Kentucky Cutlery Association

Online Newsletters

  Dedicated to the Support of the World of Knives 

January-February 2009 Newsletter
Volume IX, Issue I
Jonathan Reasor, Editor

 

KENTUCKY CUTLERY ASSOCIATION


2009 KNIFE SHOW

 

Paroquet Springs Conference Center

395 Paroquet Springs Drive, Shepherdsville, KY

 

June 26, 27 & 28 2009

 

Show Hours:

Friday and Saturday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Sunday 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

 

Free Admission with Donation to the "Crusade For Children"

 

Exhibitor Information:

 

8 foot sales tables: KCA Members - $65 each.
Non-Members: $75 for first table and KCA Membership, $65 for each additional table.

6 foot display table - $15 each

 

Exhibitor Set-Up Friday June 26, 7:00 AM, Saturday and Sunday, June 27 & 28 - 8:00 AM

 

Contact Jerry Bodner (502) 968-9546 or (502) 552-1103 (Cell) or Gary Reasor (502) 367-6772 or kca@insightbb.com

 

Hotel lnformation

 

Sleep Inn & Suites Shepherdsville, 130 Spring Pointe Drive, Shepherdsville, KY 40165   (502) 921·1001

Special KCA Show Rate: Room with 2 Queen Size Beds $65.99, Room with 1 King Size $59.99

 

Country Inn & Suites, 400 Paroquet Springs Drive, Shepherdsville, KY 40165   (502) 543·8400

Hotel Next Door to Conference Center

 

Super 8 Shepherdsville, 275 Keystone Crossroads, Shepherdsville, KY 40165   (502) 543·8870

 

Best Western, 211 S Lakeview Drive, Shepherdsville, KY 40165    (502) 543·7097

 

Click HERE for Printable Table Reservation Form

 

SEALED WITH A HANDSHAKE & A POCKETKNIFE    by BARRY CARITHERS.

A horse is certainly a cowboy’s best friend but his pocketknife ranks right along with his handgun or rifle. When traveling through the various states of the American West looking for old knives, a collector will find numerous examples of premium stockmen, cattle patterns, utility jacks, and various styles of slightly vintage folding hunters. Rarer still are any folder patterns in embossed metal handles for cattlemen’s associations, stockyards, livestock organizations or rodeo events.

These pieces were generally treated by their recipients in one of several ways: a special carry piece for Sunday church or other important events, a dust collector in a forgotten corner of a dresser drawer or a giveaway to a child or grandchild as a first carry knife. Seldom do such pieces appear for sale on the public marketplace and if they do, seem to attract a premium price due to the “cowboy mystique” attached to them.

Colorado ranchlands have for generations produced some of the finest range-fed cattle that have graced the tables of Mid-Western and Eastern steakhouses and restaurants alike. Representatives from various Chicago and Kansas City livestock companies made annual visits to larger western ranches to purchase cattle herds to be sold to the numerous meat-packers, such as Armour and Swift. Old-timers recall the cattle deals, which in many cases were sealed with a verbal agreement and a handshake. In most situations a token of appreciation was immediately handed to the cattle owner, possibly a well-crafted pocketknife.

My specimen, from the J.M. Doud Company, located at the Union Stock Yards of Chicago, appears to be from the 1920s. It falls into the “dust collector’s” category as it is a dead mint specimen displaying the marking of Hibbard, Spencer, & Bartlett on the master blade. Found in the cattle country of Colorado’s Western Slope, it is a beautiful example of a forgotten time when a man’s word was his bond. Good hunting!

DAMASCUS

by Mike Carter  

You often hear about Damascus knives and they are quite popular. But what is Damascus? Originally Damascus referred to a special alloy steel that was used by sword makers in the vicinity of Damascus, Syria as early as 900 AD. The idea was to make a steel that was both hard and flexible for swords. This was accomplished by combining different types of steel. When the Damascus steel was forged, a distinctive pattern could be seen in the steel. The original way of making Damascus, some­times referred to as Wootz, is a lost art and the subject of much conjecture.

In modern times, Damascus has become a general term referring to layered steel. Today, what we generally call Damascus is really layers of steel forge welded together and usually folded several times to achieve hundreds of layers. When etched with acid, the patterns and layers of steel are seen clearly as the acid reacts differently with the different types of steel. Modern steels have negated the need for Damascus as a means to gain both strength and flexibility in cutlery steel but Damascus remains popular because of it’s beauty and romantic links to the days of ancient sword makers.

Legendary knifemaker Bill Moran is credited with sparking renewed interest in Damascus steel when he began making forge welded “Damascus” steel in 1973. Moran was often referred to as the “father of modern Damascus” although there were several knifemakers and sword makers working with it. As I said, Damascus is a general term in today’s common usage. There are a lot of people now making forge welded “Damascus” steel. It may be made from many layers of two or more types of steel. The types of steel used and the quality of the welding process greatly affect the quality of the product. If you use low quality steel and/or poor forging you will get very poor quality “Damascus” steel. On the other hand, if you use high quality materials and are skilled in the forging process you will get a very good quality, and beautiful, steel.

One of many who makes a very good modern forge welded “Damascus” is Brad Vice of “Alabama Damascus”. He typically uses 4 layers of 5160 spring steel, 3 layers of 203E low carbon high impact high nickel mild steel alloy, 3 layers of 521 00 ball bearing steel and 3 layers of 15N20 band saw blade material. These 13 layers of steel are forge welded together and then folded 5 times to achieve 416 layer Damascus. Due to the high nickel content, this particular Damascus has a very bright pattern after acid etching. Some makers of Damascus steel are very ingenious at making beautiful artistic patterns in the steel by their own way of forging and folding the layers.

In conclusion, be aware that “Damascus” in today’s common knife lingo is a general term and there is good Damascus and bad Damascus. It may be very high quality steel or very low quality steel depending on the materials used and the skill of the manufacturer. Making good Damascus steel is an art form in itself requiring extensive knowledge of metals and forging. If you are interested in Damascus blades, do your homework and learn about those who have earned a good reputation for making good Damascus’ steel. Inquire who made the Damascus used in a knife. Many factory knives and custom knife makers buy Damascus billets from which they make their blades. Not all makers of Damascus steel make knives and certainly not all knife makers make the Damascus steel that they use.

MINUTES - JANUARY 2009 MEETING    Respectfully Submitted by Jonathan Reasor

The meeting was called to order by President Jerry Bodner at 7:00 P.M on January 12,2008 at the V.F.W. Post 8639. Members said the Pledge of Allegiance.