Republic Of Knives

Jefferson’s Knives: A Tale Of Two Future Presidents And William Shakespeare! Jefferson’s knives, from several mentions, in his memorandum books, we know that Thomas Jefferson purchased a number of pocket knives between 1767 and 1819. One of these knives looks a lot like a modern Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with about a dozen tools between the scales, with the exception of its obvious carbon steel blades and its degrading wood handle. This last one can be seen in Jefferson’s collection at Monticello, and while interesting for many reasons including its likely Sheffield manufacture, and technology, has no real bearing on the tale at hand. It is sufficient to say that Jefferson seems to have been like many if not most Americans regarding the utility of keeping a pocket knife on one’s person. Most men of letters in those days had somewhere about the office a knife of the type used to sharpen a quill pen, hence the term “penknife”. These were often desk knives of the sort sometimes used

The Kershaw Leek may just help change my mind concerning modern knife designs! “Tactical” Knives I have never been a big fan of what people call “tactical” folding knives. In fact, I have never been a fan of calling anything tactical outside of a purely tactical situation. I am often amused at hearing someone talk of a “tactical knife” while discussing the merits of a “tactical sheath” made of “ballistic nylon”! What a gut buster! The blades on such knives are usually too short, seem to be designed solely for slashing, have big bellies and with all the emphasis on lightness, (When did everyone become so weak that 3 or 4 ounces is just too heavy for a man to carry?) the new knife breeds are so light that they don’t have the heft to be truly effective in a real world conflict! With my old Buck 110, even if I can’t sling it open in 2 milliseconds, I can still use it like a hammer or a roll of quarters to add momentum to a punch, and it has a four inch blade with a massive chunk of st

J.B. And Son Knives Jonathan Bolton is the owner operator of J.B. And Son Knives, producers of high-quality custom made knives in the little town of Lindale in East Texas. Jonathan is known for his custom worked blades and scales, both sometimes made from odd and exotic materials, including a recent knife forged from a 1951 Harley Davidson piston rod! What a great and unique idea! Jonathan Bolton and J.B. And Son Knives In his own words I am going to let him tell his story, and his businesses story in his own words, You will want to read it because it is an awesome story for several reasons: ‘I have only been making knives for about 4 years, I started in 2013 the first year or so I was selling under the name bushcraft and metal works. When my son was born I changed the name to what it is today. My father is a knife collector so I grew up with knives being a pretty big deal. I got my first knife at the age of 6, it was a Swiss army knife. I have always been an avid hunter and ou

I fully expect to read this headline someday soon: Knife Quality Decline Results In The Fall Of Western Civilization! Okay, I know that’s not true, but it sort of seems like it! Is Knife Quality On The Decline? Knife quality is a big issue for me! I have bemoaned the fact that for a few years now the products that I purchased from my favorite cutlery company have been below the standards of their previous products. I have advanced the idea that this deviation from their previously amazing record for over 100 years is a sign that Western civilization is crumbling. I know, that is a little mellow dramatic, but it almost seems that way. My anecdotal evidence for the declining quality of knives For more than 5 decades I have been able to walk into a feed store or hardware store in almost any rural part of the country, pick out one of the knives in the companies display case, take the one in the box the proprietor gave me, pay for it, stick it in my pocket without more than a cursory

The Ides Of March The Ides of March is about doing things together! It is not just about stabbing, but about coming together to stab in groups! The Ides Of March is almost upon us! March 15th was the date when Julius Caesar was stabbed to death for the purpose of preventing tyranny. 60 men, led by Brutus and Cassius, participated in the mass stabbing! The story is well-known apart from its historic significance due to the artistry of the Bard of Stratford. William Shakespeare wrote his play from the perspective of a monarchist, thereby attributing to Brutus and Cassius the worst of possible motives, treason against the King! Those of us who are familiar with the historical account, and understand democracies and republics see it in a much different way. Shakespeare was a man of his time and place, as we all are. His story and the historic story have lessons for us today. The types of knives used The Romans had a number of swords that went through a number of chan

Republic Of Knives Republic Of Knives, what is it about? Republic Of Knives is first and foremost, about knives! We are not, at the moment at least, attempting to found a new republic known as “Knives”, although we think that would be an awesome republic, and we may have to give that idea some serious thought in the future! Republic Of Knives Is about the state of Knifedom! Once again, we are not concerning ourselves with a state called “Knifedom”, but the state, that is, the condition of knife “culture” and knives in today’s world. Not all is well. There would appear to be a decline in the stability of commercial handmade or mostly handmade knife companies in their respective home countries with the movement of much of the manufacturing to countries where labor is less expensive, and in some cases, where quality may be questionable. This has some mixed results. On the other hand, there seems to be a resurgence of custom knife making and hundreds of talented custom k

  From Tradition to Innovation: The Evolution of Buck Knives and Why They Remain a Top Choice As a long-time knife enthusiast, I have come across many different brands and models over the years. One of the brands that has always stood out to me is Buck Knives. With a history dating back over 100 years, Buck has become synonymous with quality and reliability. In this article, I will explore the evolution of Buck knives and why they remain a top choice today. Introduction to Buck Knives and their History Buck Knives was founded in 1902 by Hoyt Buck in Kansas. The company started out making knives by hand, but quickly grew in popularity due to their quality craftsmanship. In 1963, Buck introduced the Model 110 Folding Hunter, which became one of their most popular models and is still in production today.  Over the years, Buck has continued to innovate and improve their knives. They were one of the first companies to use stainless steel in their blades, and they have also introduced new lo