Fall 2023 Final: The Enigma of Steel

“Fire and wind come from the sky, from the gods of the sky. But Crom is your god, Crom and he lives in the earth. Once, giants lived in the Earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel.” Conan The Barbarian

  It was my grandmother, the woman who raised me since I was two, that gave me my first knife when I was around 6 years old. It was a small red Victorinox Swiss Army knife, a model Escort to be exact; it sported a nail file with a screwdriver tip, tweezers, toothpick, and a small blade. I learned to carve and whittle sticks and wood, and found many uses for it, even as a small boy. Since then, I have had a love for quality knives and over the years I have owned or handled many knives of varying degrees of quality. Some knives you can feel the craftsmanship and durability, others you end up snapping and hurting yourself with. These are photographs of some of my knives along with a featured knife that was loaned to me by my classmate Renee, for I lack a nice kitchen blade. Some of these knives are more recent acquisitions, while some I have been gifted or purchased within the last 13 years or so. This project’s goal is to present to viewers a set of ten commercial presentation photographs that have been staged, edited, and presented in final form to give the audience a sense of my own passion for knives. I know that my project, at first, may have sounded silly but I assure you not only will you learn something, but you will also understand better my deep love of blades.

  I photographed these images with my Sony a7iii, through a Canon FD 50mm 1.4 and a borrowed Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/2. Each photo was made using a borrowed Manfrotto tripod with a pan tilt head.

  Starting my project with Image One is a freshly cooked steak and one of my Junglee Baby Hatori Fighters. I bought three of these on a website that was offering a huge discount on this model, around 2014 when they were marked down to twenty dollars each. The last time I found one new in box on eBay, it was selling for $300. Thankfully I kept two of them in very nice condition.

  The next photo, Image Two, is my Benchmade 580 Barrage. This knife was designed by legendary Warren Osbourn, who sadly passed away in 2016, and is built out of premium grade 154CM Stainless Steel in Oregon City and its scales are a glass reinforced thermoplastic composite called Valox. I love this knife so much that this is the second one I’ve bought; I carried my first for 6 years before losing it at USPS. It turned out that one of my coworkers picked it up and kept it, and after about a year, and after he moved in with me, he pulled it out after I told him about losing it, and it was unmistakably mine. I lost it again only two weeks later. Of course. However, about a year ago, after I took out my retirement money from USPS I bought myself a replacement, used sure however Benchmade knives carry a lifetime warranty. It’s a spring assisted opening knife that opens with so much kick that some people drop it out of surprise. I used two images and composited them so that I had one image of the knife closed, and one image of the knife open and on display.

  Image Three is my KABAR Becker BK2. These knives were originally produced by Camillus Cutlery Company, one of the oldest knife makers in the US, it was founded in 1876 but eventually went bankrupt in 2007. Camillus was founded by Adolph Kastor a German born son of Jewish parents who immigrated to New York City when he was 14 years old. During both WW1 and WW2 they produced millions of knives for allied forces around the globe. The Becker line was picked up by KABAR of Olean New York after CCC filed for bankruptcy. This knife may be small in stature but it more than makes up in girth. It’s over ¼” of carbon steel, an entire pound. This knife, along with a sturdy piece of wood to baton, makes for a great log splitter for campfires and working in the forest or yard.

  For my Fourth Image I created a presentation shot of my custom-made Predator Machete. I set the stage and mood for something dark and primal to embody the power and might of this blade. I used my smoke machine to haze the room and created and stacked a few images to create a better range of tonality. This huge knife is a replica of the blade that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sonny Landham, and later Adrian Brody, carried in the films Predator and Predators. The original was designed and built by Jack Crain who also designed knives for the films Executive Decision, Demolition Man, Die Hard, Commando, and Roadhouse, making his knives legendary. Its 17” blade is made of 5160 truck spring steel and is polished to a mirror shine.

  I created Image Five to showcase my Gerber MKII replica I carry for airsoft. I carry the real steel version when I wear my plate carrier in the forest on hikes to the range, but when I am on the airsoft field, I carry my resin replica. It’s produced by AlchemyArms.com as a prop for Aliens and Mad Max cosplay costumes, but it also makes for the perfect airsoft melee weapon and addition to my kit. The Gerber MKII was originally produced from 1966-2000 and a second run starting in 2008. It was designed by retired United States Army Captain, Clarence A. Holzmann, who based the pattern on a Roman Mainz Gladius and was carried by American forces in the Vietnam War. It was made famous by the films Mad Max and Aliens; Max Rockatansky carries a Gerber MKII in his boot and in Aliens Lance Hendrickson’s character, the Science Officer android Bishop plays a knife stunt on Bill Paxton’s character PFC Hudson where Bishop places his hand over Hudson’s and with inhuman speed, he stabs between each of their fingers as Hudson hollers out in fear. These were, and still are, two of my favorite films growing up.

  Next is Image Six which is a photograph of a beautiful Damascus steel kitchen knife that Renne loaned to me for this project and some freshly sliced New York Strip Steak. I wanted to create something minimalistic, elegant, and still moody. I don’t know too much about this knife, however I am told it was handmade, and it takes an edge quite easily with a fine hone. I took three photographs and created a very subtle HDR for this image.

  For Image Seven I staged my KABAR Kukri that my former partner Jenny gifted me for a birthday along with my DJI air2s. It is rested against my LCT AK-105 airsoft replica and my Belarusian Gorka-3 mountain suit. It’s a beast of a blade at 11.5 inches and 1.3 pounds of SK5 steel. It stays surprisingly sharp and the big belly of the knife chops easily through quite thick branches and debris. It’s a great yard knife and camping blade.

  I staged Image Eight with my KABAR Warsword and the accompanying neck-knife that is also carried in its sheath on top of my South African SADF Pattern 83 Battle Jacket along with a vintage pair of Bushnell Binoculars, Nikomat 35mm camera, and radio. The main blade is 9.75 inches of SK5 steel. It’s been a carry knife on many a hike and has accompanied me on many camping trips, I also use it extensively in the kitchen as a carving knife for large cuts of meat.

  Second to last is Image Nine which is my Cold Steel San Mai Tai Pan designed by Lynn C. Thompson. These knives are in my opinion absolutely beautiful, and I had dreamt of owning one for many years. I was inspired to create this image in homage to the original catalogue spread for this knife which was released in 1995. This version - though not quite as pretty as the older models which were made in Japan with Aus 8 steel - is a premium grade knife built out of VG-10 steel in Cold Steels proprietary and trademarked three-layer laminate steel comprised of a high carbon steel sandwiched between layers of lower carbon steel. This allows the knife to retain a sharp edge while also maximizing its ability to withstand impact and lateral stress. This photo is also an attempt at focus stacking with a little tweaking after using the automated align and blend features in photoshop so that I could get good sharpness from hilt to point. I chose to lighten the mood by including my Snake Eyes GI Joe figure sitting on the edge cleaning off his own blade.

  And last but far from least… image Ten is my new Tramontina 24-inch machete from Brazil pictured with one of my very own custom painted Friday the 13th hockey masks. I grew up loving Friday the 13th and Jason Voorhees. Something that strikes me now as an adult is how little gore and grotesque violence there is in these films after the ratings board required them to be significantly cut down, which is partly why they were so readily played on Sci-Fi Channel and USA Network when I was growing up. I used some Halloween fake blood and a fire for my lighting in this one.

  From that first Swiss Army knife given to me by my late grandmother to the replicas and cherished blades I've collected over the years, each knife tells a story of craftsmanship, history, and personal significance. Beyond their utility, these knives embody a profound connection between the past and the present, a testament to the enduring legacy of steel. Through this project, I invite you to share in my passion for these unique pieces and discover the artistry and narratives forged within each blade.