Table of contents for December 2021 in Blade

Blade|December 2021

SHORT CUTS

RW Wilson: One Of A Kind RW Wilson, long-time knifemaker and knifemaking supplier celebrated for making the period tomahawk seen in the 1972 hit mountain-man movie, Jeremiah Johnson, passed away Sept. 20 after a long illness. He was 80. A familiar sight at knife shows for over half-a-century and famous in knife circles for his tall black hat, buckskin shirt and bear claw necklace, RW loved teaching others how to make knives. There are a number of instructional videos and other knifemaking tips on his website (rwwilsonknives.com), and the list of makers he influenced is long and star studded. As RW noted on his Linked In site, “I enjoy teaching others and I believe when God gives you a gift, you should share it with others. That is why I…

4 min

Blade|December 2021

THE KITCHEN INTEGRAL

As it does in other aspects of custom knives, integral construction, with blade bolster, tang and pommel forged from a single piece of steel, has its application in the kitchen. The high-performance chef ’s knives that result from such a construction provide an excellent opportunity for skilled knifemakers to showcase their abilities. Function is always at the forefront. After all, first and foremost, all knives must cut. So, chopping, slicing and dicing ability, comfort in the user’s hand, edge-holding properties, and easy maintenance and upkeep are prerequisites. To step it up, consider chef ’s knives that blend the basics in their efforts to raise the game. Good looks are indeed a bonus, and the featured models deliver with delicious damascus, tantalizing handles and overall presentation that will keep you in…

9 min

Blade|December 2021

KEYS TO KITCHEN KEENDOM

Dull kitchen knives not only make meal preparation more difficult, they also can slip and cut you when you least expect it. As a result, it’s imperative to keep them sharp. If you sharpen them yourself, correct sharpener selection is key. Sharpeners can be as simple or complicated as you want. No matter your skill level, there is a sharpener for you. For those with little-to-no sharpening experience are the cost-effective pull-through sharpeners. These are as simple as simple can get. Often they are plastic-bodied devices with one or two slots. Inside the slots are the sharpening media. The media are permanently affixed at pre-set angles The most common media for the two-slotters are carbide and a fine-grit ceramic. The carbide quickly restores damaged and worn edges, while the fine-grit…

8 min

Blade|December 2021

NO MORE KNUCKLE BUSTERS!

Most will agree that off set handles on kitchen knives look just a bit funky, but have you ever pondered why the unusual “stepped design” is what it is? Actually, there’s a method to the madness and it’s really quite simple. It’s to save your knuckles from getting banged up while slicing. Little has been written about this unusual handle, so we thought it would be both fun and informative to give a handful of off set-handle kitchen knives a spin around the cutting board. It should be noted that such cutters often are referred to as bread* or sandwich knives which, when you think about it, makes sense, since loaves of bread typically have largish, flat bottoms that require getting the digits down low when cutting. Plus, like the…

7 min

Blade|December 2021

BIG BRUTE OF A BLADE

SPEC CHART SIERRA SURVIVOR MAKER: Chad Bowman BLADE LENGTH: 9” BLADE MATERIAL: 8670 carbon steel BLADE THICKNESS AT ITS THICKEST: .25” BLADE GRIND: Flat HANDLE: Textured black and tan G-10 FITTINGS: Gulso bolts WEIGHT: 1 lb., 5 ozs. OVERALL LENGTH: 15.25” SHEATH: 9-to-10 oz. leather MAKER’S PRICE: $450 At 15.25 inches overall and with a quarter-inch-thick blade, the Sierra Survivor by Chad Bowman Handmade Knives is a handful—a big brute of a camp knife for sure. From hacking down trees to making firesticks, it can handle the challenge. I prefer a lighter knife but I know people who love a heavier-duty knife, too. “NO PRESSURE WAS REQUIRED AS THE BLADE’S WEIGHT PROVIDED THE DOWNWARD FORCE NEEDED TO SLICE AND DICE.” For the first cutting chore I used single-walled cardboard. The…

4 min

Blade|December 2021

WHERE TO NET'EM

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.com ag@agrussell.com Adams Intl Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.com adamsknifeworks.com@gmail.com Automatic & Customized Knife Specialists Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.com terry@admiralsteel.com Widest Range of Stock for Blade Needs. Alaska - Northern Knives www.northernknives.com A Real Store & Working Knife Shop! American Edge www.americanedgeknives.com info@americanedgeknives.com 320-393-2792 We have A Knife For Every Life Artknives.com www.artknives.com fred@fredeisenleather.com Andre de Villiers www.advtactical.co.za Facebook - Andre de Villiers adv44sales@gmail.com Butcher SOB folders. Arizona Custom Knives www.arizonacustomknives.com sharptalk@arizonacustomknives.com Largest selection in the world of new and consigned knives on the internet. Let us help you find the perfect knife. Dozier Knives and Arkansas Made Dozier, Inc. www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com BladeGallery.com www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com BladeOps, LLC www.bladeops.com sales@bladeops.com Bob Dozier Knives www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.com Make Your Mark Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and…

2 min

Blade|December 2021

COVER STORY

The TOPS Knives Dicer 3, Boker Black Damascus Bread Knife and Spyderco Blunt-Tip Z-Cut headline our annual kitchen knife issue. The Dicer 3 is among the paring knives tested in the story on page 42, while the Boker and Spyderco models photographed by Pat Covert get the once over in his article on models with off set handles on page 48. Integral custom chef ’s knives are appearing in increasing numbers, and the “hexagral” by Charlie Ellis photographed by SharpByCoop is among those outlined in the story on page 12. The Lile Lock folding hunter by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Jimmy Lile photographed by Francesco Pachi is one of 150 American custom knives in the Aldo and Edda Lorenzi museum, with the Lorenzis being the focus of stories on…

1 min

Blade|December 2021

Chef’s Delights

SPEC CHART PATTERN: Gyuto chef’s knife BLADE LENGTH: 10” BLADE MATERIAL: 1095 spring steel ROCKWELL HARDNESS: 62 HRC BLADE THICKNESS AT ITS THICKEST: .09” BLADE WIDTH AT ITS WIDEST: 1 7/8” HANDLE MATERIAL: Dyed maple burl SPACER: Black paper MicartaⓇ KNIFE TO KNOW: Blade hamon achieved w/help of a clay coating; the maker is an apprentice smith in the American Bladesmith Society MAKER: Travis Fleming, Flemingsfabrications@gmail.com, flemingsfabrications.com (Jocelyn Frasier image) SPEC CHART MODEL NAME: BBQ Knife BLADE LENGTH: 8” BLADE MATERIAL: W2 tool steel BLADE THICKNESS: .110” at base, .025” at .197” from the tip BLADE WIDTH: 1.5” HANDLE: Buffalo horn, brass spacers, bone and reclaimed barn oak OVERALL LENGTH: 13” MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $425 MAKER: Jose Santiago-Cummings, masterdiver24@hahoo.com, 253-777-8732 (Caleb Royer image) SPEC CHART MODEL NAME:…

4 min

Blade|December 2021

MOST VALUABLE KITCHEN TOOL

Paring knives may often get overlooked in the kitchen for their flashy big brothers—chef ’s knives—but like EDCs, they’re there when you need them most and there’s one for every type of user. TOPS Knives embraces the paring knife market in conjunction with its Dicer line of kitchen knives. “We noticed, in the process of wanting to design a kitchen knife, that there were some amazing U.S.-made custom kitchen knives, but there weren’t many high-quality domestically made production kitchen knives,” TOPS spokesperson Jeremiah Heffelfinger observed. “Th is was a void that we were more than happy to fill, especially with the plan for a full line of kitchen knives in the near future.” A design contest between the staff of TOPS Knives in 2017 yielded the Dicer, an 8-inch chef…

9 min

Blade|December 2021

PART III TO THE POINT

“ALL MY LIFE I HAVE SOUGHT EXCALIBUR, THE PERFECT BLADE, THE CULMINATION OF ALL THINGS RIGHT AND GOOD WITH LADY KNIFE.” From the beginning of time we have examples of every version of tip possible—from normal awls for sewing leather to larger punches—to teach us how to make some good ones. As time passes, sometimes facts about cut in the form of the butcher or trapper and of dreams of different tips of knives factor into the equation. In addition, check the knives of the butchering trades and you will find a lot of designs that were made to work, too. JUST the TIP All my life I have sought Excalibur, the perfect blade, the culmination of all things right and good with lady knife. In simplest terms she is…

7 min

Blade|December 2021

SHOW CALENDAR

OCTOBER OCT. 22 GARDEN GROVE, CA The California Custom Knife Show Friday Night Blade Affair, Embassy Suites Anaheim South. Contact 888-473-2661 r1promotions.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 GARDEN GROVE, CA California Custom Knife Show, Embassy Suites Anaheim South. Call 888-473-2661 r1promotions.com.* OCT 23-24 EASTON, PA Lehigh Valley Knife Show, Charles Chrin Community Center of Palmer Township. Call 267-714-4441 or visit paknifeshows.com.* OCT. 30 LAS VEGAS, NV Art Knife Invitational, M Hotel Casino Resort and Spa in Las Vegas. E-mail info@artknifeinvitational.com and/or visit aki.show.* NOVEMBER NOV. 5-7 PIGEON FORGE, TN Spirit of Steel Pigeon Forge Knife Show, Evergreen Smoky Mountain Convention Center. Call 423-238-6753 or visit jbrucevoyles.com.* NOV. 13-14 TULSA, OK Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show, Tulsa Fairgrounds. Contact…

3 min

Blade|December 2021

Near and Dear

Aldo and Edda Lorenzi learned of American custom knives in the mid-1970s, and subsequently bought many and sold them at their G. Lorenzi store in Milan, Italy, for decades until it closed in 2014. They also kept a number of their favorites. Their new museum (page 60) in Italy features many of the latter, and other knives and cutting implements as well. On this and the facing page are but some of their American custom pieces that are particularly near and dear to their hearts. Alla nostra salute*, Aldo and Edda! 1 The Duck Inn tab-lock folder by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Frank Centofante features scroll engraving and a scrimshaw scene of a classic American pastoral setting. It was Centofante who nominated the Lorenzis for the Nate Posner Award,…

2 min

Blade|December 2021

The Man in Blue

How did you first get interested in custom knives—not knives in general but the knives made by individual, renowned artisans, from such makers as BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bob Loveless to any one of today’s many hot new talents? It’s almost always one person who introduced you to the phenomenon of custom knives and those who make them. With me, it was, as you might guess, the man who hired me to work for BLADE ®—Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bruce Voyles. What about long-time custom knife aficionados Aldo and Edda Lorenzi, the subjects of stories on pages 60 and 80? Who introduced them to custom knives? Aldo and Edda are renowned for operating the G. Lorenzi retail knife shop in Milan, Italy, and doing so for decades, a store that was…

2 min

Blade|December 2021

GOOD TO THE BONE

Editor’s note: The author spent the better part of five years working in a high-end specialty butcher shop in coastal west Michigan. Th at shop is no longer in business, though what he learned there has stayed with him and, as he noted, is very dear to his heart. We thought him to be the ideal writer to do a story on five of today’s factory boning knives. We think you will agree. I hunt deer and other large game regularly and own all my own professional processing equipment. Among these items is the most basic and essential tool: the boning knife. As a butcher’s mate and now as a full-time outdoor writer, I have some opinions on these blades and how to best use them. A boning knife is…

9 min

Blade|December 2021

WHERE TO GET ’EM

THE KITCHEN INTEGRAL P. 12 Jason Ellard 0431551298 ellardblacksmithing@gmail.com; Charlie Ellis 828-707-0747 eaglecrestforge@gmail.com; Gabe Mabry, Doberman Forge, Dept. BL12, 16149 Swaringen Rd., Norwood, NC 28128 704-985-3136 gabriel.mabry@gmail.com, dobermanforge.com; Brent Stubblefield, workshop@joinordieknives.com 804-852-0392 BONING KNIVES P. 24 Benchmade USA, attn.: Matt Glass, Dept. BL12, 300 Beavercreek Rd., Oregon City, OR 97045 503.655.6004 or 800-800-7427 www.benchmade.com, info@benchmade.com; Condor Tool & Knife, attn: R. Jones, Dept. BL12, 9924 Universal Blvd. #224-106, Orlando, FL 32819 407-458-9396 fax 407-458-9397 rtj@att.net, condortk.com; Knives Of Alaska, attn: C. Allen, Dept. BL12, 3100 Airport Dr., Denison, TX 75020 903-786-7366 info@knivesofalaska.com, knivesofalaska.com; Ontario Knife Co., attn: P. Tsujimoto, Dept. BL12, 26 Empire St., Franklinville, NY 14737 716.676.5527/800.222.5233 fax 716-676-5535 knifesales@ontarioknife.com, www.ontarioknife.com KITCHEN SHARPENERS P. 34 A.G. Russell Knives, attn: J. Broce, Dept. BL12, 2900 S. 26th St., Rogers, AR…

2 min

Blade|December 2021

A LABOR OF LOVE

One of the most extensive collections of ultra-rare modern custom and historical knives, cutting implements and many other items connected with the cutler’s art is displayed magnificently in a new museum in Milan, Italy. A labor of love by Aldo and Edda Lorenzi, the museum is under the auspices of the aptly named Aldo and Edda Lorenzi Foundation (established July 2020). The museum showcases the Lorenzi Collection consisting of about 2,000 pieces in all, catalogued and accompanied by specific information: era, origin, artisan (if known), function, material, construction and more. It gathers cutting utensils and related items dating from the Etruscan period (approximately 900-27 B.C.) to today. It is complemented by a series of specialized publications, testimony to the incessant research that was necessary to bring the operation of the…

7 min

Blade|December 2021

THE KNIFE I CARRY

“My dad gave me this knife as I moved up from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts around 2012. It’s a folder from Frost Cutlery, just a simple whittling knife, perfect for just that—whittling. It has a pocket clip, which has always made it easy to carry. Now that I’m older, it’s just a perfect knife to keep with me because it reminds me of the good times of scouting.”Wade Smith, a.k.a. The Baby Dragon, TWE pro wrestler, a letter via e-mail “The knife I carry is a Camillus. I found it in a dumpster in 1990. I’m a former refuse collector, former fireman and lifelong woodsman. This knife has been on my hip for 31 years, and I have worn out four leather cases, but the knife itself has changed…

1 min

Blade|December 2021

There Oughta be a Claw

David Lisch prides himself on the originality of his guards, and the one on his Dragon Clawblade is one of the more unusual yet. In this Lisch iteration of the wrought iron penny guard, the bottom penny quillon splits and “traps” a forged damascus ball and claw that swings up and down, with an extension from the mosaic damascus pommel intersecting the bottom penny quillon, too. Why the swinging ball and claw? For a cool factor and something for the collector to do with the knife other than use and admire it—no more, no less. As David noted, “It’s just something to play with.” For more information, contact David Lisch, Dept. BL12, 16948 Longmire Rd., Yelm, WA 98597 206-919-5431 davidlisch.com. For the latest knives, knife news, trends, and more, visit blademag.com,…

1 min