Blade 2005 from the short seats

[Kohai999]

Someday, I will figure out how to master posting decent pictures and text simultaneously, but this is not one of those days. I caught a nasty cold in Atlanta.

I took the red-eye from So Cal on Wednesday night/Thursday morning to Atlanta. After a near disaster, (landing gear issues, I think) I arrived safely at the morass that is Atlanta International Airport. 10 minutes after I touched down, Matt Diskin who was travelling with automatic knifemaker extraordinaire Butch Vallotton, called me on the Kohai phone. They waited with me at the "blue" baggage claim area, while I repeated the mantra used for the duration of the flight "Please do not fold, staple, mutilate or lose my luggage". We waited for roughly 30 minutes while my sleep deprived mind entertained images of broken knives making their way down the carousel, one by one.

Once the bags arrived (safely), we went to the rental car area. Customer service clerks at the Atlanta airport have two speeds, and none of them are fast. Eventually we got a lovely mid-sized sedan, and we were off. But wait! We landed in Atlanta just in time to enjoy downtown rush hour. It took us almost an hour and a half to drive 25 miles.

We arrived at the Renaissance Waverly just in time to hit the breakfast buffet ($11.00 +/-), which would become the staple of each morning. I am not a breakfasty kind of guy, preferring to eat big meals at lunch time, but I was not going to take time from the show floor to eat. That is what energy bars are made for, yummmm!

We stayed on the top floor, it has some nice amenities, and the lovely Inga as a localized concierge. She is a great help, and really hot if you are in the AARP moments of your life. The top level is more expensive, but if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

After some sustenance and mental refreshment, Matt and I decided to hit the floor and check out supplies. We picked up the V&D show packet and as table holders are only allowed 2 badges per table, I flipped for the $25.00 for an exhibitor badge. As it cost $25.00 for a 3-day pass, this is entirely worth it, because an exhibitor badge gets you into the show before it opens to the public. We immediately headed over to Dan Westlind's table and checked out some mammoth ivory, which is exhibit 1, below. Dan is a fond old acquaintance from my WA state days, and the gun shows. I got the ivory because it is gorgeous, at this point, I have no specific plans for it. Acclimatizing it to SoCal weather is a good thing, though. The scan is crappy, but, believe me, this is some of the most gorgeous blue mammoth ivory that I have ever seen, 4.5" x 1.5" x 3/8". I met Don Hanson at Dan's table and we got to talk for a while. My favorite knife of his at the show was the traditional hilted Bowie that he made. He was this close to getting the Peck award for it. It was super duper, and decently priced at $1,400 +/-.

Matt decided to go to catch a nap, and I ran into W.D. Pease who had made me a knife. I ordered it two years ago. Pearl scales, 2 7/8" ATS-34 blade, SideLock, filework, stippled bolster treatment, and gold plated screws. It is a fantastic knife, no blade play, and very smooth. W.D. is an awfully nice fellow, I met him for the first time at the Evening of the Cutlery Arts in Huntington Beach, CA last October.

Around 4:00 pm or so, PTGDVC on the forums, also known in real life as Peter Gill, called me to join him in his room to take delivery of exhibit 3, formerly seen in the For Sale section of the BladeForums, a Kevin Cashen pocket bowie, with a 5" damascus blade. It is another piece that I cannot believe that Peter decided to part with, but as he said, you cannot have them all. While doing the knife show-and-tell thing, Dan Unger (Danbo) came up to Peters' room and added more knives to the mix. It was a lot of fun. Dan is really tall, and super animated in his passion for all things edged.

We all went down to the show floor, and I got to meet Roger P., and we hung out until they closed the room, at 6:00 pm.

Butch, Matt and I went to have some light dinner, and went down to the Pit. I talked with Tom Mayo, and arranged to purchase a TNT Dr. Death on Friday.

The last knife pictured below is one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to go to Blade as far as knives are concerned. This is a 7.25" Wootz Bowie by Alfred Pendray. 12.25" long, OAL. It was the first knife that I looked for on Friday morning, but I did not see Al until almost 12:00 pm. The guard is monel, and the handle is the most colorful and interestingly patterned Lignum Vitae that I have ever seen. It was ordered almost 3 years ago, and was to have been picked up at the Evening of the Cutlery Arts, but unfortunately, Al had to cancel due to hurricane damage. Of the many knives that I purchased in Atlanta, this is the only one that made me do my happy dance.

There are very few knives like this in the world, it trancends the usual criteria, at least it did me and for everyone that I showed it to. The grinds are unrefined, the top clip was sharper than the blade body, and it is a very, very simple knife. It is also magic, and there is no other way that I can describe it.

I'll post about more of Friday, Saturday and Sunday as I can.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[RogerP]

Great report Steven - it was a pelasure meeting you. I sure wish I got to see that Pendray bowie - it sure looks sweet! I look forward to the rest of your show report.

Roger

P.S. - That was an exceptional set of mammoth scales - do tell us your plans for it when they are firmed up.

 

[SharpByCoop]

I'm lovin' these reports. Thanks Steven, for the cutting-edge commentary...
(BTW--I had a year-end regatta and Youth Banquet on this weekend, as the coach for our High School rowing crew. Since MY novice boys won the Northeast Championship it became paramount--in lieue of anything else. That's my story, and I'm enjoying YOUR report!)

Really looking forward to anything else you have to say. That Pease is SCHWEEET!

Coop

 

[RAN]

Great Report and even though I dont own that Pendray it made me do a happy dance..enjoy

 

[Larry B.]

Great post Steve and great looking knives also.

 

[NickWheeler]

Thanks Steven!

 

[Megalobyte]

Nice report STeven.

Knowing Pease's work, and choice of materials, I bet the pearl on your folder is amazing.

I agree with everything you said, well, except the part about Danbo being so tall.

 

[Geode]

Steve,

Thanks for your colorful report. I really like the looks of that Wootz bowie - got any pics that show off the pattern of the steel?

We stayed on the top floor, it has some nice amenities, and the lovely Inga as a localized concierge. She is a great help, and really hot if you are in the AARP moments of your life. The top level is more expensive, but if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

Did you snap any pics of Inga for us geezers?

 

[RWS]

Very nice report.
That's a beautiful Pease and an awesome Cashen Bowie!

 

[Kohai999]

Glad to hear that everyone is enjoying the recap. No I do not have any pics of the wootz close up, and just sent it out for a sheath, so that will have to wait. I don't think that anyone snapped pix of Inga, but as she has been with the Radisson for 20 years, maybe next year.

I forgot about Thursday night and The Pit, due to my cold, and a lot of alcohol consumption.

After talking with Tom Mayo about Dr. Death, Butchie found some of the flipper guys. We sat at a table with Brad West, and the authors of "Switchblades of Italy", I remember Tim Zinser, but the others by name I forget, and an old friend, Ray Johnston. One of the boys had a switchblade that someone had left in the dirt, from the 1800's. It was a two blade, and the pen blade fired the main blade. The blades themselves were shot, but the fittings were gorgeous.

I went to get Butch and myself a drink, and ran into Peter Gill in Saddles, the bar adjacent to the pit. He introduced me to Doug Timbs, President of the Australian Knifemakers' Guild, and Sean McIntyre, an ex-pat living in Australia. We chatted about all kinds of things, including knife valuation. It was an excellent conversation, and I really enjoyed meeting the both of them. Sean makes great knives, and if he was not living in Australia, I would have been tempted. He had an especially nice damascus knife, sort of a Searles bowie.

After leaving Peter's table, I saw my old friend Steve Hill, and he introduced me to Wally Hayes, we had a 10 minute conversation on Japanese Swords, and then Wally had to go. Really nice guy as well, very knowledgeable.

And that was Thursday night in The Pit.

Friday Morning, I got to the floor at 7:45 am, after having breakfast with Ed Schempp, Butch Vallotton, and Ed, Shaldag on the Forums. Really excellent person, passionate about knives, and a brain scientist, of all things.

I gave some knives to my friend Louis Chow to put on his table for me, and went in search of Dan Farr, who would not pre-sell any of his knives. At 12:00 pm sharp, Stephen Foster, Roger P., and myself chose our knives, and that was that. Dan got cleaned out of 6 knives in 15 minutes. This is the camp knife that Roger P. posted a picture of before the show.

After that, I went to discuss a knife that I wanted from Jerome Anders. We got some basic ideas worked out, and I am looking forward to getting my knife from him.

I found Burt Foster at his table at around 12:30, and the knife that I ordered from him is beautiful. The hamon is virtually unphotographable, but stunning. Burt asked me if he could enter my knife into the "Best Fighter" competition, and I happily agreed.

I posted the experience of getting my Pendray Bowie already, but, what a rush!

After that, I found Tom Mayo, and purchased the Dr. Death. I vastly prefer this model in S30V, as opposed to stainless damascus, because you can really see the grind lines. Since the prices have seen a correction, the knife is quite reasonably priced as well.

I had pre-arranged to purchase the Southwest Fighter from Mike Ruth, and it was a beauty. I paid for it, but Mike was not at his table. I came back later, and he indicated that there was a slight flaw in the blade, and requested that he be allowed to take it home, and work on it. This did not bother me, but the damascus bowie that he had with him had won him "Best New Maker", and at $695 for a 6 1/2" differentially tempered, ladder pattern damascus blade with stag scales, I could not resist. Nice Kenny Rowe sheath, as well.

I hung out on the floor until about 3:00 pm, and went with Peter Gill to Jock and Jills' for a pepperjack burger and some Guinness. Quite tasty.

We went back to the floor, and I ran into many forumites, with a lot of show and tell going on. The big Mike Williams bowie that Peter ended up with is a stunning knife, my personal favorite of his haul.

After the show closed, my friend Jay came in from Florida, and he, myself and Danbo went to the PepperMill for dinner. The steak was sucky, but it was expensive. Not my favorite meal of the show, by far.

That night, in the pit, I saw my friend Tony Marfione, from Microtech. His son, Tony Jr, is growing up, and turning into quite the businessman. I have known Tony Sr. for 12 years, and Jr. is 17 now, so he was 7 when he got started in the knife business. Whew!

I saw Steve Dick, from Tactical Knives magazine, and he introduced me to Ethan Becker. Now, I am certainly impressed by BK&T for the no nonsense approach that they take to knives, but am WAY more impressed at the "New Joy of Cooking" that Ethan wrote, or should I say re-wrote. I have been using the "Joy" cookbooks since I was 8, and they are some of the best cookbooks in the world. Ethan and I chatted for over an hour, covering many topics related to knives and manufacturing, even spending about 15 minutes talking about how irritating Cliff Stamp can be with his reviews. I hope Cleft appreciates the mention.

After a while, Matt Diskin, Ed Schempp, David Mirabile, Jay and myself went up to the room to chill and relax. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed seeing David again. I had originally met him in Reno at the ABS expo.

We decided to call it a night, and I was in bed by midnight. Here are the rest of my knives.

I'll see what else I can remember later.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[RogerP]

That Ruth damscus piece was niiice. I was sorely tempted, but did not hav funds left for that one. I don't think I saw that particular Foster (or else I'm getting it confused with Danbo's) - but all of his stuff was just super. And scoring a larger size Farr is, well, a MAJOR score.

Roger

 

[Danbo]

That Ruth damscus piece was niiice. I was sorely tempted, but did not hav funds left for that one. I don't think I saw that particular Foster (or else I'm getting it confused with Danbo's) - but all of his stuff was just super. And scoring a larger size Farr is, well, a MAJOR score.

Roger

Roger, that Foster bowie of Steven's is a little bigger than mine, and the guard is a little longer as well.

 

[Danbo]

Nice report STeven.

Knowing Pease's work, and choice of materials, I bet the pearl on your folder is amazing.

I agree with everything you said, well, except the part about Danbo being so tall.

Hey, I AM tall. Might be taller than you, since nobody has ever met you to verify how tall you are(since you don't go to shows).

 

[Burt Foster]

Steve,

It was good to talk to you in person again at the show (mostly...!). That said, Geeezzz! Did you really go and mess with the handle on that knife? I know, I know, you said you couldn't resist, but you could have waited to get off the plane at least!

We've talked and you know I'm pretty particular about the way my knives look, and lest everyone out there is seeing that knife and wondering why the handle shape is so bad, here is what the knife looked like when it fell into Steve's tampering hands.

http://www.burtfoster.com/bowies/bowie_14.htm

Of course, maybe everyone likes Steve's way better, and if that's the case, I'll just crawl back into my hole where it's warm and everyone likes me.

 

[John Frankl]

Steven,

Great reporting and photos--thanks.

Just wondering what your and others' opinions are on differentially hardened pattern-welded blades (you know better than to call that thing differentially tempered ). I kind of waver--your piece looks nice--but I generally seem to come down on the side of fully hardened (and then truly differentially tempered) pattern-welded blades just for the aesthetics. OTOH, I can see where some would find the two-tone etch just as pleasing as the two-tone effects on a straight carbon steel blade.

Just wondering,

John Frankl

 

[Kohai999]

Don't really have an opinion one way or the other. This is the way the Ruth piece was done, and it looks better in person than it does in the photo. As I have not seen a lot of pieces with a "hardening" line on damascus, I have not thought about it a lot.

Do I think that all pattern welded steel should have this extra feature? I would say resoundingly, no. If it adds to the overall look, sure, but remember, add nothing that takes away from the whole, or just to be different.

J.D. roomed with me at Blade, BTW, and we hope all is well in Korea!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[Jose Reyes]

Steven,

There were still a few nice wootz bowies left on Al's table by the time I made it to the show that I was able to handle. I feel the same way about his work, he makes some beautiful steel. With that style of guard and that piece of wood it's his nicest piece I've seen. Do you have any High resolution pics of your new bowie you can share? Great report, you're a very entertaining writer.

-Jose

 

[Kohai999]

It means a lot. I know that you have a good eye.

Not only do I not have any high res pix of the Pendray, right now, I do not have the knife. It is enroute to Chris Kravitt for a sheath. I refuse to own a fixed blade that does not have a sheath, so it is something that I take care of immediately. Chris has done some superlative work for me in the last two years. Al is a great Smith, but does not do leather work.

I'll tell you something else. I love all the knives that I purchased, but am partial to the Pendray. It is the one that I was dreaming of before Blade. Matt Diskin played with every knife that I got at the show, and he spent almost an hour fondling the Pendray. He said that it was his favorite, too. So did David Mirabile, and Butch Vallotton. This is a VERY diverse group of personalities and tastes, so to find a unified opinion on something like this is very rare, and special.

I will post high res pictures as soon as I get the knife back. Should be some time in early July.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson

 

[RogerP]

Steven,
Just wondering what your and others' opinions are on differentially hardened pattern-welded blades (you know better than to call that thing differentially tempered ).

John,

I don't have a general rule on this, but take it on a knife-by-knife basis. I have seen it on some knives and not cared for it, but on this Ruth piece I thought it looked great. Here's a bit of a clearer look at the knife:

Cheers,

Roger

P.S. - Burt, I'm with you on the handle.

 

[Wulf]

I actually told Mike Ruth that I really liked the way in which he got the differential hardening line to compliment the pattern in the steel. It was one of the things that really stood out about that knife.

From an aesthetic perspective, sometimes the differentially hardened damascus seems to work, sometimes it doesn't. This knife is an excellent example of one that works - the lines and textures compliment one another beautifully.