Visiting a knifemaker in his shop-with the maker's approval, of course- is something Larry Abramson said every true knife fan should do at least once. Here Abramson (right)works with the bandsaw in the shop of a mugging Allen Elishewitz (left). photo courtesy of Larry Abramson

True knife fans are continually seeking ways to extend their knowledge, involvement and enjoyment of cutlery. For such individuals, BLADE® offers a list of things they simply must do before they kick the bucket.

The BLADE Show (see pages 12, 22, 42, 50, 82 and 90) is the knife show of all knife shows, and the general consensus is that attending at least one BLADE Show is a must.

“I think every knife lover should attend the BLADE Show, and that’s not just blowing smoke,” said knifemaker Tony Bose. “It’s the greatest show in the world. I remember the first one I went to in the early 1980s. I met people I had read about for years, including Corbet Sigman, [Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer©] Jimmy Lile and even [Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer] Bob Loveless, and many other greats. I really enjoyed meeting Clyde Fisher. He was the real deal.” ABS master smith Steve Schwarzer agreed.

“The BLADE Show is the greatest show on the planet, and it has something for everybody,” he said. “You can buy handle materials, old pocketknives or the latest handforged creations made by the best modern bladesmiths.”

Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, Inc., calls the BLADE Show the knife enthusiast’s equivalent of a pilgrimage to Mecca. Echoed collector Larry Abramson, “Just the sheer amount of stuff is an overload to the part of the brain that encompasses ‘sharp, pointy things.’ The chance to meet and chat with the legends and just your favorite makers is worth the trip. A lot of the makers I read about early on are now people who I chat with on a first-name basis,” thanks in part to making their acquaintance at a BLADE Show.

Shops & Hammer-Ins
For many diehard knife fans, the most exhilarating event is a visit to the home or shop of a legendary knifemaker. Knifemaker Steve Hill said he would never forget his experience with Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bill Moran. After calling to see if the timing was convenient, Hill stopped by Moran’s shop in Frederick, Maryland, and watched him make a wooden sheath for a bowie knife. Moran also gave Hill some great tips on silver wire inlay and invited him to lunch with then American Bladesmith Society President Joe Cordova, ABS board director Jay Hendrickson, and maker Bill Hurt. Similarly, a favorite place for purveyor Rhett Stidham is Loveless’ shop in Riverside, California. Stidham said he also enjoys visiting Bob Dozier’s Springdale, Arkansas, shop.

Abramson said he has spent time in the shops of Allen and Valerie Elishewitz, Dick Atkinson, Howard Viele and Greg Neely. “What I know about steels, heat treating, things to look for and things to pay attention to, I owe mostly to these people,” Abramson admitted. “All I can do is thank the knifemakers in general for making this hobby very enjoyable.”

For ABS master smith Don Fogg, it is the hammer-ins that resonate. “They are a great way to learn how knives are made and to get your questions answered,” he related. “You have the opportunity to meet makers in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. There are always knives for sale. It’s also a great way to relax and enjoy the camaraderie of others who share your passion.”

Schwarzer’s take on seeing bladesmiths in action at hammer-ins is similar. Watching the testing during a cutting competition is a real “eye opener,” according to Steve. “It shows the dedication of the bladesmith and the performance level of the blades and the makers,” he commented. “You can see a lot of this testing being done at the Bill Moran School of Bladesmithing in Hope, Arkansas. The hot work involved in making an extraordinary blade is wonderful to watch. You can see that happen at Jim Batson’s hammer-in held in Alabama every year.” (See page 90, August BLADE.)

Be There, Do That
Possibly the greatest measure of a knife enthusiast’s commitment to his or her passion is a willingness to travel. Stidham said that antique knife collectors will be particularly fascinated by visits to the old sites of such companies as Case, Cattaraugus, New York Knife, Schrade and Walden, Wallkill River Works, Holly Knife Works, Napanoch, and Honk Falls knife shops in New York, and the Northfield Cutlery factory in Connecticut. Rhett is also an advocate of a trek to the Randall Knife Shop and Museum in Orlando, Florida.

Knife writer James Ayres contends that a trip to Thiers, France, created lasting memories. “Thiers is a mountaintop town totally devoted to the production of knives—shops, factories and craftsmen everywhere,” he noted. “It’s a beautiful medieval stone village, great food and great small hotels, not too expensive. They have the best museum of knives I’ve seen anywhere, including Solingen.”

The most popular historic destination for knife fans must be the Alamo. The legend of the bowie knife and its namesake, Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Jim Bowie, is intertwined with the tragedy and bravery of the famed Texas landmark.

“The Alamo draws visitors worldwide and is of special interest to knife enthusiasts, as the elected commander of volunteers there was James Bowie,” Steve Hill said. “On display in the Alamo chapel is a bowie knife made by Daniel Searles of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that was presented by James’ brother Rezin to a U.S. dragoon officer and is so inscribed. I’m proud to have made and donated a bowie knife to the Alamo in 2006, where it is on permanent display in the ‘Evolution of the Bowie Knife’ exhibit in the gift shop.”

Of course, Hill not only has a deep abiding respect for history, he lives it. For the past two years, he has portrayed Bowie during a re-enactment of the siege of the Alamo. He is also a member of the San Antonio Living History Association and is planning a trip to the sandbar near Natchez, Mississippi, where the legend of the bowie was born.

Use It or Lose It
The practical uses of the knife are also prominent in the listing of “must do” activities for knife fans. Some of these, courtesy of Michael Janich of Blackhawk and Martial Blade Concepts, include learning to throw a knife and a tomahawk, how to flip a balisong and entering a cutting competition. Janich also urges folks at least once to build a kit knife or design and make a knife on their own, as does collector Mark Segars, who adds, “Do it just for the fun of it!”

When it comes to the practical use of a knife, Emerson said that every true knife fan must master the art of sharpening. To the average user, he quipped, sharpening is “almost some mystical accomplishment.” Emerson said he fields questions about sharpening on a daily basis, and the satisfaction of achieving a hair-popping edge is hard to beat.
Schwarzer added some insight on really roughing it. Surviving in the wild can sometimes depend on having a knife and knowing how to use it.

“The rule of thumb on a survival knife size is determined by the length of stay in the woods,” he explained. “You can make a big knife do a little knife’s job, but a little knife will not do the work of a large knife. If you need shelter, a large camp knife will replace a saw and an ax, and after a week in the wilderness a camp knife will reach the bottom of the mayonnaise jar.

“I used to do a lot of camping, and a good, stout camp knife found many uses. Skinning game is their worst function, but in cutting wood for shelter and cooking, they really shine. They can also be used for building traps and hunting food. They are also way better than human teeth and toenails for self-defense.”

Tick, Tick, Tick …
Whatever avenue of approach brings the true knife fan into the fold, these adventures in cutlery are not to be missed. Make that list and mark them off one by one. The clock is ticking!

More Knife Fan Musts

Dan Delavan, co-owner, Plaza Cutlery: 1) Mildly enthusiastic knife fan—Learn to sharpen a knife correctly, make a knife from a file or spring, learn to throw a knife, play mumblety-peg or chicken, attend a knife show, and watch The Iron Mistress once; 2) More dedicated knife fan—Join an internet knife forum, visit a knifemaker’s shop, take a knifemaking class, and watch The Iron Mistress twice; and 3) Fanatic knife fan—Visit the Alamo, start making knives or become a dealer, go on mountain man jamborees/rendezvous and actually use your knife, and own a copy of The Iron Mistress.
•Rick Thronburg, William Henry Knives: Show your appreciation by giving back to the industry, and visit a maker’s shop or show in another country.
•Don Guild, purveyor and collector: Go to one of the Art Knife Invitational shows. Hold off buying the kind of knife you have been buying, consolidate your money, and then pop for the one of your dreams.
•Rhett Stidham, purveyor: Visit Nordic Knives retail knife store in Solvang, California, and Smoky Mountain Knife Works in Sevierville, Tennessee.
•Michael Janich, Blackhawk and Martial Blade Concepts: Buy a knife and give it as a gift to a deploying service person, take a course in knife tactics for self-defense, and spend the afternoon with your father, grandfather or elder talking about knives they have owned or used.
•Tony Bose, knifemaker: Attend a National Knife Collectors Association knife show, visit the National Knife Museum, skin a squirrel, field dress a deer or butcher a hog, and “have a good woman to keep your ego in check. We’re not curing cancer here!”
Also: Get permission to watch an ABS journeyman or master smith applicant take his or her journeyman or master smith test; attend a one-man knife show; visit the knifemaking centers of Solingen, Germany, Toledo, Spain, Portland, Oregon, and Seki City, Japan; visit the reproduction of the James Black Forge in Old Washington, Arkansas; and attend one of Ernest Emerson’s knife drawings during the BLADE Show.