Table of contents for November 2021 in Blade

Dime Store Novel Feat Thanks so much for the article “3 Wise Men of Sharp” in the June issue. It made my day to see ABS master smith Steve Schwarzer mention some of the legends of bladesmithing (page 10). The fact renowned bladesmith Jimmy Fikes was mentioned is what really made my day. Jimmy is responsible for some of the sharpest blades out there. His knives do things that most knives can’t, regardless of price point. I have several of his blades and have been able to duplicate the dime store novel feat with all of them. The feat is incredible to see and that is what opened my eyes to the importance of edge geometry and heat treat. I also have had quite a few conversations with Jimmy and…

It stretches much if not most of the blade’s length, and when it appears it’s accompanied by an air of mystery, of the exotic. Its contours are created by the knifemaker, and it has always served as a focal point for function and aesthetics. But exactly what is it? For ages the hamon has fascinated craft smen and cutlery users alike. “Technically, the hamon is the differentiation line between the hardened martensitic edge and the ‘not hardened’ body of the blade,” explained ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin. “The term temper line has been around for years, and, in my opinion, is not correct Temper refers to drawing back the hardness of the hard martensite after quenching to reduce brittleness and impart toughness. So, a hamon is not a line where…

It’s hard enough to make it to top bladesmith status in the USA, but even harder if you are from another country. Brazilian bladesmith Ricardo Vilar is one of those who worked hard, persisted like hell, and has been rewarded with both high accolades and fame for his efforts. Starting with humble beginnings and a love for knives at an early age, Ricardo resides in the USA now and is living the dream. “Growing up in the countryside of Brazil, for some reason I always loved knives,” he recalls. “At that age as Boy Scouts, we were allowed to use knives—and more, the knife was part of the uniform—so I was able to carry one on my belt. But my family wasn’t wealthy enough for me to be able to…

Note: Events with an asterisk (*) have knives and knife accessories as the main/sole focus. Events with two asterisks (**) are knifemaking seminars or symposiums, cutting competitions, auctions, or other knife-related events. OCTOBER OCT. 16 MIDDLETON, MD The 6th All Forged Knife Show and Auction, Historic W.F. Moran Shop and Forge. Call Charlie Wolf 301-471-2879 or Nancy Hendrickson 301-305-8385 or visit billmoranmuseum.com.* ** OCT. 22 GARDEN GROVE, CA The CCKS Friday Night Blade Affair, Embassy Suites Anaheim South. Contact 888-473-2661 r1promotions.com.* OCT. 23-24 GARDEN GROVE, CA California Custom Knife Show, Embassy Suites Anaheim South. Call 888-473-2661 r1pro-motions.com.* OCT. 23 GREENBRIER, AR Arkansas Knife Expo, Herschel Hall. Call 501-472-1258, rick.sidebottom@gmail.com or visit arkansasknifeexpo.com.* ** OCT 23-24 EASTON, PA Lehigh Valley Knife Show, Charles Chrin Community Center of Palmer Township. Call 267-714-4441…

Since 1990, skilled craftsmen like you have relied on Admiral Steel to provide carbon and alloy blade steels. And though the current supply disruption is challenging, our commitment to you remains the same. Large or small, we know how important every order is to your business. In these challenging times your job is harder than ever, and we would like to Salute you for all you do. As demand continues to strengthen, we will be here to serve you. The Benjamin Kamon chef’s knife photographed by Jim Cooper is one of the featured pieces in the story on blades in a san-mai construction. Benjamin’s blade has stainless steel sides instead of those of mild steel used by most custom makers. The core is a tungsten-alloyed high carbon steel called 1.2519.…

“When off duty I carry the VZ Discrete G-Dagger with leather sheath from VZ Grips. I wear it behind on my belt loop and it is extremely comfortable. The blade is very lightweight and machined from a solid piece of proprietary G-10. The length is 1.75 inches and weight is only 1 ounce. I highly recommend this fine piece of art for those who want a blade that’s lightweight and effective.” David Lopez, a letter via e-mail For the latest knives, knife news, trends, and more, visit blademag.com, BLADE®’s popular Instagram page @blade_magazine, and on Facebook and Twitter. Tell us what knife you carry. Add a little history or an anecdote. Try to include a photograph—if digital, at least 600 KB but no larger than 2 MB—of you with your knife. We will publish…

HALLMARK OF THE HAMONP. 12 Don Fogg, dlfogg@gmail.com; David Kelley, Dept. BL11, 865 S. Shenandoah St., Los Angeles, CA 90035 Contact: 310-657-7121, dakcon@sbcglobal.net; Joel Mercier +1 08196905635 joelmercier83@gmail.com; Adam Mille, Dept. BL11, 10500 Seven Oaks Rd., Fort Smith, AR 72908 479-806-4521 MilleBlades@gmail.com; Johnny Raymer 270-547-8228 jraymer0006@gmail.com; Josh Rider, Dept. BL11, 3322 Tailwood Dr., Erlanger, KY 41018 859-653-5503 greenjebadiah@gmail.com; Brion Tomberlin, Dept. BL11, ANVIL TOP CUSTOM KNIVES, 825 W Timberdell, Norman, OK 73072 Contact: 405-202-6832, anviltopp@aol.com SOFT-BACKED BLADE P. 20 Shawn Ellis, sellisknives.com; Jason Fry, Dept. BL11, 720 8th St., Wolfforth, TX 79382 Contact: 325-669-4805, frycustomknives@gmail.com, frycustomknives.com, @frycustomknives on Instagram; Hanson Bros. (address not available); Scott McGhee, Dept. BL11, 7136 Lisbon Rd., Clarkton, NC 28433 Contact: 910-448-2224, guineahogforge@gmail.com, guineahogforge.com MAD STEEL SKILLS P. 26 Ben Breda, Dept. BL11, 56 Blueberry Hill…

San-mai is an ancient blade construction technique that originated in Japan around 1300 A.D. Those who continue to use the technique harken back to those early days of craft smanship and take pride in their finished product, a combination of the old and new that presents a dazzling aesthetic in three layers combining tensile strength and edge holding in a working knife blade. “San-mai is a Japanese term describing a knife composed of three layers of steel that are forge welded together and ideally unite some different properties of the used steels within one knife,” explained Benjamin Kamon of Korneuberg, Austria. “Or, it serves another purpose as, for example, to ‘save up’ rare high-carbon steel used in the middle for the edge, which is what I believe started it originally.”…

One of the most notable things about the forging of knives is that a number of those who have been doing it for almost four decades or longer are still active. Helping head up that forged family is BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member B.R. Hughes. Along with Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bill Moran, Don Hastings and Bill Bagwell, B.R. founded the American Bladesmith Society in 1976. With Bagwell’s passing earlier this year—Moran died in 2006 and Hastings passed in 1986—B.R., 89, is the Society’s sole surviving founder. While he does not forge knives—he forged a few but his stock and trade has always been as a writer and editor—he does perhaps the next best thing: he chronicles them and their makers for readers everywhere, and has been doing so for well over…

For centuries, smiths from various cultures recognized the necessity of blades that do the job without critical failure. Some Eastern cultures specialized in differential hardening, particularly the Japanese. European cultures tended to forge weld a hardenable edge to a softer spine. In each case, the end result is an edge hard enough to cut well and a spine tough and resistant to breaking. One of the measures of a modern knifemaker is the willingness and ability to successfully navigate the certifications processes of the world of knives, such as the American Bladesmith Society’s (ABS) journeyman and master smith certifications. Similarly, one measure of a knife blade is its ability to perform various tasks that put its edge geometry and heat treatment to the test. If you’ve been around the knife…

“I ACTUALLY MAKE TURKISH TWIST DAMASCUS IN STAINLESS.”—MIKE NORRIS It’s not easy forging stainless steel. It’s harder still to forge damascus patterns out of it. Nonetheless, those who specialize in forging stainless damascus for sale to both factory and custom knifemakers, who spend their days before a power hammer turning out billet after billet, say the material is as hot as ever. Meanwhile, they’ve developed a couple of tricks to keep the welds sure, the patterns crisp and the innovation marching forward. “There’s just things that I’ve been able to do now that I thought I wouldn't have been able to do when I first started,” said Mike Norris, a smith of stainless damascus since the mid-1990s. “For instance, I actually make Turkish twist damascus in stainless.” Norris runs a…

The addition of copper into san-mai has a look you likely will not forget. It stands out brightly when fresh and changes as the copper oxidizes. It is a very cool mixture of metals. No, it does not improve performance, it’s purely cosmetic. It’s challenging to make but once a maker figures it out—bam!—it’s yet another attractive look for knives. Michael Powell of Gokals Forge figured it out on the test hunting knife. I didn’t spot any delaminations in the “copper-mai.” He even custom crafted the multi-part handles to accent the material. No matter what it looks like, it still must cut. Let’s see if this pretty knife has bite. “THE 1084 CARBON STEEL CORE IS RAZOR SHARP.”—THE AUTHOR PUSHIN’ the EDGE I sliced paper to check edge sharpness. With…

SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Tactical Hunter KNIFE PATTERN: Fighter BLADE LENGTH: 5” BLADE MATERIAL: A feather-pattern damascus of W2 tool and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels BLADE PATTERN: Harpoon HANDLE: Koa with three pins, one mosaic LINERS: Vulcanized OVERALL LENGTH: 9.5” SHEATH: Leather pouch KNIFE TO KNOW: The maker is an apprentice smith in the American Bladesmith Society MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE (including sheath): $700 MAKER: Boyd Ritter, Dept. BL11, 114 Azure Dr., White Rock, NM 87547 806-683-4151 boydritter@yahoo.com, chulsooknives.com (SharpBy-Coop image) SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Explorer BLADE LENGTH: 37⁄8” BLADE MATERIAL: 1095 spring steel ROCKWELL HARDNESS: 56-58 HRC BLADE GRIND: Scandi BLADE FINISH: Black oxide BLADE AT ITS THICKEST: .118” HANDLE: Earth Camo G-10 FASTENERS: Stainless steel Torx WEIGHT: 4.6 ozs. OVERALL LENGTH: 83⁄8” SHEATH: Handcrafted welted leather SHEATH…

If you’re looking for a custom knife with a bit of after-hours attitude, Jensen Bergman’s Brewtool V2 might be for you. The framelock folder features a blade of Chad Nichols (page 48) Armor Core Boomerang damascus with a bottle opener and a chisel-ground cutting-edge. The handle is orange-peeled/blasted and tumbled titanium, and the pocket clip is matte-finish Chad Nichols Boomerang Mokuti. The lock side has Jensen’s laser-engraved JB logo. For more information, contact Jensen Bergman, Dept. BL11, 4862 Westfield Dr., Manlius, NY 13104 315-345-6453 bergman_13304@yahoo.com. For the latest knives, knife news, trends, and more, visit blademag.com, BLADE®’s popular Instagram page @blade_magazine, and on Facebook and Twitter. SPEC CHECK KNIFE: Brewtool V2 KNIFE TYPE: Dress locking folder MAKER: Jensen Bergman BLADE LENGTH: 2.5” BLADE STEEL: Chad Nichols Boomerang Armor Core Damascus BLADE GRIND: Chisel LOCK: Framelock…