Blade November 2022

James “Pop” Poplin James “Pop” Poplin, long-time provider of supplies for knifemakers through his Pop’s Knives & Supplies, passed away Aug. 25. He was 73. If knifemakers needed knife supplies, James was always at or near the top of the list. Abrasives, steels, buffing compounds, sharpening equipment, fittings, handle materials and more, he was a top go-to for makers most everywhere. “Pop was a great guy and a great friend,” wrote long-time knifemaker, knife-and-tomahawk thrower and customer Bobby Branton. “I bought everything he had if he had it in stock for over 30 years.” Bobby praised James for his one-on-one personal service. James also made knives and Bobby called him “one of the best knifemakers ever,” adding, “He was a pillar of the knife-making community and a great friend. My condolences to Kay…

VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.BLADEMAG.COM TO: • Sign up for our free newsletter. • Renew your magazine subscription. There’s a subscription link in the nav bar. • Comment on our site stories written by BLADE® staff members and others. LOOK FOR BLADE MAGAZINE ON: SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Visit us on the web at www.blademag.com or call 877-485-6426. Outside USA: 760-407-2304. BOOK SALES: Visit us at www.gundigeststore.com or call 920-471-4522. BACK ISSUES FOR SALE: Subject to Availability. Call 920-471-4522. ADVERTISING: Contact Lori McDaniel at 715-498-3768 or lori@gundigest.com, or request a media kit by writing to: BLADE, 5600 W. Grande Market Dr., Appleton, WI 54913. LETTERS OR ARTICLE SUBMISSIONS: Steve Shackleford, Editor BLADE Magazine 5600 W. Grande Market Dr., Ste. 100 Appleton, WI 54913 or email steve@blademag.com.…

The Gentleman’s Hunter (page 38) by American Bladesmith Society Journeyman Smith Wess Barnhill is highlighted by a 5-inch blade of feather-pattern damascus and a mammoth ivory handle. The Chris Reeve Knives Backpacker (page 12) is a drop-point hunting/backpacking knife in a natural canvas Micarta® handle and a 4-inch blade of one of the latest super steels: CPM Magnacut. The Emerson Knives, Inc., Market Skinner (page 24) is a folding hunter in a stonewash clippoint blade of 154CM stainless steel and a black G-10 handle. The combo trio at upper left is the Buffalo Hunter Set (page 82) of a Green River-type skinner, caper and gut hook in CPM 154 stainless blade steel and black ash burl handles by ABS Journeyman Smith Kurt Swearingen (page 10). SharpByCoop photographed the Buffalo Hunter Set and…

We’ve received a number of compliments from readers concerning our new “Shop Dump” feature (page 52) in which we highlight the most important knifemaking machinery and tools used by today’s leading bladesmiths and knifemakers. Many of the compliments have come from the participating makers, which should come as no surprise—so neither should it come as a surprise that one of those makers would point out something he says is so much more important than the machines and tools themselves. Kurt Swearingen is an American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith whose buffalo hunting set is featured on page 82. Kurt’s been making knives since 2007. A couple years or so later he decided to take a bladesmithing class at the Bill Moran School in Old Washington, Arkansas*, but it was about that time…

The drop-point blade is perhaps the most useful shape for outdoor knives. A case in point is the KA-BAR/Becker Knife & Tool BK16 Short Becker. It is a midsize knife that is easy to carry, handle and use. The 4-inch blade of flat-ground 1095 Cro-Van steel can hold a respectable edge and sharpens quickly in the field. The black textured epoxy coating is non-glare and corrosion resistant. The Zytel handle is a typical Becker design—highly ergonomic with a palm swell that fills the hand nicely. The handle edges are rounded to eliminate hot spots. Part of the tang is exposed for the lanyard hole. There’s also traction notches on the spine to choke up for added control. When you hold the BK16, notice how solid it feels. Even though one of the…

SPEC CHART KNIFE: WindRiver Hunter BLADE LENGTH: 3.75” BLADE STEEL: RWL-34 stainless HANDLE MATERIAL: Dyed bigleaf maple GUARD MATERIAL: Same as blade CONSTRUCTION: Full integral OVERALL LENGTH: 8.25” SHEATH MATERIAL: 9-oz. leather hand tooled by Carl Colson KNIFE TO KNOW: Carl is a voting member of The Knifemakers’ Guild MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE (INCLUDING SHEATH): $1,895 MAKER: Carl Colson, Dept. BL11, 8590 NW 172 Ln., Fanning Springs, FL 32693 352-221-2937 carlcolson@bellsouth.net, carlcolsonknives.com(SharpByCoop image) SPEC CHART KNIFE: MR Hunter Especial BLADE LENGTH: 4.5” BLADE STEEL: Damascus by Alabama Damascus HANDLE: Cocobolow/a mosaic pin GUARD: Brass w/black spacer OVERALL LENGTH: 9.5” MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMI-LAR KNIFE: $675 MAKER: Brian Milinski, Texas, mrknives@yahoo.com (Jocelyn Frasier image edit) SPEC CHART KNIFE: Hunter BLADE LENGTH: 4.5” BLADE MATERIAL: 1095 carbon steel BLADE GRIND: Full flat w/convex edge HANDLE MATERIAL: Desert ironwood FITTINGS MATERIAL: Bronze OVERALL LENGTH: 9” MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMI-LAR KNIFE: $600 MAKER: Bennett Snipes, Dept. BL11, 7534…