Table of contents for June 2022 in Blade

The BLADE Show World Championship Cutting Competitions will resume after a three-year hiatus caused by the pandemic. The competitions are conducted by BladeSports International (BSI) and held in The Courtyard, the parking lot of the host hotel, the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. At press time, contestants in the men’s division included, in no particular order, Dan Keffeler, James Clifton, defending champion Donavon Phillips, Ben Probst, Josh Reese, Gary Bond, David Barnes, Jess Stinson, Russ Cannon and John Dryden. Press-time contestants in the women’s division included, in no particular order, Jo Carothers, Kenda Speaks, Terri Lynn, Krys McMillion, Rhinnanon Sibley and Bridget West. Roger Breeding will supply the cutting tables and supplies for the event. “As far as what we’ll be cutting, I don’t know,” wrote Phillips, BSI…

The BLADE Magazine 2022 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards recognize the cutlery industry’s premier factory knives and knife accessories, as well as the industry’s leading professionals. The award categories are: Overall; American-Made; Imported; Most Innovative American Design; Most Innovative Imported Design; Best Buy Of The Year; Investor/Collector; Collaboration; Manufacturing Quality; Accessory; Kitchen; Publisher’s; and Industry Achievement. The BLADE® Magazine staff selects the latter two awards and a special panel of industry professionals votes to determine the balance of the award winners. Booth exhibitors place their entries in a glass display case in the show’s front lobby for patrons to view. The winners will be announced at the BLADE Magazine Awards Ceremony (page 51) Saturday night. A list of the winners will be posted on blademag.com aft erward and also at the show hall…

The smell of coal smoke often evokes wistful memories of the past. I am often reminded of this by visitors to my shop as they talk of pleasant times and carefree youngsters watching the blacksmith ply his trade. “My grandfather was a blacksmith” has been repeated time and again with pride by some of the folks who are drawn in by their sense of smell. Experiences like these are becoming fewer and further between. Modern fuels have changed the look, feel and smells of the blacksmith shop. Modern propane forges have become the norm. There are even electric induction forges that remove still more noise and smell from the shop. The modern forges are much simpler to operate as well. So, with all the cleaner ways to heat material, is…

Lucas Burnley takes a philosophical approach to the development and use of functional implements. “Like any skill, time is one of the most valuable assets you have,” he observed. “However, buying or building the right tools and equipment will go a long way in speeding your improvement. My tool purchases usually come down to application or interest. The tools I list are considered necessary at a base level and would be able to work well in almost any shop regardless of what type of knife is being made.” He points to his burly Bader B3 2x72 variable-speed belt grinder as a key player in the day-to-day function of his shop. “When someone asks what piece of machinery they should buy first, this is usually my answer. For me, the grinder…

BLADE Show West Has Moved to Salt Lake City! BLADE Show West will be held Oct. 7-8 at its new location of the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, BLADE Show officials announced. The show was held at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, California, last year and before that in the Portland Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. According to the show website (bladeshowwest.com), moving the show to the Salt Palace Convention Center was an easy decision given all the amenities that Utah’s most populous city has to offer. The website also noted that Salt Lake City’s general lack of restrictions on knife styles and sales should be most welcome to knifemakers, manufacturers and knife enthusiasts in general. “We are excited to move our show…

Aveteran of the United States Marine Corps and the Iraq War, knifemaker Les George loves vintage military fixed blades and collects, designs and reproduces them on a regular basis. About four years ago, Kershaw asked him to design a folding version of one of his military favorites. “It’s hard to translate from fixed blades to folders,” he noted but he went ahead and designed one based on the M3 trench knife (see page 13, August 2021 BLADE®). Kershaw made a prototype from the design—sold today as the XCOM—and sent the knife to Les. He carried it for a while and was cutting with the folder one day when he laid it down and began admiring it. “I saw the prototype lying there and it was way cooler and much more…

Learn the latest about knifemaking techniques and other trending sharp subjects during the 9th Annual BLADE University Friday and Saturday of the BLADE Show. Sponsored by Work Sharp, BLADE University has the most extensive schedule of knife, knifemaking and other instruction held at any knife show. New classes for 2022 include How To Forge a Sub-Hilt Knife with ABS master smith Steve Randall; Post-heat-Treat Grinding with custom knifemaker RJ Martin; How To Start a Knife Company with Diane Carver and Kimi Jensen of Brighten Blades; Keys to Outstanding Hamons with ABS master smith Brion Tomberlin; and more. For the full list of classes, see the accompanying schedule. For enrollment and other information visit show.com/show-info/classes, or the Registration Counter in the show lobby.…

The BLADE Magazine 2022 Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards will be announced and presented to the winners during the BLADE Magazine Awards ceremony at 8 o’clock the Saturday night of the show in The Pit area of the Atlanta Renaissance Waverly Hotel. The awards are the most coveted honors in the factory knife industry worldwide and cover assorted styles and genres. The categories are Overall; American-Made; Imported; Most Innovative American De sign; Most Innovative Imported Design; Best Buy Of The Year; Investor/Collector; Collaboration; Manufacturing Quality; Accessory; Kitchen; Publisher’s; and Industry Achievement. The entries are limited to BLADE Show factory booThexhibitors, and will be on exhibit show Friday and Saturday under glass in a special display in the lobby. Voting is done by a select group of industry authorities assembled by the staff of…

“THE 10-INCH BLADE IS A W’S-PATTERN DAMASCUS IN 1075/75NI8 CARBON STEELS.” Seven featured knives by both international and domestic American Bladesmith Society bladesmiths will highlight the annual ABS Auction at the 41st Annual BLADE Show June 3-5 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. the Saturday of the show, June 4, in Room 103 of the Galleria Centre. All BLADE Show 2022 ticketholders are invited to attend. Due to the pandemic, it will be the first BLADE Show ABS Auction since 2019. The show was cancelled in 2020 and while the show returned last year, ABS officials decided against holding the auction then, again due to pandemic concerns. Each of the knives for this year’s auction is donated by the applicable bladesmith. Proceeds…

BLADE Show Friday and Saturday, the 9th Annual BLADE University sponsored by Work Sharp will offer a wide-ranging array of knife-related classes taught by some of the world’s leading bladesmiths, knifemakers and knife authorities. For more on BLADE U.—class subjects, instructors, classrooms, and days and times—see the story beginning on page 12. For instructor mini-bios, see pages 60 and 61. For information on how to enroll in BLADE University, visit bladeshow.com/show-info/classes or the Registration Counter in the show lobby. The BLADE Show will hold its annual demos Saturday. For more on them—demos and demonstrators, demo locations and times—see the story beginning on page 12.…

BOOTH 641 TOM KREIN KREIN KNIVES WWW.KREINKNIVES.NET LARRIN THOMAS WWW.KNIFESTEELNERDS.COM LARRINTHOMAS@GMAIL.COM TABLE 40J HAWKS NEST CUSTOMS IG: @HAWKSNESTCUSTOMS HAWKSNESTCUSTOMS@GMAIL.COM STEVE RANDALL WWW.KSRBLADES.COM STEVE@KSRBLADES.COM TABLE 4P CARTER CUTLERY WWW.CARTERCUTLERY.COM MURRAY@CARTERCUTLERY.COM BOOTH 312 WORK SHARP WWW.WORKSHARPTOOLS.COM INFO@WORKSHARPTOOLS.COM TABLE 3BB K.H. DAILY KNIVES WWW.KHDAILYKNIVES.COM KYLE@KHDAILYKNIVES.COM TABLE 2Q BRION TOMBERLIN MS IG: @BRTMS2009 ANVILTOPP@AOL.COM TABLE 7Q JASON FRY WWW.FRYCUSTOMKNIVES.COM FRYCUSTOMKNIVES@GMAIL.COM TABLE 40I DAVID CARVER IG: @CARVERKNIFECO TABLE 11M RJ MARTIN RJMARTINKNIVES@COMCAST.NET BOOTH 352 BRIGHTEN BLADES HTTP://BRIGHTENBLADES.COM DIANE@BRIGHTENBLADES.COM TABLE 11S VERONIQUE LAURENT ABS MASTER SMITH WHATSONTHEBENCH@GMAIL.COM TABLE 5O MACE VITALE IG: @MACEVITALE TABLE 4A GRACE HORNE WWW.GRACEHORNE.CO.UK GRACEHORNE@HOTMAIL.CO.UK TABLE 38J AJ BLADES WWW.AJBLADES.COM TABLE 4O LORA SCHWARZER SCHWARZER BLADESMITH WWW.STEVESCHWARZER.COM BOOTH 250 SCORPION 6 KNIVES WWW.SCORPION6KNIVES.COM SCORPION6KNIVES@GMAIL.COM JOE FLOWERS BUSHCRAFT GLOBAL BUSHCRAFTGLOBAL@GMAIL.COM CHECK OUT THESE ONE-OF-A-KIND BLADE UNIVERSITY CLASSES TAUGHT BY SOME OF THE BEST…

American Bladesmith Society master smith Jim Crowell has been making knives for over 40 years. A member of the ABS Hall of Fame, he is known for his masterfully handforged blades. His Mountain View, Arkansas, shop is well stocked, and he leads offwith the Wilmont TAG and Beaumont KMG belt grinders. “Wow!” he said of the Wilmont. “You talk about smooth running and great and easy tracking, with a swing-out work rest it doesn’t get any better. I really like the work rest, as you just swing it out and lock it—no wrenches or Allen wrenches, adding or removing parts. WorThevery penny and then some.” He continued with praise for the Beaumont KMG. “I have used many of these in different schools and have had three myself, to include the…

Sometimes you can see all there is to see in a knife from 50 feet away. Other times one will catch your eye and ask you to hold her. All you can see is the surface, but you can look and then ask if you can hold her. Most makers of such knives will say sure! If they say no, take my advice and walk away. If the maker says yes, hold the knife and get to know her on the outside. Run your fingers along the sides of the blade and know for yourself the difference the maker has included in the geometry or heat treat of the knife. Ask him why and get ready for a conversation! Should you visit a table at a show and see something…

With international travel bans being dropped and other pandemic concerns easing, the argument can be made that BLADE Show 2022 will be more like a true return of the world’s biggest and best knife event than last year’s 40th annual rendition was. Granted, BLADE Show 2021 was fantastic on the heels of BLADE Show 2020’s cancellation, but the specter of the pandemic still loomed over the proceedings as many international makers could not attend due to travel bans. For the most part that’s not the case this year as a quick scan of the 41st Annual BLADE Show exhibitor list (see the BLADE Show Section starting on page 50) attests. In addition, the return this year of the American Bladesmith Society’s annual BLADE Show auction (page 34) and the BLADE…

Leading industry authorities will pick the best custom knives made by BLADE Show exhibitors in the show’s annual knife judging competition, with the winners announced during the BLADE Magazine Awards ceremony at 8 o’clock Saturday night in The Pit area of the Atlanta Renaissance Waverly Hotel. The categories are: Hugh Bartrug Best Of Show; Best Fixed Blade; Best Damascus; Best Kitchen Knife; Yvon Vachon Best Miniature; Best Art Knife; Best Fighter; Best Bowie; Best Handle Design; Best Tactical Folder; Best Utility Hunter; Best Folder; Most Innovative Design; Best Knife Collaboration; Best Sword; Best New Maker; and Best Of The Rest. The competition is open to the show’s custom knife exhibitors only. Such exhibitors should bring their entry/entries for the judging to Room 104 Friday at 3:30 p.m. No entries will…

The BLADE Show is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s the world’s largest knife show—period. It’s overwhelming, it’s massive and you need to pace yourself. To begin with, inbound traffic is insane driving to the Cobb Galleria, so give yourself plenty of lead time. Wear comfortable shoes—the show hall floor is unforgiving—and also be sure to hydrate or you will cramp up while walking. There are free show programs with floor maps and exhibitor lists in the show lobby. Get two because you will lose one. The lobby also has free copies of the BLADE Show preview issue of BLADE® that you’re reading right now. (Editor’s note: The show program is newer and thus more up to date, so use its maps, lists, schedules, etc., instead of the ones in…

The camp knife, a large blade with many functions, has been something of a mainstay for most of human history. However, in recent years—at least for the general populace—it has fallen by the wayside. This has much to do with the types of training available to the public, and schools of thought surrounding the size and function of blades in an outdoor role. Fieldcraft has, for the large part, become absorbed into the broad bushcraft series of skills. In general, I find this to be a detriment as the focus now is heavily gear based. The amount of specialized equipment needed for these tasks has expanded; when I learned much of my skills, all that was needed was a long, thick blade and a striking rod. WEEKLONG DEER HUNT Last…

Danish custom knifemaker Jens Anso zeroes in on a combination of purchased and self-made shop tools that give him the edge in a full day’s work. He describes his shop as sometimes cluttered, though that’s oft en a hallmark of a busy and productive craft sman. The first tool he cites is his horizontal grinder he built about 20 years ago. “At that point in time I was used to building grinders and put this one together from parts I had lying around, including a twospeed motor with about 2.2 horsepower, so it will not slow down regardless of what I throw at it. This grinder was fundamental in creating the career I have,” he noted. “Even though I now have new, fancy machines, this one just performs really well.…

The Cogent button-lock folder from Civivi is well put together. It has a great feel and a classy blackened stainless steel damascus blade. Civivi uses 10Cr15CoMoV and 9Cr18MoV stainless steels in the damascus mix. The blade has a full flat grind designed to slim the edge geometry down for efficient slicing. First up on the test agenda: 20-pound bond copy paper. The Cogent zipped through it without hesitation. The blade was super smooth during slicing. I used a push cut for a full slice. The knife most definitely has a fine edge. Single-walled cardboard was next. Staying with a push cut, I used the Cogent to effortlessly slice the cardboard to shreds. The edge never stalled in dispatching the medium. Man, this thing is wicked sharp! There was no twisting…