The White Shadow Dojo is a Martial Arts school run by Gwynne and David in western New York. This blog features information on our book "The Rhythm of One", our class offerings, a calendar of events, an edged weapons forum, articles on knife design, and a community space for the research and dissemination of Martial Arts. "Sometimes irreverant, often opinionated, always brutally honest."

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Knife Sale

KNIFE SALE Now Until Christmas:

OK! Here are a few knives for sale from the old White Shadow Dojo Inventory. These are unused, never cut with fighting knives of the first quality. I saved a couple out for myself including one of the large hawkbills. Once these are gone we have no more. As I said the first "I will take it" by the time-date gets the knife. Payment can be by USPS Money Order or Paypal.
(Sorry, I am not set up to take credit cards.)

CONTACT ME @ ghdave2@hotmail.com AND put "Knife Sale" in the subject so I know its not trash or spam. Thanks

Steven Tedford Bowie: $250 This is one of Canadian maker Steven Tedford's early knives. The knife has a nice Amboyna (sp) burl handle and nickle silver guard. The carbon steel clip point blade is very sharp and nicely proportioned. I have the price this low because the sheath, while robust and functional, is a little crude. Make your self a new sheath and have a fine Bowie for a reasonable price by a custom maker. Blade is 8 inches OAL is 13 inches. A nice handy sized Bowie.


ITAC Series LargeRecurve: $350 A real sweet recurve knife, fast in the hand. Comes with the leather covered kydex sheath and zippered pouch. ITAC series features full tang construction, real hamon and 8 inch blade. The handle is wrapped with beautiful same gawa (ray skin) and leather over wrap. A nice large chrysanthemum menuki graces one side. The knife is 13.25 inches OAL. These knives are really top quality!

All of the ITAC handles are like this one!! The leather wrap is very comfortable and gives a nice grip.

ITAC Series Small Hawkbill: $325 Comes with the leather covered kydex sheath and zippered pouch. ITAC series features full tang construction, real hamon and5 inch blade. The handle is wrapped with beautiful same gawa and leather over wrap. A nice large chrysanthemum menuki graces one side. The knife is 10.25 inches OAL. These knives are really top quality!

ITAC Series Large Hawkbill: $350 Comes with the leather covered kydex sheath and zippered pouch. ITAC series features full tang construction, real hamon and 6.25 inch blade. The handle is wrapped with beautiful same gawa and leather over wrap. A nice large chrysanthemum menuki graces one side. The knife is 12 inches OAL. These knives are really top quality!

Brent Sandow Viper: $275 with kydex sheath and zippered case. This knife is made by Brent Sandow of Auchalnd New Zealand, A member of their guild and long time knife maker. Blade is 5 inches double edged D-2 with black milspec coating. Grey miacarta handles held by three screws and epoxy. Full tang and10.5 inches overall.

I will post more knives next week once I have time to take photos. Thanks for looking!!

Cobra II Redux


Here is a photo of the second version of the Cobra II. This one was forged by Nick Rossi. It has a completely different feel and look to it even though it fits within the general pattern I supplied. The Cobra II idea is descended from the DS#4 shown in the photo at the bottom. It has been many years and a lot of experimentation since that first design and now I have to decide which version of the Cobra II to offer to my customers. I suppose I could make it optional but that could get to be a problem trying to stock any knives. Shown here are the original Cobra (top) and the two newest prototypes.
As you might remember from a recent post, the Cobra II is in response to some who wanted a bigger, badder Cobra for a combat application. This last version has blended/blurred the lines, more than the other one, based on the maker's preference. Both knives balance right at the finger cut-out. The G-10 handle scales are pinned with three pieces of stainless tubing. G-10 is an interesting material and very popular but it is too slippery for my tastes. Shown below is the Rossi prototype and my original design the DS #4.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Saturday, November 17, 2012

X-Dagger Explication


The posting of my WW-II X-dagger on our Fairbairn website raised all sorts of interest, both positive and negative. These knives have been declared complete fakes by some and home-made knives by others. Those of the opposing viewpoint consider them the prototypes of all commando knives. So let’s look at why the furor. http://www.fairbairnsykesfightingknives.com/rarest-of-them-all.html Shown below is a Shanghai Dagger.
Story line one: W.E. Fairbairn and E.A. Sykes approached Wilkinson Sword Co. and asked them to produce a specialized fighting knife. This knife was to be based on a model they brought with them. That model was/is called the Shanghai dagger. There are some who say the Shanghai knife was designed by, or in conjunction with, an American Marine named Samuel Yeaton. Anyway, these knives were made in the Shanghai Municipal Police Armoury about 1939. By the way, so far, all of this information is readily available from numerous reliable sources. Model 1888 Lee-Metford bayonets were converted into these roughly five inch bladed daggers. According to W.E. Fairbairn’s son, you could get two of the daggers out of one blade. The handles were coke bottle shaped and made of various materials including Ivory, hardwoods, and brass. They were either checkered or knurled depending, on the material. The guards were made from pieces of aluminum left over from making bullet-proof vests. Our X-Dagger shown below, made from an 1888 Lee-Metford bayonet.
Story line two: W.E. Fairbairn takes a number of these same bayonets to Wilkinson (or another armoury depending on the source of your information) and asks them to build them into fighting knives, using the shanghai dagger as an example of the conversion process. A lot of unwanted changes are made in the final design but after experimentation with the bayonets production begins with the introduction of the Wilkinson Sword Co. First Pattern, Fairbairn Sykes, Fighting Knife. There are some who insist this whole story is fabricated, that the knives (Shanghai or X-daggers) never existed, and any that do exist are counterfeits. They are adamant about this while having no proof. The whole story becomes one of opinions. I want to discuss as rationally as possible both sides of the story. While the detractors have no definitive proof that legitimate X-daggers did not exist, I have an X-dagger. Shown below is a Wilkinson First Pattern knife.

They say the reasons why X-daggers do not and cannot exist are abundantly clear:

·         X-daggers cannot be made from model 1888 bayonets

·         There are rivet holes where the tang needs to be

·         It is too labor intensive to remove the guard etc.

·         It would be quicker to forge and grind new blades

·         There is no documentation to support the Fairbairn story

·         All known x-daggers have come from North America
I want to tackle these excuses one at a time.  X-daggers, unlike unicorns, do exist. Whether they are legitimate WW-II knives or not is another argument. They do exist and they are made from Lee-Metford bayonets. This simple, incontrovertible fact, discredits many of the explanations of why they cannot exist. How do I know what bayonets they used? It is documented in several books and more concretely by the actual markings stamped into the ricasso of the blades. In my emails to more than one collector I have explained how they can be created. It is a simple process really, one that has been used for centuries. Let’s look at the process.

If you take and chop the bayonet tang off in the vicinity of the first rivet hole you eliminate a lot of time consumed in disassembling the bayonet. Just cut it right off and discard the handles and baggage for attaching a bayonnet to a rifle. To convert the blade’s remaining tang to accept a First Pattern style handle you must attach what is called a “rat-tail” or “stick” tang. Simply splitting the remaining original tang and then any blacksmith or cutler could braze, silver solder, or weld a new tang to the stub left from cutting off the handle. Wow that takes care of the major obstacle already. In the process of heating it for the installation of the new tang the guard could be knocked off.

Backing up, let me ask you. How did they make two Shanghai daggers out of one bayonet blade? Did that question enter your mind? One half of the bayonet blade would have no tang at all. The other half would have no point and a tang with rivet holes.  The only solution is something like I have outlined or to call Samuel Yeaton, W.E. Fairbairn and his son liars. Basically that is what some experts are implying. Am I denying there may be counterfeits in the market? No I am not, but to declare all examples as fakes is to miss an opportunity to explore possibilities.

One person asked me how could an X-dagger have a First Pattern handle if it was supposed to be made before the First Pattern knives? Think about it. One of Fairbairn’s Shanghai daggers had a knurled brass coke bottle shaped handle. It was one of those knives made in 1939-40. When you allow your opinions to be sublimated to some objective thinking you could see where the First Pattern knives may have instead been fitted with X-dagger style handles. Huh? Hadn’t thought of it that way had you?

All of the X-daggers come from North America, according to one train of thought. The fact that my knife came from an attic in England was instantly dismissed by one noted author because “The person who sold you this knife was by your account 100% legit, but that does not help nail down the history of the knife.  The fact that it came out of the UK does not in itself help as we do not know where it came from in the first place..” So why not call this person a liar too? There is no way to argue with this reasoning. If I had a document signed by the original owner stating when and where he acquired it, how could I prove that it was true? I think at some point you have to follow your own instincts and tell the experts to kiss off.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Cobra Grande!


At the request of several people I designed a larger Cobra fighting knife. To find a maker who would/could make it for me I posted an inquiry on the USN Forum. Based on the responses, I contracted two makers to build prototypes. The first one arrived a few weeks back but there has been so much going on it has taken me awhile to get it on the blog. I am quite pleased with the results  James Dimagmaliw achieved. We have already discussed a few small revisions but it is very close for the first shot. I have been travelling a lot and not had time to test it out at the dojo. Once I have the other knife by Nick Rossi in hand then I can compare them here and let you know my full impressions. So this is just a short posting but I think you will find the knife very striking.

Wednesday, November 07, 2012

Futility

My anger and frustration have passed at what just occcured in this election. After anger comes resolve. As my abbot said, it was perhaps inevitable. How can I explain to you what you have thrown away? It would be like me trying to describe to a blind man the shades of blue in a morning sky, or a leaf floating on a stream. If you have never known real freedom how can I expect you to fight, or vote, to defend it. Not freedom as an Ideal, but as a living breathing part of life, more important than life. Mea culpa maxima, I have failed to convince you, or prove to you how what you perceive to be progress and liberty are but silken chains of socialism. You know the old maxim: Those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. To paraphrase that I would say: those who do not know history become history. Do some research and see where all Socialists revolutions end. They all end in mass starvation and genocide. Its no secret, the facts are out there.

I retract my previous blog not because it might offend, but because it will not educate. Today's pundits are so fond of the analogy of placing a frog in a pot of water brought slowly to a boil, the frog will not jump out, and will boil to death. This pot has been boiling for at least four generations so how could you possibly know that it was time to leap from the pot? It was time to leap a long time ago. And now the moment has passed into history.

Sunday, November 04, 2012

Storm Mountain Training Center

There is a good reason it is called “Mount Storm.” The photos best describe the miserable weather conditions as we faced two days of Handgun training and the threat of an approaching hurricane. When I contacted him, the owner, Rod Ryan, suggested I take Handgun II. It turned out to be perfect for my current skill level. At times I was torn between my desire to train and my concern about leaving my home with a major storm bearing down. Thankfully I chose to make the 250 mile trek to “Storm Mountain Training Center” in Elk Garden, WV.

You might remember this is the same school I went to for the Precision Rifle 1 class last year. As an added incentive my daughter was one of the instructors, but more about that later. The Saturday morning drive from my hotel in Keyser, WV to the training center took nearly ½ hour to climb up the mountain through thick fog. Class started promptly at 9:00 AM and ran until noon in the class room going over safety, fundamentals of sight picture, grip, stance, etc. The powerpoint presentations were excellent and the presenters did a great job. They took the time to demonstrate clearing weapons malfunctions, the stances and grips and concisely answered any questions. Remember this was a mix of totally green shooters as well as advanced ones so there were many questions from all levels. The students ranged in age from 20 to over 60 and came from all walks of life. There was an eclectic mix of handguns: Glock, Sig, S&W, FN, Kimber, Browning, and others I am forgetting. This mix of weapons made the instructor’s job even tougher as they worked with different platforms keeping each shooter’s weapon functioning. In addition they offered tips on how to make the student’s shots more accurate and their reloads smoother with whatever gun they were carrying. The instructors were up to the task. Despite some intermittent malfunctions my handgun ran through over 500 rounds in the day and a half on range. The instructors are, from left to right, Rod Ryan, Chris, Ed, and Gwynne.
 













The first day we were on the range shooting steel targets from 1:00 PM until about 5:00 PM. The instructors broke our group up into Handgun I & II after about an hour and we started through a series of drills. Rod and Ed taught the Handgun III class. All of our shooting was aimed-fire drills from the 7 yard line for the first day. We had lots of opportunity to practice reloads and shooting, both drawing from the holster, and from the “high-ready position.” Our instructor, Chris, was constantly monitoring our grip and stance as well as ensuring range safety. My daughter herded the Handgun I class to the next shooting range over. I had a good day and benefitted greatly from Chris’ pointers, especially on correcting my grip. All of the students were invited/encouraged to stay for the Handgun III night shoot. Surprisingly some of them headed back to warm lodging and supper. They missed a great opportunity! I hung out and watched. Rod invited me to shoot several times but I had been struggling with my pistol jamming as it got dirtier and I did not want to fight with it in the dark. But I really appreciated his willingness to include me.
 

Day Two broke with the weather still threatening, colder, blustery and spitting rain throughout. On this day we added “point-shooting,” ie not using your sights. We shot all the way back to the 15 yard line. I totally amazed myself with the number of hits I got on steel. This was all due to the improvement of my grip! We also went through moving and firing.

 













Chris took us by the shoulder and walked us up to the steel targets from the 15 yard line continuously shooting as we approached and then reloading and shooting as we backed our way out. This was very intense since the muzzle was within three to four feet of the steel. He explained that the bullet fragments sprayed back in a 20 degree cone, and that inside that cone we were safe. Evidently this was true since I never caught any bullet fragments. Later Rod explained to us that the steel targets he uses are designed/sized to replicate the center of mass of a human being. On the afternoon of the second day we shot qualifications. I did OK and any bad times I shot were usually due to firearms malfunctions. I cannot complain though because my pistol did amazingly well for an older, almost archaic gun. I had my own share of malfunctions too like forgetting to load a mag one time and wondering why it did not go bang. Despite that and the bad weather I had a great time! Rod Ryan knows how to run a school and makes sure everyone gets the most out of it. The training facilities are second to none and the friendly staff always make you feel right at home. Yes, I am already trying to decide what course to take next.
Now I said I would get back to the thing about my daughter instructing. Rod and Gwynne are putting together a curriculum designed strictly for women. I think this is a terrific idea. Women have different issues with equipment and learn differently than men. If you guys want your ladies to be supportive of your shooting, get them involved. The best way to do that is to send them where they can train by themselves. This way they are not intimidated by your presence or your expectations. The Women’s handgun classes will run concurrent with the regular classes but the women can be off to themselves. You guys better be prepared though, many women are superior shooters to men if guided by the right instructor. I believe Gwynne and Rod have the right mix of talents to provide expert training in the right environment for women to learn firearms skills. Handgun classes are the first ones to be offered for the weekends of May 4-5, June 8-9, and October 11-13, but they are also preparing courses in precision rifle, Tactical Carbine, and even shotgun, for the gentler sex. So check the Storm Mountain website for updates. Hey, if you want completely personalized training you can book that at Storm Mountain Training Center too. Thanks to Rod, Ed, Chris, and Gwynne for a great weekend. http://www.stormmountain.com/

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