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Did Knives Build America?

Joe Kertzman
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Did Knives Build America?

This Built America.

“This Built America,” a new multimedia platform from AOL exploring the companies and people reimagining American manufacturing, visited Jacksonville, Alabama, and profiled a knife factory that is a family beyond its owners—Bear & Son Cutlery.

This Built America. I think it was knives. “This Built America,” a new multimedia platform from AOL exploring the companies and people reimagining American manufacturing, visited Jacksonville, Alabama, and profiled a knife factory that is a family beyond its owners—Bear & Son Cutlery.

Bear & Son EmployeesKen Griffey’s Bear & Son Cutlery was officially founded in 1991 after Griffey was approached by Jacksonville town leaders to buy the closing W.R. Case Cutlery factory, Griffey’s then employer. Since then, the factory and its employees have been on an incredible journey demonstrating the value of family and community.

In this “This Built America” AOL episode, Griffey and his son Matt discuss the family that Bear & Son has created while dealing with tough decisions like selling the business, another potential closure and all that comes their way.

“I had a lot of mothers and fathers,” recalls Griffey on his youth in the Jacksonville factory. That type of attention and care comes through every Bear & Son product. It also can be seen in the 36-year relationship, in business and marriage, between Ken and Sandy Griffey.

For Bear & Son Cutlery, being part of “This Built America” is proof that Ken Griffey made the right decisions banking on Bear & Son, no matter the circumstance. “Being part of ‘This Built America’ was simply amazing,” explains Griffey. “We were very honored to be a part of this, and would like to thank everyone who helped make this happen.”

To view the full episode and more on the Bear & Son family, click here.

Bear & Son Cutlery joins a national movement in “This Built America” that is devoted to supporting American companies and American-made products. AOL is proud to support the effort along with sponsor Ford Trucks. Through the year, the editorial and video teams will explore 50 states in 50 weeks to bring 50 stories of the people who are bringing back manufacturing to America. The platform is produced in coordination with Man Made Content.

For more American-made knives, click here.

Lawful Ivory Protection Act Needs Your Help!

Steve Shackleford
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Will you help stop domestic ivory ban?
The Lawful Ivory Protection Act designed to save the elephant and stop the domestic ivory ban is off to a good start but still needs your support. (Bill Simmermacher photo)

Designed to both protect African elephants and stop making criminals of innocent citizens who sell legal ivory, the Lawful Ivory Protection Act is making headway in both the House and Senate and needs your help—especially in the Senate.

“The House Interior Appropriations bill that will essentially not allow funds—your tax dollars and mine—to be used to enforce the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service changes to the ivory laws has passed the first hurdle,” noted Sandra Brady, scrimshander and member of the Elephant Protection Association. “It made it through Appropriations and is now on to the full House for a vote.” It is unknown when that vote will be.

“Next, H.R. 5052 is getting increased support but the Senate bill, S. 2587, isn’t, so call your senators!” Brady emphasized.

Both bills have the official name of the Lawful Ivory Protection Act of 2014 and are in dire need of your support. Please contact your elected officials on the federal level and urge them to support these bills, both of which are designed to protect elephants and prevent legal ivory from being banned from sale domestically.

“It is critical that you call your senators and representatives and ask them to co-sponsor S. 2587 and H.R. 5052,” stressed Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association. “Getting your legislators to so-sponsor these bills accomplishes two goals: It brings these bills closer to a vote in their respective chambers, and it shows support for the Appropriations measure that ultimately needs to pass both the House and the Senate. If you want to save elephants and stop the domestic ivory ban, this is the most effective way to do it.

“Our goal is to get as many co-sponsors as possible before Congress breaks for August.”

For more information on how you can help, contact elephantprotection.org.

For the latest in knives and knife news, stay sharp at blademag.com.

 

Knife Collectors Fuel the Industry

Joe Kertzman
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Knife Collectors Fuel the Industry

In my Introduction to the book KNIVES 2014, page 3, I begin, “It’s high time to acknowledge the collectors of fine knives, as well as accumulators, daily knife users, enthusiasts and anyone who buys blades on a regular basis. If it weren’t for you, there would be no industry. That seems obvious, but ….”

On the KnifeForums blog, members often share images of knives they’ve recently purchased, other pieces within their collections, and comment about and share collecting experiences. It is a community of individuals sharing a common bond of their love for knives. Following is how one recent post begins. To chime in on such posts, and join a community of knife enthusiasts, visit KnifeForums. A recent post:

1_zps5e0cc845Here’s a set I just completed for a local collector. He’s picking them up tomorrow and I hope he likes them. I’d been mulling over the idea of a matched set of sorts for a while. I had these two blocks of wood that were so nearly identical that they had to go together. This wood has it all burl, curl, spalt and even three tone! (I know the three tone won’t be everyone’s favorite )

So when my collector called and asked about a set, he picked the wood out and instead of doing an exact match, we settled on the matching but with a yin/yang theme idea. To read the rest, click here.

World’s Hottest Knives Highlight New BLADE®!

Steve Shackleford
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World’s Hottest Knives Highlight New BLADE®!

The world’s hottest knives, top everyday carry knives under $75 and knives in a rainbow of handle colors highlight the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Such internationally renowned knifemakers as Lee Williams, Allen Elishewitz, Jens Anso, Bob Terzuola, Kirby Lambert, Tom Mayo, RJ Martin and Peter Rassenti—whose “Large Nirvana” folder graces the cover—and many more, along with their knives most in demand, are among those identified among the world’s hottest on pages 20-27 of the new issue.

What knife are you carrying today? If you’re looking for an everyday carry knife under $75, James Morgan Ayres tests four of the latest models on pages 30-35. See if one of these EDCs fits your hand and pocketbook.

Everything in color seems to be a common theme for many of today’s hottest products, and factory knives are joining the party. Check out the latest members of the cutlery color coalition on pages 42-45.

In case you haven’t noticed, the schools’ draconian zero tolerance policies concerning knife carry are unduly oppressive and penal—and are ruining the lives of many innocent kids. Get the latest on this national disgrace on pages 12-16.

Bushcraft knives are today’s equivalent of the survival knife and it’s nice to know what to look for in one and how to use it. Get primed on the Scandinavian grind and more on pages 82-85.

The late Bob Lum is credited with making the first American tanto and Cold Steel further popularized the pattern with its mass production of the Cold Steel Tanto, but did you know the blade pattern itself dates back to the 4th century? Get the complete scoop on pages 74-78.

Also in this issue: an update on the federal ivory ban, a test of two tomahawks by retired 5th Special Forces MSG Kim Breed, a profile of knifemaking supplier Tru-Grit, the continuing saga of Plaza Cutlery and its 40th anniversary as a knife retailer and much more, all in the October BLADE.

 

Check out the world's hottest custom knives in the new BLADE®.
Custom knives that sizzle most are in the new BLADE®, on newsstands now!

Ivory Ban Worsens Plight Of The Poor

Steve Shackleford
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U.S. ivory ban targets the poor.
The U.S. ivory ban not only unjustly targets legal ivory knives but hampers the legal ivory trade on which many poor Zimbabweans depend.

Wildlife administrators in Zimbabwe are asking the U.S. government to lift the ban on ivory imports from the southern African nation immediately due to concerns over how it is worsening the plight of poor Zimbabweans and also other animal species.

Elephant hunting contributes more than $14 million a year to Zimbabwe’s economy, and “not less than 55 percent” of the income from sport hunting goes directly to the poor, rural communities where wildlife is often the only source of income, according to information Zimbabwe’s wildlife administrators supplied to the Department of Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

The U.S. banned imports of ivory from Zimbabwe and Tanzania, among others, in February over misguided concerns surrounding the preservation of elephant populations. Meanwhile, according to Zimbabwe’s wildlife administrators, the country’s 97,500 elephants destroy food supplies needed for other species. Combined with the adverse affect on Zimbabwe’s poor, the U.S. ivory ban has disastrous implications for the southern African nation.

For more, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-07-14/zimbabwe-wants-u-s-to-lift-ivory-import-ban-immediately.html

For information on how you can fight the U.S. ivory ban and at the same time help save the elephant, join the Elephant Protection Association. For more, visit elephantprotection.org.

Ladies Make Chef’s Knives, Both In Brooklyn

Joe Kertzman
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Ladies Make Chef’s Knives, Both In Brooklyn

In an article titled “Sisters Of Steel: Vermont Women Forge Success Making Handmade Kitchen Knives,” initially published on BurlingtonFreePress.com, a Gannett Company, and written by Melissa Pasanen, the story is of Moriah Cowles and Chelsea Miller, both incredibly 30 years old, both slender and both with dark hair. They also both grew up in Vermont with fathers who work with their hands, and now they both live in Brooklyn, where each has built a reputation for making kitchen knives. And neither knew about the other, until recently, yet they’ve yet to meet in person.bilde

According to the feature article, Chelsea grinds old horse hoof files into handmade knives at her family’s Peacham workshop, and Moriah took a blacksmithing course in North Carolina before forging her first knife from a railroad spike. See their complete story here.  For more quality household cutlery, click here.

Brooklyn-based knifemaker Chelsea Miller (left) fashions kitchen knives from repurposed materials like metal files in her family’s workshop in Peacham. / EMILY McMANAMY/FREE PRESS PHOTO.

House Moves To Protect Legal Ivory Owners

Steve Shackleford
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House Moves To Protect Legal Ivory Owners

The U.S. House Appropriations Interior Subcommittee approved a bill July 9 that would protect legal ivory owners.

“This action is a significant step towards protecting all lawful ivory owners,” observed Rob Mitchell of the Elephant Protection Association. “As this bill progresses , we will continue to provide updates as developments occur.”

Called the FY15 Interior and Environment Appropriations bill, the measure will be considered for approval by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee next week.

“This is great news!” exclaimed Sandra Brady, scrimshander and a member of the Elephant Protection Association. “Our efforts are paying off. As a direct result of the Oversight Committee Hearing held June 24, this bill, if approved, would not allow any funds to be used for changes in the ivory laws.

“However, this law is not passed yet and has to be voted on by the Senate, but the verbiage we had hoped for is there. We still have a fight on our hands, and we’ll keep you posted as to how and when and what to do to help this along.”

The bill is in response to the ban on the domestic sale and trade of legally owned ivory by the Obama Administration and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). It includes wording that would prohibit FWS from using any funds to restrict the domestic sale and trade of legally acquired ivory, as well as any further restrictions on its import and export.

The language does NOT prohibit the administration from trying to end poaching and illicit trade, but does protect legal ivory owners and their ivory.

For more information on how you can help fight the government’s attempt to ban the domestic sale and trade of legally acquired ivory, contact the Elephant Protection Association, 1035 W. Bristol Rd., Warminster, PA 18974.

Legal ivory owners may get relief.
U.S. House takes first steps to protect the rights of legal ivory owners. This ivory-handle 19th-century bowie is from the collection of Bill Simmermacher. (Simmermacher photo)
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