Page 116 of 117

Seventy-six year-old Idaho knifemaker profiled in Seattle Times

January 12, 2011 / Tim / 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about a profile that the San Francisco Chronicle published on expert knife sharpener Eric E. Weiss. Yesterday, I stumbled onto another neat profile of a knife expert; this one, by the Seattle Times, featured expert knife maker Dwight Towell.

Towell, 76, lives on a small Idaho ranch, where he has been making knives since 1966, when he made a hunting knife for his son.

Today, collectors across the world pay thousands of dollars for his custom knives, which have a waiting list of five to six years.

A dagger he recently sold at the Art Knife Invitational in San Diego was purchased for $12,800. He is currently working on an engraved dagger with 14 and 24-karat gold stones from Russia.

Towell, who estimates that he has made more than 1,200 knives in his life, retired from his job raising cattle in 2004 to focus full-time on making knives. However, he said he doesn’t plan on stopping making knives anytime soon.

“I have too many people waiting for knives. As long as I can make it from the house to the shop, I’ll keep working. What’s the old saying? If you enjoy doing what you do, it’s not work.”

The Lowdown on Daggers

January 8, 2011 / Tim / 0 Comments

Ah, the dagger, one of the world’s most longstanding weapons. Whether you’re stabbing Caesar 23 times or slicing off the ear of a Roman soldier attempting to arrest Jesus, it’s a great blade to have.

The dagger evolved from prehistoric tools made of flint, ivory or bone, and their function was as backup weapons to maces, axes and javelins.

After guns popped on to the war scene, daggers continued to be used for hand-to-hand combat or stealth killings.

During WWII, the Nazi regime was a big advocate of daggers, which they decorated ornately and wore on their uniforms to show prestige.

So what’s up with daggers today? Well, they are rarely used for murdering people, but they have become quite popular with collectors. Here are few of our favorites:

The bagh Nakh

The bagh Nakh is a very intimidating dagger to face off against in man-to-man combat. This South Asian knife fits over the knuckle and can also be concealed under the palm. It has between four or five curved bars attached to a crossbar or glove and is designed to rip through skin and muscle.

The Bollock Dagger

Possibly the manliest of daggers, the bollock dagger has two oval swellings at the tip of its shaft resembling the male genitalia. This dagger was popular in England and Scotland between the 13th and 18th centuries and was commonly carried by outlaws and raiders.

The Cinquedea

The cinqueda is a long dagger that was developed in Northern Italy and enjoyed a period of popularity during the Renaissance. Cinqueda means “five fingers,” which refers to the width of the blade adjacent to the guard. The cinqueda was mostly used as a thrusting weapon and was carried horizontally next to the buttocks so that it could be drawn laterally from the back.

Scottish Dirks

A Scottish dirk is a longish dagger worn as part of full Highland dress for formal occasions. The blades of Scottish dirks measure 12 inches and are lavishly decorated with silver mounts, pommels and cairngorn stones. Unlike most daggers, Scottish dirks are single-edged and often have decorative art work on the unsharpened edge of the blade.

Jambiyas

Jambiya is an Arabic term for short daggers that are usually worn on a belt. The jambiya is mostly associated with Yemen, where men over 14 often wear a jambiya as a clothing accessory. The hilt (handle) of the jambiya is what often determines the price, and certain jilts, like the safani hilt made of rhinoceroses’ horns, can cost up to $1,500 per kilogram.

New Jersey Knife Laws Make Pocket Knives Illegal

December 31, 2010 / Tim / 0 Comments

swiss army knives

A few weeks ago, we blogged about the efforts of the group Knife Rights to repeal many of the laws regulating knives. A recent column by Greg Bean of the New Jersey publication The Examiner gave a prime example of the confusion surrounding knife laws in many states.

Bean tells the tale of a young man who was arrested at a random DUI checkpoint for possessing a pocket knife. The man, who declined to be named for the article, wasn’t drinking and had spent the day on a remodeling project.

According to Bean, the man faced a felony charge but eventually plead guilty to disorderly conduct and paid a $800 fine. Bean said that the man told him that he asked the judge to provide clarification of what law he’d violated, but received none.

Bean tried to find the answer himself, but after asking a number of cops, judges and prosecutors, he failed to get a comprehensive answer.

They confirmed what I suspected, and here’s what they said: Because the state statutes are so vague, law enforcement can do just about whatever it wants, from taking the common-sense approach and letting the poor sod go, to incarceration, to astronomical fines, no matter how arbitrary and capricious their actions appear.

Bean’s editorial isn’t the only one expressing disgust at poorly-defined knife laws. Knife advocates across the country are speaking up in greater numbers about what they perceive to be vague and poorly-intentioned state and local knife laws. Bean feels that the laws make criminals of those who are simply carrying knives for functional reasons.

I don’t want to be a criminal, but I’d like to carry my Swiss Army knife since I use it several times a day, and never know when I’ll have to open an envelope, drive a screw, or cut a trapped family from a flaming vehicle

San Francisco Chronicle profiles life-long knife sharpener

December 27, 2010 / Tim / 1 Comment

The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran an interesting profile on life-long knife sharpener and knife expert Eric. E. Weiss. Weiss, 55, has been sharpening knives since he was five-years-old. He currently earns a living by sharpening approximately 35-40 knives per day, at $8-10 per knife.

Weiss mans a booth at the Berkely Farmer’s Market three days a week and still sharpens knives by hand. He told The Chronicle that he uses four natural stones while sharpening: soft Arkansas, medium Arkanas, red Indian and ceramic, in addition to six grades of industrial diamondstones as sharpening material.

Like many knife experts, Weiss is critical of using dishwashers to clean knives, which he calls his “No. 1 nemsis”.

People seem to think that any knife can be put in a dishwasher. But in fact it’s like sandblasting your car in order to clean it. The knife is banging against the basket, getting chips, nicks, dents, dings. And if the knife has any sort of quality steel to it, the dishwasher can remove the edge in two, three washings.

In the profile, Weiss also attempted to clear up the often repeated myth that a sharp knife is more dangerous than a dull one.

When he’s not sharpening blades, Weiss said that he is an avid reader of knife history, from tactical knives to survival knives to hunting knives.

Knife Advocates Lobby for Rights

December 6, 2010 / Tim / 2 Comments

An article in Saturday’s New York Times chronicled the recent success of knife lobbyists across the country to ease restrictions on possessing different kinds of knives.

At the centerpiece of the story was the decision by Arizona lawmakers to put all knife restrictions under control of the state legislature, who then proceeded to abolish the majority of prohibitions.

The burgeoning knife movement is championed by Knife Rights Inc., an advocacy group based in Arizona, which contends that the right to carry knives is protected by the Second amendment, alongside the right to bear arms.

The group also claims that the prohibitions against certain kinds of knives, such as switch blades and/or machetes, have no basis in the potential harm the knives could cause.

It’s ridiculous to talk about the size of the knife as if that makes a difference. If you carry a machete that’s three feet long, it’s no more dangerous than any knife. You can do just as much damage with an inch-long blade, even a box cutter,” said D’Alton Holder, a veteran knife maker who lives in Wickenberg, Ariz.

In addition to its success in Arizona, the group also aided in the overturning of a New Hampshire Law that banned switchblades.

Many of the current knife bans were passed in the 1950s as a result of movies like “West Side Story and “Rebel Without a Cause,” which featured menacing knife use.

How to pick out the right camp knife

November 10, 2010 / Tim / 1 Comment

There are a bunch of camp knives out there, often making it daunting to make a purchase. The video below, in which an old-time knife connoisseur is explaining the differences in camping knives to a knife newcomer, is a great example of the diversity of the camping knife market.

The man has stretched approximately a dozen blades across the backside of a canoe and proceeds to explain the values of each one.

He talks about the convenience of folding or pocket knives. He calls the fixed blade knife a “failsafe” because of its lack of moving parts. He describes the importance of hunting or survival knives, which can be used to gut animals, cut wood and erect shelter. And, lastly, he shows off a few boning knives and a couple of fillet knives.

Check out the video below:

Four myths about knives

November 2, 2010 / Tim / 10 Comments

For every good piece of information that exists online about knives, there are more than a few inaccuracies. So, how do you wade through the drek to find the information that’s important and accurate? You should start by not passing on these 4 popular knife myths.

#1 Stainless steel knives can be washed in the dishwasher

They can’t, or at least they definitely shouldn’t be. The force of water can decrease the sharpness of knife edges by pushing them against shelves or other utensils. In addition, the combination of hot water and the chemicals that exist in detergent can leave stains on stainless steel cutlery if it comes in contact with silver.

Secondly, washing sharp knives in the dishwasher could be dangerous to your physical safety if you or a family member reach into the dishwasher without paying proper attention.

#2 A dull knife is safer to use than a sharp one

This is another myth that needs to be busted. Though a dull knife will have less of an impact if it grazes your flesh, it’s not safer. Because of its dullness, you’ll often have to cut more vigorously, exerting a lot of force and pressure. This decreases your ability to control the knife and elevates the potential for accidents.

The best plan for cutting in the kitchen is to use a well-sharpened knife that you don’t need a lot of effort to operate, giving you maximum control.

#3 There are knives that stay sharp forever

There aren’t. Certain serrated knives are advertised as staying sharp forever, but the serrated “teeth” of these knives will eventually wear down or fail. Don’t fall for the inaccurate advertising here. Regardless of the knife you buy, it will require sharpening.

#4 It is best to send your knife to a professional to be sharpened

Though professional sharpening services can do a good job, they often use conventional grinding stones that can remove too much metal. High quality knife sharpeners are available online at affordable prices, and they’re easy to use. There’s really no reason to spend time and effort on a professional knife sharpening service, when you can easily sharpen your knives at home.

How to Hold a Throwing Knife

October 25, 2010 / Tim / 1 Comment

So you’re interested in knife throwing? Well, before you go pro, the first thing you need to do is learn how to hold a knife. There are two primary grips used by knife throwers, both of which we’ll explain below.

Hammer Grip

The hammer grip is the easiest method of holding a throwing knife and the appropriate method for beginners. As you might expect, in the hammer grip hold the knife just like you would hold a hammer. Remember to keep your wrist stiff and only grasp the knife by the handle, in order to avoid cutting yourself. The hammer grip is primarily used for heavy knives.

The Pinch Grip

The pinch grip is best for rapid and forceful throwing. With the pinch grip, the knife is pinched between the thumb and index finger. You should usually only use your thumb or index finger. However, for a heavier knife, you can use your middle finger as well.

Knife throwing grip images shown courtesy of KnifeThrowing.info.

Five uses for the machete

October 16, 2010 / Tim / 0 Comments

machete A ubiquitous sidearm in Latin America and many developing countries, the machete is becoming increasingly popular in Europe and America as well. Lighter than an ax or hatchet, it not only has a wide variety of agricultural uses, but is also a great camping accessory. Here are a few common uses for a machete.

Cleaning brush, foraging a path

This is where the machete truly outperforms almost all other blades. With its broad cutting service and light weight, the machete is the ultimate bushwhacking tool. If you’re traveling through dense woods, a machete is the best way to expedite your journey by removing vines, bushes and thorns that are obstructing your path. It is also a great tool to use to clear a campsite.

Splitting firewood

Why opt for lugging around a hatchet or an ax when a machete can do more? A properly sharpened machete can easily split logs and, if need be, even fell small trees.

Chopping food

If you brought vegetables or other provisions that need to be cut into smaller pieces, a machete is capable of doing the job. A machete can slice up pretty much anything you can eat, so you can forget about needing to lug around a large knife for cooking. It’s also great for splitting coconuts and other fruits.

Fending off wild animals, killing venomous snakes

In an ideal world, you’d never encounter an angry rattle snake or a hungry mountain lion. But the bottom line is that no matter how cautious you are, the great outdoors are full of uncertainties. With a machete, you can not only slice through snakes, but fight off a larger predator if need be.

Shaving

Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but many people do shave with machetes. Just make sure you have plenty of shaving cream and a steady hand before you try it. Need a tutorial? Check out the video below.

How to teach kids to use kitchen knives

October 12, 2010 / Tim / 2 Comments

Few instincts are stronger than a parent’s desire to protect their child from danger, which is why it’s important to teach your children the correct way to use kitchen knives. The most important thing to stress to young ones about kitchen knives is that they are tools, not toys.

Here’s an example of something you should never do with young children and kitchen knives:

Of course, the best way to encourage your children to safely use kitchen knives is to lead by example. Here are a few tips

(1) Make sure you always point knives away from yourself while carrying them.

(2) Always use cutting boards that are sturdy and reliable.

(3) Make sure you never leave knives unattended.

(4) Be conscious of your body language and posture when you are using kitchen knives around young children, as they will learn from example. Be mindful to show caution, for their sake and yours.

(5) When you are ready to allow your children to begin using kitchen knives, first start them with a plastic knife and have them cut foods like cheese and butter. Show them how to hold the handle correctly and how to keep their fingers out of the way. Once they progress, you can move them onto a butter knife, and then, once that is mastered, allow them to progress to a kitchen knife.

(6) Always supervise children when they are using kitchen knives.

Want a few more tips? Check out this cool video from FitforFeast, which has 10 kitchen knife safety tips for kids.

The Cutting Edge

The official blog of Knife Depot