BLADE Magazine

A blade’s profile geometry has a considerable effect on how well the knife works for an intended use. A blade with a substantial curve facilitates slicing cuts along the length of the edge, as on skinners and some butcher knives, such as steak scimitars. Straighter blades work well for tip control and power cutting.

A recurve combines features of a couple of blade styles. Depending on the size of the knife and its intended use, the recurve provides certain benefits. The edge line is “S”-like in shape. The overall form leaves the front part of the blade with a sweeping curve. Such a curve provides the edge with belly for slicing and plow/furrow-like cuts, along with the ability to do detailed cuts using a reverse pinch grip.

Are Recurve Blades Better?

As to which cuts work best with which knife, it depends on the other characteristics mentioned in the story. On large knives such as choppers, the use of a recurve gives the blade a weight-forward advantage.

Simply adding length to a blade does make it heavier by default, but, to actually have a weight-forward design, the front half of the blade needs to have more weight than the back. The idea is to look at the weight of the blade and not the whole knife to classify it as “weight-forward.”

Near the handle the recurve forms a pocket, which tends to lock material in. The subsequent curve formed by the pocket provides a leading edge to a cut, depending on the curve’s circumference. A leading edge is an edge angle that leads into the work, as opposed to approaching the cut at 90 degrees to the material. You can also generate a leading edge by angling a straight blade while cutting. On a recurve, the arch formed by the pocket provides a leading edge.

An Unorthodox Way To Start Collecting Knives

Knives come in all types and sizes. The knives in Brittany Gambee’s collection, for instance, are miniatures, all of which, with the exception of one, are made by ABS journeyman smith Dale Huckabee. And the genesis for them all started with a hug—or the lack thereof.

“Give Me A Hug For A Knife”

It started almost two decades ago when Brittany was 6. She and her mom, Dianna, were visiting their first Batson’s Bladesmithing Symposium, a three-day celebration of bladesmithing seminars and knives at the Tannehill Ironworks and park in McCalla, Alabama. Then a fledgling bladesmith, Huckabee was displaying his knives at his second or third Batson event, when up walked Brittany.

“This little girl about 2 or 3 feet high came up and said she’d give me a hug for a knife,” Dale recalled. Huckabee was feeling pretty chipper back then because he had just won a scholarship to the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing.

“I had this miniature knife and sheath and reached over and hung it around her neck and said, ‘Where’s my hug?’—and she ran,” he grinned.

Dianna remembers the incident almost like it was yesterday.

“Dale told me when he gave the knife to her that it was sharp and to be careful, but he wanted her to have it,” she said, adding that Brittany wore the knife and neck sheath for many years. “Well, in our silliness we didn’t get his name, we just took the knife and sheath and figured ‘no big deal.’”

The DH Mystery

Fast-forward 10 years to when Brittany was 16. “The dog chewed the edge of the sheath and Brittany was very upset and wanted to replace it,” Dianna remembered. “Well, the knife had a ‘DH’ on it, but we didn’t know who DH was.”

Enter “Uncle Bill.”

“We’d been coming to Batson’s every year and there was this wonderful man who used to come here, ‘Uncle Bill’ Richardson—he’s passed away now—and he told us, ‘You bring the knife to the symposium and have Brittany wear it and somebody will recognize you.’”

Richardson—who Dale said didn’t make knives but was “a heck of a blacksmith”—was at least half right. Dale recognized Dianna but he didn’t recognize Brittany because at 16 she was 10 years older than the young lady he originally had met.

“This lady and this girl walk up and the lady said you don’t recognize her [Brittany], do you?’” Dale recalled. “I said no but I recognize the knife.”

Collecting Miniature Knives

The Gambees have been coming to Batson’s Symposium—including this year’s rendition April 7-9—ever since and each year Brittany, now 25, buys a Huckabee miniature knife. This year’s addition: a miniature chef’s knife. The only piece in her collection that Dale did not make is one miniature damascus tomahawk by ABS master smith Ken Durham.

“Ken made the hawk for me because Dale always makes knives,” Brittany noted. “He saw Dale’s knives and said he could make a small hawk for me, and then Dale saw Ken’s hawk and said he could make a small one of those and made one for me, too.”

A Lasting Friendship

The lasting relationship between Dale and the Gambees is something all concerned seem to relish.

“It’s been a good journey. She’s grown up with me now,” Huckabee reflected. “When I get to the BLADE Show I see her over there some and she’s like family. I try to make something different for her every year. Last year I made the miniature damascus tomahawk, but I have to keep my head working to try to make something new and different each year. I don’t know what it will be next year. I’ll have to try and come up with something new.”

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Dale replaced the sheath for Brittany’s knife, too.

With more and more states decriminalizing automatic knives (aka “switchblades”), knife enthusiasts are more interested than ever before in purchasing one of these knives. They often turn to online retailers, but that presents a sticky situation: federal law prohibits interstate commerce of autos (see a full explainer here).

This leaves many scratching their heads. For instance, if a buyer in Montana places an online order with a seller in New Hampshire, does federal law prohibit the otherwise-legal transaction?

BLADE addressed the issue with an expert team of panelists who have dealt extensively with knife laws. They include Jan Billeb of the American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI), Doug Ritter of Knife Rights and Evan Nappen, an attorney and author who specializes in knife and gun rights cases.

Question: Doesn’t the Federal Switchblade Act ban the transport of an automatic knife across state lines?

BILLEB: The Federal Switchblade Act is widely misunderstood, as it only applies to interstate commerce—commercially selling automatic knives across state lines. It does not prohibit crossing state lines with an automatic knife. It also does not prohibit traveling by air with an automatic knife in your checked baggage. State law applies to those traveling by surface or air based on your location, which state you depart from, where you might pass through, and you need to be concerned that your knife is legal in any of those locations.

Question: Is legal to ship automatic knives through the mail?

RITTER: Shipping autos, balisongs, gravity knives and ballistic knives via the U.S. Post Office is generally illegal, with some very narrow exceptions—which an individual is unlikely able to take advantage of. You would be subject to fines and up to a year in jail, or both, for breaking this law. Any criminal intent involved ratchets up the penalties. We strongly suggest that individuals use only FedEx or UPS to ship these types of knives.

BILLEB: Never ship an automatic knife using the U.S. Postal Service. Federal law prohibits the shipment of ‘injurious articles’—which includes automatic knives. The penalty for breaking this law is a fine or imprisonment for not more than one year. However, there is no federal restriction on shipment of automatic knives by common/contract carriers, such as FedEx and UPS. When shipping an automatic knife, always use a private carrier such as FedEx and UPS. In fact, the American Knife & Tool Institute recommends that you do not ship knives by the U.S. Postal Service to avoid a possible issue over confusion of whether it is an automatic knife.

NAPPEN: If the law-abiding collector does not give up his or her constitutional rights and has taken the above measures, that person and their knives will have significant added protection from an unjust prosecution and property confiscation. The best way to avoid becoming a victim of anti-knife laws is to avoid being arrested in the first place and being prepared if you are arrested.

Question: Can a city, county or other municipality ban automatic knives even if they are legal at the state level?

BILLEB: There are states where automatics are legal, but city or political sub-division ordinances may provide otherwise and ban or limit autos or other types of knives. That situation can be possible unless the state’s constitution provides otherwise or there is a statewide preemption law. Accordingly, knife owners/users should [know] the laws where they live, work or travel.

RITTER: The better question—with a much shorter list—is: Which states preempt local jurisdictions from regulating knives? If there is no state preemption, then jurisdictions are free to make up their own restrictions. Preemption prevents enforcement of existing local knife ordinances and prohibits new ordinances more restrictive than state laws, which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures residents and travelers can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere in a state. In total, 10 states have now enacted preemption bills: Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. Existing constitutional weapons preemption law covers knives in New Mexico and Wyoming. Elsewhere, there is no preemption covering knives, and owners should be wary of local regulations more restrictive than state law.

For answers to more questions about automatic knives, visit Knife Rights or AKTI.