A Chicken in Every Pot

Michael Maniord, Knifemaker:

Can you imagine a man who wants to build inexpensive knives? No I couldn’t either until I bought a knife from Michael Maniord. I bought one of Michael’s Karambit off Ebay and waited for it to arrive. A few days led into a week and I got an email saying, "I am not happy with the knife, if you can wait a week I’ll do another one." Sure I could wait another week and another email came saying if I wanted the first knife he would sell it to me for basically the cost of the materials. If I did not want it that was OK too. Well I have been in that same situation and screwed up a project before, come on who hasn’t?
I was out of town when the package arrived. It didn’t take me long to rip it open. I am like a kid at Christmas with every new knife. Well I looked at the "bad one" first. It was a bit rough and the grind lines had some waviness. Then I looked at the second one and it was much better. This was certainly a knife I would not be ashamed to carry into a tough spot and use hard, knowing it could take the heat. I’m sure the other one is just as tough just not as refined. The overall design is very good. The proportions and aesthetics are as good as anyone else. The handle sculpting made me think of a skeletal finger with bony joints but it fits my hand just fine. There are coarse grind marks on the edge bevels but the edge is very sharp. That is a plus since I am tired of makers whose expensive custom knives are delivered dull. This knife will definitely rip and tear.
Included were three sheaths, a kydex sheath for each knife, plus a leather one. Now how many custom knifemakers do you know who would do that? I emailed back and forth with Michael and got a feel for his moral fiber, his philosophy on life and his work ethic. It was very refreshing! He said he hated the pressure that goes along with selling high dollar knives and he worries that his work will not meet the expectations of the big price tag knife buyers. His principal concern is making a good, solid, using knife. Secondly he wants them priced where the average person feels they can afford one. (At his prices most people I know could afford two.) Most of all he said he wants the recognition of building that good knife at a good price point. With a touch of humor Michael said he wanted to be the "Walmart™" of knife makers. In this day of $1500-4000 knives he has established his own blue-collar niche. Hey I am not going to argue.
I have watched over the past year as Michael’s quality and eye for design have improved. What I saw prompted me to buy that first knife. What I have heard will prompt me to buy again. I suggest that that you check his website and spend some money wisely. If you want a no-frills quality knife then buy a knife from Michael and go out and use the heck out of it. I bet that you will get more use out of it than all of the safe-queens that you spent thousands of dollars on. It’ll make him happy and keep him busy building more of those affordable knives.

http://maniordknives.com/

Storm Clouds

Here We Go:

The wheels of justice grind slowly but inexorably. At least one court in Texas has now declared AO (assisted opening) knives illegal, classifying them as switchblades. Maybe I am too simple minded, but I have said before that no weapon should be illegal to own. Commit an illegal act with it and you should be put in jail. Injure another person without just cause and you should be punished. These should be the laws of the land, but they are not. Oh sure, superficially they are. But all laws today are up for "broad interpretation." This simply means they are not laws if you have the right lawyer or the necessary amount of political, financial, or celebrity clout. Some people will say that it has always been this way. They are probably right, but the disparity between the rights of the privileged, and the rest of us, have never been so "in our face" before.
I am going to keep this blog very short so that you can spend your time reading the coming one about pre-meditated self-defense. This blog just makes a good, albeit discouraging intro. Read these blogs and see if you think I’m over the edge, or whether we should be concerned. I face the next few years with an inexplicable dread and a lingering trepidation that I cannot put my finger on. It’s the same feeling I get in my gut just before a violent thunderstorm breaks or bad news arrives. Chalk it up to animal instinct, or my social maladjustment, but folks, there is a storm brewing in America and the dark clouds are already gathering.

For Gwynne

In my lifetime I have been blessed with many excellent teachers. They range from parents, grandparents, and one uncle in particular, to those who were not blood relatives but who played a serious role in my education. Now I am not talking about the three Rs, or primary and secondary education. My focus here is on those who taught me right from wrong, good from bad, and instilled in me a sense of values, ethics, and morals. Yes I know, most of these ideals are frightfully out of vogue right now, especially in our Capital.

Some of my teachers have shared incredible wisdom and esoteric knowledge with me. Through nuance and inference they have tried to help me remember that which cannot be taught. Sometimes it has taken root and other times I have been dreadfully dull and slow-witted. To those patient teachers I apologize.

One of the people who has taught me the most is my junior by nearly forty years, 34 to be more precise. It is an amazing awakening when someone who is part and parcel of your blood and body can remind you of what you once believed, who can stir those same emotions you once felt at that same age. Without consciously trying to live vicariously I tap into this reservoir of myself, now past, of my long spent youth, and enjoy the fruits. If there is a fountain of youth, a wellspring of immortality then this is it. There is a wonderful nostalgic melancholy in allowing oneself to slip from the role of teacher into that of listener and even student. This alone might be the slender golden thread that growing older offer us. If we are astute enough to see it and hold on to it, very delicately, like touching butterfly’s wings, ever so lightly………lovingly.....

Many of you will wonder what the heck I am talking about. That’s OK. All of my blogs don’t have to hit you over the head with a scathing product review or a rant on the daily news. Sometimes they need to be more gentle and abstruse. As I write this I am listening to the soundtrack of "Crouching Tiger, Sleeping Dragon." Surely music soothes the soul but it does many more things than that. At Yagyu kai keiko in NYC last weekend one of my old training partners reminded me that time slips away as do people.

Know what you have, when you have it, AWAKEN.

"Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass."- Dogen.

Stag and Steel

Stag and Steel

There are certain things that fit the laws of nature, even if man sometimes has his hand in it. One of these natural fits is the mating of stag and steel. Nowhere is this combination more pleasing to the eye than in the creation of a fine European Cuttoe or an American Bowie knife. Each of the knives in this photo is one man’s vision of how best to achieve a harmonious blend and in the process provide a functional fighting knife. There is nothing superfluous about these knives. They are bare bones, un-engraved, with minimal decorative file work, and unencumbered with gaudy gems or reconstituted stone or coral.
Many people have a clear definition of what constitutes a "true" Bowie. The factors I consider necessary are simple, a 7 inch, single edged blade as a minimum. It may or may not have a guard. The guard may be single or double branched. The blade could be a clip point or spear point. The back swedge may or may not be sharpened. Seems like a lot of knives could fit this definition but there is something special that separates a Bowie from other fighting knives. Something intangible and yet unmistakable about a Bowie knife. Most of these knives have been bought not only for their collectors interest but also for illustration in our second book. Some of them will be sold once the photos are all taken and the text finalized. Most of them will find a home here for as long as I am here.
The knives in the group photo are a mixed bag of hand forged and stock removal types.
The debate about whether a forged knife is superior to a stock removal knife is moot, if appearance is all you are concerned with. I am not saying that buying a knife based solely on looks is good or bad either, we all have different criteria that shape our choices in life. It just so happens that two of my favorite fighting knives are hand forged Bowies. There are things that a man with a hammer can do to steel, that a man with only a grinder cannot, and if you want to know the difference you should read more about the forging process.
The Bowie illustrated separately was forged by Journeyman Smith Dennis Riley. I saw it on Ebay and could not bear the thought of not owning it. That is a very hedonistic thing to say but its true. I used the "Buy it Now" option and never gave it a second thought. When I first removed the knife from its wrapping I thought, gee its kind of small. But when I held it next to my Cold Steel Trailmaster™ I realized it was perhaps only 3/8" shorter. I am going to write another blog about the comparison and the inherent beauty of a properly made custom Bowie knife versus even a high quality factory knife like the Trailmaster™. So for now I will just let you enjoy the photos as you head off to check out Dennis Riley’s website.

http://www.rileycustomknives.com/

New Old Book Service

Hi Friends,

We are adding a new service on our website. My two greatest loves are edged weapons and books. The obvious marriage is a love of books on edged weapons. Therefore, I am scouring the internet to bring you hardbound and/or original copies of the classic knife fighting texts by the masters: Fairbairn, Styers, Biddle, and Cassidy. We all know there are cheap reprints available but there is a nostalgia or certain pleasure in owning early or original copies. (On occasion a copy signed by the owner is found.) If you are looking for a unique gift or a copy for yourself then check our website to see what is available. Remember that many of these are over 60 years old and not easy to find. We will price them according to the price we have to pay. We know that many of you enjoy the same things we do and our desire is to connect the right people with the right products. Many of these books are timeless and priceless views into the not so distant past when men at arms struggled hand to hand with other enemies and fought in other wars.