Blade

readers respond

Autos and Dream Stuff The article about automatic knives in the August BLADE® was most interesting (“60th Anniversary of The Big Mistake” by BLADE field editor Mike Haskew, page 36). Long, long ago I grew up in a small farming community in East Central Illinois. We all had switchblades. Nobody ever got stabbed or threatened with them. We did occasionally stick ourselves playing “Stretch ’Em,” but never bad enough to tell our mothers. That would have been a horrible fate.As the article pointed out, it’s not the tool, it’s the decay of a well-mannered society that’s the problem. What a shame.Fortunately, I work with people who carry assisted-opening knives and are concealed-carry license holders, even though we can’t have guns at work—but that’s another discussion altogether. Hopefully, we can…

letter of the month

Cutlery Hall Of Fame Regarding “Hall in the Family” on page 10 of the March BLADE®: How are people nominated and then inducted into the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame®? Is there a group from which voters are selected, a la the Baseball Hall Of Fame, or can anyone nominate and vote? Hobie Preston, a letter via e-mail Editor’s note: Sitting Hall-Of-Fame members nominate those for induction and, once the nominees are determined, vote on them. We send out request forms to members for nominations around the first of each year. Members can make up to two nominations each for a person who has 1) Demonstrated extraordinary service to the knife industry; 2) Displayed honesty, character and integrity; 3) Advanced the industry by the creativity and originality…

blade

Steve Shackleford, Editor BLADE Magazine PO Box 789, Ooltewah, TN 37363-0789 or email steve@blademag.com. Group Publisher JIM SCHLENDER Editor STEVE SHACKLEFORD Online Product Manager BEN SOBIECK Field Editors MSG KIM BREED, ABE ELIAS DEXTER EWING, ED FOWLER, MIKE HASKEW B.R. HUGHES, LES ROBERTSON JOE SZILASKI, RICHARD D. WHITE ADVERTISING Sales Representative LORI MCDANIEL Operations Director GREGORY S. KRUEGER Advertising Administrator BETH DALGREN Video Producer TERRY BOEDER Online Product Manager ELWOOD SHELTON …

cover story

While we think America’s Knife is a name that fits the cover bowie by John Gulso perfectly, he had his reservations at first.“That’s a fairly classic bowie-type fighter and the bowie is America’s knife, at least in my opinion,” he observed. “This is kind of me paying tribute to that and the history of the bowie knife and American culture, and expressing my patriotism with the flag design.“I said [the name] to myself as a joke at first but when I thought about it, it really fit. Maybe it’s a little ostentatious and that worried me a little. After all, how can a guy say any knife is America’s Knife? But the name fit and I stuck with it.”For more on the cover piece contact Fimbulvetr Knifeworks, attn.: John…

student taught the teacher

Among Jim Schmidt’s top pupils is the artist known as Dellana, an outstanding knifemaker in her own right who had the distinct honor of having Schmidt emulate one of her knifemaking ideas.Schmidt passed away in 2000 but not before becoming one of the top ABS master smiths/knifemakers ever. Despite the passage of almost 20 years, his knives remain among the most collectible anywhere. Last issue he was the focus of our “Past Masters” series. We did not have room in that issue to mention the lesson Dellana delivered, but we do now.The gold dots on Dellana’s custom folder blades—as well as on the blades of a number of other makers who employ them today—are known as “Dellana Dots.” The dots are an artistic alternative to nail nicks for opening…

put on your cutting cap

Nick Abbot shows his second-place form from the 2nd Annual Battle for Bali-Champion at BLADE Show 2018. Learn how to flip balisongs like a pro in the BLADE U. class “Tricks, Tips and Flips with Balisongs” conducted by Blade HQ and BRS co-founder Lawrence Ho. (Blade HQ image) Put on your cutting cap and learn how to make, collect, use, sharpen, embellish, buy and sell knives at the 6th Annual BLADE University June 7-8 at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta. Sponsored by Work Sharp, BLADE U. is held in conjunction with the 38th Annual BLADE Show June 7-9, also at the Cobb Galleria Centre. BLADE U. begins the same day as BLADE Show 2019 and completes cclass ssessions on show Saturday.While most are held in the aforementioned…