A recent acquisition circa 1989

Bladeandbarrel

Bladeandbarrel

Joined
Oct 5, 1998
Messages
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"Wild" Bill Caldwell is an interesting guy. Combat vet, gunsmith, welder, farrier and one of the pioeneers of early high-performance damascus. I had corresponded with Bill and talked to him a few times in the past and have an affinity for some of his work. This is a combat knife he called "Kajiya" and was made in the late '80's for Eric Paul Meyers and recently sold on Nordic for much less than it cost new back then. I corresponded with Bill about the knife and here are his words.

Tony, I made that knife for Eric Paul Meyer 1989/1991 You can check with Jim Wyer to see if He's still livein' That knife is on the inside covers of Battle Blades.....Also in Jim wyers book, points of intrest 2or 3, I don't remember, At least a million layers, maybe several millions, 01, 02, 06, 07, Bulldozer blades, jackhammer points, old farm spring steel, HOBSONS CHOICE EXTRA BEST Hayrake teeth, Packard car springs. When I had Weyer do the photo I told Him"This knife belongs to a Confederate Soldier, Combat Vet ,He's not mean, He can be bad, He's used this knife in combat, hoped to never have to use it again, but years later He knows the time is comein' , make the photo tell the story".

At any rate, the knife has beautiful damascus, a nice rosewood handle and a neat story. These older knives can teach you a lot.


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Bladeandbarrel said:
This is a combat knife he called "Kajiya" and was made in the late '80's for Eric Paul Meyers and recently sold on Nordic for much less than it cost new back then. [/B][/FONT]

At any rate, the knife has beautiful damascus, a nice rosewood handle and a neat story. These older knives can teach you a lot.
Click to expand...

Makes me feel old....I remember when they were new! While it seemed a damned shame at the time, all these great ones were getting sucked into the Wisconsin Black Hole, they were spit back up for all us sorry knife knuts that never had a chance for them in the first place, at a discount.

I do KNOW this...the stuff coming up was some of the BEST that the times had to offer, and I had considered that one myself, Anthony. Nice grab.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
VERY nice fighter and I super dig cool 20th century forged fighters.
Thanks for the glimpse and congrats,Anthony! :thumbup:

Doug
 
Thanks Anthony..I think those knives that appeared at Nordic were incredible deals
I'd love a close look at them fit finish and steel look really really super
Great history that is priceless.
 
Nice piece. Interesting blade profile.
Looks like a larger knife. What, about an 8" blade?
Nice rosewood. Would like to get a closer look at
the damascus.
 
Something about that knife really appeals to me. I would love to see the damascus in greater detail.
 
A very cool knife with a very cool story. A strong spear point blade on a combat knife makes a world of sense to me.

Roger
 
Very nice.

I have a Kajiya too, but it's a clip point blade with a stag handle.

I agree that all those Cadwell's have been amazing deals. When you realize that those sold for well over $1,000 twenty years ago....

I believe that those are hollow-forged and ground, IIRC.
 
Great piece!

I have to ask...everything seems to be there; great knife, fine maker, innovative blade steel, everyone seems to desire the knife...certainly 'investment material'....

Why didn't this knife hold it's value? :confused:

-Michael
 
Chefget said:
Great piece!

I have to ask...everything seems to be there; great knife, fine maker, innovative blade steel, everyone seems to desire the knife...certainly 'investment material'....

Why didn't this knife hold it's value? :confused:

-Michael
Click to expand...

Dave has a pile of knives from the Meyer Collection....his job is to move the knives, so the next batch can be sold....the amount of knives we are discussing is quite large, and there are MANY good ones in the mix. The "easy" pieces, like McBurnette, are priced where they should be...the more "difficult" pieces are priced to move, so Dave doesn't wind up bottlenecking stuff.

It doesn't mean that it didn't hold its' value, it meant that Nordic didn't want to sit on it. Anyone who is looking to get this knife will pay more than Anthony did, he knows what it is "worth", so do the rest of us.

Joss, I would like to see your Caldwell.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Steven is spot on. Bill Caldwell hasn't made a knife for sale in a long time and was never a member in the ABS. Most forged blade collectors identify with the ABS and disregard some great pieces from people like Caldwell, Zowada, Rados, Veit, and others who never affiliated with the organization. The knife is not for sale!
 
Bill's Airborne Ranger is one of my favorite knife designs. He's promised he's going to make me one, but who knows when?
 
I remember that knife from Battle blades and always loved it. great snag I am jelous
 
Joss, I love that knife. Great!!!!!!
I like it more than mine!
In retrospect I think Kajiya is a phrase rather than model. It means "Martial Blacksmith" in Japanese or something to that effect.
 
I think those are really cool, but what's the reason for the million layers?

Great knife and history Anthony! :thumbup:
 
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