® NOVEMBER 2012 BLADE MAGAZINE KNIFE-OF-THE-YEAR AWARDS 11 BEST NOVEMBER 2012 www.blademag.com B L A D E World’s Knife #1 Publication THE UPSIDE DOWN LOCK TOP ALL-TIME BLADE SHOW? KIT CARSON: GilGil Hibben LegionLegion FighterFighter co-stars in new action flicflickk HALL OF FAMER HOT WESTERN KNIVES WITH AN EASTERN LOOK THINNER SKINNER: PRIDGEN TOOTHPICK F + W M e d i a US $5.95 11 0 FnL1 04 0120 01 JUYrVyBQdWJsaWNhdGlvbnMsIEluYyAo 02 SW9sYSBkaXZpc2lvbikPR3JlZ29yeSBL 03 cnVlZ2VyAE88+tgEMTAuNAI4MAExBVVQ Qy1BDDA3NDQ3MDUwMjUxNwA= 7447074470 5025150251 7 Display until September 10, 20122012 BL1112US.indd 1 7/17/12 8:49 AM Carbon Fiber The unparalleled combination of strength and feather-light weight of Carbon Fiber has made it one of the most favored reinforced polymers for many of today’s high-tech industries, from sporting goods to automotive and even aerospace. Now Case introduces Carbon Fiber pocket knives – tough tools that are up to 40% lighter than their bone or synthetic PACKS LIGHT. handled counterparts. Five handy patterns make up the Case Carbon Fiber family, each WORKS HARD. with satin fi nished Tru-Sharp™ surgical steel blades that are ready for heavy duty work. Carbon Fiber Case knives – ready whenever you are, wherever life takes you. Available at Case dealers everywhere. Trapper #42940 Lockback #42942 Sod Buster, Jr.® #42941 Folding Hunter Medium Stockman #42947 #42946 Visit us online Join the Case Collectors Club Like us on Facebook www.wrcase.com www.wrcase.com/join www.facebook.com/wrcase 69915_BL.indd 1 7/17/12 1:23 PM 69242.indd 1 7/12/12 8:49 AM NOVEMBERNNOOVVEMBER 2012 2012 12 38 24 12 KAI’S THE LIMIT 48 WORLD PREMIERE: Kai Group dominates Blade Magazine BLADE SHOW DEBUTS Knives-Of-The-Year®. By BLADE® sta Ɉ Your private viewing of the show’s factory 88 THE UPSIDE knife intros. By Joe Kertzman 20 DREAM TAG-TEAM TEST DOWN LOCK Spyderco’s durable See how well you know factory/custom 66 WESTERN KNIVES, Compression Lock continues to collaboration knives. By BLADE staɈ EASTERN LOOK evolve. By David Jung Japanese hallmarks, hamons are appearing 24 SLY AND GIL: more on U.S. knives. By Mike Haskew 94 A THINNER TOGETHER YET AGAIN 80 SKINNER Hibben gets Stallone’s input in knives for FORGING Larry Pridgen’s damascus blade The Expendables 2. By Mike Carter MOTORCYCLE CHAINS … tackles a media assortment. By … chainsaw chains and wire rope into MSG Kim Breed 38 THE BLADE SHOW GLOW serviceable blades. By Wayne Goddard The recent rendition may have been the 98 FOR THE GOOD best ever. By Steve Shackleford 84 RIGHT THING OF THE GUILD FOR THE RIGHT REASON Group creates stunning knife for 44 CONVEX EDGES & SCANDI Kit Carson’s Hall-Of-Fame induction mirrors upcoming Guild Show auction. AESTHETICS his life. By BLADE staɈ By BLADE staɈ Can Fallkniven knives pass the Turkey/ Bulgaria test? By James Morgan Ayres BLADE® (ISSN 1064-5853) is published monthly (Vol. XXXIX, No. 12), with an additional issue in November, by F+W Media, Inc., 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990-0001. Periodicals postage paid at Iola, Wis., and at additional mailing offices. Canadian Agree- ment Number: 40665675. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to BLADE, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. 4 BLADE NOVEMBER 2012 CONTENTS.indd 4 7/17/12 11:57 AM BLADE 6 | READERS RESPOND 7 | COVER STORY 10 | UNSHEATHED 18 | THE KNIFE I CARRY 19 | BLADE® COMMUNITY PAGE 30 | ED FOWLER’S KNIFE TALK 34 | HANDMADE GALLERY 54 | NEXT IN BLADE 64 | BLADE LIST 64 | CLASSIFIED ADS 64 | AD INDEX 72 | SHOW CALENDAR 74 | KNIFEMAKER SHOWCASE 76 | WHAT’S NEW 78 | WHERE TO NET ’EM 97 | WHERE TO GET ’EM 84 98 NOVEMBER 2012 blademag.com 5 CONTENTS.indd 5 7/16/12 2:09 PM READERS RESPONDOND | This Is Your Column! And we want to know what you think. Do you like what you’ve read in BLADE®? Do you have a complaint, a suggestion, or an opinion you’d like to share with the largest, most sophisticated knife audience in the world? Mail your comments to: BLADE, P.O. Box 789, Ooltewah, TN 37363-0789, or visit our website at www.blademag.com, or e-mail us at [email protected]. We reserve the right to edit your comments to fit the space available. Wants More on Knife Mechanisms reading your magazine for a while now the chance to have my knives seen by so hank you for the very interesting ar- and have to say I have noticed a real talent many. Tticle on the AXIS® lock (page 72, June in Mr. Searson’s work. I would love to see Exposure is huge for a new maker like BLADE®). While I enjoyed the interview- more from him and your other fantastic me and I cannot thank you enough. As a style comments about the history of the contributors. Th anks for all that you do! long-time reader of your magazine, it was lock’s invention, I do not really under- Shawn D. Phillips, Gray Talon Group, a real thrill to see my work on your pages. stand how it works. Perhaps my 3-D pow- a letter via e-mail Hopefully we can do it again some day! ers of understanding are not working up Jon McCargar, Pinole, California to snuff . A Crazy Month I have studied the patent drawings re- t really was a crazy month. I enjoyed Terrifi c Sawby Knife produced in the article long and hard. I Ia fair amount of attention due to my as I surprised when I turned to guess I need simplifi ed drawings show- mini-bio in the “Knifemaker Showcase” Wpage 22 of the June BLADE®! How ing the knife open and closed. Sort of a in the April BLADE® (page 69), and was nice of you to publish the Scott Sawby before-and-aft er approach to depict the really, really busy trying to get ready for knife. Scott and Marian Sawby did a ter- change in the position of the various parts the Oregon Knife Show in Eugene this rifi c job, and it is so rewarding to me that also would be helpful. Perhaps a list of the past April. With all the commotion I ne- others can share in enjoying their work. names of the numbered items would also glected to send you a proper thank you Th anks for making that possible. help. However, I think that coloring the for allowing me the opportunity to show John Wenglewski, Spokane, Washington actual pieces of the lock and referring to my work in BLADE. I really do appreciate them in the text would be a huge help, as would a series of simple drawings show- ing the progressive positions of the parts. www.KnifeForums.com Please continue to write about knife mechanisms. Th ere are so many and I haven’t a clue about how most of them Pappy Boyington’s Mark II or No? work. For example, I have stared and bought a knife in mint shape with the original sheath. The blade is marked “Kabar USMC Olean stared at the ad on the back cover for the New York.” It has a wooden handle and a blackish blade. The elderly lady said her Uncle Pappy was a Famars folders, and do not believe that decorated pilot and sent this knife home during the war, and kept his other knife to use. That is why it they really do fold. Is that shiny fl ush but- I is in mint shape. ton a release for a spring-activated blade? Can anyone tell me more about this knife? The sheath has a name inside the belt loop. It says Greg How does one close such a knife? Does Boyington MFS 214. Any information whatsoever would be greatly appreciated. closing it load the spring for powering the Signchaser blade? hate to dash an ice-cold bucket of reality on you, Signchaser, but there are several things you need to Keep up the good work. I cannot know about your acquisition. tell you how refreshing it is to read ar- Greg Boyington, the name written on the sheath and therefore the supposed owner of the knife, was ticles written by an actual author (Mike I also called Pappy Boyington of the USMC Black Sheep Squadron. There was a television series made about Haskew) as opposed to re-publishing the squadron and Robert Conrad played Boyington. self-serving press releases. Now for the dose of cold reality. It is important to state that the proper name for an example of such James Speed Hensinger, a letter via e-mail knives is “Mark II.” The popular designation of “Ka-Bar” is a matter of historical accident. With that said: •The Sheath: It is clearly marked “USMC” and with the iconic Marine Corps globe and anchor. Unfor- Editor’s note: For the latest installment of tunately, no military-issue Mark II sheaths were ever marked this way, and certainly not during World War “Knife Mechanisms,” see page 88. Mean- II when they were fi rst introduced. The sheath marking of MFS-214, I assume, is supposed to indicate while, the Famars folders on the back cover “Marine Fighter Squadron 214.” That is not how Naval/Marine fi ghter squadrons were designated during of the June BLADE are autos. You push the World War II. To me, this is confi rmation that the package was intended to fool an inexperienced potential “shiny fl ush button” to both open the knife buyer into paying more than it is worth.