Dellana outlines the challenges of making her first goblin folder, including the goblin face on the butt.Read how Buster Warenski’s King Tut dagger changed the knife industry forever in the latest BLADE®.
Dellana shows you how she made her first goblin folder, read why Buster Warenski’s King Tut dagger changed knife history, school yourself on the hottest custom makers’ hottest knives and more in the latest issue of BLADE®—on newsstands NOW!
Dellana is known throughout the custom knife industry for her ornate high-end folders and learned a lot under the great ABS master smith Jim Schmidt. Schmidt was known in no small part for his goblin folder, a style Dellana had never tried until approached by collector Larry Marton to complete one Schmidt had planned to before Schmidt passed away. Dellana accepted the daunting assignment. In her two-part story she outlines the challenges she faced in making the goblin folder she christened “Gryzzlesnick,” which includes a stag handle with a butt shaped into the grotesque face of a goblin. Read part one this issue.
A member of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame and the top vote-getter in a poll of veteran industry observers for their “Mount Rushmore of Knifemakers” of the modern era—1960 through the May 2015 BLADE in which the applicable story appeared—Warenski spent five years (1982-87) making the reproduction of the gold dagger found in King Tutankhamen’s tomb. Phil Lobred commissioned Warenski to make the knife and liquidated his entire collection of handmade knives to pay for it. The knife featured 32 ounces of gold, the long-lost technique of granulation to embellish the knife’s handle and has been valued at being worth over $1 million. Get the full story on this landmark knife and the trials and tribulations of Warenski in its making in “A Piece of Buster’s Soul.”
Pinpointing the hottest custom knifemakers’ hottest knives is something all enthusiasts of the genre need to stay on top of, and BLADE helps you in the endeavor with the help of top industry observers in “Compound Your Cutlery Interest.”
Dellana details the making of her first goblin folder and much more in the latest BLADE®, on newsstands NOW!
There’s much more this issue, including:
•BLADE Managing Editor Erin Healy’s story on the period-correct knife-and-tomahawk combos by Don Shipman, “Edged Warrior Sets”;
•The best knives to take on summer vacation;
•Rick Barrett‘s custom folder based on and that salutes the legendary World War II Marine F4U Corsair fighter aircraft made famous by the equally legendary pilot Pappy Boyington of Baa-Baa Black Sheep fame;
•Tests/reviews of four of the latest factory utility fixed blades, four EDCs, three assisted openers and a pair of ample straight knives;
•The conclusion of Dexter Ewing’s three-part series on the latest knife sharpeners in “The Hone Zone.”
And much more, all in the latest BLADE, on newsstands now or subscribe to the print, digital, international or Canadian issues here.
Plunge cuts should reflect each other in terms of symmetry on each side of the knife blade. The plunge cuts at left do so and the ones at right do not. (B.R. Hughes image)Note the symmetry of the satin finish flowing from the plunge cut to the tip of the blade on John W. Smith’s SD-2 tactical knife. (SharpByCoop.com image)The blade should be centered in the handle when the knife is closed, as on Brian Nadeau’s folder. (SharpByCoop.com image)There should be a correspondence in shape, size and lines between both sides of the knife’s blade and handle, as on these fighters made by Charles Vestal for members of the Custom Knife Collectors Association. (SharpByCoop.com photo)
Fit and finish is a term used to identify the earmarks of a quality made knife. In a nutshell, fit and finish is an arrangement of balanced proportions and symmetry in the entire piece.
With the dividing line being the knife’s spine, there should be a correspondence in shape, size and lines between both sides of the blade and handle. The blade tip must be centered, as should the grind as it moves along the blade toward the ricasso. The blade must have no warping, nor should it exhibit bends where there should be none. The entire run of the blade’s bevel lines, whether primary or secondary, must be even and straight. There should be no flaws, imperfections, wrinkles, creases or cracks in the blade’s surface, nor, in the case of a forged blade, can there be any bad welds. The blade’s finish, whether bead blast, satin, mirror polish, stonewash or what have you, must be consistent throughout the area of the blade to which it is applied.
There should be no gaps between the handle material and the bolster, nor the blade and the guard. The handle sides must have equal thickness and be contoured evenly and smoothly. All materials should be rich and vibrant. For example, if ironwood, it must have nice striations instead of just being a blank piece of wood.
In addition to the above, if the knife is a folder there should be no gaps or differences in elevation between the backspring and the blade when the knife is open. There must be smooth opening and closing of the blade, and the blade should snap both open and closed—known as “walk and talk” among old-time pocketknife collectors. The blade must exhibit little to no vertical or horizontal wiggle, ride dead center in the handle when the knife is closed, and, if a multi-blade, the blades should not rub against each other upon opening and closing.
HOW to LOOK for PROPER FIT and FINISH
There should be no gaps in the knife’s joints, such as between the guard and blade. Mark Knapp’s fixed hunter exhibits a nice guard-blade fit. (SharpByCoop.com photo)
•A loupe/magnifier is unnecessary. Average eyesight is fine. Check the knife in standard light conditions;
•Rotate the knife slowly and study it from all angles;
•Examine folders with them in both the open and closed positions. Feel how smoothly the blade opens, closes and locks into place;
•Remember, no knife is perfect. Each one will have at least one minor imperfection. Learning to recognize the differences between such a knife and one with poor fit and finish requires attending knife shows and handling and studying as many knives—with each individual maker’s permission, of course—as you can.
Finally, while checking for proper fit and finish is a great way to identify a well-made knife, the fact that a knife has proper fit and finish does not necessarily mean that it will cut, feel right in your hand or even be all that attractive to you. The latter three are things you must be determine for yourself.
Ten-year-old Jordan Toerck had been pestering her knifemaker father, Bobby Toerck, to make her a knife for a while. But she was still young, so Bobby held her off. He promised to make her a knife when she got her first deer. Well, in January, she did just that and true to his word, Dad made a knife for his deer-hunter daughter.
Ten-year-old Jordan Toerck was in her second season of deer hunting when she got her first deer. As promised, dad made her a knife to mark the occasion.
It was bitterly cold that January day: 14 degrees, which is “almost unheard of in East Texas,” Bobby said. Jordan had been accompanying her father on hunting trips off and on for about four years, since she was 5 or 6. This was her second year of active hunting. It was youth season, which follows the general season. This particular morning father and daughter were set up in a tent blind on the ground half an hour before dawn. By 7:30 Jordan said her feet were cold. Her father admitted his feet were cold too, but if they sat still and were quiet, they’d see something.
They saw a feral hog run through at a high rate of speed, but that was about it. By 9:30, Bobby decided that they could go in. They went back out at 3 p.m. and conditions were much more favorable for father and daughter. The temperature had risen to the upper 30s and there was no wind because they were protected by a wind block. “Around 5:30 Jordan got antsy, as kids do,” Bobby said. He told her to sit still and be quiet and they’d see something.
Sure enough two other does came into view, and then a third and larger one. Jordan sighted through her Leupold 4.5-14x50mm Long Range scope and put the crosshairs where her father told her to aim. Her Remington 700 BDL Custom Deluxe bolt-action rifle was propped up on Jim Shockey-style shooting sticks, which her father had fashioned with ¾-inch dowels and paracord.
“The next thing I know, I hear a bang,” Bobby said. The deer ran off into the brush. Jordan knew she had hit it and so did her father. They waited about 10 minutes for things to calm down then walked to where the deer had been standing. “We found blood and I immediately started teaching Jordan about tracking,” Bobby said. They didn’t go more than 40 yards before they found Jordan’s deer. It was dead and had been hit exactly where she told her dad the crosshairs had been when she pulled the trigger.
On a cold day in January Jordan Toerck tagged her first deer. She aimed where her dad instructed, learned how to track and was so excited when she found her deer that she jumped up and down, whooped and hollered and, of course, texted her mother.
It was a 110-yard shot, according to Bobby’s estimations. “I should also mention that there is a Briley muzzle brake” on that rifle, he added. It brings the kick of a 25-06 caliber rifle down to the approximate equivalent of a .22 magnum, “taking 90 percent of the recoil out of it.” The setup certainly set Jordan up for success. When they found the deer, “she was jumping up and down, screaming and hollering, then she took out her phone and starts texting her momma,” Bobby said.
Ten-year-old Jordan and 5-year-old Morgan both love spending time with their father. Soon Morgan will be accompanying Bobby on hunts. “I don’t know what I’ll do. I can only take one at a time. I’ll let them decide which one’s going to get up early,” he said with a laugh.
Right then and there, they filled out the tag and attached it to the deer’s ear. Bobby got his pickup truck as close as possible and they transported the animal home where they hung it in a tree. “She was hands-on, blood up to her elbows,” Bobby said. Even his 5-year-old daughter, Morgan, wanted in on the action. “I’m not raising girls here; I’m raising boys,” Bobby said with a chuckle. At one point he told his wife Amy, that he didn’t want their girls to “have to depend on some man to clean their animal.”
They gutted, skinned and quartered the deer, packing the sections in ice and switching the ice out for three or four days to get the blood out. Then they processed the meat, grinding some, making steaks, ribs for barbeque, even saving the neck bones for soup, noted Amy.
Bobby Toerck made this 6 3/4-inch skinner for his 10-year-old daughter Jordan when she got her first deer. The handle colors, made of triple-dyed box elder by Terry Dunn, reminded him of “mixed up Play-Doh or bubblegum,” and he knew it was perfect for her.
Bobby knew he’d be making a knife for Jordan so when he attended the Long Star Knife Expo in early April he was on the lookout for the exact right handle material. He found it in a triple-dyed box elder offering by Terry Dunn. “The colors in it looked like mixed up Play-Doh, or bubblegum,” Bobby said. It was perfect for Jordan, and the size fit her petite hands.
Visit T4 Custom Knives to see more of Bobby Toerck’s knives. Visit Terry Dunn to check out more handle materials like this.
The full-tang knife is 6 ¾ inches overall with a 3-inch flat-ground drop-point blade made out of 80CrV2 steel. “To me the drop point is the best overall shape for a skinning-gutting knife because you are much less apt to puncture an intestine or stomach with a less pointy front end. And the drop-point will lift the skin slightly before cutting when making the initial cuts up the legs of an animal,” Bobby explained.
HISTORY’s “Forged in Fire” personalities include from left, Jordan Toerck’s favorite, judge Doug Marcaida; judge J. Neilson, host Wil Willis and judge David Baker. Jason Knight is also a judge. (Image by Miller Mobley/HISTORY)
What did she think when he gave it to her? “She loved it,” Bobby said. “And, of course, she said ‘It will cut,’ because she’s a huge fan of Doug Marcaida in ‘Forged In Fire.’ She loves to watch that show with me,” Bobby said.
Contact Bobby Toerck at T4 Custom Knives on Facebook or at 903-812-1173. Maker’s list price on a knife like the one he made his daughter would be $175 with a Kydex sheath, $275 with a leather sheath.
Help Dad Realize His Knifemaking Workshop
“Wayne Goddard’s $50 Knife Shop” is the perfect Father’s Day gift for the dad who wants to get into knifemaking, but who doesn’t have a lot of flexibility in his budget.
Dad’s money has to cover many expenses, but he should still be able to indulge his knifemaking interests with a modest investment. In “Wayne Goddard’s $50 Knife Shop,” dad can read what’s essential for his work area and what isn’t. This is also a terrific back-to-the-basics read for more established makers. At 50 percent off, it’ll be a $10.99 expenditure that will be referred to again and again.
Bear & Son Cutlery’s Bold Action V is the cover knife for the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!
See if bushcraft knives with fire steels can take the heat, meet a Marine Corps vet who helps spread the good word of Zac Brown’s knives, learn whether paying knife deposits on custom knives is for you and more in the latest issue of BLADE®—on newsstands now!
BLADE field editor Abe Elias puts four new bushcraft knives, all equipped with fire steels, through a series of tests and critiques. See how they fare and what makes a good bushcraft knife—not what makes good hype—in “Bush The Envelope.”
Losing both legs from above the knee down would understandably destroy most people, but not veteran Marine Staff Sgt. Joey Jones. Fitted with prosthetic devices after the devastating effects of an IED in Afghanistan, he picked up the pieces in civilian life and has become a powerful motivator for individuals, corporations and charities. He also works with Zac Brown’s Southern Ground, which, in addition to the Southern Grind knife company, funds Camp Southern Ground for children, especially those with neuro-developmental disorders or in families with a parent deployed, wounded or lost. Erin Healy examines Jones and Brown’s Southern Ground in “Joined By Knives.”
Ordering a custom knife from a knifemaker and making a down payment—better known as a deposit—on the knife is something collectors have done for many years. But is paying deposits for you? Custom knife purveyor Les Robertson guides you through the do’s and don’ts of the practice in “Knife Deposits: Yea, Nay, Maybe.”
Can Casstrom’s Woodsman bushcraft knife with fire steel take the heat? Abe Elias shows the way in the latest BLADE®,
Also in this issue of BLADE:
•The latest in factory automatics, including the cover knife, an entry from Bear & Son Cutlery’s first-ever line of autos, the Bold Action V;
•Learn how the super-lightweight Gerber LST folder changed knife history in “Father of the EDC?”;
•MSG Kim Breed, retired 5th Special Forces, puts a couple of heavy-duty camp knives through the ringer in “Is Bigger Better?”;
•James Morgan Ayres tests four of the latest factory tomahawks in “Tomahawk Toughies”;
•BLADE field editor Ed Fowler recounts his lifelong addiction to knives in “Just Say Yes!”;
•In “A Linerlock On Roller Skates,” Leroi Price describes a new approach to the linerlock developed by Jake Hoback;
•BLADE field Dexter Ewing concludes his three-part series on 12 of the newest knife sharpeners in “The Hone Zone”;
•Reload your knife with sharp blades or simply discard them in “The Replaceables” by Pat Covert, and;
•You can almost hear the mosaic damascus “snakes” on Greg Cimms’ chef’s knife blade hiss in “The Dubai Vipers.”
You get all this and much more in the latest BLADE. Click here for the download edition. To subscribe to BLADE, click here for the domestic print edition, here for the international print subscription, here for the Canadian print subscription and here for the digital subscription.
Short, long, thick, thin—and we’re not talking about the wide variety of knives at BLADE Show. No, we’re talking about facial hair that made men nod and women blush. The beards of BLADE Show impressed all! This collection is only a small representation of what we saw at the show. We don’t care about the ebbs and flows of fashion or laboratory tests on what’s found in beards, which frankly only tell us that bearded men live life to the full extent of their whiskers! Here at BLADE, we only hope the tradition continues.
The beards of BLADE Show impressed all. This example of a full beard is combined with longer hair for a decidedly not-hipster, backwoodsy look.Another Bandholz, only this one with shorter hair, could be seen at the Chris Reeve Knives booth. We also liked the hat adornment. We guess BLADE Show had something to do with knives, but back to beards…Lou Goodman of Abraham & Moses Survival Equipment sports a neat Van Dyke, which is any mustache-beard combo but with cheeks clean-shaven.We liked the gradations of red in this full beard on Larry Roberts, “Alone” Season 2’s runner-up.Ever see a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert? We found this full beard-long hair combination, if we remember correctly, at Zombie Tools.These old-school gentlemen at Al Mar offered two styles of white whiskers and we loved them both!At Rustick Knives we found the warrior tradition expressed in a samurai-esk ponytail and full beard on the owner of Harp Leather.Dave Wenger, owner of Wenger Blades in Hudsonville, Michigan, rolled with a Hollywoodian, which from what we can figure is a trailback that meets up with sideburns. Who cares what they call it; we like it!Dan “Jake” Jaquay of KME Sharpeners chilled out on Sunday at BLADE Show with his flame-red chin tresses.Our photographer went back more than once to try to capture the wildness at White River Knife and Tool, but could never seem to catch Matt C. and Alan N. at the same time. Fortunately, they caught wind of our mission and sent this along. Double-YES!Officially a Van Dyke, the goatee on this show attendee is going as far as it wants.Eli Gautreaux of Jerry Hossom Knives checked out the Knife of the Year Award entries in the lobby.A show-goer seems to be having a good time while we admire his Hollywoodian done to full length.We found that bearded men tended to have bearded friends, so we often got twofers!A barback at Key Bar caresses the whiskers.These two show-goers worked the man buns, ear stretcher and shades.As much as we tried to capture bearded men unaware, they often knew they were being watched.This lucky winner at the Ernest Emerson Custom Knives Lottery almost looks like he is starting a French fork-style of beard. Ernie looked as debonaire as always.Ken Hunt of Attleboro Knives in Idaho sports a salt and pepper Van Dyke.Another lucky winner at the Emerson Knives Lottery, Sevag Tankian, rocks a distinctive full beard.Stephan Fowler of Fowler Blades paired his full beard with a tactikilt one day, but, well, that’s a story for another BLADE Show.This luxurious white Van Dyke was worn well by a gentleman attending the Emerson Custom Knives Lottery on Saturday.We always enjoy talking with new knifemakers…oh, and look, a beard. We hope to see this knifemaker back again next year, along with many others. Like and Follow “Erin at BLADE” on Facebook for guidance on how to get your knife into BLADE Magazine.A righteous beard! If a knife doesn’t catch your eye at BLADE Show, we’re thinking a beard or two might.Be sure to plan for BLADE Show 2018 starting now. You know there will be plenty of knives, and if there’s ever an exhibition of beards, this is the place!
This three-book set will be referred to repeatedly by those both new and established in the knifemaking craft.
Did BLADE Show 2017 get you pumped for knifemaking? This two-paperback, one-e-book set will answer question for those new to the art, while also reaffirming or acting as a review for those more established in their craft. Included are: “How To Make Knives,” “The Wonder of Knifemaking” and “Wayne Goddard’s $50 Knife Shop, Revised.” Normally this trio would cost you $99.97, but you can get it now for $34.99.
Atlanta, Georgia (June 3, 2017) – Awards recognizing the highest achievement in the custom and factory knife industries were bestowed the evening of Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the BLADE Show in the Cobb Galleria.
2017 BLADE Show Knife of the Year® Award Winners
Representatives from BLADE (www.blademag.com) distributed BLADE Magazine Knife of the Year® awards in 13 categories. Two of the awards—Industry Achievement and Publisher’s—went to a retail knife store and a knife-related organization, respectively, for their contributions to the world of knives.
All entrants in the Knife of the Year® competition were judged on a number of factors, including utility, design, creativity, materials, aesthetics, feel and other traits.
The 2017 BLADE Show Custom Knife Award Winners were also announced on Saturday, June 3, 2017, at the Cobb Galleria in Atlanta.
Best in Show: CAS & Sam Lurquin collaboration
Best New Maker: Phil Jacob
Most Innovative Design: Grace Horne
Best Fixed Blade: CAS
Best Damascus: Mike Deibert
Best Bowie: Jean-Louis Regel
Best Folder: Glenn Waters
Best Fighter: Josh Fisher
Best Handle Design: Ben Seward
Best Miniature: Glenn Waters
Best of the Rest: Lloyd Studios
Best Utility Hunter: Wess Barnhill
Best Tactical Folder: Brian Nadeau
Best Sword: Ron Chen
Best Collaboration: CAS & Sam Lurquin
Best Art Knife: David Broadwell
About BLADE Show
The BLADE Show is the world’s largest, most important knife show, and has taken place every year since 1982 and in Atlanta since 1992. Upwards of 1,000 exhibitors from more than 20 countries display their knives and knife-related items over a three-day cutlery celebration that also features BLADE University knife seminars, knife auctions, custom knife awards, celebrity appearances and much more.
About BLADE
BLADE® Magazine (www.blademag.com) is the world’s No.1 knife publication. It is also the world’s oldest knife magazine, publishing its first issue in 1973. In conjunction with the BLADE Show, it has sponsored the Knife of the Year® Awards annually since 1982. The awards are the most coveted honors in the factory knife industry and are voted on by the booth exhibitors at the BLADE Show, who this year number more than 200. Only BLADE Show booth exhibitors are eligible to enter.
The BLADE Show and BLADE Magazine are the properties of F+W of Cincinnati, Ohio.
See 40 Years of Knives that Changed the World
BLADE collected the very best factory and custom knives into two digital collections to showcase the blades that changed the edged world forever. Click a cover to grab yours today.
Knives, knives, more knives, knives, knives, this knife, that knife, other knives, knives and more knives. It’s BLADE Show time!
If the first day of BLADE Show 2017 could be summed up in one word, it’d be “the line.” That’s actually two words, but it’s fitting for the enormous early turnout of knife enthusiasts waiting for the doors to open. Never before has the line gone literally out the door, and into the parking lot, and probably crossed a few state lines.
Make no mistake, folks. The world of knives is alive and well, and beating expectations on every front. The official tallies will be made later, but this must’ve been a record. A first for a Friday!
Here’s what the show floor looked like moments after the doors opened:
In fact, it was a show full of firsts. How could it not be with the length of those lines? There’s bound to be a few newbies in there.
BLADE Show first-timer Erin Healy, BLADE‘s new managing editor, cut her teeth with a cool Kit Carson sword find. Did you know Kit Carson made swords? Well, now you do.
The learning didn’t stop there. BLADE University opened up a whole new world of knifemaking to attendees with not one, not two, but three classes on knife grinding. Instructors also zeroed in on how to select blade steel, making knives from simple tools, selecting an edge style and more.
Tom Krein dishes the dirt on knife grinding secrets. He conducted three well-attended sessions.
The Knife of the Year entrants went on display outside of the main show floor this year, as they did for the past few. This not only made it easier to check out these incredible knives, it put some of the best knives in the world front and center for first-time show goers. They’re the first knives they see when they arrive. What could be better?
Glenn Klecker puts the finishing touch on his display with a pencil eraser before submitting to the Knife of the Year Awards. Knifemakers want their works to look their best, and it shows at every booth and table at BLADE Show.
A second day of all of that and then some, that’s what. Tomorrow will be full of more knife events, and the Knife of the Year Awards will be announced. Online ticket registration is closed, but you can still find BLADE Show information at bladeshow.com.
