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What’s Your Favorite Knife Design?

Joe Kertzman
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With over 100 knife designs to choose from—101 to be exact—there’s plenty to mull over in coming up with an ultimate favorite blade design or pattern. Renowned knifemaker and heckuva nice guy, Murray Carter, known to stand behind his table at knife shows, including the BLADE Show, honing knife blades and demonstrating to attendees how to sharpen their own edges, reveals his favorite 101 Knife Designs. Carter_001Print

 

 

In his book, 101 Knife Designs, Carter displays not only gorgeous knife photography by none other than famed photographer Hiro Soga, but drawings, patterns, scaled designs and supportive text, allow aspiring bladesmiths to create their own knives using Carter’s popular, time-honored designs. Dazzling, full-color images of the completed knives provide inspiration and direction. 101 Knife Designs will show the reader why certain distinct blade designs have stood the test of time and remain popular even to this day. Practical blade patterns follow several rules of thumb. When these rules are applied to new knife designs, there is a greater chance the design will stand the test of time and use.

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About the Author: Murray Carter (cartercutlery.com), one of the most popular custom knifemakers at the annual BLADE Show, regularly conducts wildly popular seminars on shaving with a machete, and is known for standing at his booth sharpening knives while teaching the techniques to interested attendees.

 

James Black Descendant Gets a Bowie

Steve Shackleford
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James Black Descendant Gets a Bowie

While there is still no definitive proof that James Black made a knife for Jim Bowie, one thing is certain: a descendant of Black’s received a “recreation of a James Black knife” during the Natchez Antique Bowie Knife Show last month.

 

Celia Johnson accepts Jim Batson's recreation of a "James Black bowie" from Batson.
Jim Batson presents a “recreation of a James Black bowie” to Celia Johnson.

ABS master smith James L. “Jim” Batson made the reproduction of the knife and presented it to Mrs. Celia Johnson, who claims to be a descendant of Black. She says she is descended from Gradison DeRorysten Black, the son of James Black. Celia and her husband, Jerry, traveled from Baytown, Texas, to accept the silver-mounted knife and sheath fashioned by Batson and based on what is believed to be a Black knife in the Historic Arkansas Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Johnsons stayed at the Dunleift Hall, owned by Mike Worley, during the show. Worley sponsored the show, which was held in Natchez, Mississippi.

 

The Johnsons brought a scrapbook full of old family pictures and a handwritten list of ancestors and originally showed it to Batson during the American Bladesmith Society’s 2012 All-Forged Knife Expo in San Antonio, Texas (see page 44, July 2012 BLADE® www.blademag.com). Batson is one of the world’s foremost authorities on Jim Bowie and James Black. He has conducted extensive research on Bowie and bowie knives, written any number of stories on the subject for BLADE, a book on Bowie’s famous Sandbar Fight, coordinated Bowie Symposiums at the BLADE Show (www.bladeshow.com), and much more. He also coordinates the Batson Bladesmithing Symposium each spring in McCalla, Alabama, and is a past multi-term chairman of the ABS.

 

Batson pored over the Johnsons’ documents and pictures at the 2012 San Antonio show. Among the topics of their discussion was the famous 19th-century daguerreotype that reportedly shows James Black and Judge Jacob Buzzard, the physical resemblance of the man some believe is Black in the daguerreotype to that of some of Celia’s ancestors, and Black family history in general.

 

For the latest on knives, knife news and more, stay honed at www.blademag.com (www.blademag.com).

 

What’s Your “Comeback” Knife?

Steve Shackleford
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What’s Your “Comeback” Knife?

Is there a specific knife model, a knife style or some other knife feature, gizmo or what have you that you don’t see anymore but would like to see make a comeback?

It can be just about anything—custom or factory, combat or kitchen, utility or fantasy—you name it and you discuss it. A picture of it sure would help matters.

Here’s an example.

I’d like to see Spyderco bring back the Maddox one-hand utility knife. Designed by Joe Maddox for a friend who had a broken arm, the Maddox is tailor-made for use by those who can use only one hand. However, my wife Susan—who has two healthy hands, by the way—uses it on a regular basis in the kitchen for any number of chopping/dicing chores. The ulu-style blade and handy wood handle combine to make a great tool for exerting downward pressure and a rocking-type cutting motion on a cutting board.

By the way, I got the idea for this short story from Spyderco’s Joyce Laituri, winner of the BLADE Magazine 2013 Publisher’s Award for her stellar career as Spyderco marketing manager and public relations guru.

What about you? What knife would you like to see make a comeback, or what knife or knives made long ago but are no longer would you like to see offered today? Or, is there a style or type of knife that’s rarely made that you’d like to see more of? It can be most anything—a special kind of folder, multi-blade, folding bowie, etc. Or, it can be a knife made from a vintage blade steel or handle material, an old style of embellishment no longer or rarely used, etc.

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

How about a comeback of the Spyderco Maddox?
The Spyderco Maddox is an example of a discontinued knife the author would like to see make a comeback.

 

Do You Have Your Hunting Knife?

Joe Kertzman
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Do You Have Your Hunting Knife?

There is no single profile that fits all hunters, and there isn’t a specific hunting knife that fulfills all needs. That’s a good thing for the knife industry. Some guys like a standard fixed-blade, drop-point hunter that comes in a leather belt sheath, maybe even with a slight hump near the tip of the blade where they can rest their finger and choke up on the blade. One of custom knifemaker Russ Kommer’s favorite packages is the 2-Shot. He has used it daily in the field as a hunting guide in Alaska and around the world. X3351Russ says, “I’ve always preferred a smaller semi-skinner, even for the biggest of game. You just use the hump near the end of the blade to locate your index finger. And the blade is short enough that you can work inside the animal and feel where you are at all times.” The CRKT Kommer 2-Shot Skinner Knife has a 3.15-inch full-tang 12C27 Sandvik stainless steel blade, stainless bolsters, orange G10 handle scales and stainless steel pins.

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Some ever-prepared hunters aiming for big game opt for a hatchet/skinner combination pack such as the Timberline Hatchet/Bush Guide Skinner Combo. It includes Kommer’s Alaskan Bush Pilot Hatchet and Alaskan Skinner. Expertly crafted from polished 440 stainless steel, the Alaskan Bush Pilot Hatchet boasts a 4-inch, full-tang head, while the Alaskan Skinner sports a 3.625-inch 440A stainless steel skinner blade. Each handle is precision machined Zytel for a non-slip grip and ease of use. The Alaskan Combo includes a ballistic nylon sheath with belt loop, and weighs 2.28 lbs.

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Gut hooks come in handy for skinning game animals, and a Realtree-pattern handle is a plus. The Kutmaster Team Realtree Guthook Knife dons a 420 stainless steel blade with sharp gut hook on the spine, a Realtree camo handle pattern, and a nylon belt-loop sheath. 

For many more quality options, visit ShopBlade.com, and stock up for the hunt!

The Gathering 5 In Las Vegas This Weekend

Steve Shackleford
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The Gathering 5 In Las Vegas This Weekend
Join Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion and others at The Gathering 5 Labor Day weekend in Las Vegas. (SharpByCoop.com photo)
Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion will be among the exhibitors at The Gathering 5. (SharpByCoop.com photo)

 

Knifemakers, knife manufacturers, knifemaking suppliers, purveyors—anything and everything to do with knives, gear, lights and toys, particularly of the tactical kind—will party down this Labor Day weekend for the Usual Suspect Network’s Gathering 5 in Las Vegas.

Held at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino and billed as the “Ultimate Party for USN Enthusiasts,” The Gathering is set up in “quads,” where a novice and two established makers or suppliers join a major maker. A circular traffic flow ensures you won’t miss any exhibitor and makes it easy to re-locate them as well.

One of the world’s fastest growing knife shows begins Friday, Aug. 30, at 9 a.m. The show closes at 6 p.m. and many show exhibitors and patrons will reassemble at 7 p.m. until the wee hours in Traders’ Cove, a watering hole and gathering spot. The same show hours apply for Saturday, Aug. 31, with the reassembly in Traders’ Cove at 7:30 p.m. to late. Thursday is registration day for all exhibitors, though the show will unofficially kick off that night at 7 p.m.—yes, until very late again—in Traders’ Cove.

Though subject to change, the lottery schedule includes exhibiting knifemakers Brad Southard, Todd Begg, Pete Carey, Rick Hinderer (he will have two), Ernest Emerson, Jeremy Marsh and Todd Rexford, Derek Munroe and Sal Manaro, Gerry McGinnis, and Brian Fellhoelter.

A short list of exhibitors includes Benchmade, Bob Terzuola, Burchtree, Charles Marlowe, CRKT, Daniel Winkler, DPx Gear, Allen Elishewitz, Greg Lightfoot, Hawk Knives, KAI USA, Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame© member Ken Onion, Kirby Lambert, Lee Williams, Luc Burnley, Matt Cucchiara, Mel and Joe Pardue, Microtech, Plaza Cutlery, Pro-Tech, Richard Rogers, Rick Barrett, RMJ Tactical, Sniper Bladeworks, Spartan Blades, Spyderco, Strider Knives, Tim Britton, Tom Ferry, Tom Krein, Tom Mayo, True North Knives and many more.

For more show information visit http://usngathering.com/info/moreinfo.htm or call 305-255-9176 ext. 215.

For the latest knife news, stay glued to www.blademag.com.

How Do You Open Your Knife?

Steve Shackleford
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How Do You Open Your Knife?
Thumb studs are the mode of opening for the Timberline SOC folding knife.
The Timberline SOC folding knife uses thumb studs to open the blade.

So which do you like best to open the blade on your folding knife? Are you a fan of the “Spyderco hole” or do you prefer the thumb studs of such knives as the Timberline SOC Folder? How about a disc atop the blade? Or do you simply grasp the blade between thumb and index finger and snap the knife open? Do flippers do it for you or are you one of those rugged individualists from the 1960s who can open your Buck 110 folding hunter one-handed by the nail nick? Or do you go back even further and prefer opening your traditional slip joint with two hands? Or do you shun all folders and use fixed blades only?

Opening folding knives is one of those things that seem to galvanize Americans everywhere. From the anti-switchblade hysteria of the 1950s caused by Hollywood’s sensationalizing the knife through such film fantasies as The Blackboard Jungle, Rebel Without a Cause and West Side Story to today’s assisted openers, methods for opening folding knives have been miscast as the root of all evil, the means of corrupting our nation’s youth and other social pariahs. Meanwhile, those who use knives for 99.9 percent of what most are used for—cutting—have hailed them for their convenience, utility and, at times, ability to save lives in situations where the user had only one hand to open his blade and cut his way out of danger.

Yes, the one-hand folder is one of the most sensible tools on the planet, and we want to know what your favorite version is. Tell us in words, pictures or however you want to do it. Here’s your chance to set the record straight and maybe even convert some poor miscreant who really thinks one-hand knives are the modern equivalent of the apple in the Garden Of Evil.

Click here for more on the Timberline SOC Folder in coyote tan in our store.

Video: Actress Chloë Grace Moretz Flips on Conan O’Brien

BLADE Staff
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Video: Actress Chloë Grace Moretz Flips on Conan O’Brien

Add Chloë Grace Moretz to the list of Hollywood celebrities who knows her knives. In this clip, she demonstrates her butterfly knife skills (or as she correctly identifies it, a “Balisong”). Listen closely to the end of the clip. Moretz says she received training and learned how to respect the knife.

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