Page 226 – BLADE Magazine

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

Steve Shackleford

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November 19, 2013

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

If you knew knifemaker Rob Simonich, share your memories of him with us on www.blademag.com.

BLADE® field editor Dexter Ewing has written the story, “Heart and Soul,” in the February BLADE which remembers Rob on the 10th anniversary of the death of one of knifemaking’s favorite sons. Killed tragically in a truck accident, Rob was loved by many, and his award-winning knives were among the best of their time—and they still hold up today.

Ten years is a long time, and a lot of people have come into the knife industry since Rob’s passing that do not know of the kind of person he was. If you knew Rob, you can help them know what kind of person he was by sharing some of your favorite memories of him.

Though Rob was taken away far too soon, he left an indelible mark on the knife industry, and, of course, his wife Christine and daughter Megan. Rob loved to break new ground in terms of knives, especially with blade materials such as Talonite® and CPM S30V. His knives won a number of awards, including his Urban Raven taking home the BLADE Magazine 2003 American-Made Knife Of The Year®.

As good as his knives were—and they were extremely well thought of and accepted by knife enthusiasts—it was Rob’s warm smile and sincere manner that helped him win over many friends. He loved people and he loved the outdoors, and it showed in most everything he did.

He also loved the BLADE Show and made it a point to attend every one he could. It was there that he made many friends in the industry.

How about it? Care to share any memories? We’d love to hear them—as would those who both knew him and those who want to know more about him.

For the latest knives, knife trends, knife news and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

RUKO Is Exclusive Importer of Muela Knives

Joe Kertzman

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November 15, 2013

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RUKO Is Exclusive Importer of Muela Knives

RUKO LLC has good reason to celebrate the new year in 2014. As of Jan. 1, 2014, RUKO will be the exclusive North American importer of MUELA Knives of Spain, as per a deal recently inked between the two knife entities.

Says Christopher Koppe, president of RUKO, “We are thrilled to have been chosen by Muela to represent their brand in North America. My father, Rudolf Koppe, began working with Eladio Muela 23 years ago, in 1991. Following in their footsteps, Jose (Muela) and I are focused on a unified approach in building Muela into a household brand in the U.S. and Canada.”

RUKO LLC and RUKO of Canada have 79 combined years of experience importing, distributing and servicing the hunting, camping and sporting goods trades in the U.S. and Canada. MUELA has been manufacturing fixed-blade and folding knives from its factory in Argamasilla de Calatrava, Spain, since 1955. With an annual production of over 300,000 knives, Muela is one of Spain’s foremost knife factories specializing in genuine red-stag-handle knives, as well as limited-edition and one-of-a-kind pieces for collector’s globally, including the king of Spain.

With over 500 models in the program, MUELA offers a wide range of knives in a host of handle finishes with coral Pakkawood™, cocobolo, kingwood, olivewood, beech wood, walnut, ram horn and red stag for hunting and collectible knives; and G-10, linen Micarta®, nylon, Zamak and Kraton® rubber for entry level hunting, survival and tactical knives. Steels used (depending on form and function of the blade) include 420H (HRC 56-58), German X50CrMoV15 (HRC 57-58), 512-layer high-carbon or stainless damascus, MOVA-60 and Sandvik 14C28N.

For more information on RUKO and MUELA knives click here. For a wide variety of knives and knife styles, make sure to visit www.shopblade.com.

Federal Knife Owners’ Protection Act Introduced

Knife News Wire

Steve Shackleford

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November 15, 2013

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Federal Knife Owners’ Protection Act Introduced

A federal act that would protect law-abiding knife owners traveling from state to state from various conflicting knife laws within those states has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, a Knife Rights internet news release reported.

Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) introduced Knife Rights’ Knife Owners’ Protection Act (KOPA), H.R. 3478.

“KOPA will protect law-abiding knife owners travelling throughout the U.S. from the vagaries of restrictive state and local laws. As long as possession of the particular knife is legal in the state where the journey starts and ends, and provided the knife is secured in accordance with KOPA, a knife owner would no longer be threatened with arrest simply for traveling from one place to another,” Knife Rights headman Doug Ritter noted. He added that KOPA is the first proactive pro-knife federal legislation introduced in the nation’s history.

Ritter said Knife Rights needs your help to gain additional co-sponsors for the bill. If your representative is not already a co-sponsor, call or e-mail and urge him/her to co-sponsor KOPA. You can find your representative at: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Additional co-sponsors are: Rep. Kerry Bentivolio (R-MI), Rep. Scott DesJarlais (R-TN), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ), and Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX)

“Those who travel across the country with knives for work, recreation and self defense are presently subject to arrest and prosecution under a confusing patchwork of inconsistent state and local laws and regulations, said Ritter, “what is perfectly legal in one place may be a serious crime in another, resulting in forfeiture of property and carrying significant penalties including jail time. Enforcement is not uniform even within jurisdictions and is subject to the vagaries of political expediency at times. Sportsmen and workmen who travel are particularly vulnerable.

“The culmination of almost three years of effort, Knife Rights developed the Knife Owners’ Protection Act to address this absurd situation in a commonsense manner that is fair and equitable and is based on established legislative and legal precedent,” Ritter said. “We’ve fought hard to defend the right to carry a knife in the individual states, cities and towns, but KOPA represents a key initiative to protect law-abiding knife owners simply passing through areas like New York City where possessing the most commonly owned pocketknife in America today, the one-hand opening folding knife, may result in arrest and prosecution.”

KOPA has teeth to defend those who travel under its protection because it also provides penalties for law enforcement, prosecutors and others who ignore the protections provided. Similar to the protections and penalties generally provided in USC 1983 to those whose civil rights are violated, a falsely arrested citizen can be compensated for the expense of defending themselves from an unwarranted violation of the rights Congress has protected in KOPA.

For the latest knives, knife news, trends tips and more, stay tuned to www.blademag.com.

Knife Gift Idea Of The Month

Steve Shackleford

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November 13, 2013

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Our knife gift idea of the month is just in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Have you ever thought about assembling a knife from one of the many kits available on today’s market and offering it to someone special in your life? There are any number of kits, some below $50, that offer all the materials you need to assemble a knife.

With Thanksgiving just around the bend, why not assemble a Jantz (www.knifemaking.com) carving set to carve the turkey? The Jantz SS807 set features a carving knife and carving fork. The kit contains blade and fork blanks, rosewood Dymondwood handle materials, 5/16-inch brass cutlery rivets and assembly instructions. MSRP: $23.95. Or, you can go whole hog and assemble an entire Early American cutlery set that includes cook’s, carver, boner, paring and four steak blades, rivets and walnut Dymondwood handle material, all for only $64.95.

At www.knifekits.com there is a selection of kits that includes assisted openers, damascus folders, hunters, bowies, balisongs and tactical knives featuring all the parts you need for assembly via common tools found around most households.

Jantz also offers a range of kits that include mini and standard-size folders. The handles are profiled, drilled and countersunk for proper fit and come in a selection of materials. Looking for fixed-blade kits? Jantz has them in its Outdoorsman Series, which includes non-glare bead-blasted blade blanks. The kits are perfect for the beginner, can be completed in a few hours and the results look and perform great for hunting and camping. Blade shapes include skinners and there’s even a hatchet. The kits range from $24.95 to $29.95 and the completed sheaths range from $12.95 to $14.50.

For the latest knives, knife news, tips, trends and more, stay sharp at www.blademag.com.

Salute America’s Family of Veterans

Steve Shackleford

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November 11, 2013

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Many American families have their share of veterans. In fact, you could say America is one big family of veterans. With that in mind, today is Veterans Day, the day to thank all the veterans you know—those in your family and those everywhere—for keeping America safe.

My Grandfather Frank was in the Army and drove an ambulance in Europe during World War I. My dad was in the Navy during World War II and served as a radar man on the USS Cimarron, an oiler that serviced many of its sister ships in the Pacific Theater. He never talked much about the war but I know he enjoyed his time and the friends he made while in the service. He and Mom were married in 1942 and she supported him throughout the conflict. She gets a lot of credit, too.

Dad’s brother, my Uncle Jack, also served in the Navy during the war, as did my great Uncle Grady. He was in the Army Air Corps. My Uncle Joe served on the USS Hancock, an aircraft carrier, in the 1950s. I served in the Navy during the Vietnam War era and was stationed at Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico, and Little Creek, Virginia. My service helped me grow from a peach-fuzz-faced kid into a young man, and also provided me with the money from the G.I. Bill to get my college degree.

I am but one of many to come from such families. How about you? Did you serve, or did anyone in your family? Tell us about your experiences or those of your family members who served—where they served, the years, etc.

Meanwhile, of course, let’s not forget all those brave souls who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Without them, none of us would be living in this great nation and enjoying the freedoms we do. Maybe there are better countries to live in, but not for me. I’ll take this one.

For the latest knives, knife trends, tips, news and much more, stay sharp at www.blademag.com.

Knife For Veteran’s Day

Joe Kertzman

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November 8, 2013

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On Veteran’s Day (11/11/13), U.S. Elite Gear, in collaboration with Rustick Knives, plans to introduce a limited-edition (you guessed it, only 11 knives will be released initially) fixed-blade “Kraken” model for sale through U.S. Elite’s website, www.US-EliteGear.com. The Kraken features a 6-inch, recurved, tan-Cerakote™-treated blade of 1/4-inch-thick 80CrV2 tool steel, black G-10 handle scales and a “coyote”-brown Kydex® sheath with a Blade-Tech clip for attachment to gear.

Designed by SGM Jack Stottlemire (retired), founder of Rustick Knives, and U.S. Elite’s Jim Erwin, former Army Ranger and 1st SFOD-D operator, who the knife is inspired after, the knife is manufactured in the Rustick Knives production facility in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina.

“Having served for 26 years as a Marine, paratrooper and Special Operations soldier, with 12 combat tours, I know firsthand that a soldier needs a good strong knife that is not going to fail,” stated Stottlemire. “Just about every soldier on the battlefield carries a fixed-blade knife on his kit, it just feels right, and is one of those essential items that we all must have.

The 11 limited-edition Kraken knives will be available for purchase for $350 each through www.US-EliteGear.com on November 11^th, Veterans Day. After those are exhausted, un-serialized knives will be available for $299 each.

For other tactical fixed blades, click here.

New BLADE® Hits Newsstands Today!

Steve Shackleford

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November 5, 2013

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The new BLADE® is on newsstands now! Get the latest on knives for Veterans Day, the coolest factory assisted-opening knives, knife tests, knifemaker profiles and much more with newest edition of the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication.

Sporting the Condor Tool & Knife (CTK) Tactical Rescue Tomahawk (TRT) on the cover—the first time ever that an edged tool from CTK has appeared on the cover of BLADE®—the latest issue includes the TRT among four hawks tested by writer James Ayres.

It was almost 10 years ago this month that knifemaker Rob Simonich was killed in a vehicle accident. Join Dexter Ewing as he interviews those who knew and loved Rob—including Mrs. Christine Simonich, knifemaker Jerry Hossom, Mike Fuller of TOPS Knives, knifemaker Tom Mayo and others. Those who remember Rob will relish the story, and those who don’t get the chance to acquaint themselves with a man who touched the lives of many—and continues to to this day.

We often get letters from readers who want more on sheaths, and this issue ABS master smith Ed Fowler begins a multi-part story on how he makes the sheaths for his knives. Known far and wide for his sheep-handle knives with 52100 blades, Ed also makes one of the best pouch sheaths going. He shows you how he does it in part one of “Sheath How-To Step-By-Step.”

Part two of the story on the top makers in the 40 years of BLADE® focuses on the cream of the cutlery crop from 1989-2000. It was yet another golden age of knifemaking. Check out the top makers over that span as identified by our panel of edged experts. Tell us who we left out—because it’s impossible to do such a list and not leave someone out.

There’s much more in the issue—but the best way we know to tell you about it is to tell you to go get the latest issue on newsstands. Or, if you want it faster, subscribe to BLADE® digitally by visiting http://www.shopblade.com/blade-1-yr-digital-subscription

BLADE Magazine

Share Your Knife Memories of Rob Simonich

RUKO Is Exclusive Importer of Muela Knives

Federal Knife Owners’ Protection Act Introduced

Knife Gift Idea Of The Month

Salute America’s Family of Veterans

Knife For Veteran’s Day

New BLADE® Hits Newsstands Today!

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