Kingwood and San Mai Hunter
17th Annual Arkansas Custom Knife Show This Weekend
ABS master smith Jerry Fisk will be one of several makers exhibiting at this weekend’s Arkansas Custom Knife Show. Fisk’s “Sendero” hunter features the maker’s dog-star-pattern damascus blade steel and a mammoth ivory handle. The engraving is by the maker. (Chuck Ward photo)
Some of the world’s top bladesmiths and knifemakers will descend on Little Rock, Arkansas, this Saturday and Sunday for the 17th Annual Arkansas Custom Knife Show.
The show will be held in the Robinson Center Exhibit Hall at Markham & Broadway in downtown Little Rock. There will be 150 tables, of which 102 will have various styles and sizes of custom knives. The balance of tables will have knifemaking supplies, leather products, and knife-related books.
Among makers slated to exhibit are Russ Andrews, Jim Batson, Tim Britton, Bruce Bump, Joel Chamblin, Jim Crowell, Jerry Fisk, Don Hanson III, Jerry Lairson, Shawn McIntyre, Ron Newton, Cliff Parker, Lin Rhea, Kyle Royer, Brian Thie, Brion Tomberlin, Jim Walker, John White, Mike Williams and many more.
Show hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, which is good for both days.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb021612#BL1SU
Andersen Forge part 7
A few days with Andersen forge, just showing a little bit of how things go in the shop. Not a how too video. But more of a who is and where the knives come f…
Neuman Reintroduces Alaskan Pro-Knife Bill
Following the lead of the Federal Switchblade Act amendment of 2009, and language American Knife & Tool Institute (AKTI) officials said they successfully used first in California in 2001, Rep. Mark Neuman (R), Alaska House District 15, last year introduced clarifying “bias toward closure” language to the definition of gravity knife and switchblade in Alaska’s criminal law.
Unfortunately, time ran out last year for the legislation to be passed.
But as Rep. Neuman promised, he is reintroducing HB 55 this session. As Rep. Neuman states in his Sponsor Statement, “According to the American Knife and Tool Institute, there are over 35.6 million Americans who carry and use some type of utilitarian knife which opens with one hand.” He encourages fellow legislators to recognize the importance of one-handed or assisted-opening knives in Alaska to hunters, anglers and craftsmen, and to support the definition changes to protect Alaskans’ knife rights and clarify that the knives are legal to own and use.
Rep. Neuman attended a presentation last fall by members of the AKTI Board of Regents who showed him several examples of knives, answered his questions and explained the advocacy goals of the organization to protect the knife industry and all knife owners from restrictive and confusing laws.
Alaskans, encourage your representatives to support HB 55. Contact them today at http://w3.legis.state.ak.us.
To understand knife mechanisms and bias toward closure, check out www.AKTI.org/resources/additional-definitions.
For more information, call (307) 587-8296 or visit the American Knife & Tool Institute website at www.AKTI.org. The mailing address is 22 Vista View Lane, Cody, WY 82414-9606. Or follow AKTI at: http://www.Facebook.com/SaveOurKnives.
http://twitter.com/SaveOurKnives
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb021512#BL1SU
BLADE® Reader Addresses Made-In-The-USA Debate
I am a long-time subscriber—I think from volume one, number one—but have never, until now, been motivated to write. However, the “Web Chatter” section in the January “Readers Respond” of BLADE® magazine prompted my letter. With all due respect to Mr. Doug Metzger, not everyone shares his defeatist attitude. His statement, “American consumers will never pay the prices for a knife made in the USA,” amazes me.
I favor Case (made in Bradford, Pennsylvania) and Queen (Titusville, Pennsylvania) knives and have quite a few of each. If I am clearing brush around the property, I use a Woodman’s Pal (Boyertown, Pennsylvania). I might take a break from brush clearing and light up with a Zippo lighter (Bradford, Pennsylvania), then haul the brush away in a Jackson Trailer Cart (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania) behind my made-in-the-USA Craftsman tractor. After a hard day’s work, I might hop—more likely crawl—into my F-150 (Ford didn’t take a stimulus handout) and go buy some Yuengling beer (Pottsville, Pennsylvania). Sometimes people even notice my made-in-the-USA N.R.A. cap. If it starts to rain, I know the beer will stay dry thanks to my Jeraco truck cap (Williamsport, Pennsylvania).
Well, guess I’ll get in the F-150 and go to the hardware store. They have a neat Case I just have to buy.
Dale Wunsche, Chalfont, Pennsylvania
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb021412#BL1SU
Knifemakers to Watch in 2012
Bladeart.com’s Larry Brahms includes Todd Rexford among the makers who employ exceptional design, materials, and fit and finish, and yet never deviate from the knife’s ultimate purpose—to cut. “Injection” features Chad Nichols’ Fade stainless damascus and Mokuti accents throughout. (SharpByCoop.com photo)
Here are a few to add to your list of those “moving on up”
By Stephen Garger
Technological and design advances in the knifemaking arena seem to have come quicker over the past couple of years. This may be due, at least in part, to the increasing number of makers—including those outside U.S. borders—exploding on the scene. In addition, steels, patterns and handle materials are evolving within a context of quickened networks of communication that allows information to be shared instantly.
Taken as a whole, this may make it difficult for the average knife enthusiast to keep up—not only with advances in knifemaking, but with the makers who bear watching in the coming year. Such a group includes not only new makers but also experienced ones who may just be coming into their own, or have developed a new style or technique.
Bladeart.com’s Larry Brahms lists knifemakers Brad Southard, Jeremy Marsh, Todd Rexford, Michael Burch, Sal Manaro and Aaron Fredrick among those to watch, noting that over the past year all six have grown dramatically in the craft. “Each utilizes exceptional design, materials, and fit and finish, and yet they never deviate from the piece’s ultimate purpose, which is to cut,” Brahms noted.
Frederick also is one BladeGallery.com President Dan O’Malley tabbed to watch in 2012. “Aaron was one of the first tactical makers to really hit the market and was becoming very well known when, in 2004, he went into the military to serve his country,” O’Malley said. “When Aaron returned to the U.S. and knifemaking toward the end of 2010, his designs were highly influenced by his overseas experiences, and his melding of tactical styles with gent’s folders is spectacular—combining an exceptional fit and finish with brawn.”
Frederick’s 3PS model is a good example and combines materials such as lightning-strike carbon fiber with damascus bolsters and a stainless blade for a BladeGallery.com price of $525. “Aaron’s work was on the forefront of the movement toward using the flipper mechanism,” O’Malley stated, “and his smooth action makes this opener a fantastic choice for quick tactical deployment.”
Price Competitive
Two other makers O’Malley said to study are Andre DeVilliers and Michael Quesenberry. DeVilliers is a self-taught member of the South African Knifemakers Guild O’Malley described as “a maker who is going places. His distinctive knives are innovative, dependable and beautiful.” The relatively lower cost of living in South Africa allows DeVilliers to be price competitive in the U.S. market while keeping pace with the coolest and hottest materials.
“Most of his knives are designed for hard use but also have a refinement that is rarely found in knives of that type, which creates a category I like to call ‘dress tactical,’” O’Malley said. “Andre is using hi-tech steels like 19c27 and Damasteel stainless damascus, and is a big fan of ‘nightmare grinds,’ and does some of the best of those grinds in the business.” O’Malley indicated DeVilliers’ “Pathfinder” is a well-thought-through folder featuring strong construction, with aggressive geometric lines and a BladeGallery.com price of around $550, depending on materials.
“Michael Quesenberry is a part-time knifemaker, a self-confessed hobbyist, but an extraordinarily talented one,” O’Malley began. Most of Quesenberry’s knives are forged, though he will grind stainless steel on customer request. “Michael considers it a point of pride that he does all his own leatherwork and damascus, as well as heat treating and cryogenic treatment,” O’Malley reported. “He does everything from field-use hunters to dramatic art knives, and his control over damascus is particularly exceptional—even creating mosaic damascus knives with integral bolsters, which is a particularly difficult technique.”
Quesenberry credits Roy Holt with getting him started on the right path to knifemaking, and also values the friendship of makers Gary Iames and Buz Johns for inspiring him to craftsmanship levels he never dreamed possible. BladeGallery.com’s price for a Quesenberry damascus integral with a stag handle is around $1,100. O’Malley also mentioned Andre Thorburn, Daniel Winkler (specifically the Winkler II line), and Sniper Bladeworks (Lance Abernathy and Jody Muller) as makers to watch.
Guild’s Field
The makers purveyor Don Guild deems those to keep an eye on in 2012 are all well known: Emmanuel Espinosa, Stephen Olszewski, Ken Steigerwalt, Juergen Steinau and Wolfgang Loerchner. An award-winning maker, Loerchner has crafted many fixed blades. According to Guild, though, Loerchner is concentrating on art folders that display exceptional fit and finish.
“An art knife of superior, velvety mechanical operation that also has the eye appeal that drives [Loerchner’s] work is not being done by another maker I know of,” Guild opined. “To combine art and mechanics [Guild’s emphasis] in the same knife is a rare talent only a few makers possess, and that combination serves to provide an understated beauty of form and function. Everything he creates is truly handmade and has been sought by top collectors for years, and now the international trade is chasing his work.”
The proliferation of makers renders the field increasingly hard to chart—a challenge that merely adds to the fun of buying and collecting knives. The makers described herein only scratch the surface of those to watch in 2012. However, they give you some to be on the lookout for while balancing the search with your own experience and subjective taste.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb021312#BL1SU
Jonas Earns ABS Journeyman Smith Stamp
Zack Jonas earned his American Bladesmith Society (ABS) journeyman smith stamp at the recent ABS Show in San Antonio, Texas.
The five knives Zack submitted for judging are in the photograph by Point Seven. All feature 1095 carbon blade steel.
Zack said he’s received more comments on the Honey Badger (second from top in the photograph) than any other of the knives.
“Apparently there’s this video on YouTube where somebody has dubbed over some footage of a honey badger being a honey badger, and it’s supposed to be fairly inappropriate,” Zack noted. “[ABS maser smith] Tommy Gann cracked up when I told him what that knife was called.
“I named it that because as I was working it, the swedge reminded me of the coloration on a badger’s back/face, and because the ironwood was distinctly honey-hued. That’s the whole story.”
For more on the knives, contact Zack at [email protected] or click on www.JonasBlade.com.
For more on the latest knives, knife legislation, knifemaking instruction, knife trends, knifemakers, what knives to buy and where and much more, subscribe to BLADE® Magazine, the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication. For subscription information click on http://www.shopblade.com/product/blade-magazine-one-year-subscripti…?r+ssfb021212#BL1SU
Must Read Articles
Knifemaking 101 – Read This Before You Make a Knife
by Wayne Goddard
My experience has taught me that there's nothing like digging in and getting started. I've often said the hardest part of the...
