge on the Army post. Hence, when he needed a piece of damascus, John gladly supplied it.

“He wrote me a letter once telling me how much he loved coming home, coming to the shop and learning new things,” John remarked. “He would tell me that copying someone else was the highest form of flattery, and if you look at Robert’s knives they were similar to the knives I made. But he’s my brother, and I don’t care. Later, he got into his own designs, and now my best-selling knife is one of Robert’s designs.”

That legacy design is the Robert “Bob” Horrigan Military Fighter, available from John today in the notable style that has become popular in the military as well as the general public. The fighter is 11.25 inches overall with a 6.375-inch blade of 440C stainless steel and a handle of black linen Micarta®. The knife weighs 8.7 ounces and is accompanied by a Kydex sheath.

“I actually didn’t make the Bob Horrigan,” John related. “I made my Model 1 and others, but there were some guys from the 160th Night Stalkers who were on the mission that night and asked if I would make the Bob Horrigan knife. Now I make the Bob Horrigan, and I make them the way he did.”

Through the years, John has established himself among the best bladesmiths and custom knifemakers around. His daggers, tomahawks, and fighters are acknowledged as fine work, and his dazzling inlay with precious metals is something to behold. “I tell everybody that is my Picasso work,” he laughed.

Tremendous Spirit

Living quietly in Burnett, Texas, about an hour outside Austin with Donna, his high school sweetheart and wife of 33 years, John works in a 30×40-foot shop on his farm, dotted with chickens, goats, and bees. Donna says the shop is as big as the couple’s first house. They have two grown children, Matthew and Krystal, and two grandchildren, whom they adore.
Reflecting quietly, John observes, “The greatest thing that has happened since Bob’s death is that he brought me back to God, and that is the best thing he could ever leave me. Being twins, it was pretty rough, and it felt like half of me was gone. Bob came to me at the BLADE Show* two years before he was killed and said, ‘I’m coming back to God. At the time I just said, ‘Great!’ but when he was killed, God was what got me through it.

Designed by Bob Horrigan, the Robert “Bob” Horrigan Military Fighter is ABS master smith John Horrigan’s best-selling model. “I make them the way he did,” John said, including a 6.375-inch blade of 440C stainless steel, a black linen Micarta® handle and a Kydex sheath.

“I started living for Robert, for my family and doing what God wanted me to do,” John continued. “I know where Robert is now, and I know where I’m going. Bob killed a lot of people and that worried him. So he went to the chaplain, who told him that the Bible said not to murder. It didn’t say not to kill in defense of your country. So, he was good with that. I don’t think my brother ever had PTSD because he had God.”

John received his ABS master smith rating shortly before Bob was killed, and as he continues to live his dedicated life, he takes comfort in the fact that his brother, who also wanted the ABS designation, knew that John had achieved it.

In recent years, John has made presentation knives depicting the American flag for Delta Force and for former President George W. Bush, whom he met at Fort Bragg during a visit after Bob’s death. He presented the knife to “W” sometime later in Dallas.

John is generous with Honor Flight Austin, donating knives that raised $19,000 at auction, paying for 19 veterans of World War II to visit their memorial in Washington, D.C. At one auction event, he presented a Bob Horrigan fighter to Admiral William H. McRaven, commander of U.S. Special Operations Command. At an auction the following year, he presented a Bob Horrigan fighter to Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant Salvatore Guinta of the 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.

During each of these events, John has felt his twin brother right there with him. In service to his country, Bob made men. In the shop, he made knives with lasting, honorable attributes like those who carry them today. Noted John, “The sacrifice of these young men and women is incredible.”

For the elder Horrigan, every day is a tribute to his brother. Their love of the custom knife is an unbreakable link, and to be sure, every knife that John will ever complete carries something of Bob’s tremendous spirit with it.

Read More About The Horrigans

A Labor of Love: Lorenzi Foundation And Museum

Steve Shackleford

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May 19, 2022

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The Lorenzi Foundation and Museum showcases one of the finest collections of rare and historical knives in the world.

One of the most extensive collections of ultra-rare modern custom and historical knives, cutting implements and many other items connected with the cutler’s art is displayed magnificently in a new museum in Milan, Italy.

A labor of love by Aldo and Edda Lorenzi, the museum is under the auspices of the aptly named Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Foundation (established July, 2020). The museum showcases the Lorenzi Collection consisting of about 2,000 pieces in all, catalogued and accompanied by specific information: era, origin, artisan (if known), function, material, construction and more.

It gathers cutting utensils and related items dating from the Etruscan period (approximately 900-27 B.C.) to today. It is complemented by a series of specialized publications, testimony to the incessant research that was necessary to bring the operation of the Lorenzis’ internationally recognized G. Lorenzi retail knife store in Milan to exceptional levels, and to which Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzi devoted their efforts and creativity for many years. It is all housed in a state-of-the-art edifice containing many of the displays and other historical examples of the cutler’s art from the original G. Lorenzi shop and elsewhere.

The Foundation’s premises include a library where visitors and specialists may view the bibliographic materials. A special fit-out of the space enables visitors to relive the shop’s atmosphere. Thanks to an attentive recovery, a number of the original furnishings have been reinstalled on site. This includes an exterior window from G. Lorenzi, one of six “eyes” that communicated with window shoppers in one of Milan’s most exclusive retail store districts, and the display counters on which, over the years, over 18,000 types of sales items were placed. The space also features oak display cases in which the items were shown, as well as the copper-paneled room that featured the small entrance door opening onto the larger shop.

Historic Excellence

The collected items demonstrate, by starting from an artisanal craft as ancient and humble as that of the knife grinder, how it is possible to evolve and then achieve historic excellence. As further informational support, there are over 700 books, about 1,000 magazines and 150 prints, which for the most part depict traveling knife grinders. In fact, Aldo’s father, Giovanni Lorenzi, started his career as a professional knife grinder. Giovanni

Edda Lorenzi examines and arranges some of the many cutlery items from the Lorenzi Collection. (Lorenzi image)

founded Coltelleria G. Lorenzi—a small shop at the time—at the address of via Montenapoleone 9, Milan, a shop later operated by his sons Aldo, the sole administrator, and Franco. (Regrettably, Franco passed away a few years ago.)

In the course of over 60 years, the Lorenzis collected and kept the pieces which best represented their profession until the closure of G. Lorenzi in 2014. Their selection of the most recent items from their collection was made possible thanks to the close, precious relationship with the artisans—many Europeans, a number of Americans and Japanese—whom Aldo and Edda visited periodically at their shops. It was in such shops that the artisans created their unique pieces, full-fledged artworks that stand the test of time and which enabled G. Lorenzi to become renowned and appreciated at the international level.

Custom Gems

Included in the collection are 150 custom knives by American makers, knives that are particularly near and dear to Mr. and Mrs. Lorenzi. Having collected such knives since the mid-1970s, the Lorenzis traveled the USA, not only visiting the makers in their shops but also attending most every major knife show, meeting just about every maker worth his or her steel along the way.

Among the Lorenzis’ honors are The Knifemakers’ Guild’s Nate Posner Award (1995); the BLADE Magazine Industry Achievement Award (2014); the American Bladesmith Society Special Achievement Award (2014); and the Gold Star Award of Recognition from the William Moran Jr. Museum and Foundation (2014). Three of the Lorenzis’ favorites among their favorite custom knives in their collection are:

The number one of an art piece by W.W. “Bud” Cronk, the maker some consider the father of the modern art knife. Aldo ordered a copy of the knife for one of the Lorenzis’ best customers, but Cronk passed away before he could finish it. It would’ve been a coup for the Lorenzis if they could have gotten the copy too, as Cronk never made duplicates of his work. The copy was used later as the model for the logo of the W.W. Cronk Award, a private honor Don Henderson sponsored for 25 years for the Guild Show’s best art knife
A Bob Loveless/Barry Wood folder Loveless gave to Aldo when the Lorenzis visited the Loveless shop in 1977. Unaware at the time that U.S. knifemakers’ shops were not retail knife stores, the Lorenzis knocked on the Loveless shop door unannounced. Loveless answered the door and, unsure at first what to make of the couple from Italy, soon hit it
Loveless/Wood Folder

off with Aldo—so much so that he gave the Lorenzis the Loveless/Wood folder. Before the Lorenzis left, they asked Loveless why he had trusted them so much at first sight that he gave them a knife (at the time, Aldo and Edda had no idea what Loveless knives were worth). “He replied that we ‘had our history written on our foreheads,’ a phrase that we have never forgotten!” Edda wrote. “These are the kinds of bonds that have made us love American knives and knifemakers even more!”
A Multilock folder by Ray Appleton. Edda recounted a memorable trip the Lorenzis shared with Appleton from Georgia to Chicago, including visits to an Atlanta racing museum and Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave in the process, the latter where the 6-foot-8-inch Appleton bumped his noggin on a cave overhead. Recounted Edda: “Since Aldo wanted to stop at every cutler shop he knew along the way, Ray generously offered to make the phone calls for him to warn the shops of our arrival. ‘I’m Aldo Lorenzi’s secretary, Hot Pants,’ he announced himself on the telephone, making us laugh a lot!”

These are but three of the many American custom knives and their stories among the scads of other custom and assorted knives and cutting implements in the museum. Meanwhile, a 300-to-400 page catalog of museum items is due for completion by early 2022 at the latest.

If you ever get Milan way, a visit to the Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Foundation and Museum is a bucket-list must.

BLADE University 2022: College Of Cut Schedule

BLADE Staff

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May 18, 2022

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BLADE University 2022: College Of Cut Schedule

Learn the latest about knifemaking techniques and other trending sharp subjects during the 9th Annual BLADE University 2022 Friday and Saturday of the BLADE Show.

Sponsored by Work Sharp, BLADE University has the most extensive schedule of knife, knifemaking and other instruction held at any knife show. New classes for 2022 include How To Forge a Sub-Hilt Knife with ABS master smith Steve Randall; Post-heat-Treat Grinding with custom knifemaker RJ Martin; How To Start a Knife Company with Diane Carver and Kimi Jensen of Brighten Blades; Keys to Outstanding Hamons with ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin; and more.

For the full list of classes, see the accompanying schedule. For enrollment and other information visit show.com/show-info/classes, or the Registration Counter in the show lobby.

Buy Your BLADE Show Tickets

BLADE University 2022 Class Schedule

FRIDAY, JUNE 3

8 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Fundamentals of Grinding, The Courtyard. Award-winning knifemakers Tom Krein and Lucas Burnley take you through the process.
10 a.m.-11 a.m.: Exploring the History of Synthetics, Room 107. The Hawks Nest Customs team explores some of the types of synthetic materials used on knives.
10:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.: Cryo-Quenching Steel: What It Does and Is It For Your Blades? Room 104. Steel authority and author Larrin Thomas explains the subject in detail.
1 p.m.-2 p.m.: How To Forge a Sub-Hilt Knife, Room 107. Steve Randall outlines his process for forging and building his hidden-tang sub-hilt model.
1:30-2:30 p.m.: Bladesmithing: A Teacher’s Angle, Room 103. ABS master smith Murray Carter delineates how he operated the Muteki bladesmith apprenticeship program for 10 years and provides advice on starting a larger knife manufacturing business.
3 p.m.-4 p.m.: Keys to Outstanding Hamons, Room 107. ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin will school you on most everything you need to know on the subject.
3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.: Hands-On Knife Sharpening Workshop, Room 113. Bring your own knife or a borrowed one and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp.
4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.: Knives With History, Room 107. Knifemaker Jason Fry discusses different ways to incorporate historical material into knives.

SATURDAY, JUNE 4

8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Decorative Filework, Room 113. Knifemaker Kyle Daily of KHDaily Knives shows you his preferred files and step-by-step how he creates his five most popular patterns.
8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m.: Post-Heat-Treat Grinding, The Courtyard. RJ Martin demonstrates techniques for grinding premium stainless steels after they have been heat treated.
9:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.: How to Make A Coffin Knife Handle, Room 104. ABS journeyman smith Mace Vitale explains how he constructs the handles and shows you as well.
9:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.: How To Start a Knife Company, Room 107. Diane Carver and Kimi Jensen of Brighten Blades recently started their new knife concern and share how you can start one, too.
11 a.m.-12 p.m.: Women’s Bladesmith/Knifemaker Panel, Room 113. Join ABS master smith Veronique Laurent of Belgium, Grace Horne of Sheffield, England, ABS journeyman smith Lora Schwarzer and Abie Lyons as they outline how to succeed as a woman in a male-dominated industry.
2 p.m.-3 p.m.: How to Texture Titanium Knife Handles, Room 104. Shane Magnussen of Scorpion 6 explains the grinder, appropriate machine setup, varieties of abrasive belts and more for the texturing method.
2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m.: Hands-On Knife Sharpening Workshop, Room 113. For a redo of the class by the same name (see the description under Friday at 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m.), here’s your chance in Work Sharp’s encore presentation.
2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m.: Exotic and Advanced Knife Techniques Used in Bushcraft, Room 107. Joe Flowers, knife designer and jungle guide, demonstrates and gives a presentation on outdoor-based knife skills from around the world.
4 p.m.-5 p.m.: Linerlock/Framelock Design & Construction Geometry, Room 104. David Carver of Carver Knife Co. teaches basic design, steps to build and the processes needed in detail, as well as flow, lock geometry and completion.

First Look: Kershaw Lucha Carbon Fiber

Featured

BLADE Staff

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May 18, 2022

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Kershaw steps up its balisong game with the introduction of the lightweight Lucha Carbon Fiber.

The original Kershaw Lucha made waves when it was released 2 years ago, and it’s only gotten better with a new twist on the design. Shake hands with the Kershaw Lucha – Carbon Fiber. Embracing cutting-edge materials, the Oregan company has cooked up a more nimble variation, one perfect in the role of a unique EDC option or a top-end balisong competition blade.

As its name suggests, Carbon Fiber is the belle of the ball in next-generation Lucha, with Kershaw applying it to the handle. Adding rigidity to the system, the company opted for a titanium skeleton, but offset the use of metal with weight-saving cutouts in the carbon-fiber exterior. The efforts paid off, the knife is a full ounce lighter than the original Lucha at a very svelt 4.9 ounces. Worth mentioning, the mix of carbon fiber and blue finished titanium gives the knife a dynamic look.

Kershaw didn’t skimp on the other aspects of the Lucha Carbon Fiber. Dual KVT ball bearings make the knife’s action silk smooth and quick as lightning, making opening and manipulating the knife effortless and smooth. A wicked spear-point blade, constructed of corrosion-resistant CPM 20CV stainless steel, facilities faster opening and proves useful for both cutting and perforating tasks. And a Kershaw’s “Working” finish maintains the aesthetic integrity of the blade, hiding scratches and gulls better other finishes.

While not the most expensive option on the market, the Lucha Carbon Fiber tilts to the expensive end of the balisong spectrum—$500 (expect around $300 retail). Yet, it’s difficult to argue the USA-made knife certainly offers plenty for the price.

Initial Impression

Describing the Lucha Carbon Fiber in one word is simple: streamlined. Building on the successful original, the new Carbon Fiber appears a more refined version in every way. From its single-edge spear point to its almost lighter-than-air titanium and carbon fiber handle, it should bring everything balisong fans appreciate to the next level.

Carbon Fiber Specs
Blade Length: 4.6 inches
Blade Material: CPM 20CV
Blade Finish/Coating: Working Finish
Blade Thickness: .155 inches
Closed length: 5.8 inches
Handle material: Titanium, carbon fiber overlay
Handle finish/coating: Blue anodized
Handle thickness: .56 inches
Overall length: 10.25 inches
Weight: 4.9 ounces

Modern Period Knife: A Link To The Past And Present

Mike Haskew

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May 16, 2022

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Modern Period Knife: A Link To The Past And Present

Blending old and new, the modern period knife brings history alive in masterpieces.

Historical perspective is a relevant component in just about any undertaking. In the realm of cut, incorporating an appreciation of the past into the work of today brings another dimension to the custom knifemaker’s statement.

Interest in the knifemaking of a bygone era offers a window into the true artistry required to reproduce the knives of yesteryear, particularly with the absence of modern conveniences in the shop. Along with the interest in the historical knife, several custom makers bring famous designs, styles and patterns to life once again in tribute to those who have gone before.

The idea of the period knife blends old and new. “I’ve been making knives seriously since about 2002 when I took a class with the American Bladesmith Society in Washington, Arkansas,” related ABS master smith Lin Rhea. “Joe Keeslar and Greg Neely lit a fire under me and got me on my way. Since then the town of Washington has been like a second home, and I’ve even added to the personal connection between me and the area by interest in one of the town’s historical residents who was also a knifemaker. His name was James Black.”

A resident of Prattsville, Arkansas, Lin gained an appreciation for Black’s distinctive body of work*, using contrasting materials and techniques to create a bold, attractive look. “I’m grateful to get to know Mr. Black by studying his work,” Lin continued. “This intense study led me to try to recreate one of his knives, the Carrigan Knife. The original knife, a guardless coffin-handled bowie, was made by Mr. Black in the early 1830s in Washington, Arkansas. I chose the Carrigan as my first attempt because of its less intimidating size; however, as is often the case I found it to be just as intimidating once I started into the project.”

Lin Rhea’s period knife, a reproduction of the Carrigan Knife is based on a dress bowie James Black is thought to have made in the early 1830s in Washington, Arkansas. The original Carrigan includes a black walnut handle with coin silver pins and trim. The blade is about 6 inches long and the overall length is approximately 10.25 inches. (Whetstone Studio image)

The original Carrigan includes a black walnut handle providing a nice contrasting background to the coin silver pins and trim. The blade is about 6 inches long, and the overall length is approximately 10.25 inches. The full tang is virtually covered entirely by the walnut scales and the silver wrap.

When Rhea undertook his homage to Black and the Carrigan, he chose stabilized walnut, which he harvested himself several years ago, and trim in sterling silver. He forged the blade from 80CrV2 carbon steel and included at least 30 separate parts while attempting the same techniques used by Black nearly two centuries ago in fastening and assembling the finished knife.

“There is so much to be said about not only this knife but also Black’s work,” Lin concluded. “He was able to create a knife design utilizing only three materials yet impacting the knife world as few others could. His ability to arrange these materials into a functional, long lasting, beautiful tool is only enhanced by the knowledge that he also built in other qualities like moisture resistance, logical assemblage and ergonomics. All of this was done in a historic setting without modern equipment and epoxies. In my opinion, his design is ingenious.”

The Gold Rush Period Knife

Recently inducted into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® (September BLADE®, page 52), knifemaker Jim Sornberger has assimilated his gold and silversmith skill sets into custom knifemaking while helping introduce the modern world to the classic design, luster and embellishment of the Gold Rush era and boomtown San Francisco of the mid-19th century.

BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Jim Sornberger’s interpretations of the Michael Price San Francisco/small dress bowie have won awards at various venues, including Best of Show at the 2019 International Custom Cutlery Exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas. This period knife features a blade in Vegas Forge stainless barstock AEBL and 412 stainless steels and san-mai damascus with a solid core. The guard and wrap handle are in Mike Sakmar mokumé barstock. Jim’s price for a similar knife: $3,500. (SharpByCoop image)

“I’ve been making knives since 1975 with the help of the late Les Berryman, an early Guild member, and with some guidance from Bob Loveless, Herman Schneider and Barry Wood,” Jim recalled. “The last three signed for me to join The Knifemakers’ Guild.”

For Sornberger, the style, embellishment and decoration of the canes, jewelry and knives of the Gold Rush era are most appealing. “San Francisco from 1850 to 1904, the Gold Rush period, was one of the wealthiest cities in the world, attracting some of the greatest artists, jewelers, carvers and engravers to ply their trade to a wealthy clientele. The work done in that period,” he opined, “rivals the best ever done.”

In the knifemaking genre, Michael Price and Will & Finck were among the most successful and prolific of the Gold Rush. Their work remains emblematic of the great migration to settle the American West, and the riches and ruin that were found with the experience.

“Price was Irish, and both cutlery firms hired workers who were English, German and possibly Scottish,” Sornberger explained. “Their dress knives are probably the most embellished American knives made in the 1800s-1900s. The dress knives had two common handles: an interesting, modified coffin shape and a more rounded, subtle taper shape. The blade shapes are spear-point dagger and San Francisco clip spear point.”

Sornberger is recognized as an authority on original San Francisco knives, as well as the magnificent gold quartz that was used so well by Gold Rush artisans. His modern interpretations of the Michael Price San Francisco/small dress bowie have won awards at various venues, including Best of Show at the 2019 International Custom Cutlery Exhibition in Fort Worth, Texas.

Jim’s dress fixed-blade bowie in the accompanying picture was made with Vegas Forge stainless barstock AEBL and 412 stainless steels, and san-mai damascus steel with a solid core. The guard and wrap handle are in Mike Sakmar mokumé barstock. Jim’s made such handles in gold and silver and nickel silver, also. The inlays are tortoise celluloid and California native gold/gold quartz.

According to Sornberger, the biggest challenge in his stunning creation was grinding the blade to show the distinctive pattern of the shell and the hardened core. The san-mai laminated blade was etched with ferric chloride, rinsed and color set with WD-40®.

Frog Knife

“The style of Michael Price’s work is a really good canvas with flowing lines, and there is a lot you can do with it,” observed ABS master smith Jon Christensen, who is in his 22nd year of making knives. “I wouldn’t call my San Francisco-style knives replicas. I do like to keep to the original form and honor the style of the maker, though.”

Jon Christensen’s San Francisco-style folder includes a blade of feathered leaf damascus steel and a handle of carved mammoth ivory with inlay of 4,500-year-old bog oak. Quite a period knife. (ChantryLeePhotography.com image)

One of Christensen’s most evocative pieces to date is referred to simply as the Frog Knife. However, the piece is far from simple, and Jon manages to convey the spirit of the Michael Price style while also imprinting some of his own personality.
“I built the feathered damascus for the blade with 1080 and 15N20,” he advised. “It’s a canister damascus. I forged the bamboo leaves and placed them in the can, welded it up, reduced it, and feather cut it so it would produce feather-cutting smears and leaves, and form branches to look like a little grove of bamboo leaves.”

The 10-inch knife has a 5.5-inch blade and a frame and sheath incorporating 410 stainless steel. Christensen utilized the “canvas” of the handle to the fullest, carving the mammoth ivory into a pleasing vignette of frogs and lily pads.

“The handle has something of a back story,” he smiled. “I had seen the Poppy Knife that Michael Price made and thought I would do my version. I took the knife to the BLADE Show and it didn’t find its owner. Then, the handle got ruined, and I just took the opportunity to rehandle it with the frogs and lily pads.”

Christensen got his start making stock removal knives after a career as a horticulturist. He learned to forge while working with ABS master smith Ed Caffrey and visited with knifemaker Rick Eaton and ABS master smiths Shane Taylor and Wade Colter. Jon also makes San Francisco folding knives and enjoys swordmaking. Plans for the future include more period knife examples.

Kimbll Style

ABS master smith Josh Smith owes his little league baseball coach, ABS master smith Rick Dunkerley, credit with getting him started making knives about 30 years ago. From the beginning, Josh has appreciated the thought process and craftsmanship of custom makers from a bygone era.

A period knife reproduction of the I*XL George Washington Hunting Knife by Doug Noren gets the full treatment in a 13.5-inch blade of 5160 carbon steel, a mother-of-pearl handle and 18k plated nickel silver. Overall length: 21.5 inches. (Whetstone Studio image)

“There’s something special about reproducing something that was built nearly 200 years ago,” he reasoned. “It’s easy to get lost in your thoughts while working on these knives, wondering what the makers were thinking about at the time. Was the knife going into battle? Was a rich man just wanting something unique? Was the maker just trying to be different and impress people? Were function and effectiveness of use the only factors that mattered? It’s really cool to think about.”

Josh has found the opportunity to consider historical context with a dagger in the distinctive dog-bone handle, recalling the mid-1800s when a gentleman named Loring Kimball of Vicksburg, Mississippi, owned several similar original pieces that were probably made by at least two different knifemakers in the New Orleans area. Knives in what many refer to as the Kimball style have been reproduced by a number of modern makers, mostly bladesmiths.

“The distinctive characteristic of the dog bone is clearly the shape of the handle,” Smith said, “but to me it’s more than that. The large domed pins and the flat facets on the handle provide such a neat look. One of the original Kimball daggers from the 1830s had silver wrapped around the butt of the handle and a small, thin silver guard. I never pretend to exactly reproduce these knives. I always put my own spin on the knife, trying to bring some of my style into it.”

Smith’s dog-bone dagger is fashioned from his own ladder pattern “W’s” damascus blade, African blackwood handle and 18k-gold pins and liners. The 9.5-inch blade is forged from 1080 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels, while a gold collar stretches over the back of the blade and bears the engraved name of the maker. Overall length: 14.25 inches.

“This particular knife was heavily influenced by Tim Hancock,” Josh said. “I feel Tim, Harvey Dean and James Batson are the three men who led the way in bringing these knives back to prominence, and Tim had the most influence on my construction of these knives. I love period knives and definitely plan on doing more. There are so many incredible weapons from the past that would be fun to recreate.”

*While a number of top industry authorities attribute such original 19th-century pieces as the Carrigan Knife, Bowie No. 1 and others to Black, no knives with Black’s mark are known to exist.

BLADE Show Do’s and Dont’s

BLADE Show

BLADE Staff

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May 5, 2022

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By K.L. Byrd

If you attend, a review of the following will pay dividends

The BLADE Show is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s the world’s largest knife show—period. It’s overwhelming, it’s massive and you need to pace yourself.

A major do of the BLADE Show is to enjoy yourself. (Eric Eggly/PointSeven image)

To begin with, inbound traffic is insane driving to the Cobb Galleria, so give yourself plenty of lead time. Wear comfortable shoes—the show hall floor is unforgiving—and also be sure to hydrate or you will cramp up while walking.

Wear comfortable shoes—the show hall floor is unforgiving. (Eric Eggly/PointSeven image)

There are free show programs with floor maps and exhibitor lists in the show lobby. Get two because you will lose one. The lobby also has free copies of the BLADE Show preview issue of BLADE® that you’re reading right now. (Editor’s note: The show program is newer and thus more up to date, so use its maps, lists, schedules, etc., instead of the ones in this issue of BLADE.) Assorted exhibitors and others will have cloth bags inside for free. Get a couple and use them to tote stuff if you don’t bring a small pack. Carry a small pad and a pen—you will see much you will want to return to, so mark down what the knife or accessory is, how much, the table number, etc.

There’s inexpensive food all around close to the show inside the Cobb. Local eats spots are easily Uber’d to, and using Uber, etc., is worth it—drive your car and you won’t have a space when you return.

Yes, you must see The Pit, the sunken bar in the lobby of the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly host hotel, at least for a few hours. Again, pace yourself there—no one wants to be remembered as the sloppy drunk who dropped a thousand-dollar knife because he was hammered. Pit people are just as great as the show itself—wear your swag and favorite makers’ shirts and meet some new pals.

Cash is king. Bring as much as you can afford. Don’t screw up the mortgage but cash up before you come. The ATMs around the show get smashed fast and have a $300 limit per day anyway.

Take a ton of pictures. No one will believe you back home, and it will be sensory overload, so take photos to remember it all. Cell reception can be bad inside, so use text and times for meet ups. Soak it all in and let yourself enjoy being with thousands of likeminded folks for the weekend. However, there are some details all should know or get refreshed on as attendees, as well as table/booth holders. So, buckle up!

1 of 3

PATRON ETIQUETTE

An extra swipe of deodorant goes a long way. The show hall will get hot when full and the show lasts all day. Mints are a good idea as well.
Introduce yourself to the maker at each table you visit.
Never, I repeat, never set anything on a maker’s or dealer’s table.
Always ask before touching a knife. Some makers are more intense about it than others, but it’s simple politeness to ask first.

Always ask before touching a knife, as a customer (left) appears to be doing at the table of knifemaker Barry Dawson (right). It’s simple politeness to ask first. (Eric Eggly/PointSeven image)

Remove your super cool large rings before handling knives. They leave marks, and the hand polish on the knife took hours if not days to apply.
Don’t wipe the blade off on your shirt or your own cloth from home. The owner will do it—besides, he doesn’t know what’s on your shirt/cloth.
Keep track of your kids—they should have been told not to touch any knives long beforehand.
Be aware of placement when returning something to a table, and do it slowly and carefully. Don’t toss things back on a table!
Don’t “wrist flick” a side opener—the knife doesn’t need it if it’s made correctly. Besides, it not only annoys the maker, it shows you don’t know what you’re doing.
Same line of thought: don’t shave hair, cut a piece of paper, turn toward others with a live blade or be dumb enough to run your thumb along the edge to test it out. The owner doesn’t want to clean your blood off his knife.
Never block a table to hold a conversation with someone else. Politely move aside.

Never block a table—or an aisle—to hold a conversation with someone. Politely move aside. (Eric Eggly/PointSeven image)

There are more, of course, but these are some of the most important things to learn and know for attendees—and you see it every show.

EXHIBITOR ETIQUETTE

The biggest one is speak to everyone who comes by, even if it’s just
“good morning” or “good afternoon.” It matters!
Don’t bring a book to the show and sit and read. That is a sale killer and rude as hell. You will see lots of makers/dealers doing it, then complain endlessly about how the show isn’t good, or the buyers just aren’t buying. As a maker/dealer, you are selling yourself as much as your knives. If your personality is bad, people will move on quickly. Engage, smile, be polite, draw them in, show your work like it’s the greatest thing ever done, explain it, sell it—and make money! Everything else aside, that’s why you really came. You pay for lodging, gas, airline tickets, food, table/booth space, etc.—make the most of it and sell you as much as your work.

At the Chad Nichols Damascus booth, I never sit* and never walk off. I engage every person who gets within five feet of me. The guy in the suit, the couple I know is just looking, the ones who can barely speak English, the guy in overalls with no top teeth—any one of them could walk up and drop a roll of cash that would choke a horse. If I screw that up, it’s not the show, the venue, the economy or the weather—it’s me.

STOP ’n SAY HI!

Enjoy the show and stop by to say hello at the Nichols Damascus Southern Circus booth. The booth looks like a KISS stage from the ’70s with six or seven makers/parts/materials guys all in one spot, including Chad Nichols/Nichols Damascus, knifemaker Steve Kelly/TiConnector Inc., Nottingham Tactical, American Metal Exchange, Matt Diskin, FiberTech-Carbon Fiber and more depending on the day—oh, and me.

See y’all there!

*If you must sit, bring padded stools if possible—it’s a lot less stress on your legs and back to rise from a stool rather than from a camping chair.

You can purchase tickets for Blade Show now at BladeShow.com

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Kershaw steps up its balisong game with the introduction of the lightweight Lucha Carbon Fiber.

Initial Impression

Blending old and new, the modern period knife brings history alive in masterpieces.

The Gold Rush Period Knife

Frog Knife

Kimbll Style

PATRON ETIQUETTE

EXHIBITOR ETIQUETTE

STOP ’n SAY HI!

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