The "Honorable" D.E. Henry

Here-Here! Well Said Bruce!

Back in the day, there were certain makers considered to be the best. Their work to this day has stood the test of time. Here are a few that in my ;mind still stand out today. Each and every one of them made knives that was instantly recognizable from across the isle. No need to look at the makers mark to know who made it. Now days, there are a hundred Bowie's at a large show, and you will have to look at the makers Mark to know who made what. Sure, there are small variances, but these Knives screamed the Makers name!

Henry-Bowie's, and the flat ground blade, with hand satin blades before their time.

Ron Lake- Interframes of unreal quality Fit and Finish.

Jess Horn. Clean and elegant hand finished folders.

Bob Loveless- Ultra modern designs in hunters and fighters. Took the hollow ground blade to new heights.

Michael Walker- The liner lock, and titanium work.

James Lile- Not talked about much these days. But a lot of great Bowie's with a look all their own.

Buster Warrenski- Nobody could build an Art Dagger like Buster.

Corbit Sigman. Unreal Polish on the Blades.

Ruffin Johnson- A look all his own in his fighters.

Zack and Luckett- Unreal Flow in their Fighters.

There were more.

So many today look just like what is on the table across the isle. But what is truly unique, is these makers made knives to be used. Sure they looked different than others. but they looked different because the maker saw a need for the design.

You can find Knives at the shows today that look unique unto themselves. But so many times they look different for the sake of looking different. Without any regard to function what so ever. Nothing more than an exercise in trying to get a customers attention long enough to part him or her with their money. Flashy, flamboyant,and many times, worthless as a knife. I feel we have lost a lot with a lot of these newer trends.

It is one thing for a fad or trend to start because something is so popular with it's users. It's quite another when a fad is started simply to out do the next guy for flavor of the month. These come and go with alarming regularity. The Henry's have stood the test of time. They stand on their own for the workmanship, and the pure artistry of the maker.

M.Lovett
 
I'd put Bob Terzuola on that list, too, if that's ok:), and Cronk of course!
 
Michael Lovett said:
Here-Here! Well Said Bruce!

Back in the day, there were certain makers considered to be the best. Their work to this day has stood the test of time. Here are a few that in my ;mind still stand out today. Each and every one of them made knives that was instantly recognizable from across the isle. No need to look at the makers mark to know who made it. Now days, there are a hundred Bowie's at a large show, and you will have to look at the makers Mark to know who made what. Sure, there are small variances, but these Knives screamed the Makers name!

Henry-Bowie's, and the flat ground blade, with hand satin blades before their time.

Ron Lake- Interframes of unreal quality Fit and Finish.

Jess Horn. Clean and elegant hand finished folders.

Bob Loveless- Ultra modern designs in hunters and fighters. Took the hollow ground blade to new heights.

Michael Walker- The liner lock, and titanium work.

James Lile- Not talked about much these days. But a lot of great Bowie's with a look all their own.

Buster Warrenski- Nobody could build an Art Dagger like Buster.

Corbit Sigman. Unreal Polish on the Blades.

Ruffin Johnson- A look all his own in his fighters.

Zack and Luckett- Unreal Flow in their Fighters.

There were more.

So many today look just like what is on the table across the isle. But what is truly unique, is these makers made knives to be used. Sure they looked different than others. but they looked different because the maker saw a need for the design.

You can find Knives at the shows today that look unique unto themselves. But so many times they look different for the sake of looking different. Without any regard to function what so ever. Nothing more than an exercise in trying to get a customers attention long enough to part him or her with their money. Flashy, flamboyant,and many times, worthless as a knife. I feel we have lost a lot with a lot of these newer trends.

It is one thing for a fad or trend to start because something is so popular with it's users. It's quite another when a fad is started simply to out do the next guy for flavor of the month. These come and go with alarming regularity. The Henry's have stood the test of time. They stand on their own for the workmanship, and the pure artistry of the maker.

M.Lovett
Click to expand...

Agree with your post for the most part, however lots of today's maker's knives are recognizable without seeing the maker's mark. Considering there's so many more makers and knives being made today it's also harder for a maker to distinguish is/her knives from others.

There's also a lot of maker's making knives that look like Loveless knives these days. ;)
 
Here is a really bad scan of a picture of a couple of his hunters from an article by J. R. Edmondson in Knives '84. It gives you a general idea of his style. Wish I had an original knife to take a picture of.
333031575.jpg
 
How did I leave out W.W. Cronk!

Yep. A lot look Like Loveless. Only stands to reason since he is the most successful, and prolific maker of all times. Not to mention having been around the longest. But yes, I got the cut!

Now if they would/could just get it right, may be I wouldn't have an 8 year+ back log!:)

FromRWLOVELESS1.jpg
[/IMG]
 
Last edited:
I'm curious why some people snipe at Mike Lovett and his connection to Loveless by continuing on the Loveless tradition by making the knives to original spec.:confused:

I can see nothing wrong with the fact that Lovett and Loveless work together to keep the original designs- as they were intended- available, (well, relatively- 8 year backlog?!) to knife afficionados. That little swipes at Mr. Lovett almost always seem to come up whenever the opportunity presents itself is mystifying.
I think that the relationship is cool, much like bladesmiths of yore who passed the torch to the apprentice who carried on the master's tradition.

If ole Henry had had someone that he could have collaborated with, a protege, as Bob and Mike seem to be doing, where would custom knives be today? Any further ahead than they are now? Seeing as Ole Henry was somewhat of a pioneer in knife design and finish...
 
Henry did have a protege.... Roger Green. He made some very fine knives, but is no longer doing it.
 
:o
yeah, I know what I'm talking about!

Let's see some of his knives- any pix floating around out there?
 
Michael Lovett said:
... But what is truly unique, is these makers made knives to be used. Sure they looked different than others. but they looked different because the maker saw a need for the design.

You can find Knives at the shows today that look unique unto themselves. But so many times they look different for the sake of looking different. Without any regard to function what so ever. Nothing more than an exercise in trying to get a customers attention long enough to part him or her with their money. Flashy, flamboyant,and many times, worthless as a knife. I feel we have lost a lot with a lot of these newer trends.

It is one thing for a fad or trend to start because something is so popular with it's users. It's quite another when a fad is started simply to out do the next guy for flavor of the month. These come and go with alarming regularity.

M.Lovett
Click to expand...

Mike,
..I edited out my last post, but since things are wandering off topic, can you explain more in detail, what you meant? give some specific patterns, w/out naming names, of totally impractical design choices?

Wasn't Cronk the father of this whole artistic bend in knives- away from "just knives" to the more wild designs and aesthetics?

What about these men?
Rudy Ruana, William Scagel, Bo Randall, Harry Morseth, Webster Marble. All designed functionally perfect knives, back in the day.
David
 
Last edited:
A. G. Russell said:
Ed Henry was a friend of mine in the 1960s and 1970s. At an early Disney Land show in the 1970s I was standing with Ed behind his table when he was approched by a young man who held out his hand and told Ed how much he loved his knives. Ed looked right over his head and after the young man's face fell and his hand as well he left and Ed turned to me and asked, "What should I have said?"

No one has mentioned the fact that Ed had suffered a really bad head injury. He had a silver plate covering the front of his skull. I think that this was the root of his "rudeness"

At an early Vegas show I watched a man in a $1,000 suit (today you would say $5,000 suit) pick up one of Ed's knives and say "That is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen, how much is it?" Ed snarled, "If you have to ask, you can't afford it, put it down". The dman turned, left the hall and I will bet that he never, ever bought a custom knife.

Ed asked me in a letter, "A. G. What do you tell people when they ask about fme?"

I answered him " Ed, I tell them the truth, I tell them that you are the most arrogant SOB I ever met" And for the next several years all of his letters were signed "Your arrogant friend Ed"

The end came when a writer for blade magizine asked me about the work of Bob Dozer. I was quoted in the magizine "in 10-15 years his work will be on a level with that of Ed Henry" I got my last note from Ed, very short and to the point, it said "NEVER IN 10,000,000,000,000 years D. E. Henry

Ed did not speak to me again until a year or so before his death.
Click to expand...

Sir,
Are you on occasion around your business? One day if I get a chance I would like to say "Hi" before I deploy!
 
Sidehill Gouger said:
So you are telling me Henry didn't think I deserved his respect after I expressed an appreciation for his work? That was a long time ago and I've seen a lot of Bowies, both antique and custom, since then. I handled Henry Bowies back then and his were nice for the period but they really weren't that special. He copied the later Sheffield styles rather than the classic early American patterns. That is fine if you are in to that general look but most modern custom collectors seem to be more interested in early American designs. He would probably be having a harder time of finding a following today.
Click to expand...


It is probably different for a maker to talk to another maker. There is a common speak/language so it might be harder for him to talk to a non maker.

I have the same problem speaking to civilians and explaining what I do in the military. I forget at times that they don't know what MiTT stands for or what an Infantryman does.

I wonder how many times someone tried to start a conversation with him and was left not understandig what he was talking about. I'm sure in the knife population life is easy when you are around kindred makers but when you mix in people who don't speak the lingo it gets a little complicated.

Just my take on it.
 
I never met D.E. Henry in person,but I did talk to him over the phone about a Bowie Knife of his I'd seen somewhere,I can't remember ? anyway I asked him all kinds of questions about one or two knives an the prices an he was very gentlemanly too me, he even wrote me a letter an sent two pictures of couple of his knives an quoted the prices,I think they were around 1,800 to 2,000 dollars apiece then. I still have that letter somewhere around here,coz every now an then i'm looking thru old boxes of sruff an I see it, I open it up an relive the original first time I opened it. I was so relieved that he did'nt get mad at my questions , so maybe I either caught him in a good day or he was'nt always a prick or dick as some have experienced, I did'nt say his knives were beyond my finacial means, so I did'nt correspond with him any longer, but I've had another experience with someone who was totally nice to me an went out of his way to help me , an I've been told he must have been in a good mood that day. It was back at the Kansas City Knife show back in 1979 or 80. Does anyone remember Jim Weyer the Photographer,from Toledo,Ohio. Well Jim was known as Not having the most patience with some people. well I was new to knife making in them days ,I had been at it for 3 or four years, an this was my first Guild show I had ever been too. now I was'nt displaying there, just passing thru on my to Gods country Idaho. my vacation just happened to be same time as the show,so from Indiana to Idaho , Kansas City was in the right place at that time. So I'm there looking at all the people I've read about Buster Warenski was there , Will Pass of Florida, Bob Loveless, almost all the knifemakers in the world were there all 70 or eighty of them,I was in heaven wow. an I still hadnt got to Idaho yet. so back to Jim Weyer. All I had for a belt sander was a 2x48 inch Kalamazoo I paid $99.00 for. about all you could do with it was flat sand,coz the plastic 4inch wheel was;nt good enough for hollow sanding. So I'm talking to some one there about wishing I had a better belt sander ,an they said Jim Weyer knew who was selling Baders there somewhere. SO they introduced me to Jim, told him my wants ,he went out of his way bent over backwards to run all over the place trying to find the man in charge of the Baders ,so we walked everywhere an he was as happy as a lark. maybe making two or three thousand bucks over the weekend would put anyone in a good mood ,I don;t know ,but this I do know, he was a gentleman ,an I sent pictures to him an had them taken at the shows for years to come. I miss Jim. Finally got me a Bader too. Thank you Jim for the fond memories.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top