Blade Magazine: What articles are you interested in seeing?

Darrel Ralph

Darrel Ralph

Joined
Dec 14, 1998
Messages
4,870
First..... Blade is a great and respected magazine. I see most of us comment when we see a pal or friend mentioned from time to time. Blade does us all a very good turn when it comes to helping knifemakers find an collector base.
I have been thinking about this for a good while now. What do you think your customers want to see in the future? Every month we see recurring columns and pieces in BLADE magazine. They are great.
What would make the magizine even better?
"This will be a hard one I know" I am not interested in bashing the magazine here, at all. I just want to ask what guys want to see in the magazine along these lines.

 I would like to see some new kinds of knife articles and basic coverage in the magazine.

1. A fresh new monthly column or feature
2. A feature article that is new and fresh?

Please add as many ideas as you want.
Here are a few that have been tugging at me.

1. Recurring:
A. I would like to see a monthly column that rotates through the top 3 dealers in the world, with their photos of hot items at the time. I think our field changes so often that this is necessary to keep good collectors up to date with HOT trends in a column format.

B. Instead of printing press releases, how about a column with rotating writers, maybe 3 of them, who scout the latest new inventions in all of the knife industry for cool and industry-defining inventions and ideas?

2. Features:
A good idea to bring back from the old KNIVES ILLUSTRATED days, is to do shop tours or articles showing how things are made. I think people really like to see how knives are made and ideas are brought to life.
This should include a good article that delves into the mindset and goals of the featured maker. I'd like to read more about what knives they make, how they make them and why they chose those designs and their particular methods for making them.

 What do you think. Some of this may be a re-hash. Who better than BLADE magazine to update the way knife magazines are published? They take the lead often.
Thanks for your input, in advance.

 Darrel


 
# 1 - I would like to see a "Fix This!" section.

Every month a problem is fixed by a different expert.
Things like a bent blade, missing guard, cracked handle, rotted sheath...etc.
The types of normal problems that people come to a bladesmith with a family knife that needs some fixing.


# 2 - I would like to see a "Project" section.
This would be a place where the readership could keep track of a long-term blade that one guy is making from start to finish.
With lots of photos, step by step...
The same maker would do all the work and do all the writing so that we can enjoy the trip and the troubles in the story with him.

Then this knife could appear at the different knife shows as a 'star" something that people would pay to go see in person , haveing read about the making of the knife for a year....
 
For myself, I always liked the how-to articles. But even then they didn't go into enough detail for you to really be able to take the article and get the desired results. So my vote would be along these lines.
 
steierknives said:
For myself, I always liked the how-to articles. But even then they didn't go into enough detail for you to really be able to take the article and get the desired results. So my vote would be along these lines.
Click to expand...
AMEN!
Too many "how-to" articals are writen by guys who may know everything about how to make a knife, but not much in the way of showing how in a step-by-step writen form.

One knife was being talked about in a past article where we get to see a few photos of the blade being forged and the handle worked on, and then a 3rd photo of the finished blade!..
And in the photo of the finished blade there were some great looking file work along the spine that totally changed the look of the whole knife...

yet this important addition was not talked about in the article at all , except for the small-print caption about the "added file work'....
I would have loved to have seen how the file work was added!.....

with just 3 photos dealing with the start, middle and end of a blade is not very helpfull to learning how it was made.

And learning how to make knives is why I picked up the BLADE mag in the first place....
 
Darrel, my vote is for addtional shop tours......I agree with you that a little less "this is my dog spot", and way more "I get my steel from.......and why" would be fantastic.

Good Idea


Bj
 
Hi Darrel,
I really like the shop tours.....and highlighting makers.
As far as the "top dealers in the world".....I am curious who, and what, and why, you think they might be!!!!!
There are some fine Dealers out there ...and some who aren't.....I am curious who you believe they might be...either way.....
 
I would like to see variations on different styles and concepts on blade fighting as well as types of blades and pros and cons on their use in fighting. In a wide range of knife types.
 
I would like to see a special(extra) edition on just the BLADE show... with lots and lots of photos.
Mace
 
More mentors and shop tours.I believe the more enthusiests identify with makers is the better off we are.It is often the character behind the knife that spurs their collectibility.Many collectors don't attend shows so learning about makers through periodicals is the only way for them to get to know how nuts we all are:)
 
More shop tours!!! Find some of the up 'n comming tallent and give them some exposure.

I'de also like to see more equipment building and fixture making. A lot of us would rather build than buy stuff [or can't AFFORD to buy stuff].

How about a 'makers choice' contest? Show 3 or 4 handmade knives per issue and vote on line at the end of the year. Do a shop tour or interview the winning maker?

Just some thoughts......
Randy
 
More equipment building and fixture making, and better shop tours. More "how to" articles, with more info on how it's done instead of finished pictures. To be honest, I haven't even read my latest issue of Blade, it's always pretty much the same, most of the first twenty five pages of this issue are folder pictures. I will read Tim Zowada's article on heat treating though.
 
One reason I like buying old BLADE magazines is getting to see the current "Rock Star" makers 10 years ago when they were new to the hobby...

With this in mind, I would enjoy seeing newbie makers profiled, especially those who don't yet HAVE a mentor. Perhaps printing a point of contact in the profile, such as an email address would give veteran knifemakers an opportunity to help a newbie out, based on the profile in the magazine.

Ever read an article and say to yourself, "Hey, that guy (or gal) has stuff in common with me...." Maybe a veteran might send an email to the newbie to encourage them or give pointers....and we all win! Months or years later, that newbie will have grown, thanks to the exposure and generosity of the veteran maker who was waiting for the right person to pass the skill to. And the next "Rock Star Maker" will certainly be in print all over again.

Thank you for the thread, Mr. Ralph. Respect to you!

Blueline
 
I thought of another idea.Many who have written to blade state they love writers like Fowler,Goddard,etc for the stories they tell.How about short stories or stories over several installments that are not neccesarily reality but interesting and with a knife as a main feature of the story.G.I. stories,wilderness,detective,old west,Native American,etc.
 
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