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- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all - I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holiday season.
This will be the fourth annual BEST BOWIE thread. As last year, this is more about gathering and displaying a diverse virtual assembly of the state of the bowie as it exists today.
We will have one change this year - and I feel sure you'll agree it is a positive one. Earlier this year at the Little Rock show, I met up with fellow forumite David Crawford. We had a nice chat about knives in general and the forums in particular. Well, out of the blue, I got an e-mail from David, offering to supply a commemorative plaque to this year's winner AND to do so each year going forward that the annual thread continues to run! The plaque will also be engraved with the winning maker's name. This is a pretty great community - my thanks to David for this generous and valued contribution.
Okay - as with past years, the requirements are:
1) Definition - Flayderman wrote an entire book in search of a definition. There probably isn't one that all will endorse, so I'll try to be as inclusive as possible: a) fixed blade; b) 6" blade length and up; c) must be a custom piece. That's it. Fighters, camp knives and traditional bowies are welcome - as are both forged and stock removal blades. Plain or fancy, art knife or tactical - doesn't matter at all - sharing what YOU like is all that counts. As with last year - daggers are excluded.
2) Timing - the knife must have been made in 2010 - or first shown on Bladeforums in 2010 - the idea is to keep things current.
3) Ownership - doesn't matter - can be a knife you made, a knife you own or somebody else's knife all-together that you have seen and admired. I would particularly encourage makers to show what they feel is the best bowie THEY made this year. This is no time to be shy. Also, feel free to point to the work of one of your fellow makers that stood out to you or caught your eye this year.
4) Number of entries - as many as you like that meet the above criteria. We'll run this over the holidays to collect as many entries as we can, then narrow it down to 5 finalists that everyone gets to vote on in an open poll. BUT - Please number your entries 1 through however many you have in any single post -. So to be (hopefully) clear - each NEW post should start with the first knife shown being numberd "1". This will make the process for selecting finalists MUCH easier. You are not ranking your entries (i.e., your favourite first), just numbering one through however many you tender in a single post to facilitate the vote counting. Also be sure to give us the name of the maker of each knife you enter.
5) - And on that point - I am looking for a volunteer to help keep track of the voting for the selection of finalists. I will caution you that this is a bit tedious, but it really helps to have a backup. My thanks again to all who have helped in this role in the past.
6) Finally - the only "please don't". Comments on and discussion of the knives posted is most welcome and encouraged, but please don't quote an earlier post and reproduce the image already shown. This can lead to confusion when it comes to tallying votes, as the same knife shown 2 or 3 times has its votes scattered.
Beyond that - show us some knives and have fun.
I'll start off with a few in two consecutive posts to (hopefully) get the whole numbering thing started off right, then sit back and enjoy yours.
The following in no particular order:
1) Russ Andrews
Russ' take on the stag subhilt is something really special in terms of both concept and execution. Those aren't spacers you are looking at - those are meticulously constructed ferrules that the stag slides into, both coming and going. Add a gorgeous san mai blade to the mix and you have one of my fravourites of 2010.
2) CKCA 2010 Cancer Benefit Knife - Makers: Davidson, Johnson, Loerchner, Engraver: Hands
I've always had an appreciation for collaborative pieces, as it is MUCH more difficult to attain a cohesive whole with different makers doing separate parts than it is through sole authorship. The caliber of makers here is as exceptional as the end result suggests.
3) Jerry Fisk Personal Cutter
By far not the fanciest Fisk of the year, but the one that most made me ache with envy. This knife is just so right in every respect to my eye. And the battle scars make it better.
4) Burt Foster - CLI - Composite Laminated Integral
Bold, innovative, striking, unforgettable. Stanless steel wraps the carbon core and forms the handle. As beautiful as it is functional.
5) Rodrigo Sfreddo - "Parigi" A mediterranean dirk for all time.
6) Nick Wheeler - W2 Fighter We are fortunate to have seen a few of Nick's pieces this year - each one more than worthy of entry. This fighter is wickedly sharp, wickedly fast and has one of the most spectacular hamons I have ever beheld:
Have a look at this close-up - Don Fogg would be proud.
7) Bruce Bump - Newell Bowie
I expect we'll see several of Bruce's pieces in this thread - and rightfully so. He has been turning out one exceptional piece after another. Yoy may recall this one as part of a spectacular matched knife / gun set.
Here's the knife:
And the set:
The gun, regrettably, is excluded from voting.
This will be the fourth annual BEST BOWIE thread. As last year, this is more about gathering and displaying a diverse virtual assembly of the state of the bowie as it exists today.
We will have one change this year - and I feel sure you'll agree it is a positive one. Earlier this year at the Little Rock show, I met up with fellow forumite David Crawford. We had a nice chat about knives in general and the forums in particular. Well, out of the blue, I got an e-mail from David, offering to supply a commemorative plaque to this year's winner AND to do so each year going forward that the annual thread continues to run! The plaque will also be engraved with the winning maker's name. This is a pretty great community - my thanks to David for this generous and valued contribution.
Okay - as with past years, the requirements are:
1) Definition - Flayderman wrote an entire book in search of a definition. There probably isn't one that all will endorse, so I'll try to be as inclusive as possible: a) fixed blade; b) 6" blade length and up; c) must be a custom piece. That's it. Fighters, camp knives and traditional bowies are welcome - as are both forged and stock removal blades. Plain or fancy, art knife or tactical - doesn't matter at all - sharing what YOU like is all that counts. As with last year - daggers are excluded.
2) Timing - the knife must have been made in 2010 - or first shown on Bladeforums in 2010 - the idea is to keep things current.
3) Ownership - doesn't matter - can be a knife you made, a knife you own or somebody else's knife all-together that you have seen and admired. I would particularly encourage makers to show what they feel is the best bowie THEY made this year. This is no time to be shy. Also, feel free to point to the work of one of your fellow makers that stood out to you or caught your eye this year.
4) Number of entries - as many as you like that meet the above criteria. We'll run this over the holidays to collect as many entries as we can, then narrow it down to 5 finalists that everyone gets to vote on in an open poll. BUT - Please number your entries 1 through however many you have in any single post -. So to be (hopefully) clear - each NEW post should start with the first knife shown being numberd "1". This will make the process for selecting finalists MUCH easier. You are not ranking your entries (i.e., your favourite first), just numbering one through however many you tender in a single post to facilitate the vote counting. Also be sure to give us the name of the maker of each knife you enter.
5) - And on that point - I am looking for a volunteer to help keep track of the voting for the selection of finalists. I will caution you that this is a bit tedious, but it really helps to have a backup. My thanks again to all who have helped in this role in the past.
6) Finally - the only "please don't". Comments on and discussion of the knives posted is most welcome and encouraged, but please don't quote an earlier post and reproduce the image already shown. This can lead to confusion when it comes to tallying votes, as the same knife shown 2 or 3 times has its votes scattered.
Beyond that - show us some knives and have fun.
I'll start off with a few in two consecutive posts to (hopefully) get the whole numbering thing started off right, then sit back and enjoy yours.
The following in no particular order:
1) Russ Andrews
Russ' take on the stag subhilt is something really special in terms of both concept and execution. Those aren't spacers you are looking at - those are meticulously constructed ferrules that the stag slides into, both coming and going. Add a gorgeous san mai blade to the mix and you have one of my fravourites of 2010.
2) CKCA 2010 Cancer Benefit Knife - Makers: Davidson, Johnson, Loerchner, Engraver: Hands
I've always had an appreciation for collaborative pieces, as it is MUCH more difficult to attain a cohesive whole with different makers doing separate parts than it is through sole authorship. The caliber of makers here is as exceptional as the end result suggests.
3) Jerry Fisk Personal Cutter
By far not the fanciest Fisk of the year, but the one that most made me ache with envy. This knife is just so right in every respect to my eye. And the battle scars make it better.
4) Burt Foster - CLI - Composite Laminated Integral
Bold, innovative, striking, unforgettable. Stanless steel wraps the carbon core and forms the handle. As beautiful as it is functional.
5) Rodrigo Sfreddo - "Parigi" A mediterranean dirk for all time.
6) Nick Wheeler - W2 Fighter We are fortunate to have seen a few of Nick's pieces this year - each one more than worthy of entry. This fighter is wickedly sharp, wickedly fast and has one of the most spectacular hamons I have ever beheld:
Have a look at this close-up - Don Fogg would be proud.
7) Bruce Bump - Newell Bowie
I expect we'll see several of Bruce's pieces in this thread - and rightfully so. He has been turning out one exceptional piece after another. Yoy may recall this one as part of a spectacular matched knife / gun set.
Here's the knife:
And the set:
The gun, regrettably, is excluded from voting.
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