Well, after some shenanigans- walking all around San Diego to find a micky of Jagermeister, gorgonzola olives and some prosciutto, I arrived back to hotel tired and lightly blasted. But who can sleep when the next day holds the promise of such an incredible experience?
I wandered around the show on Saturday, trying to stay out of the buyers' way, while also trying to introduce myself to so many of my knife making heroes. All were polite, and answered my amateurish questions happily. I asked each and every one if it was ok to handle their knives, and take a few pictures. All of them were very obliging and most encouraged me to handle their knives, take pictures and ask more questions.
The pictures I took were almost all close up shots of most of the knives. The are a fair number I didn't get photos of, which is unfortunate- it was not because they weren't interesting- but I just got exhausted talking, looking, photographing...There came a point where I just hung around and tried to absorb the ambiance and digest all that I had already seen. It was actually an overwhelming experience.
The knives I did get photos of will go up in alphabetical order by maker, as that is how the show is configured.
First up are some knives by Ron Appleton. I think Ron and I hit it off pretty good. I understood his description of how his locking mechanisms worked, (I think). He's really tall, so it hurt my neck a little to talk with him, (LOL) but seriously, he seemed like a really genuine person who has a huge passion for what he does. No doubt it was a bittersweet show for him though.
I can't remember if it was Jon or Mike who got the Infi-Lock knife pictured below, but in either event I got to study it again at dinner time after the show. This is an incredible knife with an amazing feel. So smooth and locks in an infinite number of positions. Its apparent simplicity on the surface masks an intricate mechanism that defies the understanding of many. The actual construction of the handle is crazy, I've never seen anything like it. The way Ron was able to mate the bronze fittings to the one piece ebony handle using such organic lines was totally mind blowing. I was as impressed with that as I was with his mechanism. I believe that this knife was dedicated to his father.
This meteorite and titanium handled Multa-Lock folder was just beautiful! Svelte, smooth, precise...an amazing lock mechanism that again mystifies many. This knife felt awesome in hand, and I really still cannot get over his mechanical approach to locking mechanisms. Ron Appleton is definitely outside the box!
Edited to add; another impressive feature of this knife is an entire lack of visible fasteners. He explained how to get the knife apart and I was absolutely blown away by the lengths he went to to make this knife look like it does. Ron Appleton embodies the miracle of human ingeniuty!
