2013 American Bladesmith Society Knife Auction

Blade Show - Atlanta, GA - June 1, 2013

Top masters in the world of bladesmithing have donated a series of art knives for the American Bladesmith Society Annual fund raiser at the 2013 Blade Show and International Cutlery Fair in Atlanta, GA on Saturday June 1^st at 10:00 am in Room #103 of the Galleria. This event promises to be even better than the auction last year. Collectors and aficionados of high end custom knives will have an exclusive opportunity to view and hear detailed descriptions by the makers themselves of possibly the best knives at the entire show.

There are six (6) knives including the TOMB knife. These include two Damascus style bowie knives, one damascus folder, one European quillon dagger, a Persian style fighter, and the Phoenix bowie knife extraordinaire (see description below to learn more). Let us take a look at what some generous and committed bladesmiths have donated to the annual auction and fund raiser for the American Bladesmith Society.

Each year the ABS gives the opportunity for bladesmiths to submit knives for its annual auction. One master smith and one journeyman smith are chosen to do a fixed blade, one master smith to do a folder, and two or more directors from the ABS board to do a knife of their choosing. Additionally, a member from The Order of the Mystic Brotherhood (TOMB) also donates a high end knife. Let us take a look at these fantastic knives.

ABS 2013 Journeyman Smith Knife By Ralph “Bud” Richards, JS

Ralph “Bud” Richards, a fantastic bladesmith, describes his work in these words, "My blades are Hand-Forged, consummated on the anvil when steel meets fire.” This beautiful knife has an overall length of the knife is 15 ¾ with a blade that reaches out to 10 ¾ inches. The Damascus blade is composed of 325 layers of l084 and 15n20. I call the pattern West Texas Wind and ABS journeyman, Mike Ruth, taught me how to make it. The guard and ferrule follow through from the same Damascus pattern and is composed of the same steels. The uniformity of the West Texas Wind pattern across the length of the blade is outstanding. The fit and finish on this knife are superb. Bud’s knife has long clean lines with a clip that reaches way back on the blade just stopping a couple of inches from the guard. The beautiful finish and the swell at the far end of the handle just beg to have you hand hold this beautiful piece of workmanship.

Bud says he calls this knife, the “War Whoop" in honor of the ABS. Bud sees the ABS smiths as the leaders in the preservation and advancement of the forged blade. War Whoops were used by Native Americans as a rallying cry to bolster and strengthen resolve, to charge forward. As the ABS moves forward Bud rightly calls his 2012 knife “War Whoop”. Bud feels proud to know that through our ABS schools and hammer-ins the forged blade will persevere and grow as an art form and tool. Bud humbly acknowledges that, “It was indeed an honor for me to be asked to make this knife".

ABS 2013 Master Smith Folder by Jerry Lairson, MS

When Jerry Lairson was asked by the ABS to build the Mastersmith folder for 2013 he jumped at the chance. For Jerry, and ABS Master Smith, this commitment to make the MS Folder for 2013 was a challenge and a journey towards excellence. Jerry stated that, Jerry Lairson, M.S. “In first place it was a great honor to be allowed to build this knife. In the second place by accepting I was forced to go ahead and do something I had wanted to do for a long time.” This thing Jerry had wanted to do was to design and build a folder especially suited for dressing deer sized game. Jerry indicated that he “started forging the damascus for this folder on November 27 2012. I finished the knife on January 5 2013. I knew nothing of building a folder when I started but I had enthusiasm and some good friends who were great folder builders and they were willing to share their knowledge. I worked on this knife on my seventieth birthday, Christmas day and New Year’s Day. I was obsessed, possessed and having more fun than I had had in a long time.” The first blade Jerry made didn’t turn out just the way he wanted it so he put it in a vice and broke it to make sure he did not succumb to temptation and use it. Jerry went back to the forge and the second attempt was right on target. When he was ready to assemble the knife he discovered that the handle scales he had fitted to the knife a few days earlier had shrunk. The temptation was great to use them. They were beautiful and expensive but he put them aside. This knife had to be perfect. He searched through my handle material and found perfect curly maple handle material that if cut correctly would perfectly match the Damascus pattern. The Damascus frame, inlaid handle, and Damascus blade are a perfect match. This is 300 layer Damascus of 1084 and 15N20 forged in a tight ladder pattern. The main spring is of the same Damascus but in a twist pattern. Jerry indicates the pin and pivot area are larger than normal for added strength. There is both complexity and symmetry in this elegant folder that can get the job done and look great in the process.

Jerry indicates that “building this knife was like riding a long, long, long stretch of white water rapids. Sometimes it was scary, but I was always excited to see what was waiting around the next bend. To quote an old Willy Nelson song, ‘It’s been rough and rocky travlin but I’m finally standin upright on the ground.’” This is an exceptional folder and as a first for this master smith, one that will be highly valuable as a collector piece.

ABS 2013Master Smith Fixed Blade by James R. Cook, M.S

James R. Cook has the honor of making this year’s Master Smith 2013 Auction Knife for the American Bladesmith Society. JR’s knives are in a class by themselves and this Master Smith has been at the cutting edge of bladesmithing pushing innovation and yet staying within the boundaries of the traditions of the forged blade. According to JR, “I made what I call ‘transition’ Damascus for this blade”. JR is the creator of “transition Damascus” and his 2013 auction knife clearly brings out the unique variation produced by his innovative process. The top portion of this blade towards the spine is 1084 while the cutting edge section is a 1084 and 15N20 “W” Damascus pattern.

JR states that, “I wanted it to look like the top half is carbon steel and the bottom half is Damascus so the transition between the contrasting steels would be highlighted”.

JR indicates that, “with transition Damascus you can put 2 or more Damascus patterns together in the same blade without having a straight line weld between the patterns. One pattern will transition into the other.” While JR has been working on this process for a couple of years, this is one of the first groups of knives to demonstrate artistically this unique process. Smiths will be looking at this knife wondering how he fused these steels together to create the pattern.

Looking at the JR’s 2013 Auction Knife of the year you can easily see that this knife represents the epitome of the forged blade as art. From the balance of the blade, the acorn style tips on the guard, to the elongated clip set off a unique and handsome design. The handle is walrus ivory and the fittings are 416 stainless steel. JR personally engraved all the fittings. This is a beautiful bowie knife. JR indicates that this is his “Hidalgo” model with a blade length at 10.5 inches and an overall length of 15.75 inches. When asked about the name “Hidalgo”, JR indicated that hidalgo was a term used in Spain to indicate nobility. To refer to a person as hidalgo was to indicate that they were noble and had a generous spirit. The knife is clearly noble and none would question its spirit.

ABS Director/Board Knife for 2013 by Kevin Cashen, M.S.

Kevin Cashen’s knife is a classic European quillon dagger. The European quillon dagger has for centuries been considered one of the great knife styles. The ABS founders and board viewed this style of knife as the epitome of artistic skill and accomplishment. In fact it was so revered that all applicants for the Master Smith rank must demonstrate their competence by submitting for judging a knife of this type. Kevin indicates that behind all this he has in recent years received significant praise and attention for his work with daggers. Oddly enough Kevin states he has a “real passion for rapiers and other swords of the 15^th through the 17^th century” and the daggers of the same period were an accompaniment to rapiers and swords of that time.

As Kevin indicated, “In short I could have made a bowie for my donated piece but that just wouldn't be me, and if not a bowie what blade would be more appropriate for a Mastersmith to do than a European quillon dagger.”

Kevin’s mastery of the period adds a twist such that this superb piece is a traditional dagger in the style of those from the late renaissance and not rather than the ABS standard. Kevin states, “I do not often copy daggers exactly to an original like I would a sword, but instead prefer to use all the traditional elements to make one that is uniquely mine. The dagger I have made for the ABS action is what I envision as partner to an Italian rapier from around 1550 that is in a collection in Vienna.

The dagger is 18 “overall in length with a 12.5” blades made from 320 twisted layers of O-1 and L6 tool steels. The blade was marquenched using high and low temp salt baths. The handle is fluted wood that is entirely covered in iron wire that conforms to the shape of the fluting in the traditional manner of the period. The handle wrapping is bound tightly on each end with a traditional Turk’s head out of twisted copper wire. The pommel and guard are carved steel that has been bead blasted and fire blued to an almost iridescent black color. The guard has hexagonal cross sectioned Quillons curving downward until parallel to the blade with finials carved into opening flower buds. The Guard also has a side ring, as did many daggers of the period, which is also carved in a hexagonal shape and is encrusted with a silver flower in the central panel to match similar decorations on the front and back panels of the hexagonal pommel. Wow!

ABS Director/Board Knife for 2013 by Joseph Keeslar, MS

Joe’s knife is called the BEN LILLY BEAR KILLER. It was inspired by the 19th Century hunter, tracker and guide, Ben Lilly. He was born in 1856 in Alabama and followed the bear and panther westward through Mississippi and Louisiana to Texas, leaving a trail of stories about his prowess as a hunter and his goodness as a man. He was "chief huntsman" to Teddy Roosevelt, hunting in Texas and Mexico, and came to be known as the master sign reader of the Rockies. From time to time he would stop and forge a knife at a blacksmith shop during his travels; his knives were made from old files. He has been referred to by many as the "Last of the Mountain Men". There have been numerous books written about Ben Lilly one of which will accompany Joe’s incredible knife. This "Ben Lilly Bear Killer" is Joe’s interpretation of one of his knife blade designs, with my Brut de Forge integral guard and handle.

The knife is forged from a 19th Century French rasp cut file with an overall length of 15 inches and a 10 inch blade. The handle is of presentation grade curly maple. The left side of the handle is inlaid with a sterling silver medallion depicting my 50 years as a bladesmith (1962-2012). The remaining left side of the handle is inlaid with sterling silver wire in "S" and "C" Scroll design. The right side scale of the handle is inlaid with sterling silver, copper, and brass wire in the design of the American Bladesmith Society logo, i.e. anvil, knife, flames and the letters ABS. The remainder of the right scale is covered in "S" and "C" Scrolls in sterling silver wire.

The Bolsters are of #416 stainless and engraved with a "Dragon Scale" design. The spline of the blade has decorative file work and is engraved in "The Vine" pattern. There is also decorative file work and engraving on the pommel end of the tang of the knife.

The sheath is of 8 oz. tooling leather with a 4 oz. leather liner made in a Southwestern design. It is tooled in a basket weave pattern with a large Concho on the front of the sheath.

TOMB Knife of the Year for 2013 by Brion Tomberlin, MS

The blade on Brion Tomberlin’s TOMB knife is a variation on his successful Persian fighter style. The blade is eight and a half inches in length. The steel is W-2, and this knife has a beautiful hamon. As everyone who knows Brion’s work can attest, he is one of the top makers who has ability to create a vibrant and dramatic hamon . Brion states, “I describe this as a Persian style blade with Japanese influences, in that it has a hamon and is in cormorant neck style, which is also called unokubi zukuri style in Nipponese. The guard is 416 stainless and takes on a beautiful S shape with a three piece spacer of 416 and silicon bronze. The handle is presentation is ironwood with a single pin. What is so interesting is that two styles of Persian and Japanese tanto work harmoniously in Brion’s creation. The strong hamon blended with the Persian curves are truly excellent. The handle is almost classic Persian in style. This is a super nice design with elegant lines.

TOMB is known to many as The Order of the Mystic Brotherhood. TOMB is a small fraternal brotherhood within the ABS which is dedicated to supporting the ABS and its members.

Phoenix Knife - 2013 Special ABS Board Knife

The phoenix is part of Greek and Egyptian mythology where this bird of myth and story is consumed in fire only to rise out of the ashes with a new life. The phoenix knife derives its name from a very similar history. Originally, this knife was created by several members of the ABS Board. The smiths who worked on the original knife included: Dr. James Batson, Joe Keeslar, Bert Gaston, Jay Hendrickson, Greg Neely, Steve Dunn, Harvey Dean and Rick Dunkerley. Neely forged the blade, Keeslar did the grinding, Batson did the frame, Gaston did the heat treat, Dean did the hand finish, Hendrickson made the sheath, Dunn engraved the throat of the nickel silver-mounted sheath, and Dunkerley inset the handle material. The knife was made to resemble the famous historical knife, the Broomhead and Thomas Bowie Knife (see Antique Bowie Knives, pp.362-3). Then disaster struck. The knife died in flames and was buried in ashes when in 2010 Bert Gaston, the custodian of this board knife at the time, had a tragic house fire. Combing through the ashes of Bert’s home the board knife was found by Bert’s son. When he picked it up the handle material crumbled away but the rest of the blade and handle frame seemed structurally okay. The knife was then sent to Greg Neely who recognized that the knife was not so damaged by the flames that it could not be given a new life. Greg then named it the “phoenix knife” since it too would rise out of the ashes. On its second life Greg Neely spent days sanding it all clean. He then wrapped it in stainless foil and annealed the blade in his heat treat oven. Other master smiths on the ABS board then contributed to bringing the knife back life. Master Smith, Kevin Cashen, received the knife in a blackened annealed state. He brought forward his exceptional heat treating talents and breathed new life into blade. Next, Master Smith, Dr. Dan Petersen, hand rubbed the blade, handle frame, and fittings. Dr. James Batson gave phoenix its new inlaid handle doing an intricate restructuring of the handle frame and the fit of guard and tang. When Batson was done with the blade the knife had truly risen out of the ashes stronger and better than even the superb original. This knife literally rose out of the ashes and represents the creative talents of ten (10) individual Master Smiths. No knife in history has ever had this kind of lineage. It lives again and as Greg Neely stated, “I do not see how it could be called anything but the Phoenix”.

*A copy of the current financial statement of the American Bladesmith Society, Inc. is available by writing American Bladesmith Society, Inc., P.O. Box 160, Grand Rapids, Ohio 43522 or by calling (419) 832-0400. Documents and information submitted under the Maryland Solicitations Act are also available, for the cost of postage and copies, from the Maryland Secretary of State, State House, Annapolis MD 21401, (410) 974-5534.*