Kentucky Cutlery Association

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November 2008 Newsletter
Volume VIII, Issue X
Jonathan Reasor, Editor

Hello KCA Members,

The weather is changing and the days have grown shorter, but don't let that keep you from making your KCA meetings, because we have some important stuff coming up. At the November meeting we have to nominate members for the KCA offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and Sergeant-At-Arms. We will also need to nominate members to fill the Directors positions, for the three whose terms expire this year. Think about who you would like to see as president of the club, what direction you would like the club to go in the coming year and if you might be the person who unique abilities could benefit the club by serving in one of these positions. Also, Dale Greenwell will be providing the final details on our Christmas Party.

We need to send a special thank you out to the Coon Hunter's Club for providing us with a place for our fall picnic and cooking the food. It was a good time for all who attended and there was plenty of trading, buying and selling going on as well as catching up with friends and making some new ones. I would like to thank President Glendon Downing who pushed to have a fall and spring picnic this year and I hope the members considering making this permanent.

The NKCA Shepherdsville Show was last weekend and for the most part was a success. Barry Carithers was there and donated another knife for the KCA to auction off. Thanks again Barry for your wonderful articles and donations to the club. A special thanks to Joe Jones for being the main man in the KCA Booth during the show.

The NKCA has Published it's knife show schedule for next year, and they have cut the number of shows. The spring NKCA Shepherdsville Show has been cancelled and the fall show will be moving back to Louisville, to the Holiday Inn South on Fern Valley Road. While the loss of the spring NKCA show is disheartening, it could be an opportunity for the KCA to do a spring show and secure a future source of income.

Well, I'm going to fill up my tank, gas is $1.95 a gallon at Mac's. Hope to see you at the meeting.

Jonathan Reasor, Editor

19th CENTURY CAST-HANDLED JACK KNIVES

BY BARRY CARITHERS

The metal cast-handled jack knife was in common use in England and France several years before the American Revolutionary War. Produced as an inexpensive substitute for the old English "penny knife," brass cast-handled jacks could be with ornate patterns, floral designs, and even cast inscriptions. The introduction of metal handled knives in the States did not begin until the 1850s with the manufacture of stamped or "coined" brass handled knives by several New England cutlery companies. Examples of relic pieces are occasionally excavated on Civil War camp sites and battlefields. Non-dug specimens with full working blades tend to be quite rare and are in high demand.

In 1862, Samuel Mason of the Northfield Knife Company took out a patent for the first American cast-handled jack knives. Described as having an iron exterior that imitated buckhorn, Northfield produced numerous models of inexpensive boy's knives that included phrases or trademarks cast into the handle design. Nearly 18 years later Frary Cutlery Company of Connecticut introduced pewter alloy cast-handles as their entry into the popular line of boy's jacks. Continued demand for inexpensive boy's jack knives during this time period was so great that many German companies eagerly began exporting lines of cast mild steel and iron handled boy's knives into .the country.

Numerous inscriptions could be found cast into the design of these cheaply-made pieces ...................... School Knife, Boy's

Pride, Our Boy, etc. One German cutler even cast the price, "Dime Knife" into his jacks, less we tend to forget that to a youngster of the 1890s, a dime represented a considerable sum of hard earned money!

Advertising cast-handled knives of the late 19th century represents a very small fraction of the production of the cast pieces at this time: The tobacco industry was eager to introduce the young man to their line of products, especially chewing tobacco, and found the cast-iron handled jack a delightfully devious means of hopefully creating a new customer. Through various give-away programs, a young lad could carry a prized jack knife which endorsed a tobacco producCcast into the handle. My "Tomahawk Plug" cast iron jack by the 1890s firm of

Chalmers & Murry, NY, is an interesting recent New Hampshire estate find. Good hunting!

~ KNIFE SHOWS ~

2008 D' Holder Custom Pearl Club Knife with Hand Made Sheath.

Knife is 5 3/8 inches long and has D'Holder, Peoria AZ laser etched on one side and will have the KCA logo or KCA etched on the other side. Limit of one knife per customer.

It's beautifully crafted with a custom sheath. There is only going to be forty of these made. D' has only made club khives once before and that was for his home club.

We only have a few more available and they are being sold on a first come first serve basis. It's a $125.00 to reserve a knife or $250.00 to pay in full. A special thanks goes out to D' Holder and Jerry Bodner for making this special opportunity available to the KCA Members.

Click HERE for printable order form.

Jerry Bodner Miniature Raffle!

Jerry Bodner has donated another beautiful mini knife for the KCA to raffle off as a fundraiser for the club. The knife is a Jerry Bodner Miniature with a 0' Holder style drop point blade that has beautiful file work, a yellow­horse style handle with abalone, coral and turquoise.

It is a gorgeous knife and it comes in an engraved presentation box. This knife will be awarded at our annual Christmas Party. The knife will be at the KCA meeting for viewing. Tickets will be 3 for $5.00. Thanks again Jerry for your generous contributions to the club.

Click HERE for a printable order form.

Be sure to order your 2007 KCA Club and Youth Knives before they are all gone! 

The 2007 Pearl Club Knife has already sold out but we still have a few 2007 Stag Club Knives and
2007 Bone Youth Knives available.

Click HERE for the order form.

A few random thoughts and sayings!!!

An optimist is someone who falls of the Empire State Building, and after 50 floors says, "So far so good!"

When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.

Do you have trouble making up your mind? Well, yes or no?

Everyone has a photographic memory. Some just don't have film.

Evening news is where they begin with 'Good evening', and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.

Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need more. (Friend or Money!)

An consultant is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it sound confusing.

Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.

When you're right, no one remembers. When you're wrong, no one forgets.

They say hard work never hurts anybody, but why take the chance.

Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.

If it's sent by ship then it's a cargo, if it's sent by road then it's a shipment.

Nominations for 2009 Officers and Directors

Use this form as a reminder at the November meeting. Officers and Directors may succeed themselves.

Current Office Holders

President - Glendon Downing

Vice President - Mac Howard

Secretary - Jonathan Reasor

Treasurer - Gary Reasor

Sergeant at Arms - Ben Gray

Board of Directors

Deborah Buchanan - 1 Year Remaining

Jim Haberman - 1 Year Remaining

Dan Johnson - 1 Year Remaining

Bill Medlock - 1 Year Remaining

Dale Greenwell - Term Expiring

Robert Greenwell - Term Expiring

Joe Jones - Term Expiring

NOMINATIONS

Officers

President _____________________________

Vice President _________________________

Secretary _____________________________

Treasurer _____________________________

Sergeant at Arms _______________________

Board of Directors

Director ______________________________

Director ______________________________

Director ______________________________

November 2008 Newsletter

Kentucky Cutlery Association
626 West Woodlawn Ave.
Louisville, KY 40215
Phone: (502) 367-6772
www.kentuckycutlery.com

Jonathan Reasor, Editor
E-mail: kca@insightbb.com

Officers
President - Glendon Downing (502) 459-5358
Vice-President - Mac Howard (270) 877-5718
Secretary - Jonathan Reasor (502) 367-6772
Treasurer - Gary Reasor (502) 367-6772
Sergeant at Arms - Ben Gray (502) 409-7932

Board Directors       
Deborah Buchanan - 2
Jim Haberman - 2
Dan Johnson - 2
Bill Medlock - 2
Dale Greenwell - 1
Robert Greenwell - 1
Joe Jones - 1

Meetings are held at the V.F.W. Post.
The address is 4205 Lambert, which is located off Preston Hwy in Okolona.
CLICK HERE for a map.