The BLADE Show is June 6-8, 2014, at the Cobb Galleria Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Don’t miss out. Get your ticket to the World’s Greatest  Knife Show now! See you there!
KA-BAR announces an exciting project to manufacture and release a limited edition of 350 iconic E.W. Stone WW II theater knives. E.W. Stone, Jr., Stone’s son, has collaborated with KA-BAR to use his father’s original handle casts of what has now become legendary to WW II knife collectors—skull and cobra grips. The grips will anchor 350 KA-BAR USMC Fighting/Utility knives with blued blades.
The climate and the nature of combat in the South Pacific led to the creation of the Stone Knife. The leather handle of the KA-BAR USMC Fighting/Utility knife often fell prey to the humidity, rainfall and combat conditions of the Pacific campaign. Though the blade remained intact, the handles occasionally suffered from jungle rot. In a display of resourcefulness, E.W. Stone, Sr., who worked in the foundry of the USS Holland, cast new handles onto the KA-BAR blades. Stone salvaged material from downed Japanese aircraft to make his signature handle. Approximately 250-300 E.W. Stone theater knives were made during World War II, and according to his son in a video (see video at end of story), about 95 percent of the cast handles were on KA-BAR knife blades.
The modern KA-BAR E.W. Stone Knife features a JRE semi-custom sheath, a golden oak Gerstner display case, an informational booklet and DVD, and a certificate of authenticity signed by KA-BAR President John Stitt and E.W. Stone, Jr.
The KA-BAR E.W. Stone Knife can be purchased only at KA-BAR.com, or by calling KA-BAR at 800-282-0130. The cost of the E.W. Stone is $1,000. Â The E.W. Stone Knife is sold on a first come first serve basis and is limited to five per customer.
Make sure to watch this fascinating video interview with E.W. Stone, Jr.:
Except in “a very limited number of circumstances,” the federal government has announced a ban on the commercial trade of elephant ivory, according to a report from the office of the secretary of The White House.
A new federal ban will require documentation proving antique ivory is over 100 years old. Landon Robbins used fossil ivory on his fixed blade here. (Ward photo)
How the ban will affect existing knives with handles of elephant and fossil ivory and existing supplies of elephant and fossil ivory held by knifemaking suppliers, knifemakers and others is not exactly clear at this time. However, if past experience is any barometer, knife professionals and enthusiasts should expect the worst.
Announced yesterday, Feb. 11, the ban prohibits, except under the aforementioned very limited number of circumstances, the import, export or resale of elephant ivory within the United States.
To implement the new controls, federal departments and agencies will immediately act to:
•Prohibit the commercial import of African elephant ivory, including antiques;
•Prohibit the commercial export of elephant ivory, except for bona fide antiques, certain noncommercial items and in “exceptional circumstances permitted under the Endangered Species Act”;
•Clarify the definition of “antique” so that the ivory must be more than 100 years old and meet other requirements under the Endangered Species Act. It will be up to the importer, exporter or seller to prove the item passes muster;
•Limit the number of African elephant sport-hunted trophies an individual can import to two per hunter per year; and, lastly;
•Finalize a proposed rule that would “reaffirm and clarify that sales across state lines are prohibited, except for bona fide antiques, and will prohibit sales within a state unless the seller can demonstrate an item was lawfully imported prior to 1990 for African elephants and 1975 for Asian elephants, or under an exemption document.”
In the coming months, the report noted, the federal government will take further steps to implement the “National Strategy,” and will work with Congress to strengthen existing laws and adopt new ones to enhance its “ability to address this global challenge.”
In other words, the federal government has declared war on all things ivory.
Stay tuned to www.blademag.com for further developments.
Sometimes it’s easy to denigrate the many black-handle tactical folders on the market, but Hogue Knives’ approach to the grip material for its EX-03 sheds new light on black.
The handle material for the EX-03 is a polymer known as Polyphenylene Sulfide. The trade name is PPS.
Hogue uses a polymer known as PPS for its EX-03 folder. (Hogue photo)
“This material was selected for its high-tensile strength—29,000 psi—along with many other strength categories which are superior to a more commonly used reinforced nylon such as Zytel®,” noted Jim Bruhns, president of Hogue. “PPS is also much more thermally resistant than nylon, which is more of a big deal that you would expect.
“In most applications reinforced nylon, also known as glass-filled nylon, works very well through a wide range of temperature. We have seen occasion where polymer products fail as a result of extreme temperature in some obvious places, such as the trunk of a car where extreme highs and lows can occur. Again, PPS wins in this category with a much higher deflection temperature than nylon.”
The internal components that make the EX-03’s mechanism are 17-4 stainless steel. The real trick, Bruhns stressed, was getting such a robust assembly staged into an injection-mold tool in a way that the blade could be added and adjusted as part of a final assembly after molding.
“This was something that was met with quite a bit of skepticism, as the problem is quite challenging,” Bruhns continued. “This really goes to the root competency of what we do here at Hogue.”
Bruhns was able to develop the needed tooling for the task and the results speak for themselves.
“We now have a single-piece polymer frame folder with all of the best-known materials available in a rock-solid assembly,” he stated. “This knife is the best bang for your buck available today.”
For more on the Hogue EX-03, see the May BLADE®, on newsstands Feb. 25.
The American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) reports that, in an effort to encourage consistent knife laws from state to state, the organization has been working with U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) to introduce U.S. Senate Bill S. 1955 last week (January 20th-24th.)
The bill, co-sponsored by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), is also known as the “Knife Owner’s Protection Act of 2014,” or KOPA, and will allow citizens to transport knives over state lines for lawful purposes, even when state or local restrictions would otherwise prohibit possession of that specific type of knife or length of blade. KOPA is modeled after the federal Firearms Owners’ Protection Act, which gives firearms owners the protection to pass through all jurisdictions with guns that are legal where they live.”
“As an outdoorsman and hunter, I know that knives are an essential tool for sport and various occupations. The right to carry a hunting knife or pocketknife while traveling should be protected, even if you pass through a city or state that isn’t knife friendly,” U.S. Senator Enzi said. “I’m proud to be working with the AKTI and their members on this bill, and I appreciate all their work on behalf of knife owners across America. With their help, we can put an end to the charges, fines and arrests that happen to people lawfully traveling across state lines for carrying what is legal in most parts of the country.”
The Spyderco booth was abuzz with activity during the 2014 SHOT Show.
The new knives, sharpeners and knife-related accessories for 2014 were the order of the week at the recent SHOT Show in Las Vegas.
It also was the scene of several companies announcing anniversaries in 2014, including: Boker (145th); Case and Ontario (125th); Gerber (75th); Buck’s 110 folding hunter (50th); Kershaw and Frost Cutlery (40th); Lansky (35th); Outdoor Edge (25th); Microtech and CRKT (20th); and Canal Street Cutlery (10th).
Knife companies from around the world descended on the Sands Convention Center Jan. 14-17 to display the latest in new models, materials, mechanisms and more. A sampling included:
•Celebrating its 125th anniversary, Case showcased a new Harley-Davidson line of knives, the latest Tony Bose factory-custom collaboration “teardrop” design and new Marine Corps knives;
•In addition to celebrating its 40th anniversary and welcoming Willie Robertson of TV’s Duck Dynasty fame (Willie was there to plug the upcoming Kershaw/Duck Dynasty knives and other new Kershaw/Duck Dynasty offerings), Kershaw introduced three new Ernest Emerson factory-custom collaborations and several of its new Black Wash handle models, including one designed by Rick Hinderer;
•Buck celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Buck 110 with a special golden anniversary 110 and introduced the new Strong Lock flipper;
•Queen showcased some new Schatt & Morgan designs and a Joe Kious factory-custom collaboration;
•On its 125th anniversary, Ontario debuted two new Dan Maragni designs: a bushcraft/survival knife with fire starter and a big machete, both sporting 5160 carbon blade steel;
•Lansky is celebrating its 35th anniversary and introduced a new line of Mikkel Willumsen folders;
•Victorinox touted its assimilation of Wenger and the former Wenger knives it will incorporate into the Victorinox line, including a number of the Eco models, as well as introducing a Carl Elsener damascus commemorative in a production run of 7,000 pieces;
•Gerber is observing its 75th anniversary with a renewed emphasis on domestic production, including three new folders in CPM S30V, CPM S35VN and 154CM stainless steels;
•CRKT is celebrating its 20th anniversary and introduced factory-custom collaborations designed by Lucas Burnley, Alan Folts and Ryan Johnson.
There was, of course, much more. Read all about it in an upcoming issue of BLADE®.
The “Shoreline” kick-stop flipper by Lee Williams jumps off the cover of the new BLADE®, on most newsstands TODAY!
Need your quarterly fix on the hottest custom knives of the hottest custom makers? Let the industry pros clue you in on page 12. If you’re into knife performance, see how two skinners stack up against one another on page 36.
Looking for the latest in fire-starter knives? Check out the hottest in the genre on page 30. Wonder what goes on in the minds of survivalists Mykel Hawke and Ruth England, stars of TV’s Man, Woman, Wild and Lost Survivors? See page 50.
Valentine’s Day and Presidents Day are near. If you’re in search of sharp gift ideas with heart, see page 22. If you want history on U.S. presidents and their knives and some of the latest retail examples thereof, see page 74.
Knifemaking supply companies are the lifeline of knifemakers and hobbyists. One of the leaders of the genre is Jantz Supply. See what Ken Jantz and Co. have on tap for your knifemaking experience on page 36.
The Super Bowl is nigh, so get your kicks with a Super Bowl knife. Nick Mesenbourg made one for Matt BIrk, starting center for last year’s champs, the Baltimore Ravens. See page 34.
If sheaths and antique bowies are your bag, keep pace with our two continuing series on the subjects: Ed Fowler’s “Sheath How-To, Step By Step” and Jim Batson’s ode to antique dog-bone bowies in part one of “Every Dog Bone Has Its Day,” pages 26 and 80, respectively.
Into the international knife scene? Join Joe and Lori Szilaski as they take you through one of the Old World’s best-kept knife show secrets, the 10th Annual International Knife Exhibition and Fair in Budapest, Hungary.
There’s much more in the latest BLADE, including editor Steve Shackleford’s “Unsheathed” on the advantages of not being a knife snob, Joe Kertzman’s revamped “Knifemaker Showcase,” and much more.
make hotel reservations at the Renaissance Waverly Hotel or one of the BLADE Show partner hotels; to see sharp seminars and view a seminar schedule; or see updated lists of exhibitors who will be displaying their wares at the World’s Greatest Knife Show.
