May 2005 Thirty-Years of the Oregon Knife Show by Wayne Goddard Those Who Visited the Show This Year for the First Selling and Perhaps Change What They Are Making
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KNEWSLETTTER IN A KNUTSHELL The Show! Ourinternational membership is happily involved with “Anything that goes ‘cut’!” May 2005 Thirty-Years of the Oregon Knife Show By Wayne Goddard Those who visited the show this year for the first selling and perhaps change what they are making. While they are at it time were astounded by what they saw. The they might try to make knives that don’t look just like half a dozen or quantity and quality of the collections displayed more knives in the show. was beyond anything they imagined. The handmade knife world got its start in the early 70’s with knifemakers The number of trade tables overwhelmed the making fixed blade hunting knives. Time went on and boot knives attendees. One couple related that it took them became popular, then folding knives got hot, Damascus steel sneaked in, over an hour just to make it around the outer walls tactical knives came along, then a whole new generation of tricky folding to see the displays. knife mechanisms made their appearance. It wasn’t too long before those tricky folding knives got colors and mosaic damascus. Art knives were The show grows on its own without any real effort everywhere. All of these changes brought handmade knives in general to to make it larger. OKCA has never rented a larger a higher price range in relation to wages. Some collectors could not afford building in order to sell more tables. Larger to keep up with the trends that brought higher prices. Plain working buildings were rented when the existing buildings knives were still being made but weren’t as large a part of the total sales. would no longer contain all those that wanted to Real knives don’t get much attention in the magazines either. Question: have tables. Will a poor economy spark a renewed interest in working knives? Are The show has come a long way from the humble there too many makers working in the higher price ranges? start in the Pioneer Building at the fairgrounds. The The blizzard of cheap imported knives is a part of the knife world today, Pioneer Building was a small wood frame building and our show had its share. Unless the OKCA changes its bylaws they that was torn down when the existing show have as much right to be sold as the most expensive handmade art knife. building was constructed. In what was the Who’s to say that some of those cheap knives won’t become the beginning of a trend, OKCA outgrew that building collector’s items of tomorrow? in two years. The demonstrations and seminars are a big part of the show and well As usual, the collections were spectacular. One of attended by the public. One demonstration that I got to see only a part of the unique things about the OKCA show are the Another happy participant was Ray Richard demonstrating the forging of a tomahawk. This was a displays. The collectors work very hard on their at he 2005 OKCA Show. rare opportunity for those wanting to displays in order to win one of the handmade get into forging. The questions knives donated by participating asked were not just about the makers. tomahawk being forged but about We were missing a few makers the anvil, forge, hammers, tongs and who attended in the past. the material being used. However, it appeared that there I attended the heat treating were enough new makers to fill presentation by Dick Barber on up those tables. There certainly Friday morning. It was an excellent wasn’t any shortage of learning opportunity and well handmade knives for sale. Some attended. Questions flowed like makers were disappointed with water. There were so many folks sales; others were more than that heard about it after the fact that pleased with the business they a repeat performance was scheduled did. at 10 am on Sunday. It’s a different world for The best part of my business is the knifemakers today than even a joy of delivering one of my few years ago. The collector using the Internet can possibly purchase two creations to a customer. The bowie or more knives with the money saved from traveling to a show. At least knife in the picture is the result of two collectors that I do work for have told they no longer go to shows seventeen-months of correspondence between John Whalen and myself. unless they are extremely close to where they live. If one looks at the sites Friday at the show he got to take delivery on what he calls, “The selling knives, it isn’t hard to imagine that the knives having SOLD under realization of a dream of what the ultimate Bowie knife should be in the photo may have taken away a sale that would have been made at a design and feel.” Every detail of the 16 ½-inch blade, guard, handles and show. sheath were carefully negotiated. The satisfaction of completing a project I’ve noticed some collectors being more cautious with their purchases. like this is truly what makes my occupation as knifemaker worth while. This may be partially because money is tight, or it may simply be because Everything considered, the show was a success. Here’s to another thirty so many more knives are available today than in years past. years! My advice to makers not selling well to look around and see what is Knotes on model. The T designation is the next higher Thompson and not the M1903 Springfield United States level and indicates testing. The M which went through the M1903, designation denotes the item has been M1903A1, M1903 MOD., M1903A3, Military Edged adopted for use. The A designation along M1903A4 and never changed into the non with the M states a modification has been date designation? I guess that is another Cutlery made to the adopted model. discussion for another day. by Frank Trzaska Let’s run through a few examples of the Baxter Knives system: Sidney R. Baxter & Co. Boston, Ma. What do all those T's, E's, A's and M's E10 would designate the tenth experimental made industrial machine knives. They also Mean? item of that line. T8E10 would designate the made "combat knives" during World War As weapons are the basic equipment of an tenth experimental model of the eighth test Two. One design was a blade inserted into army, they are the most common items to type. M26 would designate the twenty sixth a "mill file" handle. They used brass be modified and modernized. When adoption of a weapon or system. M26A1 guards and pommels with red fiber slab existing weapons are proven to be would designated the first modification of handles on most of the fighting knives. inadequate, they are updated by means of the twenty sixth model adopted. Other then the photos in various books, improvement or a totally new design. This Cole, Silvey etc., that is about the extent Hence we have the of my knowledge on Baxter knives. What M1905E1 being the can you add to that? first experimental model of the Hicks adopted M1905 In a long ago debate with our good friend bayonet. We have Bernard Levine, he contends that Hicks’ the M8A1 being knives were not military. I have read the first through those Allegheny Arsenal Letter modification of the Books that are supposed to hold the adopted M8 reference to them being purchased by the scabbard. The T12 military but could never find that passage was the test Peterson attributed to them in his early bayonet which referenceAmerican Knives . Without that became the M6 passage I too contend they were not made when adopted into for the military but for private purchase. was probably most apparent during World standardization so we War Two as the full thrust of American can see the temporary technology and industrial might came to alpha numeric bear. Improvements in the weapons and in designation production necessitated the modernization completely changing of our stocking system and cataloging to the permanent through temporary and permanent designation. There designations. This is where the above doesn't seem to be a designations come into play. The system hard date to when the U. S. changed over of designating items with alpha numeric from the Model designator being the year of While surfing the net looking for classifications provides a clue as to the adoption to a standard number. We see the references with Hicks, I found this one: amount of research and development that M1 Garand being adopted in 1936 and given This is an authentic Springbok Jigsaw lies behind each Puzzle called "Andrew Hicks on Hatteras approved model Ground". Copyright 1972. 500+ pieces. of a particular 20" x 22 9/16". This is a painting by Frank weapon or Vining Smith from the Mariners Museum, weapon system. Newport News, Virginia. Picture is of the Depending Andrew Hicks ship which was built in upon what 1867. Here we have a sailing ship named stage they are the Andrew Hicks, surely not the same Andrew we are searching for, but a hit still in development, the first single number designator; while the the same. Can you prove to me that the the items may be assigned a temporary M1941 Johnson came about with a date military purchased the Hicks Bowie knife alpha numeric designation in designator as did the adopted combat for issue?? I would love to hear that story. experimentation and another permanent shotguns of WW II. The Thompson Sub number in standardized life.