A Knife! Leave the Safety of My Car and Begin Trekking Into the Arizona Desert Tell Us Briefl Y What Knife You Carry
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BEST THE ANNUAL BLADEHANDMADE™ AWARDS KNIVES FEBRUARY 2008 FEBRUARY 2008 B L A D E World’s #1 Knife #1 World’s Publication Gil Hibben’s “J.R.” for the fourth Stallone sequel, Rambo Toughest Super Thin STEELS HOT Custom Gent’s Knives Bilbo’s Great Outback Blades F+W Publications Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo www.blademag.com US $4.99 02 0 71486 50251 7 Display until January 8, 2008 BL208CVR_US.indd 1 11/13/07 3:02:22 PM 1182749_BL.indd 1 11/13/07 3:13:24 PM Full ColorFREE CATALOG within the USA Designers of Swords & Medieval Weaponry $5 Elsewhere Since 1994 Hand Crafted Items of Distinction.... Our exclusive lines include: Get the Largest Hand Forged & Functional Hand Forged Functional Weaponry swords in production today! Battle Ready Steel Swords Armour & Weaponry Stag Hunting Cutlery Made in the USA Authentics Collection Ltd. 5696 N Northwest Hwy. Dept BL65, Chicago, IL 60646 USA 773-775-3888 Fax 773-775-3339 Visit us at www.KnightsEdge.com 1180216_BL.indd 1 11/13/07 1:32:25 PM February THE WORLD’S #1 KNIFE PUBLICATION® 2008 FEATURES 12 The Knife for Rambo® Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer© Gil Hibben makes the knife for the latest John Rambo film. By Mike Carter 26 And the Drum Roll Please … BLADE® announces the 2007 BLADEhandmade© Awards. By Brendan O’Brien 32 LinerLocks™ Called Gravity Knives 26 New York decision sets a most disturbing legal precedent. By Joe Szilaski 36 Toughest When Super Thin Part I At the leanest of geometries, carbon steels outperform stainless steels. By Dan Farr 46 Head Start on The Road to Atlanta Ted Ott wins first BLADE Show West Cutting Competition. By BLADE staff 50 Sunday Morning Steel Discover the hottest iterations in the world of custom gent’s knives. By Mike Haskew 56 They Would Not Be Discombobulated Indomitable knife enthusiasts brave manmade obstacles to celebrate the knives of BLADE Show West. By Steve Shackleford 62 Knife Bags Are The Answer … … to the question of how to carry and store knives. By Dexter Ewing 56 80 Collector Crisis or Business As Usual? If collector numbers can be increased, everyone in the industry benefits. By Mike Haskew 84 Bilbo’s Blades from the Great Outback David Brodziak’s knives are unlike anything in the States. By Don Guild 92 Sharp to the Gills A new double serration style highlights Chris Reeve’s Inyoni. By MSG Kim Breed 98 The Great Sharpener Showdown Some of the latest steel-type sharpeners go head to head. By Durwood Hollis 102 The “Business” of Custom Knives Conclusion 84 Things the maker must know about advertising, knife shows and more. By Les Robertson 4 / BLADE blademag.com FEBRUARY 2008 Contents.indd 4 11/13/07 12:55:13 PM !TTHEAWARDWINNING7ILLIAM(ENRY3TUDIOWE CREATESUPERLATIVECUTTINGINSTRUMENTSTHAT BELONGEQUALLYTOTHEMOSTRUGGEDTASKS ANDRElNEDENVIRONMENTS %ACHPIECETAKESOVEREIGHT MONTHSTOCOMPLETE 98 INVOLVINGMORETHAN STEPSBYAS MANYASARTISANS WHOBRINGTHEIREXPERTISE TOBEARONEVERYASPECTOFTHElNALPRODUCT BLADE 4HElNESTMATERIALSONEARTH STATE OFTHEARTTECHNOLOGY ANDBRILLIANT SPOTLIGHT HANDWORKnSEAMLESSLY INTEGRATEDINTOAmAWLESS 4OLEARNMOREABOUTOURLATEST TOOLFORYOURLIFETIME OFFERINGS VISITOURWEBSITEORONEOF 6 Readers Respond ANDBEYOND OURAUTHORIZEDRETAILERSx 7 Cover Story 9 Web Services Page 10 Unsheathed 18 The Knife I Carry WWWWILLIAMHENRYSTUDIOCOM 20 Factory Focus: Simonich Knives -!$%).53! 42 Ed Fowler’s Knife Talk Kmh]jdYlan]^mf[lagf\]k]jn]klgZ]]d]nYl]\lgåmh]jdYlan]Yjl 67 Next In BLADE® 68 BLADE Shoppe 74 BLADE List 74 Classified Ads 75 Ad Index 76 What’s New 78 Knifemaker Showcase 90 Where To Net ’Em 96 Show Calendar 97 Where To Get ’Em 106 Hot Handmade 106 BLADE® (ISSN 1064-5853) is published monthly, including the directory and calendar issues, by F+W Publications, Inc., 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-001. Periodical postage paid at Iola, Wis., and at additional mailing offices. Canadian Agreement Number: 40665675. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BLADE, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142 877.485.6426 or outside the U.S. 386.246.3419. FEBRUARY 2008 blademag.com BLADE / 5 Contents.indd 5 11/13/07 3:57:12 PM readersreaders respond respond This Is Your Column! And we want to know what you think. to: BLADE, P.O. Box 789, Ooltewah, TN 37363-0789, or e-mail: Do you like what you’ve read in BLADE®? Do you have a [email protected], or visit our website: www.blademag. complaint, a suggestion or an opinion you’d like to share with com. We reserve the right to edit your comments to fit the space the largest knife audience in the world? Mail your comments available. Knife-Carrier Jeans Big Sky Hammer-In a Smash! His Very First Fine Knife ne of your readers wrote of a watch- want to thank everyone involved in the thought you folks might get a kick out of Opocket-carry idea in the October Isecond annual Big Sky Country Hammer- Imy very fi rst fi ne knife. BLADE®—a great idea for someone who In hosted by ABS master smith Josh Smith Seven or eight years ago I picked up my wants to clip his knife to his pants for ease and his wife, Jodi, in Frenchtown, Montana, fi rst BLADE® and saw an advertisement of access. I lost a handy folder clipped low June 30-July 1, and featuring ABS master for a folder by William Henry Knives, a in my front pants pocket while sliding out of smiths Tom Ferry and Tim Hancock. Both T12 with a redwood burl handle, a 3-inch a booth in a local café, the knife never to be did an incredible job of presenting very valu- 154CM blade, titanium liners, and 416 recovered. able information and answering questions to stainless bolsters. I drove down to William A while later I was pleasantly surprised the large group. Henry—at the time it was in Santa Cruz, when I found that the pair of “Wolverine” In addition, there were around 10 ABS California—and met Rick Thronburg, the jeans I mail ordered from Cabela’s has a master smiths in attendance and more ABS sales manager. I added the tiger-eye thumb knife pocket instead of the usual watch journeyman smiths than you could throw a stud and a lanyard with mammoth ivory pocket. About 4.25 inches deep, it easily ac- handful of gravel at. ABS master smith Rick beads and bought the knife. cepts my 5-inch-closed Lone Wolf TZ folder. Dunkerley coordinated the event (though Since that time I have collected over 80 Comfortable, convenient and secure enough he admits that Josh did all the work), and beautiful and fantastic knives from great to carry a folder with or without a clip, it everything from the catered lunch to the makers all over the country and the world, would be nice if more jeans were made with structure of the teaching was absolutely ter- but that T12 has always been my favorite. the knife carrier in mind. rifi c. Alpha Knife Supply set up a tent with It is everything a knife should be—sharp, a ton of knifemaking supplies, Mitch Lum smooth opening, lightweight, beautiful to Mr. Kramer, (fi rst name not available), was the unoffi cial photographer and Jan look at, and just the right size. I’ve got knives Anaheim, California DuBois, ABS offi ce manager, kept us out of that are thousands of dollars more expensive trouble (for the most part). but none that are “better.” Speaking of trouble, ABS master smith Did His Homework Wade Colter did a great job of teaching be- ginning blade forging. However, I must re- would like to thank you for a well-written port that we did not hear much hammering Iand informative article (“THE Knife of going on in Wade’s class. Weren’t all the la- the Iraq War”) in the May BLADE® concern- dies over at his forging demo? Hmm … ing the types of knives carried by our troops Tom Ferry shared some of the most in- in Iraq. novative, complex and creative aspects of Many people, in an attempt to persuade his world-famous damascus. Tim Hancock others to buy more of what they are sell- demonstrated some really simple and effi - ing, will try to pass themselves off as be- cient techniques for fl at grinding accuracy. ing knowledgeable about all things military. The way Tim shared his logical approach to Those of us in the military get a kick out of grinding and fi t and fi nishing made such an Mr. Collins’ WHK T12 with Julie Waren- poking holes in their façade and exposing impact that those of us on hand almost felt ski Erickson engraving. the truth. like we were suddenly elevated to his level since he had shared all his “secrets.” It was obvious from reading Mike A year ago I decided to celebrate the Again, thanks Josh, Tom, Tim, Wade, Haskew’s article that he had done his home- knife by sending it to Julie Warenski Erick- Rick, Jan and everyone else who attended work. Without relying on excessive military son for engraving. She just sent it back and, and participated. I eagerly look forward to lingo or trying to pass himself off as an ex- as you can see by the accompanying photo- next year’s hammer-in. pert in areas where he is not, he delivers a graph, she did a beautiful job. I cannot tell great piece that is relevant and timely. For you how much the cost of the engraving was Michael Rader, ABS journeyman smith, someone to speak so well about something in relation to the original purchase price, but Wilkeson, Washington with which I am very well acquainted adds oh well.