Our Social Responsibility- What NOT to do with your knife

People wielding knives can do a lot of harm. Knives in the wrong hands can be weapons of death. We know that. Here at CNJ, we proudly promote proper knife use and the hobby of knife collecting, and yet, we use this post as a reminder of what NOT to do with your knife.

Man denied sex in car, threatens woman with knife | threatens, car, woman – News – Northwest Florida Daily News

Woman accused of holding a knife to an anti-abortion demonstrator’s neck – BostonHerald.com

Interview with Young Pro-Life Counselor Threatened with Knife to Throat

Woman, 49, found dead inside SUV may have killed herself with knives – San Jose Mercury News

Man cuts girlfriend’s dad with knife, deputies allege | The Dispatch | Davidson County’s News Source | Lexington, NC

And CBSNEWS was surprised knives cost $300 an inch

CBSNEWS did a special video feature on knifemaker Bob Kramer, one of only 114 Master Bladesmiths in the world.

The funny thing is they were surprised his knives are so expensive. Welcome to the world of custom and collectible knives CBS.

Here’s the link to the video. Great national exposure for Bob, knifemaking and custom knives.

Give me a break

A scene from an anti-knife rally in England.

How many times do I have to say it- “Knives don’t kill- people do.”

Source: Harrisonprice.com

Knife Museum fundraiser declared a success

Knoxville paper covers knife museum fundraiser

As a publisher of electronic knife collector news, I love it when the traditional print media covers happenings in our knife world. You know, when a newspaper prints a story about a collector trend, an event or even a significant aspect of our hobby.

This morning, as I was writing/struggling in an in-depth CNJ article on Knife Condition Grades, an email pops in my Inbox alerting me about new knife news. I stopped immediately, clicked though and found a great story in the Knoxville News Sentinel about the National Knife Museum fundraiser held weekend before last.

The event was co-sponsored by Smoky Mountain Knife Works, W. R. Case & Sons Cutlery Company and the National Knife Museum in Sevierville, Tenn.

The point of the story is over $4000 was raised for the Knife Museum. While the museum is a sister organization to the National Knife Collectors Association, it is a totally separate entity and survives from donations and exhibitor fees.

As an aside, yours truly did go to this event but was too busy buying knives to cover the event 🙂 Had my collector hat on that day. Well, what can I say……other than- I had success there too.

Source: Knoxville News Sentinel- Knife swap meet raisers $4000 for museum

Knife Collection Saved From House Fire

This past weekend fire destroyed a home in Twin Peaks, California. Cause of fire is unknown, however it was believed to have been a broken fuel line.

This story has as happy an ending as it could considering the home was completely destroyed- but all 5 lives and a knife collection survived.

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Take away- Insure your collection in case you have to help one of your family members instead of grabbing your knife collection.

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Stories like this send a shiver down my spine. As a collector of antique knives, I can’t help but think that every year knives are destroyed and/or lost resulting in fewer and fewer in circulation.

Photo by G.T. Houts, Story reported in rimoftheworld.net

I knew it. I just knew it. Knives are good!

From the See, I Told You So Department–

We knife collectors have known for a long time knives are good. We like them, but we know there are plenty others out their who don’t. To us knives provide tons of ways to enjoy them. They are pleasing to look at. Are a conduit to meet nice folks. Give us reasons to meet. Provide recreation. Provide a utilitarian benefit and they are fun to tinker with too. Well, today I learned something new.

Knives are important for healthy child development.

Yes, you heard that right. Child development. I can hear folks gasping for breath now. We’ve reported humpteen times here at CNJ that times have changed and most kids are forbidden to have or even hold a knife. We have become sensitized to the danger of the unskilled wielding a blade. The media (and governments) have stigmatized knives as murders. And yet, I found an most interesting article today.

Even as a knife enthusiast, I was surprised by what I read. Rusty Pritchard authored Why your child needs a knife. Now, don’t expect this to be the typical argument about “rites of passage,” boys being boys or that type article. No sir, this article shares with us why a knife fosters healthy mental and emotional development in a child.

“Kids need knives. They are one of the most supremely useful tools for interacting with creation. They’re an important part of moral and creative development. And they let kids harvest their own raw materials and modify them for creative play.”

Rusty Pritchard

Check out his excellent article. Also let him know we appreciate him out spreading the good knife word.

I knew knives were good. I just knew it!

Photo credit: Chestofbooks.com

iBlade: A new cutting-edge iPod

iKnifePhone

You may remember a few months back, I designed the iKnifePhone. It was a refitted iPhone with a toenail/sunfish honker master blade- talk about a killer App- well, evidently that invention is outdated now, as far as hi-tech knives go.

Rumor is Apple is rolling out the new iBlade very soon and will make it available at its Apple stores nationwide.

The iBlade will be the newest generation iPod, and a cutting-edge one at that!

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In a related note, there is an unconfirmed report iKnifeCollector, the next generation knife collector community, has a leg-up in vying against Amazon and the iTunes store to be the exclusive online distributor of the iBlade (kind of like the relationship AT&T has with the iPhone). So, to get one you’ll need to sign up at iKC, otherwise, you’ll have wait in record breaking lines. My guess is sales of the iBlade for the first weekend will exceed the million unit sales of the new 3rd Gen 3Gs iPhone in its early days, so why fight the crowds?

Photo credit: iBlade- to whoever made it.

You can tell I’m just having some knife collecting fun today 🙂

2009 Blade Show- everything I hoped for!

2009 Blade Show

The Blade Show is the real deal.

Very few things in life live up to my expectations (sad, but true), however, the 2009 Blade Show was everything I hoped.

I could feel the excitement the minute I stepped into the huge hall. Imagine standing in an indoor football coliseum-sized room crammed full of folks buying, selling and talking knives!

The room was totally high energy. Everywhere you looked was cutlery- from knives dating back to the Viking age, to cool customs and traditional pocket knives too, but the center of attention was the tactical knives. Thousands attended along with 700 exhibitors and most everyone had good traffic, and yet it was the knife companies displaying their hottest new tacticals that saw the throngs of consumers lined up three and four deep that dominated the show.

The tactical excitment was very contagious, and this coming from an old knife guy- pun intended- the latest hi-tech designs are off the charts. Needless to say, I heard the siren’s song too and bought my first-  from Mantis Knives. It is their just released Jyro. Way too cool.

After spending almost 20 hours in the exhibition room, I was overwhelmed with the friendliness of everyone there- from the executives of the major manufacturers, to the established custom maker and other attendees. It was close to a class reunion, even though the 2009 Blade Show was my first!

I’ll be reporting over the next week about other impressions and happenings, but wanted to provide you a high-level perspective of this killer show. The folks at Blade know how to run a show. It was perfect. I appreciate them allowing me to record the show from a collector’s and industry perspective.

Boston man stabs himself, accidently

Obviously this guy is not a member of iKnifeCollector’s EDC Club, we’d never be this dumb, or at least wouldn’t have let anyone know. Instead, we’d just limp off with a forced smile as we dripped a blood trail.

Here’s the story, as reported on the Boston Globe’s Boston.com– This morning a 29 year old man hopped on a Green Line trolley and when he sat down somehow his knife stabbed his leg. I’d be curious to know the details, but can report while the wound was serious, it wasn’t life threatening. That’s what a dude from the MBTA said.

Emergency Medial Services personnel responded to help the wounded man, which caused the outbound trolleys to be delayed right in the middle of the morning commute. Talk about embarrassing.

If someone can track this guy down, we’ll make him an honorary member of the EDC Club.

When you have friends like this who needs enemies

 

You call that a knife?...This is a knife!

Some things just don’t mix. In this case it involves, two friends, two big knives, alcohol and boxer shorts…?

I reported earlier knives and alcohol don’t mix, evidently this one guy didn’t pay heed to my advice.

Here is the story as reported in the Wisconsin State Journal – 

A Madison man was arrested after chasing his friend down the street dressed only in his boxer shorts while wielding two big knives- one with a 7 1/2″ blade and the other with a 9″ blade.

This was after the other man punched him in the face several times while at the boxer short dude’s apartment. Needless to say, one if not both men were drunk. I’m guessing the dude running down the street virtually naked with the knives was drunk for sure.

When he was arrested, the boxer short dude said he remembered getting into the argument in his apartment, but didn’t recall anything else. How convenient.

Incidentally, this guy was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct while armed. That’s kind of funny isn’t it? Good news for him it probably could have been- attempted murder or aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

I’d say knives and alcohol are right up there with drinking and driving. Dangerous combos.