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22 Articles

D’Alton Holder 1940-2022 D’Alton Holder, whose knife-making career spanned almost 60 years, served multiple positions on the Knifemakers’ Guild board of directors, and enjoyed almost 20 years as a member of the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall Of Fame®, passed away Nov. 19 in Glendale, Arizona. He was 82. Known simply as “D,” Holder was a consummate maker of fixed-blade knives, especially hunters. He preferred working with natural handle materials such as turquoise, amber and rosewood. His “My Knife” hunter in a handle of stacked natural materials was his best-known model, and one of the most recognizable custom knives of the past half century. He was making My Knife hunters as early as 1974, if not before, and made them until the end of his career. He became a full-time maker in 1988…

A hallmark of a great knifemaker is versatility, and Canada’s Wolf-gang Loerchner shows his with the Pattern 1 (page 82). Renowned as one of the best makers of art knives anywhere, Wolfe nails the tactical genre with a flipper folder that looks like it’s moving even when sitting still. Balisongs continue to advance in popularity and Bladerunner Systems (BRS) augments that growth with the Premium Alpha Beast Kukri (page 32). As Edward Anthonis of BRS noted, it’s built not only to be an outstanding knife but also to excel at manipulation by any of today’s many flipping enthusiasts. Michal Komorovsky is from the Slovak Republic. His all-black Paladin (page 24) employs a fuller (aka blood groove) that, in addition to reducing weight, strengthens the harpoon-pattern blade due to the “I-beam effect” (think…

In case you missed the golden 50th anniversary logo on the cover of the last issue and this one as well, yes, 2023 is indeed the 50th anniversary of BLADE® Magazine. The invention of the man who would go on to bring so much invention to the knife industry in general, BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Blackie Collins, the publication debuted under the name of The American Blade with the May-June 1973 issue. While there were other knife publications at the time, the only one of those still standing is BLADE, and all of us here at the World’s No. 1 Knife Publication are immensely proud of that fact. It wasn’t long after Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer and former BLADE publisher and editor Bruce Voyles hired me to help edit BLADE’s now-de-funct sister…

THE LIKABLE SPIKE

The tomahawk, aka hawk, has been a staple of life in the Americas for centuries. The design today is remarkable in that it is not the product of any one particular group of pioneers or a specific native tribe, but rather a combined project of all New World groups. The Algonquin Indians are generally credited with the design features, but it was Europeans that introduced metal heads to the otherwise stone or bone creations. Unlike many edged weapons at the time, such as the saber and broad-sword, the hawk evolved alongside guns as opposed to being replaced by them. As a result, it is a practically sized axe that doesn’t interfere with users when they’re shooting and often has alternative functional features such as a hammer/poll, spike, and even a smoking…

THE LIKABLE SPIKE

They’ve Got Your Tac

SPEC CHART KNIFE PATTERN: Bowie BLADE LENGTH: 10.75” BLADE MATERIAL: Damascus of .25” 52100 ball bearings and 1084 powdered steel forge welded in a canister BLADE GRIND: Flat w/apple-seed (convex) edge HANDLE: European red stag from the Carpathian Mountains in Poland KNIFE TO KNOW: The blade, S-guard, spacer and buttcap are all forged from the same billet OVERALL LENGTH: 16” MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE: $1,800 MAKER: Alex Yoak, Big Bend, WV ayoak@frontier.com 304-377-4057 (Caleb Royer image) SPEC CHART KNIFE NAME: Kyss KNIFE TYPE: Fixed blade BLADE LENGTH: 3.91” BLADE STEEL: Nitro-V stainless BLADE GRIND: Karambit style HANDLE MATERIAL: Carbon fiber HARDWARE: Titanium OVERALL LENGTH: 8.25” SHEATH: Kydex MAKER’S PRICE FOR A SIMILAR KNIFE (INCLUDES SHEATH): $450 MAKER: Shane Magnussen, Dept. BL2, 914 W. Belmont Red Trl., San Tan Valley, AZ 85143 602-702-1084 shane@scorpion6knives.com, scorpion6knives.com (SharpByCoop image) SPEC CHART KNIFE PATTERN: Wakizashi KNIFE…

They’ve Got Your Tac

TACTICAL, THY NAME IS VARIETY

PALADIN MAKER: Michal Komorovsky BLADE LENGTH: 7.75” BLADE STEEL: Elmax stainless BLADE FINISH: Black DLC GUARD MATERIAL: Stainless steel w/black DLC HANDLE MATERIAL: Black canvas Micarta® w/carbon-fiber thong-hole liner OVERALL LENGTH: 12.75” SHEATH: Custom made by Michal Komorovsky of leather AUTHOR’S COMMENTS: The Paladin is sleek, stealthy and sexy; the balance makes the knife deceptively quick; the fuller reduces weight while increasing blade strength; exceptional handle ergonomics. MAKER’S PRICE: $875 (Michal Komorovsky images) For 100 years, knives used by members of the military were referred to as either combat or fighting knives. Interestingly, there were no criteria for either category. The names were more of a catchall for any fixed blade carried by any-one in the military, whether it was your grandpa’s hunting knife or a 10-inch bowie bought at a sporting goods store. Often the knives were made of whatever…

TACTICAL, THY NAME IS VARIETY

“EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS HIGHLY OPTIMIZED FOR THE BEST FLIPPING EXPERIENCE POSSIBLE.”—LUCAS CAO 1. KRAKE RAKEN BOWIE V2.5 COMPANY: Squid Industries BLADE LENGTH: 4.5” BLADE STEEL: AEB-L stainless BLADE CLOSURE: Latchless design HANDLE MATERIAL: 7075 T651 aluminum WEIGHT: 4.33 ozs. CLOSED LENGTH: 5.625” COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA MSRP: $284.99 2. 85 BILLET TI BALI-SONG COMPANY: Benchmade BLADE LENGTH: 4.4” BLADE STEEL: CPM S30V stainless BLADE CLOSURE: Latch HANDLE MATERIAL: Titanium WEIGHT: 5.28 ozs. CLOSED LENGTH: 5.6” COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: USA MSRP: $750 The balisong presents knife manufacturers with an excellent opportunity to express their design creativity and material preferences in a style that promotes pure enjoyment among flipping enthusiasts. Long popular amid the knife-buying public, the balisong—aka bali, butterfly knife or simply butterfly—is a favorite of those who appreciate its mechanics, good looks and the sheer fun of flipping. With safety in mind, the manufacturers whose stock in trade includes the balisong…

POINTS TO PONDER

Some might say the tanto is among the original tactical blade shapes because it takes inspiration from the swords of the classic Japanese samurai warriors. A straight-edge blade mated with a sharpened top at an angle, the American tanto—the focus of this story as opposed to the original Japanese tanto—was developed to pierce tough materials. Moreover, the angled tip simultaneously cuts as it pierces. The tanto also retains the full spine thickness up to the point, creating a reinforced tip highly resistant to bending or breaking. Applied to knives, the tanto blade still allows for penetration through tough materials but in a more manageable size of a folder or small-to-medium-sized fixed blade. While rooted in tactical use, the tanto can be highly utilitarian, as the angled tip also can be employed…

POINTS TO PONDER

TANTO SHARPENING TIPS

Be careful when sharpening a tanto blade. The trick is to treat it as two separate blades so you can maintain the crisp angular edge transition where the primary cutting edge and secondary edge of the angled tip meet. Don’t sharpen a tanto the way you sharpen your hunting knife. With the tanto, sharpen the primary edge only, then sharpen the secondary edge only. Sharpening a tanto takes a bit more time than other blade shapes and can be a bit tricky. As long as you remember to treat the tanto as two separate blades instead of one continuous blade, you should be OK.…

WHERE TO GET ’EM

SPIKE TOMAHAWKS P. 12 Cold Steel, c/o GSM Outdoors, attn: Chase Cahalan, Dept. BL2, 5250 Frye Rd., Irving, TX 75061 877-269-8490 info@gsmorg.com, www.coldsteel.com; Estwing 815-397-9558 sales@estwing.com, estwing.com; SOG, Dept. BL2, 6521 212th St. SW, Lynnwood, WA 98036-7411 888-405-6433 sogsales@sogknives.com, www.sogknives.com; Winkler Knives, attn: Daniel Winkler, Dept. BL2, POB 2166, Blowing Rock, NC 28607 828-262-3691 info@winklerknives.com, www.winklerknives.com CUSTOM TACTICAL FIXED BLADES P. 24 Walter Brend, walter@brendknives.com; David Broadwell, broadwellstudios.com and customknives@comcast.net; Piotr Gosciniak, customknives@comcast.net; Jacek Hnatow, instagram@h_knives_custom/and customknives@comcast.net; Michal Komorovsky, Instagram@michal_komorovsky_knifemaker and customknives@comcast.net; RJ Martin, Instagram @rjmartinknives; Robertson’s Custom Cutlery, customknives@comcast.net; Brian Selby, selbydesign@sbcglobal.net BALIS FLY! P. 32 Benchmade USA, Dept. BL2, 300 Beavercreek Rd., Oregon City, OR 97045 503.655.6004 or 800-800-7427 www.benchmade.com, info@benchmade.com; Bladerunner Systems, eanthonis@gmail.com or Ish@revoknives.com; Kershaw, c/o Kai USA Ltd., attn: D. Aiello, Dept. BL2, 18600 SW Teton Ave., Tualatin, OR 97062…

WHERE TO GET ’EM

HOW TO BUILD A BACKYARD POWER HAMMER

“BUILDING A HAMMER FROM SCRAP IS EXACTLY LIKE BUILDING A RACECAR FROM A TUB OF LEGOs.” I think almost every smith wishes at some point he or she had a power hammer. It’s loud, powerful and moves metal quickly. It’s also the key to improving the production speed of forging and making damascus steel, and speed without sacrificing quality quickly translates into increased revenue and more fun. It’s under such conditions that the smith turns to the Internet and begins to look for a hammer. Quickly he or she discovers several things. First are stories of people who got incredible deals on a hammer stored in a barn somewhere. These are like hunting stories of novices killing giant whitetail bucks, or fishing stories of a kid catching a 12-pound large-mouth bass. The…

HOW TO BUILD A BACKYARD POWER HAMMER

If you decide to build a power hammer, remember that you are building a mechanized tool for smashing stuff with great force, and that your appendages smash easier than steel. There’s no risk in me sharing these ideas with you unless you get a papercut turning a page. There’s great risk in building and using a hammer, and when you build one, you assume those risks. It won’t be my welds that come apart if you build poorly or my hand that gets smashed if you don’t design your hammer right—it will be yours.…

THE HOUSE THAT MORAN BUILT

William F. “Bill” Moran, Jr., the first American blade-smith to successfully forge damascus steel blades and a founder of the American Bladesmith Society (ABS), was honored October 16 in Middletown, Maryland, with the dedication of the Moran Bladesmith and Artisan Academy. Under the auspices of the Moran Museum & Foundation (see sidebar), the Academy is an impressive structure that stands less than 100 yards from Moran’s now idle knife shop. The weather was virtually ideal as a large crowd assembled in front of the building. Director Nancy Hendrickson, mistress of ceremonies, welcomed the audience and introduced Robert Wilson, president of the Moran Foundation, who opened the proceedings with a prayer and gave an overview of the activities leading up to the dedication. Mrs. Hendrickson next introduced the speakers for the afternoon: John…

THE HOUSE THAT MORAN BUILT

Salt Lake SURPRISE PART II

BLADE Show West ’23 was a success by most all standards (see January BLADE®, BLADE, page 58). Held for the first time ever in Salt Lake City this past October in the spacious Salt Palace Convention Center, the two-day event hosted some of the industry’s top custom and factory knives, knife enthusiasts, entertaining knife seminars, and assorted other edge-worthy enter-prises and endeavors. Speaking of top knives, the show recognized recognized 14 of the best of them in its custom and factory knife judging competitions. We had room for only half of the winners last issue and, as promised, we’re giving the balance their due this time. They were announced and presented trophies at the show’s After Party sponsored by Black Rifle Coffee at the company’s facility show Friday night. BLADE SHOW WEST…

Salt Lake SURPRISE PART II

SHOP DUMP ERNEST EMERSON

Ernest Emerson is entering his 44th year of knifemaking and his manufacturing company, Emerson Knives, Inc., is celebrating its 25th anniversary. Many knife nuts who have been around awhile remember Ernest when he was purely a custom knifemaker who was making exquisite folders exclusively. Then things changed. When the first Gulf War came along, Emerson—who has an extensive background in martial arts—had already been working on tactical knife designs and, being the patriot he is, was ideally positioned to do his part in the war effort. Along with a handful of other talented custom makers, it wasn’t long before Ernest was instrumental in helping kick off the modern tactical knife movement that is still a huge part of the cutlery market today. He never looked back and 25 years ago took…

SHOP DUMP ERNEST EMERSON

Between his exquisite custom knives and numerous collaborations with factory cutlery companies, ' RJ Martin (page 24) has become a legacy name in the knife industry. As a teenager he was inspired by a Sports Afield article on knifemaker • Bob Dozier and decided to try.. his hand at knifemaking, which he did with very satisfactory results. The seed was planted for what would become a lifelong passion of working with steel, the results of which are his incredible knives today. To get there he studied at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, graduating in 1984 with a bachelor-of-science degree in materials engineering. From there he spent 17 years working in the aircraft industry designing parts and mechanisms for hi-tech helicopters. This exposed him to a wide range of materials…

CAUTION: WIDE LOAD!

SPEC CHECK BASILISK/DAMNED DESIGNS KNIFE TYPE: Fixed blade BLADE LENGTH: 4.25” BLADE STEEL: Sandvik 14C28N stainless BLADE WIDTH AT WIDEST: 1.75” BLADE FINISH: Stonewashed HANDLE: G-10 HANDLE AT THICKEST: .5” WEIGHT: 7.25 ozs. OVERALL LENGTH: 8.75” SHEATH: Kydex fold-over WEIGHT W/SHEATH: 11 ozs. MSRP: $75 “THE FULL FLAT GRIND COMBINED WITH THE BLADE’S AMPLE WIDTH MAKE FOR ALMOST PERFECT EDGE GEOMETRY.” I’m really liking the wider blade of the Basilisk* by Damned Designs. The full flat grind combined with the blade’s ample width make for almost perfect edge geometry—a thin edge for slicing with enough meat behind it for added strength. The thinner blade stops any binding while slicing thicker material like cardboard. The G-10 slabs have enough texture for a good grip. The Basilisk is a solid EDC knife. It uses Sandvik 14C28N stainless for blade material, a great using steel. But how well does…

CAUTION: WIDE LOAD!

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Each maker has his own reasons for making a knife. I believe that these thoughts come very early in life. My desire started before kinder-garten. I remember trying to grind a knife blade out of a Popsicle™ stick on the cement in front of my house. Dandelions in our front yard were the enemy and a knife would come in handy. The kids on my block had swordfights with sticks and garbage can lids for shields. My father wrote home from France during World War II that he was bringing me a French Lebel bayonet and then I could see myself fighting dragons. In my youth I enjoyed a lot of freedom. We could play in our backyards and there were no government folks to “protect us.” We made our own toys…

THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD

Tell us what knife you carry. Add a little history or an anecdote. Try to include a photograph—if digital, at least 600 KB but no larger than 2 MB—of you with your knife. We will publish your comments in an upcoming “The Knife I Carry.” Your name will then be entered in a drawing to win a free, high-quality, name-brand knife. The drawing will be May 15. Mail to: BLADE®, 5600 W. Grande Market Dr., Ste. 100, Appleton, WI 54913, or e-mail steve@blademag.com. If you send your entry by e-mail, please include your physical mailing address in case you win the knife. “I carry a custom CMFTW Freeman Treeman fixed blade. It utilizes Spectrumwear steel on a chiselground tanto-style blade. From clearing brush on trails to opening coconuts, it does it…

JANUARY JAN. 17-20 LAS VEGAS The SHOT Show (retail trade only), The Venetian Expo and Caesars Forum. Visit shotshow.org. JAN. 20-22 LAS VEGAS Las Vegas Invitational Knifemakers Show with Las Vegas Antique Arms Show, Westgate Resort & Casino. Call 877-968-8880 or visit anti-quearmsshow.com. JAN. 27-29 LAKELAND, FL The 45th Annual Gator Cutlery Club Show, RP Funding Center (formerly Lakeland Center). Contact Dan Piergallini 813-754-3908 or 967-1471 gatorcutlery.com.* FEBRUARY FEB. 4-12 HARRISBURG, PA Great American Outdoor Show, Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex. For more visit greatamericanoutdoorshow.org. FEB. 25 OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Oklahoma Knife Group Knife Show, H&H Shooting Sports 405-947-3888 contactus@hhshootingsports.com, hhshootingsports.com. FEB. 25 BREA, CA California Knife Expo, Brea Convention Center. Contact California Knifemakers Association 714-719-6858 info@calknives.com, calknives.org.* FEB. 25 JERSEY CITY, NJ New York Custom Knife Show, Westin Jersey City Newport, 3rd floor in the Newport Ballroom. Visit…

WHERE TO NET ’EM

A.G. Russell Knives, Inc. www.agrussell.com ag@agrussell.com Adams Intl Knifeworks - AIK www.adamsknifeworks.com adamsknifeworks.com@gmail.com Automatic & Customized Knife Specialists Admiral Steel www.admiralsteel.com terry@admiralsteel.com Widest Range of Stock for Blade Needs. Alaska - Northern Knives www.northernknives.com A Real Store & Working Knife Shop! American Edge www.americanedgeknives.com info@americanedgeknives.com 320-393-2792 We have A Knife For Every Life Artknives.com www.artknives.com fred@fredeisenleather.com Andre de Villiers www.advtactical.co.za Facebook - Andre de Villiers adv44sales@gmail.com Butcher SOB folders. Arizona Custom Knives www.arizonacustomknives.com sharptalk@arizonacustomknives.com Largest selection in the world of new and consigned knives on the internet. Let us help you find the perfect knife. Dozier Knives and Arkansas Made Dozier, Inc. www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com BladeGallery.com www.bladegallery.com www.bladeconnection.com www.epicedge.com Bob Dozier Knives www.dozierknives.com info@dozierknives.com Buckeye Engraving www.BuckeyeEngraving.com Make Your Mark Manufacturer of Custom Hand Stamps, Dies and Brands CRKT www.crkt.com info@crkt.com Culpepper & Co., Inc. www.knifehandles.com www.oldschoolknifeworks.com www.stingrayproducts.com info@culpepperco.com Cutlery Specialties www.restorationproduct.com dennis13@aol.com Renaissance Micro-Crystalline Wax/Polish, Dennis Blaine Emerson Knives www.emersonknives.com info@emersonknives.com Hawkins Knife Making Supplies www.hawkinsknifemakingsupplies.com radeh@bellsouth.net J. Bruce Voyles Knife Auctions www.jbrucevoyles.com knifeauctions@gmail.com Email us to be put on the auction notification list. J.E. Roorda Custom Knives WWW.JEROORDACUSTOMKNIVES.COM Hand crafted custom folders and fixed blade knives. Mynumber(760) 596-2620, E-mail DEC11042699@YAHOO.COM Jantz Supply www.knifemaking.com jantz@jantzusa.com Quality knifemaking supplies for over 50 years. Jim Hammond Hammond Knives & Designs, LLC www.jimhammondknives.com jim@jimhammondknives.com Knife Center www.knifecenter.com info@knifecenter.com KnifeKits.com www.knifekits.com We Ship Worldwide Knives Plus www.knivesplus.com knivesplus@knivesplus.com L.T.…

WHERE TO NET ’EM

Wolfe’s Tooth

Author of some of the world’s finest custom art knives for many years, Canadian Wolfgang Loerchner isn’t known for his tactical knives. However, what he calls his Pattern 1 gives tactical a sleek elegance rarely if ever seen in the genre. Around four years ago, he made six or seven custom versions in about five different designs, including this one, that sold for any-where from $5,000 to $8,000 each. In addition to carboquartz for the handle, some have grips of either G-10 or vintage Micarta®. All are in the hands of collectors in Europe, Canada and the USA, and Wolfe said he’s seen some of the knives with dealer asking prices of at least $10,000 each. “I thought that was quite a good price for a tactical,” he grinned. While flipper folders…

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