Tribute: Joe Kious • Handshakes and Handmades

[SharpByCoop]

Hi friends,

Count me among the thousands and thousands of people whom Joe Kious elevated with his work.

Mostly for me, it was photographing a seemingly endless supply of incredibly well made folders, many which were a catalyst for other artists to extend their visions.

However, any time I met Joe in person, he had a gentleman's handshake and a look-you-right-in-the-eye hardy grip. That remembrance holds tighter.

I thought it fitting to start a thread which praises his life and shows his works, rather than bury it in a tragic thread about his sudden passing in 2014.

Paul Long lives within a few miles of him and was a close friend and regular visitor. Paul called me for another small favor, and we talked about Joe and how he could be remembered best. STeven Garsson also extended his grateful ideas and visions in that other thread too.

This thread is universal, and I'm certain a large percentage of viewers have never seen or talked to Joe Kious, and aren't as intimate with his work as some of us are.

Here's a proud hunting shot take by his son-in-law less than three weeks ago:

This shows Joe doing what he loved, almost as much as making knives.

I spent an hour trading stories with him and Warren Osborne and a couple of others sipping scotch, sipping bears, and relaxing out in the late evening sun at a veranda on a small quaint Bed and Breakfast in Solvang this past April. He always showed genuine interest in my stories and had that propensity to make you feel like you were extra special. Tip: He did this to everyone.

I can contribute best with a visual display of some of his prolific knives. There are thousands out there. I can imagine his work ethic was like NO other in getting things done efficiently.

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I don't think there was a style of knife he couldn't make. He wasn't renowned for his traditional knives, but here's one made in 2010:

This particular style was popular in his early career. There are many variants.

Delicacy? He was up to the job.

Diverse? He was up to the job. (Cigar cutter)

What he was REALLY good at was the bare interframe, in pleasing shapes and impeccable mechanics.

This model below, is the legendary 'Pocket Locket' auto. Two slide-out panels which housed a 'secret compartment'.

Here you can see it as a canvas for engravers:

I've photographed his knives selling for OVER $50,000. This one comes close:

We'd like to hear your remembrances and stories, and show your knives. (I don't care if the photos are good or not.) PLEASE contribute.

Thanks for viewing.

Jim

 

[JParanee]

Great stuff Jim about a great man

 

[gthouse]

Thank you Coop for remembering Joe this way. I only knew Joe to talk to him at shows going back many years. Always down to earth and the same gentleman weather he was showing you a clean interframe or one over 10,000. He will be missed by all makers and collectors who knew him.
That looks like one of his file worked folders in his hand with that deer.
Gary

 

[fishface5]

Man I WISH I had any knife he made to shpw pics of - what an artist!!!!

 

[Steven65]

Tragic news. He was an icon of the custom knife world. My deepest condolences go out to his family and friends.......

Steven

 

[yitz]

I was saddened and shocked to hear of Joe's death. He was one of the faces I looked for at shows. He always had a smile (and a drink) and loved talking knives. His beautiful work remains as a tribute. He will be sorely missed.

 

[Will York]

Thank you for this, Coop. Great selection of photos and a thoughtful remembrance--what an incredible legacy.

 

[mwschilling]

Never had the pleasure of meeting Joe or owning one of his knives, but I certainly appreciated his amazing talent. The knife world lost a good one. My condolences to his family and friends.

 

[Ellis]

To two of the best
Dave

 

[redradr]

Thank you for doing this tribute to Joe and his work. I am blessed to have met many great knifemakers throughout the decades. There are a few that really made an impression on me and my family over the years. Joe Kious and Jimmy Lile were two that made wonderful knives in which their integrity and character were reflected in. I hadn't seen Joe in many years but his passing has made me pause and reflect as I dig out some of the treasures he crafted over the years.
I asked him to make this miniature folder back in 1980 or '81 for my wife. It gets worn quite often and is a conversation piece to say the least. It has been shared at many elementary school show & tells as my kids proudly proclaimed they know the man that made this knife! Its a sad time in the knife world and the Republic of Texas has lost a native son. Joe's soul and memories will live on through his work. God Bless Joe and his Family!

 

[The Amazing Virginian]

Thanks for starting this thread, Coop.

I did not know Joe well, but I did have the pleasure of meeting him and speaking with him at a few knife shows . . . New York, Atlanta, Solvang, etc. And I got to handle and examine several of his knives.

Of course Joe was known mostly for his folders, especially his pocket lockets which I would reckon is the single model which has been most often embellished with high end (>$10K) engraving and gold inlay by more world class engravers than any knife model ever.

But Joe also made some very nice fluted-handle fixed blade daggers. I know because I (unsuccessfully) tried to buy one a few years ago. If anyone has any pictures of Joe's fluted-handle fixed blade daggers, I would love to see them again.

 

[SharpByCoop]

Thanks guys. Thanks for the positive contributions!

Ken, you are correct about the engraved folders. Another model he's noted for is the 'Dead Bug' folding dagger. I'll let someone else show that. (Must be a Texan joke... LOL!)

I looked through my extensive collection of images and came up with these to show his diversity:

A classic RWL type fighter:

A fluted ivory dagger:

A pair of matching delicious wooden daggers:

Coop

 

[Burl Source]

I am fond of daggers and find myself looking at these knives over and over.
Thank You for posting the photos.
I like the sheaths for the last photo with plunges to match the blades.
This guy really had a good eye for design as well as beautiful clean work.

 

[Ranger1]

I was blessed to have had several interactions with Joe, the first one back in 1992. I had always lusted after one of his "Exposure" knives, but I had to cancel the order when I was let go from my position. Approximately one year ago, a smaller version of his Stormbringer came up on eBay and I decided that I was going to own it, and I did. It is the stag handled one pictured here. After I had this one in my hands, I communicated with Joe both through email and ultimately over the phone, and he graciously consented to build just one more of these knives for me. Sadly, because of a too soon retirement, I had to sell it, but it will go down in knife making history as the last fixed bladed knife made by this great maker, and those were his words… Joe also told me that he made very few of the shorter, boot knife sized versions with stag handles, so I believe the little one I have is one of his rarest. The photo of Joe standing in front of his shop was taken by his wife. The knife he is holding is the above mentioned last fixed bladed knife he ever made, sheath by Paul Long, of course.

Mr. Kious was a gentleman and (sadly) an unmet friend.


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[stromania]

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Joe made this knife for a mule deer hunt I went on about 10 years ago. I carried it for a year or two before I got the nerve to use it. Joe griped at me, "Its made to use, try and wear it out."

I used this knife on the deer at the top of this thread.

Thank you Paul and Coop for starting these threads. We are really enjoying reading them. Joe will certainly be missed and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had such an amazing father in law. Joe introduced me to a lot of great friends and rather expensive interests.

 

[sheathmaker]

Ranger, I remember that knife very well. Joe called me and said, "I've been talked into one more damned fixed blade and I'll need one your sheaths for it". I had the knife in my shop and delivered the sheath in March of 2012. I have still a different photo of the knife and sheath in my library as well.

On a similar note I had four Stormbringers (boot knives) at one time. A collector in Dallas has three of them now, but the wood handled one on the bottom of the photo is still in my shop. Joe gifted it to me a few years ago. It may even be the same knife that Coop showed above. Mine, however, is marked Alamo Texas which dates it to about 1978. The original owner of the knife drove the tip through a half dollar coin and couldn't get it back off the blade so he sent it back to Joe with a note saying there was nothing wrong with the knife and he was not unhappy, but since he couldn't get the half dollar off the blade he didn't want it any more. Refused a refund and ordered more knives later. A few years after that Joe gave it to me sans half dollar.

Paul

 

[stromania]

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Paul, my grandfather made this portfolio for my great grandfather in 1956 when he was elected state rep. I got the larger knife in the picture when I got married. He made one of the others for his daughter, the other for his grand daughter.

 

[Ranger1]

Ranger, I remember that knife very well. Joe called me and said, "I've been talked into one more damned fixed blade and I'll need one your sheaths for it". I had the knife in my shop and delivered the sheath in March of 2012. I have still a different photo of the knife and sheath in my library as well.

On a similar note I had four Stormbringers (boot knives) at one time. A collector in Dallas has three of them now, but the wood handled one on the bottom of the photo is still in my shop. Joe gifted it to me a few years ago. It may even be the same knife that Coop showed above. Mine, however, is marked Alamo Texas which dates it to about 1978. The original owner of the knife drove the tip through a half dollar coin and couldn't get it back off the blade so he sent it back to Joe with a note saying there was nothing wrong with the knife and he was not unhappy, but since he couldn't get the half dollar off the blade he didn't want it any more. Refused a refund and ordered more knives later. A few years after that Joe gave it to me sans half dollar.

Paul

Paul,
I remember our conversations, and it was you who put me in touch with Joe. I was always appreciative of that. And as far as the knife that pierced the half-dollar, I would have kept the half-dollar in place on it, especially had Joe handed it to you that way. What a fun piece of history!

 

[Ranger1]

These threads always bring a tear to my eye.

I am always reminded of the African proverb that says: “Every time an old man dies it is as if a library has burnt down."

We lose so much when the old men and women die off, and regrets become meaningless when they are gone. We should consider it our duty to keep in touch with them, learn from them and listen to their stories, for they are the libraries that hold the past.