Knives 2023, 43rd Edition

By Gun Digest Books

The World’s Greatest Knife Book Returns!

From unique art pieces to hardened tools of war and industry, every knife has its own allure, utility and even soul. This complex and fascinating nature defines a particular knife and is the driving force behind today’s growing and thriving custom knifemaking culture. The pages of KNIVES 2023, 43rd Edition present the best of the best knives and knifemakers the world of blades has to offer.

KNIVES 2023 spotlights every class and style of blade with more than 900 striking full-color images, with complete descriptions of the craftsmen who created them. In this edition, you’ll find fascinating and in-depth feature articles on a wide variety of knife styles and designs, trends in materials, patterns, and much, much more. Furthermore, you’ll discover in its pages unparalleled industry resources, including an updated Custom Knifemaker Directory, the perfect way to find the creator of your next favorite blade.

    * Captivating historical features on sub-hilt use and New England knifemaking, the lost art of Guilloche, sword making, celluloid knife handles and more.

    * Trends section with the hottest designs for flippers, daggers, chef knives, fighters and nearly every conceivable style you can imagine.

    * State of the Art chapter parades carved, sculpted, damascus, engraved, san mai steel and artisan knives from some of the world’s most skilled craftsmen.

KNIVES 2023 is your go-to resource for all things knives, blades and edges. Dive into the World’s Greatest Knife Book and discover the intriguing universe of custom blades.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gun Digest Books
• Release date: Oct 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781951115760

Book preview

history in the Knifemaking

These handmade blades incorporate historical artifacts directly into their makeup

By Jason Fry

It’s been said that knives tell stories. Well, it’s one thing to tell a true-to-life tale, but it’s another to embody history and be an integral part of the story.

A great story engages the listener on multiple levels, with the storyteller’s words and expressions adding detail and enjoyment to the experience. A well-told story becomes more than just the sum of the storyteller’s words. While the knife world doesn’t have a common cliché to indicate the start of a story is coming, like Once upon a time or Y’all ain’t gonna believe this, the use of story and history in the construction and marketing of high-end cutlery is a specialty of an interesting group of knifemakers.

Makers and customers alike intuitively know that saying, I built this knife with materials I bought off the internet, isn’t a very good story, so blade origins are seldom explained that way. On the other hand, Do you want to hear the story of that knife? draws past, present and future customers in closer and can build an emotional connection.

A Jerry Fisk bowie brings to mind the style of historically renowned bladesmith James Black. This knife is the first piece forged on Black’s original homestead since the days when he made Col. James Bowie’s knife and others. The wood on the handle is from Black’s gravesite, and the blade is approximately 1.3 million layers of 1075 and Nantan meteorite.

(Caleb Royer photo)

If a knife enthusiast is going to take a piece off your hands or show table and lug it home, an emotional connection goes a long way in closing the deal. While some collectors might buy pieces with only appreciating monetary value in mind, it is more common that customers purchase knives that they are truly attracted to, those that connect to something inside them.

They buy a story, with a knife attached.

American Bladesmith Society Master Smith Jerry Fisk is the king of using historical materials to make knives with great stories. He’s fashioned edged objects of art from World Trade Center steel. He’s used wood from trees planted by George Washington and has made damascus with one layer for every person in the United States.

Thomas Jefferson, Dr. Mudd, the Liberty Bell, the Alamo and Pearl Harbor are all subjects of historically themed knives Jerry has fashioned using materials with direct connections back to the famous people, places and artifacts. All their stories have been told by and in Fisk knives over the years.

Difficult to Obtain

These knives are made from items most makers can’t obtain and are sold to collectors at prices many buyers can’t afford. A Fisk historical piece is right up there with a Michael Walker folder, a Bob Loveless Big Bear or a Buster Warenski art dagger.

Fisk started down the historical road by using low background steel, a designation applied only to steel made before contamination resulting from the first atomic bomb tests. Later, with a nice gentle push from Kevin Jones of the Custom Knife Collectors Association, Fisk went all in.

By using historical material in a knife, you greatly increase both the primary and secondary market interest, he says. Not only do you increase the value to your present customer, by tying your knife to history, you increase its value in the future as well. One hundred years from now, or 500, folks won’t only be talking about a Fisk knife; they’ll be telling the stories because it will be a piece of history as well.

If you’re gonna make a famous last stand, this Jerry Fisk gun and knife set with historical connections to Lt. Col. George Custer would be nice to have along!

(Caleb Royer photo)

Most Americans are somewhat familiar with Lt. Col. George Custer. He’s more famous for his last big loss than for his wins. Battle of the Little Bighorn, which resulted in the defeat of Custer’s U.S. forces, was the most significant action of the Great Sioux War of 1876. It took place on June 25-26, 1876, alongside the Little Bighorn River in southeastern Montana.

Fisk’s most recent project presented at the International Custom Cutlery Expo features wood not only from Custer’s original homestead, but also from a catalpa tree under which Gen. Ulysses S. Grant gave Custer his orders. The piece featuring Grant and Custer materials is part of a set that includes a vintage Remington revolver that Fisk engraved to match the knife.

The value of these kinds of sets is hard to figure. You have to think about how many others like it are available, he says. There really aren’t any other opportunities to own this kind of material put together at this level of craftsmanship. The value definitely becomes more than just the sum of the individual parts.

Fisk is directly responsible for me, the author of this article—Knifemakers’ Guild voting member Jason Fry—heading down the historical materials rabbit hole. In 2017, at Fisk’s request on behalf of Doug Ritter of Knife Rights, I forged a W2 bowie knife for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to commemorate the passing of a bill that made all knives legal in Texas.

Lone Star State Materials

I figured if I was going to make a knife for the governor of Texas, I had better use materials that tie it to the Lone Star State. It included an 1836 half dollar to commemorate Texas’ independence, sycamore wood from the state capitol grounds and 1877 wrought iron from the first railroad into Dallas. A mesquite knife stand, or base, integrated 1840’s settler cabin nails.

From there, I continued the hunt for historical artifacts, as well as my ongoing quest to hone my knifemaker’s craft. At the International Custom Cutlery Exposition (ICCE), in 2021, I presented two historically themed pieces.

Engraver and scrimshaw artist, Alice Carter, had always wanted to scrim a Western scene, so I provided a walrus ivory-handle bowie knife to serve as a canvas for her art.

The resulting collaborative knife tells a story of the cattle drive era in Texas. In 1871, folks were making money driving cows north, which is symbolized by the inclusion of an 1871 half dollar. By 1877, the railroad came to Dallas, captured through the inclusion of wrought iron railroad rail within the knife’s makeup. And, by 1888, people were building towns on the plains. The guard and butt of the knife, as well as an iron element on the stand, are from a cemetery in the town of Rayner within Stonewall County, Texas, which existed only from 1888 to 1905.

Carter scrimshawed an incredible cattle drive scene, with one side of the knife featuring the end of a cattle drive at a loading pen next to a railyard and the other showcasing the end of an era for the cowboy, represented by a ghost town and cemetery.

I was honored to garner the Knifemakers’ Guild Best Bowie award with a knife that included elements from the Texas Revolution.

The 1,836-layer damascus blade incorporates nails from Madam (Elizabeth) Powell’s boardinghouse, where Mexican generals met after the Battle of San Jacinto. From there, they headed south back toward Mexico and got caught in the Sea of Mud, a term referring to the Mexican army’s foundering in the muddy fields of what is now Wharton County, Texas, and its retreat after San Jacinto. I used a bronze grape shot artifact—a small ammunition ball—and a brass harness decoration from the Sea of Mud area, with the guard of the knife including more of Powell’s boardinghouse nails and an 1836 half dollar spacer.

Doug Ritter (standing, second from left) of Knife Rights arranged for Jason Fry (standing, second from right) to present a bowie with Texas connections to Gov. Greg Abbott (seated).

Alice Carter scrimshaw combines with elements from the Old West to tell a story of the cattle drive period on this Jason Fry bowie.

(SharpByCoop image)

Sam Houston Oak

The handle is wood from the Sam Houston Oak, where the Texas army camped on March 13, 1836, on the first night of the Runaway Scrape, a name Texans apply to the flight from their homes when Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna began his attempted conquest of Texas.

Incorporating history into a knife isn’t confined to large bowies. Knifemakers’ Guild and Slip-joint Cartel member, Bubba Crouch, recently joined the historical materials game. He first talked to Fisk, who encouraged him to go for it. When I was looking for a slip-joint folder maker to collaborate with on a pair of historical knives, Fisk pointed me to Crouch. I’ve known Bubba a pretty good while, so it was cool to hear he was interested in the same kind of stuff I am.

With 1,836 layers of damascus steel, the Jason Fry bowie includes relics from sites associated with the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution. Sam Houston slept under the live oak tree outside Gonzalez, Texas, that later lent its wood to the handle.

(Caleb Royer photo)

This Bubba Crouch trapper pattern uses steel forged from original Schrade trapper blades and handle material from the estate of Texas cattleman Charles Goodnight.

(SharpByCoop image)

At Blade Show Texas (formerly ICCE), in 2022, Crouch and I showed up with a trapper-themed set that included a frontier bowie and a pocketknife, the latter being a slip-joint folder in a trapper pattern.

I had wanted to build a mountain man or trapping historical knife for a while and talking with Bubba was just the motivation I needed.

Crouch started off the project by fashioning a single-blade, slip-joint (his specialty) trapper. As far as history goes, I forged damascus blades for the Crouch knife from original Schrade brand trapper blades, adding copper accents to match the knife that I would then make, and historical wood from the estate of Charles Goodnight, the famed Texas cattleman.

To pair with the trapper, I built a bowie in a rustic camp knife pattern. It incorporated vintage Newhouse trap springs from traps used by photographer and trapper extraordinaire, Wyman Meinzer. The knife also included a coyote jaw set into bois d’arc wood that was cut 110 years ago, and a 1941 copper trap tag. The sheath features a tanned coyote face.

Vintage Newhouse trap springs, a 1941 copper trap tag, coyote jaws and face, and a 110-year-old bois d’arc fence post come together in this rustic frontier-style bowie by Jason Fry. Not only would the bowie be right at home at a trapper’s rendezvous, but it would also make for a great story around the campfire.

(SharpByCoop image)

When it comes to future projects, the only limitations are the availability of items and stories that have yet to be discovered. So where exactly do you find Fred Bear’s personal bow, gun parts from a battle-used weapon or pieces of a battleship deck?

Thrill of the Hunt

Part of the appeal for makers using pieces of history is the thrill of the hunt. Museums won’t just hand out material, although they will occasionally work with knifemakers who willingly make a donation back to the museum. Ebay is seldom helpful.

What makers look for isn’t Davy Crockett’s actual coonskin cap or Abe Lincoln’s chair from the Ford Theater, but a piece of wood from a place connected to a good story, or any other type of sub-museum level trash with a legitimate historical connection. The high-end auction houses occasionally sell pieces as well.

Fisk obtained the Custer wood through Sotheby’s. You can’t usually just go buy this stuff, he says. You ask around, diligently search the internet and work your network, and sometimes you get something good.

It’s much less important what the item currently is, or even what it was. The story is the important part. If you’ve got an item with a verifiable connection to a known figure or interesting circumstance, it could be useful.

One time, I got some shrapnel from Okinawa by emailing a guy whose address was listed in a 10-year-old internet article. Another time, I obtained wood from a historic tree by tracking down the property owner via a bowhunting forum. The good stuff is out there. The trick is finding it.

The stories of history deserve to live on in the present and to be carried on into the future. One way to keep them alive is to incorporate the history into modern pieces of the knifemaker’s art, or simply, to make a knife with a story in it.

Someday, 100 or 500 years from now, the old men drinking whiskey in the study will reach up on the mantle and pull down a knife they inherited from their great-great grandpa. They’ll tell stories of their families, of the legendary knifemakers of centuries past, and of the true pillars of history, the original men and women who went before us doing things that changed the world.

TEN KNIFEMAKERS You Should Know

The cream of the crop adds design elements into knives that make them their own

By Les Robertson

With the advent of social media, hammer-ins for those interested in forging blades, and television shows like Forged in Fire, more people are making knives than ever before, not just in the United States, but around the world. Most do not make knives full time, nor do they have a budget for advertising. The question then becomes, How do the makers find customers? followed up with, How do collectors find these makers?

Most collectors have developed preferences as to what they want in knives, starting with whether they prefer folders or fixed blades. Then they move into sub-categories of fixed blades such as hunting knives, bowies, fighters and daggers or neck knives. Finally, preferences such as blade steel and handle materials come into play.

The good news is, by identifying use and preference, it is possible to narrow a knife search.

As a custom knife purveyor for the past 35 years, I am not swayed by hype or makers who become the flavor of the month. Nor am I impressed with knifemakers who become copycats, simply taking designs by other makers, and fashioning their own versions. I look for talent—those who incorporate design elements into their knives that make them their own, coupled with the ability to employ materials to maximize the utilitarian or artistic aspect of the knife.

I also look for value pricing. That is to say that the price should reflect the maker’s position in the market where they are selling knives. The time to find this out is before you buy the knife, and not in the aftermarket when potentially selling the knife for a loss.

The 10 You Should Know

For full disclosure, I have purchased knives from every maker on this list. If I did not think highly of their work, the makers would not be included in this article. Listed below are 10 knifemakers from around the world who you may or may not know. They come from the United States, Australia, Latvia, Brazil, Argentina, Poland, and Slovakia. Honestly, this is just a mere sampling of the incredible talent that can be found around the world.

Some have achieved journeyman smith and master smith rankings from the American Bladesmith Society (ABS). For more information on what that entails, visit www.americanbladesmith.org.

The following makers all have something in common—they build knives that incorporate a wide variety of materials and designs. Additionally, their knives are priced so that they give buyers value for their money.

David Broadwell

David’s interest in edged weapons and tools began in his childhood when he singlehandedly slew a Mimosa tree in the yard using his father’s masonic dress sword. Years later, making his first knife, David felt a chill go down his back. David knew from that moment that he would eventually make custom knives as a career. He has been doing so for the last 41 years.

I included David on this list as I think he has been overlooked by the custom knife community. This incredibly talented artist incorporates many different aspects of custom knifemaking such as utilizing lost wax casting, bronze and gemstone handles to name a few.

His favorite knives to make are sub-hilt fighters and daggers. I bought my first of hundreds of sub-hilts from Dave in 1998. So, I feel comfortable saying I believe he makes the best sub-hilt fighter in the world. As for his daggers, technically they are second to none!

The materials used for his knives range from stainless and damascus blade steels to blued steel, mokume gane, titanium and bronze for guards, sub-hilts, pommels, and finials. Handle materials include synthetics, wood, horn, and ancient ivories. This talented artisan makes fixed blades, folders, and even custom-made pens.

David Broadwell’s sub-hilt fighter features a 9-inch W-2 blade with smoky hamon (temper line), a carved curly Koa handle, stainless fittings, and a bronze collar.

(NB Designs photo)

Maksim Tjulpin

It came as no surprise to me that Maksim Tjulpin was a butcher in Latvia for 20 years. Given this, Maksim says his choice of a hobby was predictable. He started collecting knives, which led to leaving his job and becoming a knifemaker six years ago. He specializes in fashioning hunting knives and fighters, building them with both high-carbon and stainless steel, depending on the needs of his clients. His preferred handle material is stabilized wood, which Maksim says he believes combines the beauty of nature and strength of a polymer.

When I received my first knife from Maksim, I held it in my hand and thought that I should have ordered five more, which I, in turn, did just that.

The Keruk model from Maksim Tjulpin showcases a damascus san mai blade, stainless hardware, and a mammoth tooth and hornbeam wood handle.

(Impress by Design photo)

Shawn McIntyre

As a child, Shawn McIntyre was always fascinated with blacksmithing and metal machining. As fate would have it, he found the Gun Digest Book of Knives on sale. Pouring over the book, Shawn was hooked on the idea of forging blades.

Moving to Australia, he worked in commercial kitchens from ages 14 to 28. After endless hours of food prep, he learned which handle designs were comfortable in the hand. After that, he spent several years working in a machine shop. Things like surface finish, tight tolerances, and order of operations all became second nature.

This all led up to Shawn earning his ABS master smith stamp in 2008. These days, the maker says he gains the most satisfaction from creating one-of-a-kind mosaic damascus patterns. However, he is not limited to mosaics, also building stainless-clad san mai steel pieces, forging integrals, and enjoying creating hamons (temper lines) on carbon steel.