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Our Man in Japan - Glenn Waters
Many Skills Make Swords Work
The impression that many people have of a lone swordsmith
working in his little shop making swords from start to finish and doing
all the work by himself without the aid of any modern technology is, of
course, fallacy.
..
cont. page 4
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See John For Ian
That's what the dictionary of first names says under Ian
- see John. For buffs of old english knives, I Wilson trademarks on John
Wilson 'peppercorn and diamond' trade blades has been the cause of some
consternation.
Kizlyar: Knives of Distinction
Over a few issues of KA Russian Kizlyar knives have
been introduced to acquaint readers with the unique range to gauge the
interest of Australian users and collectors. A favourable response has
been returned. Here is another sample of available knives....
cont. page 5
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Melbourne Mystery - by Joan Renton-Spencer
During a rcent foray into the Victorian Godfields I came
away with a very special pice of Australian history ....
But of more interest was the etching on the blade. Once
cleaned and carefully hand polished, the inscription on the Sheffield-made
blade is clear - Alfred Edments Melbourne.
....
cont. page 6
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The Ultimate Survival Knife
by David Shelldrake
This story starts with a small ADF (Australian Defence Force)
unit, which shall remain nameless to protect the guilty, and a survival
course in 1985. During this course, the participants used knives of varying
manufacture, design and materials. A distressing number - most of them
- suffered varying degrees of breakage or failure. Keep in mind that
these are operational soldiers who rely on these things in order to function.
Now before everyone under the sun writes in to say that we probably abused
the knives... well, yes, we did.
...cont.
page 7
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Stellar Letter Says It All - by Wrongway
I collect old pocket and sheath knives and I mean old,
and decrepit mostly. If the blade is worn down to a nub or a needle point
and the steel has a patina of rust and stains, and the scales are scarred
and peeling then I'll grab it! It's the indefinable aspect we call 'character'.
It shows that the knife has been used long and well and perhaps too hard.
... cont. page 8
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Jeff's Kiwi Jaunts - by Jeff Peck
For the past nine years I've been going to New Zealand
in late February or March to go salmon fishing and generally hang around
and have a good time. I stay with a very good friend of mine, Bob, who
lives in the Kaike Fishing Camp on the southern side of the Waitaki River,
the largest salmon river on the east coast of New Zealand.
Worth Its Weight in Salt Water
Spyderco C19 is an Endura Model with a difference - one
of a fresh released Pacific Salt series - which boasts a brand new blade
material call H1 steel, a precipition-hardened steel (PH)
...cont. page 9
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Defining the Problem by Joan Renton-Spencer
Recently under the banner of improving
public safety, the Victorian Ministry of Justice went ahead with their
original plan to prohibit the ownership of swords by the general populace
(in their State). Interested parties who waited for a workable definition
to be ratified PRIOR to legislation being implimented were sadly disallusioned.
What's happening in New South Wales?
The review of the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998 is currently
under way.
...cont. page 10
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New Restriction on Swords In Victoria
From July 1, 2004, people carrying a sword without the appropriate
authority face up to 6 months imprisonment or a fine of up to $12,
270. ....
The AKC & Victoria Sword Legislation
Financial members of the Australasian Knife Collectors
(and other exempted Clubs) who are not prohibited persons and who
comply with the conditions of the Order are covered under a general exemption
of sword ownership inVictoria.
... cont. page 11
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Lest We Bloody Forget - by Alan
Fuary
Whilst the film Hamburger Hill may not have been an outstanding
box office success for Paramount Pictures in the late 80's, it was nevertheless
based loosely on actual events that occured during the Vietnam War in May
1969. An American GI, who recalled that the hill 'chewed men up like raw
meat' - hence the title, named the battle Hamburger Hill. What is
not commonly known is that at least one Australian soldier played
an active part of the assault on Hill 937 and was in fact, on the summit
before the American 101st Airborne, the famous Screaming Eagles.
..... Cont. page 12, 13
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The Damascus Bladesmith
Myron is as even-tempered as the near-perfect knives he painstakingly
produces. He has to be in order to cope with the frustration of striving
to achieve flawless Damascus billets out of which he grinds a set range
of skinners ...
Feelgood Fatsos
These chubby little working knives made by Mike Hunt of Streaky
Bay, out Nuyts Archipelago way near Ceduna, are just the bees knees in
the kitchen.
...cont. page 15
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Polishing - how to achive an excellent finish
by Jack O'Brien
So you want to make a nice, shiny, highly polished knife
you can hang on your belt or on the wall and have people go oooh ahhhh.
OK. First find yourself a very understanding and long suffering woman who
can understand the patio you have decorated in early Iraqi invasion style
will actually end up looking like an Australian Backyard Barbi area (when
you have the time that is).
... cont. page 16
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A Boy, A Girl and a Knife
The first in a short series of true tales from an old
timer.
About 50 yearsago, a young lad of about 17 decided to
go dancing. He'd taken a few lessons and had become an average dancer for
a few types of dances, sitting out on the others like the Foxtrot and the
Tango. Although he always went to the pictures on Saturday night, he'd
heard that the Caledonia Society helped out with some of the dances on
Wednesday. He'd also heard that at the dances there were usually more girls
than boys .... so Wednesday would be the night!
.. cont. page 17
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Eye Witness Pocket
Knives
Still Going Strong
Taylors Eye Witness stories have been written by others.
This letter, sent in response to our request by director
Alastair Fisher of Harrison Fisher Group - Eye Witness Works of Milton
Street in Sheffield, appear verbatim; a definitive history for collectors
and aficionados.
...cont. page 18 & 19
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Simple Tools for Knifemaking
The next lesson in a series of how-to's
by NSW knifemaker Peter Bennett.
In the last issue I explained how to make a sheath by folding
and moulding leather. Now I will outline how the make a sheath in what
we call the slab-form. This type of sheath lends itself to filleting knives,
daggers and large Bowie-style knives. The slab-type sheath reduced the
likelihood of pushing the knife through the back of the sheath.
..cont. page 20
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Across The Tasman
Damascus of Taupo
Our correspondent in New Zealand, Auckland knifemaker-photographer
Norman Sandow , tells us he took a chilly and wet round-trip of 523-kms
to see Matt James for a photo shoot in his workshop, 15-kms north of Taupo.
...cont page 21
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De Bomford of Rosney
Sounds a bit like something you might read in an old
English history book, does De Bemford of Rosny. It conjures up images of
medieval knights and castles under siege ....
Eaternised Westerns
Valiant Trading has established a reputation in recent years
for being the nation's foremost supplier of exotic Asian bladeware and
exports to collectors around the world.
...cont page 22
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Custom-Made Down-Under Blades
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Domenico Giusti - TAS
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Norman Sandow - New Zealand
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Neil Charity - Victoria
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Mal Hannan (Otis) - New South Wales
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Mal Day (Cutlers Cottage) - South Australia
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John Suraski - Western Australia
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