Indice dei contenuti per April 2021 in Blade

Absolute Monstrosity? I always enjoy Ed Fowler’s articles but calling the Fairbairn-Sykes (F-S) fighting knife “an absolute monstrosity” was a step too far, in my humble opinion (February BLADE®, page 24). At the very least it is an elegant design, and I can think of a half-dozen knives to which his phrase can be better applied. He doesn’t like the F-S handle because it is round and can’t be used to index the edges. He cites someone who wrote, “My friend almost lost his life the night he tried to cut that VC’s throat with the side of his Fairbairn knife.” While a military firearms collector who served in the infantry once told me, “There’s a Homer Simpson in every company,” Ed’s cited passage doesn’t quite ring true. The edges…

Simple in design yet robust in construction, bushcraft knives handle the much needed chores for survival in the great outdoors. They are a staple in the gear kit of folks in-theknow, and can possibly replace a few separate tools, further lightening your load on the next camping trip. Caleb Musgrave, a respected wilderness skills instructor in Ontario, Canada, designed this issue’s cover knife—the TOPS Knives D Fly 4.5 (see page 7). He is a member of the Mississaugas of the Ojibway Nation and runs the Canadian Bushcraft wilderness school. TOPS asked him to design a bushcraft knife and Musgrave put all the desirable features and traits he likes in one piece. The end result is the D Fly 4.5. Starting with 1095 carbon steel, a TOPS Knives staple, he chose…

Sure, it’s all about the steel. Blade steel makes the knife world go ’round, right? Well, further analysis just might reveal a few additional elements that weigh in on the sharpness of a knife blade, and custom knifemakers already account for these factors when they complete their stock in trade. Considering heat treat, edge geometry, handle ergonomics, Rockwell hardness and other contributors, the comprehensive analysis of “true sharpness” is an eye-opening experience. “Assume that all knives are sharp when you get them,” offered maker Jerry Hossom. “The question is more about what you want to cut, and is the edge geometry and finish one that will do the work you want done. For example, a sharp but coarse edge will not hold up well with hard blade materials.” Frankly, the…

Alove of taking walks in the garden—a love shared by both the wife and mother of ABS master smith Jon Christensen—helped inspire Jon’s Garden Walk art knife. The 10-inch blade is Jon’s new rose garden mosaic damascus. “I’d been wanting to take my leaf damascus to another level and my daughter said I needed to put roses in there, so I incorporated them,” Jon said. The ancient walrus ivory handle is carved with butterflies and a hummingbird on one side, and a garden walkway leading up to a swing with an arbor covered in wisteria on the other. Jon also built a knife display stand in the shape of a garden trellis. For more information, contact Jon Christensen, Dept. BL4, 516 Blue Grouse Ln., Stevensville, MT 59870-6948 406-697-8377 jpcknives@gmail.com, jonchristensen…

The D Fly 4.5 from TOPS Knives is an agile, lightweight bushcraft knife designed by Caleb Musgrave, a wilderness skills instructor of the Mississauga Ojibway Nation in Ontario, Canada. Short for dragonfly, the D Fly sports a 4.5-inch drop-point blade of bead-blasted 1095 spring steel and a Micarta® handle. The ballistic nylon sheath has a buckle closure. Overall length: 9.75 inches. Manufacturer’s suggested retail price: $169.95. For more on the knife, see page 12. Matt Addington photographed the cover. The image by Marty Stanfield Photography at top left of the cover is of the Microtech SOCOM. For more on it and other of the factory industry’s longestselling knives, see page 74. The image at top right by ML Ayres is of the Ontario Old Hickory Fish & Small Game knife.…

Four basic chores of outdoor survival can be performed with a bushcraft knife. The tasks are elemental and a must-learn if you want to use a bushcraft knife to maximum effect. • First is chopping. Whereas a small hatchet, ax, or even a machete are better suited for the task, a bushcraft knife can turn the trick. Grip the handle as far back and as securely as you can, and chop as you would with a larger knife, ax, hatchet or machete. • The second task is batoning. Basically, to baton a piece of kindling is to split it. Take a rather large/thick piece of wood to act as a baton/hammer in one hand, lay the blade edge on the end of the secured piece of kindling with the other,…

Maybe it’s a bit of a contradiction, but both elegance and simplicity are elements of African blackwood, a handle material with a rapidly rising profile in the custom knife industry. The color of the material combined with properties that make it a pleasure to work with has resulted in an explosion of interest. Ranging in luster from a reddish to a deep black hue, the wood is the product of a flowering tree also known as granadilla or mpingo. A relatively small tree, it grows primarily in the forests of Senegal east to the horn of Africa and in some parts of South Africa. Long used in musical instruments and high-end furniture, African blackwood is protected in order to prevent overharvesting. When the material finds its way to a knife…

NEW BUSHCRAFT KNIVES p. 12 Camillus, Dept. BL4, 55 Walls Dr. Suite 201, Fairfield, CT 06824 800-835-2263 camillusknives.com; Gerber, Attn: A. Gritzbaugh, Dept. BL4, 14200 SW 72nd, Portland, OR 97223 800-950-6161 www.gerbergear.com; TOPS Knives, Attn: Craig Powell, Dept. BL4, 3415 E. 109 N., Idaho Falls, ID 83401 208-542-0113 info@topsknives.com, www.topsknives.com; White River Knife & Tool, attn: Matt Cammenga, Dept. BL4, 130 Mason Dr., Coopersville, MI 49404 616-997-0026 matt@thewhiteriver.com, www.whiteriverknives.com CUSTOM/FACTORY DESIGNS p. 24 A.G. Russell Knives, Attn: Debbie Myers, Dept. BL4, 2900 S. 26th St., Rogers, AR 72758 479 631-0055 debbiem@agrussell.com www.agrussell.com; Boker Plus, c/o Boker USA, attn: N. Nevins, Dept. BL4, 1550 Balsam St., Lakewood, CO 80214 800-835-6433 fax 303-586-6022 sales@bokerusa.com, www.bokerusa.com; CRKT, Attn: M. May, Dept. BL4, 18348 SW 126th Place, Tualatin, OR 97062 800-891-3100 info@crkt.com, www.crkt.com; Spartan…

BLADE Show West Has Moved! The BLADE Show, the world’s largest knife show, has announced a major venue upgrade for its BLADE Show West exhibition. The 2021 event will take place at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, Friday and Saturday, October 8-9. After months of searching for the best possible location for BLADE Show West, the BLADE Show staff unanimously concluded that Long Beach is the place to be. “Many exhibitors and attendees who joined us in Portland, Oregon, for the past two West shows suggested ways we could improve on the experience. We listened and started looking for alternative locations. The Long Beach area has so much going for it that this was an easy decision,” said Alicia Newton, BLADE Show director. “Foremost in our…

Whether for bushcraft, carving, or just straight woodworking, drawknives are handy tools that range quite a bit in size, function, and style. There are large drawknives to peel bark or hew small logs, as well as models for specialty purposes such as coopering or making chair seats. There even used to be specialty drawknives for shaping round handles small in diameter for brooms, rakes, and other implements. Three small drawknives for carving and crafting are the focus this time: the MoraKniv Classic wood splitting knife, Flexcut Drawknife, and Veritas Drawknife. They are great because they are relatively compact and portable, and help comprise part of what you could call a portable rustic tool kit. DUAL BEVEL I know, right off the bat the MoraKniv Classic is called a wood splitting…

I found Horace Kephart’s Camping and Woodcraft book in my local library when I was 10 years old. To me, it was a treasure chest. At that age all I was interested in was woods wandering. I had camped in nearby woods with a couple of friends and when they didn’t want to go, I went by myself. I relied on advice from my grandfather, a bedroll mom made up for me, a knife from her kitchen, and whatever food she packed. I taught myself to shoot a bow and learned to hunt rabbits with it. That was about as far as my knowledge went. Camping and Woodcraft was it, the source of all knowledge. Within this bible on turn-of-the-century camping were the author’s requirements for his knife and what…

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. MARCH CANCELED! MARCH 12-15 NURNBERG, GERMANY The IWA Show, for the trade only. For more information visit iwa.info. POSTPONED! MARCH 19-20 DALTON, GA Dalton Georgia Knife Roadshow, Northwest Georgia Trade and Convention Center. At press time, it was slated to be rescheduled for August or September. Contact J. Bruce Voyles Auctioneers and Appraisers, attn.: Bruce Voyles 423-238-6753 knifeauctions@gmail.com, jbrucevoyles.com.* MARCH 26-27 FORT WORTH, TX International Custom Cutlery Exposition, Fort Worth Stockyards, under new BLADE Show management (page 92). Contact BLADE®, c/o Alicia Newton blade@bladeshow.com.* ** CANCELED! MARCH 26-28 JANESVILLE, WI Badger Knife Show, Holiday Inn Express and Janesville…

BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member and ABS master smith Wayne Goddard, also known as “The BLADE® Answer Man,” wrote his “Question & Answer” column for BLADE for a quarter of a century before passing away in 2018. His “Mustard Finish” left a yellowish patina on knife blades and is one he described, along with how-to tips, as follows: “The mustard patina is a hard and protective oxide layer built up with three or four applications of common mustard used as it is comes from the plastic squeeze bottle. Little dollops of the mustard are applied to the bare blade with the fingers. The pattern should be irregular with some space left between the dollops. After two to six hours the blade will be rusty looking, and it is then cleaned…

SPEC CHART KNIFE: Coffin Bowie BLADE LENGTH: 8.75” BLADE MATERIAL: A random pattern damascus of 1084 carbon and 15N20 nickel-alloy steels HANDLE: Desert ironwood BOLSTER: Wrought iron and nickel silver OVERALL LENGTH: 13.75” KNIFE TO KNOW: Forge-finished wrought iron fittings, polished nickel silver accents and domed pin; nickel silver wrapped and pinned handle SHEATH: Nickel-silver throat and tipped sheath with forge finished wrought iron frog stud MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $2,000 and up (includes sheath) MAKER: N.M. Bachtel Forging Co., Attn: Nick Bachtel, Dept. BL4, 1759 Underwood St., Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221 330-907-5293 nickbachtel@bachtelforgingcompany.com; Instagram/Facebook: @bachtelforgingcompany/N. M. Bachtel Forging Company (SharpByCoop image) SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Pro Hunter “Africa” BLADE LENGTH: 4” BLADE STEEL: CPM 154 stainless BLADE FINISH: Mirror polished HANDLE: Mammoth ivory BOLSTER: 416 stainless OVERALL LENGTH:…