Table of contents for May 2020 in Blade

Blade|May 2020

READERS RESPOND

What To Do With a $40,000 Knife? I enjoyed the editorial “Are Customs Really Worth The Money?” in the February BLADE® and Mr. Banevicz’s letter that sparked it. A price of $40,000 for a custom knife does seem extreme for a knife, but not for art. As we decorate it, any item becomes a personal statement, but at some point it becomes art. I once saw a wood shaft claw hammer that was decorated. Carved chevrons adorned the wood handle and a scrollwork design was molded into the steel hammer head. The butt of the wood handle was encased in a beveled metal cap polished to a mirror finish. It was an elegant hammer but you could still pull nails with it. Now, imagine a hammer with a gold engraved…

3 min

Blade|May 2020

RAMBO MISSION KNIFE TURNS 35

Three years after First Blood took the box office by storm in 1982, Rambo: First Blood Part II* struck the public consciousness like a thunderclap. Sylvester Stallone brought the Vietnam veteran anti-hero back with a vengeance, and he carried a knife like none other. Rambo: First Blood Part II was more than equal to the challenge of being a sequel to the hard-hitting original, and actually was the highest grossing film of the first four produced around the action character. In step with the fervor of excitement that came with the 1985 debut of the second movie, the knife that John Rambo used in the sequel rightfully gained an enthusiastic following all its own. Like the first Rambo knife, the second was built by the incomparable BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame®…

10 min

Blade|May 2020

THE KNIFE I CARRY

“I carry a Murray Carter neck knife with a 4-inch forged blade and 3.5-inch desert ironwood scales, and a 1970s-era Tinker model Victorinox Swiss Army knife—and I don’t leave home without them! Behind me in the accompanying picture displayed on my wall, in no particular order, are my D’ Holder hunter with musk ox scales; a Ruana elk stag hunter and another Ruana by Vic Hangas; a D.E. Henry coffin handle fighter, 11.5 inches overall with an African walnut handle with nickel silver trim and a nickel silver scabbard; and an early 1960s Randall with a smooth bone handle. I also have knives by Ed Fowler, Jimmy Lile, Hugh Bartrug of Ashley Forge and on and on. My latest builder is Jordan LaMothe. To make the guard for my LaMothe…

1 min

Blade|May 2020

LEARN FROM THE MASTERS

So you want to be a knifemaker, eh? Make your own sheaths and scabbards? Set up your own shop? Forge your own damascus? Grind blades? Operate a disc sander? Make a coffin handle? Run a knife business? Sharpen, even photograph, knives? These learning opportunities and more, all taught by some of the world’s foremost knife authorities, await you at the 7th Annual BLADE University. Sponsored by Work Sharp, BLADE University is held in conjunction with the 39th Annual BLADE Show June 5-7 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Classes begin the day before BLADE Show 2020 and conclude show Saturday. While most are held in the Cobb Galleria, some classes also are conducted under the tent in The Courtyard—the latter the parking lot of the show’s host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta…

8 min

Blade|May 2020

Sweet SOLO SLIPPIES

BURT FLANAGAN MODEL NAME: Lanny’s Clip BLADE STEEL: Bill Burke high-contrast feather damascus CLOSED LENGTH: 3.8” BLADE LENGTH: 2.8” HANDLE MATERIAL: Sambar stag KNIFE TO KNOW: The bolsters and shield are wasp nest damascus forged by Chris Marks. THE MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,250 CHRIS SHARP PATTERN: Sodbuster BLADE LENGTH: 2.75” BLADE STEEL: CPM 154 stainless HANDLE MATERIAL: Amber stag from Culpepper & Co. KNIFE TO KNOW: Integral design CLOSED LENGTH: 3.5” MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $750 TIM ROBERTSON MODEL NAME: Fat Penny Trapper BLADE LENGTH: 3” BLADE STEEL: CPM 154 stainless BLADE PATTERN: Clip point HANDLE MATERIAL: Blue mammoth ivory CLOSED LENGTH: 4” MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $900 TANNER COUCH MODEL NAME: South Texas Trapper BLADE LENGTH: 4” BLADE…

6 min

Blade|May 2020

ONE KNIFE AT A TIME

Lester “Les” de Asis, founder of Benchmade Knife Co., co-founder of the American Knife & Tool Institute and a member of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame®, died peacefully surrounded by his family Feb. 21. He had suffered a stroke just a few days before. He was 68. Les’s son Jon, who took over the reins of Benchmade in 2018, recalled his father with affection and admiration. “No words can properly express the sadness of our loss,” he began. “Our family has lost our beloved husband, father and grandfather. Benchmade has lost our founder, friend and visionary who built one of the greatest knife brands in the world. “His personality and character extended far beyond business, creating fun friendships and relationships that brought him tremendous joy day after day.…

3 min

Blade|May 2020

WHERE TO GET ’EM

HOW TO BUY CUSTOM KNIVES PART III P. 24 Edmund Davidson 3345 Virginia Ave, Goshen, VA 24439, Phone: 540-997-5651, davidson.edmund@ gmail.com; Web: www.edmunddavidson.com; Jerry Fisk 10095 Hwy 278 W, Nashville, AR 71852, Phone: 870-845-4456, jerry@jerryfisk.com; Web: www. jerryfisk.com or Facebook: Jerry Fisk, MS Custom Knives; Daniele Ibba, ibbaknives@gmail.com, ibbacreations.com ; Jeremy Krammes 138 W. Penn St., Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972, Phone: 570-617-5753, blade@jkknives.com; Web: www.jkknives.com; Jody Muller 3359 S. 225th Rd., Goodson, MO 65663, Phone: 417-752-3260, mullerforge2@hotmail.com; Web: www. mullerforge.com; Brian Tighe 12-111 Fourth Ave, Suite 376 Ridley Square, St. Catharines, ON, CANADA L2S 3P5, Phone: 905-892-2734, Web: www.tigheknives. com; Tyler Turner, Dept. BL5, POB 307, Hopkins, MO 64461 turnerknives@yahoo.com Instagram/Facebook:@turnerknifetool/Tyler Turner; Michael Walker 925-A Paseo del, Pueblo Sur Taos, NM 87571, Phone: 505-751-3409, Fax: 505-751-3417, metalwerkr@msn.com LEARN…

4 min

Blade|May 2020

Not Your Mom’s Cleavers

You may have noticed an emerging trend in the sporting knife industry: fixed-blade cleavers, which have been increasing in numbers for at least a couple of years now, are being joined by those of the folding variety. A large kitchen knife, the classic cleaver is reserved for heavy-duty use chopping meats and some vegetables. It is sort of the axe of the kitchen, though in recent years it is being offered and seeing use as a cutting/chopping tool for a wide range of outdoor and other needs as well. By contrast, the blades on the new breed of folding cleavers lack the mass of their fixed-blade big brothers. In fact, the folders’ blade profiles provide an interesting twist on such blade patterns as the sheepsfoot, wharncliffe and reverse tanto. What…

6 min

Blade|May 2020

COVER STORY

The Raven 1 of 1 Mission knife by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Jimmy Lile rests on the headband Sylvester Stallone wore as John Rambo in the movie Rambo: First Blood Part II. The knife and the movie—heck, the headband, too—all celebrate their 35th anniversaries this year. The knife and the headband, as well as many other knives and things Rambo related, are in the collection of Randy Rousseau. Considered by a significant number of Rambo aficionados the most desirable and collectible of the Rambo movie knives, the knife popularly known as The Mission is 15 inches long overall, with a 10-inch blade of 440C stainless steel, 15 sawteeth, and a black matte finish with polished edges. For more on The Mission, the movie, the knives/prop knives used in the…

1 min

Blade|May 2020

RAVEN 1 OF 1

Raven is the name Jimmy Lile wanted to give the first Rambo knife, but First Blood was chosen instead. Lile made 100 First Bloods. However, instead of the Raven name flying off into the sunset, Lile used it as the moniker for a special presentation First Blood—made separate from the original 100—to give to Sylvester Stallone. Lile did the same with The Mission knife, which he also made in a limited edition of 100, from the second movie to give to Stallone. Stallone never took delivery of the two 1 of 1 Raven knives, however, and Randy Rousseau obtained them from Mrs. Marilyn Lile Miller. When Gil Hibben made the knives for the third and fourth Rambo movies, Rousseau asked him to make 1 of 1 Ravens of both of…

1 min

Blade|May 2020

HOW TO BUY CUSTOM KNIVES PART III

When every other aspect of the experience has been weighed, a knife will either be bought or passed up when the prospective buyer has taken a good, long look at it. In this day of the internet and the visual option, handling the knife is not always a part of the process. In that case, let the buyer beware. However, whether a knife is fulfilling a custom order, bought from the table at a show or online, or when a deal is struck one-on-one with the maker, another collector or a purveyor, it is the knife first and foremost that closes or breaks the deal. So, when the time comes, what should the discriminating buyer with money burning a hole in his or her pocket look for in a custom…

11 min

Blade|May 2020

ONE IS THE SHARPEST NUMBER

For quite some time now, people have become more familiar with pocketknives under the name slip joints, which technically is incorrect. The original term is pocketknife. Slip joint refers to the mechanism, a backspring that applies pressure to the blade during opening and closing but does not lock it. I prefer pocketknife. Four one-blade models with roots in a traditional presentation are the focus this time, though some of them may change how you view the pocketknife. Due to regulations worldwide and in some cases in North America, folders that lock are facing restrictions. As a result, there has been a resurgence in pocketknives. Enough of history and politics. Let’s get onto checking out the goods as there are some particularly tasty ones this time, all of which I carried…

8 min

Blade|May 2020

SHARP HOT SHOTS OF SHOT CONCLUSION

We didn’t have enough room last issue to run all of the new knives we could muster from the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas, so here’s the rest of the best. Fixed blades—some beefy—with a survival/bushcraft flair was one theme of the show, as were smaller versions of existing models, flippers, EDC and an increased reliance on old standby materials such as D2 tool steel for blades. The survival/bushcraft knives stress versatility. The Survival/Striker from Winkler Knives is an example with its handle configured to store a ferrocerium rod and steel wool for fire starting, and a blade designed for batoning. The Buck Talon takes the heavy-duty-use route and is designed not only for batoning but also clearing, chopping and hammering. The Kizlyar Survivalist is…

5 min

Blade|May 2020

WHERE TO NET ’EM

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.comag@agrussell.com Adams International Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.comCustomized Automatic Knife Specialist Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.comterry@admiralsteel.com Widest Range of Stock for Blade Needs Alaska - Northern Knives www.northernknives.comA Real Store & Working Knife Shop! American Edge www. americanedgeknives.com info@ americanedgeknives.com 320-393-2792 We have ""A Knife For Every Life” Arizona Custom Knives www.arizonacustomknives. comsharptalk@arizonacustomknives. com Largest selection in the world of new and consigned knives on the internet. Let us help you find the perfect knife. Artknives.com www.artknives.comfred@fredeisenleather.com Dozier Knives and Arkansas Made Dozier, Inc. www.dozierknives.cominfo@dozierknives.com BladeGallery.com www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com BladeJunkee www.bladejunkee.combladejunkee73@gmail.com BladeOps, LLC www.bladeops.comtrevor@bladeops .com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.comMake Your Mark Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands CRKT www.crkt.cominfo@crkt.com Culpepper & Co., Inc. www.knifehandles.com www.oldschoolknifeworks.com www.stingrayproducts.cominfo@culpepperco.com Cutlery Specialties www.restorationproduct.comdennis13@aol.com Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax/Polish, Dennis Blaine Bob Dozier Knives www.dozierknives.cominfo@dozierknives.com Emerson Knives www.emersonknives.cominfo@emersonknives.com Jim Hammond Hammond Knives & Designs, LLC www.jimhammondknives .com jim@jimhammondknives…

2 min

Blade|May 2020

WALK, TALK AND CRUNCH!

SPEC CHART KNIFE: Gunstock MAKER: LaRock Knives STYLE: Slip joint BLADE LENGTH: 2 3/8” BLADE MATERIAL: W2 tool steel w/hamon BLADE THICKNESS: From just under 1/8” above the choil to 1/16” at the start of the nail nick, decreasing to about 1/32” at the tip BLADE PATTERN: Clip point HANDLE: Titanium PINS: Brass WEIGHT: 2 ozs. CLOSED LENGTH: 3.5” MSRP: $475 (includes a nice box with the maker’s name and logo and a black satin interior) KNIFE: Rekluse MAKER: Koch Tools STYLE: Slip joint BLADE LENGTH: 2 7/8” BLADE The thinner STEEL blade : CTSof XHP the stainless Rekluse gave excellent, BLADE THICKNESS: 1/16” to the false edge, gradually decreasing to just under 1/32” at the tip BLADE PATTERN: Exaggerated clip point w/ramp HANDLE: Orange G-10 PINS: Stainless WEIGHT: 2 ozs. CLOSED…

4 min

Blade|May 2020

MINI FIXED-BLADE CLEAVERS, TOO

In addition to folding cleavers, mini fixed-blade cleavers are also making their mark. Gerber’s Tri-Tip Mini Cleaver is a scaled-down version of a full-sized cleaver. The 3-inch blade is 7Cr17MoV stainless steel and the squared-off blade tip features a bevel grind for light scraping tasks. There is enough blade length to facilitate slicing and dicing tasks in the kitchen or at camp. A choke grip can be employed where the thumb and index finger pinch the blade flat, with the rest of the fingers grasping the handle. The grip is machined, anodized aluminum. The surface is checkered for secure purchase, with the Gerber name machined on both sides. The Tri-Tip is available in a stonewashed blade and a black aluminum handle, and a black blade with a green aluminum grip.…

1 min

Blade|May 2020

CUSTOM KNIVES: PRICE VS. VALUE

We recently published a picture of a custom knife with a price one observer indicated was exorbitant and questioned why we had published it. When we publish the picture of a knife, we try to include the price. In the instance of a factory knife, the price we list is the manufacturer’s suggested retail price. In the case of custom makers’ knives, where possible we preface what the maker charges for the knife with “The maker’s list price”—for example, “The maker’s list price: $500.” The reason we do it that way is the price is the one the maker is asking for the knife, not the collector value. We are no more going to change the maker’s asking price for a custom knife to reflect what we think the collector…

3 min

Blade|May 2020

WHOLE HOG

Author David Morrell did not equip the title character of John Rambo with a knife in his novel, First Blood. Instead, it was Sylvester Stallone’s idea to have Rambo carry a knife, one made by Jimmy Lile for the movie version of First Blood. However, in his novelization of First Blood: Rambo Part II, Morrell got to make up for the first book’s knife omission by writing about Lile’s sequel knife, The Mission. While writing the novelization for the second movie in the fall of 1984, Morrell picked Lile’s brain. “I wanted to get a whole lot more stuff in the novelization than was in the movie, and one of the things I wanted to do was to make up for the fact that I hadn’t had a knife in…

1 min

Blade|May 2020

LINE AND FLOW

Line and flow, aka line flow, is a concept many makers strive to achieve in their knives. In other words, curves in the knife’s design are preferred and straight lines are not, though there’s more to it than that. As BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member B.R. Hughes said, “A curve looks better than a straight line, and a hint of a curve looks better than a curve.” For example, if you look at a blade in profile, at first the back or spine may appear to be a straight line. Upon closer examination, however, the spine may exhibit an almost imperceptible hump or rise mid-blade before descending ever so slightly back down to the tip. Such an understated curve would be but one instance of line and flow. There are…

1 min

Blade|May 2020

THE BEVEL’S BESTEST BUDDIES

BENCHTOP WHETSTONE COMPANY: Work Sharp ABRASIVE: Aluminum oxide stone GRITS: 1,000 and 6,000 SHARPENING GUIDES: Interchangeable from 15 and 17 degrees MSRP: $34.95 (additional 20 and 25 degree guides sold separately) AVAILABLE: June 20005 SURVIVAL-SHARP COMPANY: DMT GRIT SIZE: Fine UNIT MATERIAL: Polycarbonate UNIT DIMENSIONS: 3.875” x 1.12” x .37” UNIT WEIGHT: 9 ozs. EXTRA: Carabiner clip MSRP: $16.49 CABIN & LODGE PULL-OVER EDGE GRIP COMPANY: Smith’s ABRASIVES: Diamond and ceramic GRIT SIZES: Diamond (325 grit) and ceramic (800 grit) UNIT MATERIAL: Aluminum UNIT DIMENSIONS: 8.27” long x 1.77” wide x 2.56” deep UNIT WEIGHT: 8.5 ozs. HONING IN: Sharpens plain and serrated blades; coarse and fine sharpening pull-through slots in the stag handle and a non-slip base MSRP: $34.99 GAUNTLET COMPANY: Spyderco UNIT MATERIAL: Injection-molded, high-impact plastic base ABRASIVES:…

3 min

Blade|May 2020

SHOW CALENDAR +

APRIL APRIL 18 HONOLULU, HI Hawaii Custom Knife & Tactical Show. Contact James Seto 808-398-0208 hawaiiknifeshow@gmail.com. APRIL 18-19 TEXARKANA, TX American Bladesmith Society Spring Hammer-In, Texarkana College. Contact ABS master smith Mike Williams 580-420-3051 hforge@ pinenet.com.** APRIL 18-19 EUGENE, OR The 43rd Annual Oregon Knife Collectors Association Show, Exhibit Hall, Lane Events Center and Fairgrounds. Contact Dennis Ellingsen 541-484-5564 okca@ oregonknifeclub.org.* APRIL 18-19 EASTON, PA Lehigh Valley Knife Show, Charles Chrin Community Center. Contact Fred Eisen 215-862-5988 pakknifeshows.com.* APRIL 24-25 WILLIAMSPORT, MD Mason-Dixon Knife Club 2-Day Knife Show, NEW LOCATION Williamsport Red Men Club. Contact Bill Crilley 717-404-8766 crill9@hotmail.com, Facebook: MasonDixonKnifeClub.* APRIL 25-26 MISSOULA, MT Montana Knifemaker’s Association 25th Annual Custom Knife Show & Sale, Grizzly Harley-Davidson. Call Nancy 406-728-2861 or Rick 406-721-6903.* MAY MAY 1-2 GREER, SC Palmetto Cutlery…

4 min

Blade|May 2020

WHAT’S NEW

SPEC CHART KNIFE TYPE: Fixed blade BLADE LENGTH: 6.1” BLADE STEEL: Super Gold damascus BLADE PATTERN: Tanto HANDLE: Traditional tsukamaki leather wrap over rayskin, w/menuki BOLSTERS: Copper OVERALL LENGTH: 10.6” SHEATH: Made by Nakamura MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $2,600 (includes sheath) MAKER: Koji Hara, Dept. BL5, No. 292-2, Osugi, Seki-City, Gifu, Prf. Japan 501-3922 81-575-24-7569 info@knifehousehara.com, knifehousehara.com KNIFE MODEL: Freelancer XL KNIFE TYPE: Tactical folder BLADE LENGTH: 3.5” BLADE STEEL: CPM 154 stainless BLADE/HARDWARE FINISH: Black Cerakote® BLADE PATTERN: Harpoon BLADE GRIND: Full flat HANDLE: Olive drab Micarta® LINERS: Titanium CLOSED LENGTH: 4.5” MAKER’S LIST PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $850 MAKER: Bob Ohlemann, Dept. BL5, 7125 Hunnington Dr., Sanger, TX 76266 832-549-7218 ohlemannR@hotmail.com, rangermadeknives.com, Instagram/Facebook: @ rangermadeknives/ rangermadeknives MODEL NAME: Terraced Coffin Handle Damascus Bowie BLADE…

4 min

Blade|May 2020

SQUARE HOUSES

Before I started this article, I had been putting in a lot of time making knives to get ready for BLADE Show 2020*. However, I decided I was ready for a break. I put on a DVD about Native Americans before the arrival of the white man. One clan’s future medicine man had a dream that, one day, the buffalo would have all returned to their place inside the Earth, and his people would be living in square houses. His tribe felt that his prophesy must be false. The buffalo had always been there, and his tribe had lived in tepees forever. They banished the medicine man from the clan for his heresy. After all, how could people who had always lived in round houses and never even seen a…

7 min

Blade|May 2020

IT OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES

When ABS master smith Jerry Van Eizenga tells people he makes reproductions of theater knives, he says they think the knife is from a movie. Theater knives, of course, are not from the movies but those made by servicemen from spare parts during World War II, and Jerry’s latest repro of one is a stunner. He based it on a knife selected by one of his customers pictured on page 43 of the book Theater Made Military Knives of World War II by Bill and Debbie Wright. Jerry’s double-edge dagger with a wasp-waist handle and a crossguard with knob quillons is a striking reproduction, exceeding the original in terms of workmanship, looks and materials in a way you would expect from an ABS master smith. Jerry’s accompanying sheath is equally…

1 min