I have come to the conclusion (again) that the only way to get my books printed is to go the self-publishing route. I am in contact with a printer about 90 miles from here. It looks like to make any profit at all softbound books will be approximately $45 shipped CONUS. (As a friend advised me, the final price will be based on any changes in my costs. With the unpredictable costs of inflation I will keep the price as affordable as possible.)

​This Book on clandestine knives will be 165 pages in full color and 8.5 x 11 inches in size. It is heavily loaded with photos, some full page and a lot of close-ups. Black and white would be a lot cheaper but who would want to buy it? I don't think a book with this many original Clandestine knives could ever be put together again based on the size of my collection.

​When I started to complain to my daughter that I couldn't seem to find any new daggers for sale, she said; "that's because you bought them all." Not quite true, but I have collected quite a few. The last few pages will illustrate some of the current day daggers which I felt were worthy of inclusion. Some items are probably WW-I. A couple are Vietnam era. Some are definitely custom one of a kind while others are more production based. It is a wonderful assortment of weapons used in covert operations. So I am going to try printing a few copies before too much longer and see how well they sell. For several days I have concentrated on editing and re-taking photos that were not good enough. This book is a real feast for the eyes. 

Here are a few sample pages. I know what I look for in a book on knives, and that is photos of knives! In this book there are photos of thumb daggers, an original OSS crossbow bolt, garrote, hat pins, sleeve daggers, shivs etc. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Hopefully by the end of Summer they will be available for sale in limited quantities. Since I retired from teaching, and inflation came roaring to life, money is something we are learning to live without.

I can hardly believe that another Memorial Day has come and gone. It was a quiet one here in western NY. The TV news reports are all about the rising number of "Mass Shootings" and the rise of white Supremacy. Very little remembrance really for the lives lost in wars. The last mass shooter was Hispanic but what the heck he was probably a white supremacist at heart. I pray for healing for the folks in Texas.

So now we are being assaulted (again) from all sides about gun control. It is a battle that never ends. That dud in the White House says they should ban all 9mm handguns. To them everything over a .22 short is a high-powered caliber. How many times do we have to fight the battle for freedom from oppression by our own government? They say you should not be able to buy a rifle until you are 21 years old. But you can be drafted when you are 18. The same old double standard that has been going on for decades. I remember coming back from Vietnam and not being able to buy a beer in a bar. When I went to Vietnam to kill commies I was 19 years old. I could drink all the beer I wanted over there. I carried a 1911 handgun and a full-auto capable M-16 and had an AK-47, over there. How many times have our wars been started by, or expanded by, men who were never in the military, men who never served, men who bought their way out or who used college exemptions that the rest of us deplorables could not afford. Don't talk to me about white privilege, I know all about it and I'm a good old white boy. They use race and political party, gender and social position to divide us, but they don't really care about any of us. Our current administration just delivered 80 billion dollars of high tech weaponry to our enemy including thousands of full auto firearms. No accountability for that?

It galls me to see people like that "Paying tribute" to our fallen heroes. Does anyone really believe they care? It's all a photo-op, it's all about "optics" and poll numbers for them. Hundreds of thousands of men fought and died for the very freedoms the draft-dodging, marijuana smoking politicians want to stripfrom us. It's all about the old dude in the WH whose IQ is lower than his poll numbers, who greets the returning dead from Afghanistan and can't stop checking his watch, it's past his nap time. They use our survivor guilt, our compassion to create an image of caring that they themselves cannot legitimately pull off. It's all about hypocrisy to the max. We who served remember those who fell. We who came home whole remember those brothers and sisters who came home in bags or with limbs missing, minds fogged with PTSD, or worse. It makes me cringe to see creepy joe placing the wreath where brave men lie. ​We, the often-forgotten, honor them. I was 19 in these photos. 

The loose hilt on the A&P dagger was driving me nuts. I also worried about the crack spreading. I decided to find or make a ferule for the pommel where it was clear one had been at one time. I tried all of my empty brass rifle cases but none of them were quite large enough. I dug through my garage full of junk and 40 years of collecting odds and ends. I was just about to give up when I found a bag of brass grommets used for tents and awnings. Sure enough, it was just the right inside diameter. Using a Dremel cut-off wheel I sliced off a piece the height I needed. I whipped up some epoxy and coated the inside of the tube and drove it on using a small tack hammer and piece of wooden doweling. It enhances the look of the hilt as well as strengthening it. Now when I pick it up the hilt does not want to spin around, which was extremely irritating, and it feels like a real fighting knife. I am sure the original ferule fell off when the hilt shrank. 

​Shrinkage is always a problem with wooden grips and depending on the type of wood and the climate it can be quite severe. Almost all of my Commando knives with wooden handles exhibit cracks near either, or both, ends. Today's knifemakers have the luxury of using stabilized woods, which help prevent, but does not always eliminate this problem. I have some very expensive fighting knives that have hilts made from Stabilized burl woods which have still suffered some shrinkage and resultant cracking. 

​The dagger illustrated here came from an unknown source. It has a blade about ¼ inch thick and 4.75 inches long. The nicely ground blade is quite sharp.  Clearly marked with A&P on the ricasso and on one branch of the aluminum guard. The initials stand for Alcock and Pierce, a sporting goods firm in Australia who made and/or sold edged weapons during WW-2. The hilt is some sort of wood, (Beech maybe?) not particularly attractive, but functional. The recess around the pommel leads me to believe that at one time it probably had a brass cap or ferrule of some sort. My first impression of the knife is how similar it is to a Shanghai dagger in size and shape.
​
I’ll admit it is a bit of a stretch, but we do know that as Shanghai was invaded by the Japanese Army many of the residents escaped to Australia. This included the SMP (Shanghai Municipal Police) armoury craftsmen who continued to make example of the Yeaton style dagger in Australia. We also know that W.E. Fairbairn did business with A&P. It is just possible that he might have directed the workman in the SMP (who made the daggers) to the shops of A&P looking for work.  I carefully stoned out a burr caused by a nick in one side of the blade where it had collided with another blade at some time. Typical of wooden grips there is a shrinkage crack and also the handle is loose on the tang. It came with what appears to be its original sheath, in less than mint condition. The knife is large enough to make a good back up blade for emergency use, but in combat I would not want to depend on a blade this short as my primary killing weapon.

Not all that kills has a sharp edge. This is an original weapon from a man who served in the SOE in the CBI theater. Stabbing weapons like this are clearly non-utilitarian and serve only one purpose, the silent elimination of enemy combatants. I have other weapons in my overall collection that are without an edge. One of the deadliest is a long needle-like tool that came in a set of awls and hooked tools. It is shown in the photo below.

Here are some non-edged weapons in my collection. They are odds and ends that appealed to me. The photo on the left show some traditional Japanese weapons (direct from Japan) usually associated with Ninjitsu, although Samurai could have also employed them. The weighted chain (Kusari) is a definite deterrent even for a swordsman. I have not tried out the darts yet but now the weather is nice I will have to do so. Kusari were sometimes married with a kama, which created a Kusarigama, a sickle with weighted chain to ensnare one's enemy. I suspect I could seriously hurt myself trying to learn how to use one of them. 

The black talon like knife on the left is not sharp. The maker says it is supposed to duplicate the "Tine" daggers of WW-II. It is a nicely made weapon but clearly is a far cry from the WW-II version. These were crudely made from the tines of a pitchfork with a cord wrapped handle. The pointy weapon on the far right is very nicely made and lethal. Second from the right is a modern weapon with 3-sided blade and a artistically sculpted skull pommel.

Well, it is Easter and it is common to wish people a happy one. It used to be a popular holiday with parades and marshmallow bunnies and the bright yellow peeps. Little girls would be sporting white gloves, their newest dresses and crinolines while the mother would be showing off a new bonnet. Days prior, the airwaves would be flooded with Easter songs. Today there is little celebration or notice paid except by a few faithful Christians. Locally the annual magic of a sunrise service has been scuttled because of a breakup of the Council of Churches (yeh they could not get along) and people not wanting the discomfort of sitting on a damp foggy hilltop waiting for the sun. I suppose Jesus might have willingly traded places for the hilltop he spent time on. We have lost so much in this country and sadly I don't think we will ever get it back.

I have not done much lately with FS knives. I do have one on hold. Since I had to pay the tax man a huge bundle more money it put a dent in my available funds. The government can never get enough and spends millions of dollars figuring out how to screw us for more taxes. I wouldn't mind so much if the faceless, moral-less government held any similar values as I was raised to uphold. But with power comes corruption and I guess corruption must be expensive. Well expensive for all except the 57% of Americans who pay no taxes, not one penny. This year alone I paid more in taxes than I paid for my vintage 2,400 square foot house. I have paid for that house many times over in taxes: village, town, county, and school. Not including the taxes on my utilities, gasoline, food, etc. So I am trying to think of Easter and what it really means to me at the same time the evil taxman cometh. Might be nice if they would shift it to some other time of year. Every single thing in my life has a tax associated with it. It's ridiculous!

I hope you find a way to celebrate Easter in the good Old-Fashioned way. Coloring eggs, egg hunts, chocolate Easter bunnies, sunrise services, Easter Communion, pretty dresses at church and gorge yourself on Jelly Bellies and Peeps. Find some time too to think of Jesus and his message. Thank your minister or priest for what he does. Be kind to one another, at least for one day! Try to relax and find peace.

“Never take a knife to a gunfight,” how many times have you heard this sage advice?  What is the contemporary wisdom concerning Knife vs Gun?  Fact: a bullet, shot from any firearm, bores a tiny hole through the air.  Less than a half inch in diameter, that hole may extend in a liner fashion for hundreds or thousands of yards.   But, if it has missed you, by even the smallest of margins, it has missed you forever.  It will not twist sideways or come flying at you from another direction (excluding a ricochet).  Compare the bullet’s flight to a knife’s slash.  The keen edge of a good fighting knife is infinitely thin, but seldom does it travel in one nice straight line.  A blade driven in as a thrust may suddenly cut sideways, disemboweling its victim.  The blade may extend out in a long slash, and failing to reach you, stop in mid-flight to reverse its direction and stab you through the throat or heart.  A knife is not a linear weapon in the same way a bullet is.  A knife will cut a curving swath a foot wide and several feet long, and then, instantly and unexpectedly return along the same path or a completely different path. If you look real close at a bullet, then look at any knife, and you decide. 

The skilled knifer will use feints to draw you into his true attack.  Try executing a feint with a bullet.  Once released, your bullet cannot be redirected or recalled, nor can its impact energy be controlled.  A bullet is a mindless killer.  In the hands of a skilled practitioner a knife can merely prick or powerfully puncture, it can lightly touch, dismember, or terminate, all at the discretion of the user.  Within its circle of engagement, the knife is unexcelled.  The uneducated defender may assume that the knifer’s circle of engagement is only a few short feet, but an attacker possessing even moderately skilled footwork can quickly propel himself forward extending his reach to a dozen feet or more.  Best bet is to take a gun, and a knife, and know how to use them!  Here are two masterpieces by Larry Harley an original Battle Dagger and Battle Bowie.

​ 
Shiroi Kage ryu
Why the knife? I have had a concealed carry permit for pistol in NY and PA for over 35 years, so why the knife? I have heard this many times and the answer is, because a sword is too hard to carry concealed. Seriously I trained for over 15 years in kenjutsu (Japanese swordsmanship) and used the methods to expand my knife fighting repertoire.
There are times when a firearm is unbeatable. There was an old saying in Japan about the time that firearms became popular and swords waned. “From the safety of castles walls the gun excels. Once swords cross it is of no use at all.” We don’t live or fight in castles today but the saying holds true when we are talking about distance. The only place a gun holds the advantage is at a distance. Tests have proven that distance needs to be 15-20 feet or more!
What are the possible disadvantages to a firearm? The one most often mentioned is, unlike a gun, a knife never runs out of bullets. But in a private security situation there had better not be that many bullets flying or we encounter some of the other disadvantages of a firearm. Once loosed a bullet cannot be stopped or retracted. It will continue on in basically a straight line until its energy is spent. A knife can be stopped, redirected, and even reversed as needed. I never heard of anyone on the other side of a wall being killed by a misguided knife. Walls, furniture, other people can all be passed through by bullets and an innocent life lost. I have cut myself, at times seriously, but I never had an accidental discharge with a knife which caused unintended injury to anyone else. I have never had a knife ricochet, except off a bone, and no innocent lives were lost because of that either. No collateral damage is acceptable, especially in a sacred space. The degree of damage to an opponent can be more easily controlled by an edged weapon than a firearm. A firearm begins with tremendous energy and retains it for thousands of feet. A knife can take a small bite, or a large one, as the situation demands. If necessary I can easily hit my target with a knife while running at full speed. I cannot hit….. well much of anything when I am running or even walking with a handgun. 
There are probably more reasons for “Why the knife.” Right now I think I may have at least given you some food for thought.  

One of the gun magazines used to have an ad that said, "don't you buy no ugly gun".  I don't remember which manufacturer it was, but they were referring to the modern all black, plastic and steel pistols of the day. Being a fan of something a little more classy, I could relate. The last three pistols I bought came in those horrid "Uncle Mikes" cordura contraptions they call holsters. Why would anyone spend nearly a thousand dollars on a gun and stick it in a $5 holster? A pretty nice belt holster came with the Ruger Blackhawk but I have learned that my hips have shrunk (or my waist expanded) and belt holsters with a heavy pistol tend to work their way south. The best solution is a shoulder holster. BUT I didn't want to put an old-style revolver in a Miami Vice rig either. When I want something special my solution is always to go to El Paso Saddelry.


On December 22nd I ordered a custom model 1879 shoulder holster with what they call Frontier Floral carving. The carving is all hand cut, not embossed like many modern western holsters. It came about the first week of February and it's another work of art. It's not cheap, it's not off the shelf and it is not kydex or cordura. But it is what a fine handgun deserves. We see the same thing sometimes in knife sheaths. Kydex has its place, but not in all applications. Often a sheath is poorly designed or fitted, made of cheap materials, or just not worthy of the knife itself. For those knifemakers who are not skilled in leather work, there is no shame in that. Find a sheath maker who will do your knifemaking skill justice. I know that personally I am willing to pay extra for a fine sheath and that a knife or sword without a sheath is incomplete. If anyone out there wants to send me photos of your sheath work, you may find them placed on my website. Some ideas of your prices would be helpful too. 


Here is a photo of two El Paso 1879 shoulder holsters. The one on the right is for my Colt Python. The one on the left is for my Ruger Blackhawk. They are works of art and make carrying a heavy handgun a pleasure. The current price with carving is about $300.

I have been side-tracked lately from knife collecting by a desire to fulfill a childhood fantasy. As a child I played a lot of cowboy and indian and US cavalry. Most kids my age had cap-guns and they were mostly revolvers like the old west six-shooters. My pistol of choice was a life size Hubley copy of a Colt revolver. It was made of metal and very realistic. Back then toys were really expensive but well made. They lasted a long time. Maybe it's nostalgia or advancing senility but I wanted to have a modern handgun representative of the Old West. I looked at a bunch of foreign reproductions and decided they did not quite fulfill what I was looking for. So, to make a short story shorter, I bought an American made Ruger BlackHawk in .357 Magnum caliber. We have been going through some terribly cold weather so I have not been out to shoot it yet but here is a photo of it with a modern custom Bowie by a talented maker named Matt Lamey.

Sure enough not long after buying the Ruger a friend called and said he had a line on a real Colt "Peacemaker" in 45 Colt. He picked it up for me and called to say he had good news and bad news. He said It was a mint condition pistol in .45 Colt, but it was not a Colt. It was a copy by a company named AWA, American Western Arms. I did some research on the internet and discovered that AWA was sued by Colt for making too close a copy and they went out of business making the "Peace Keeper" (note the name difference). The price was very good (about 1/2 market value) and the pistol is a beauty in the famed Colt .45 cartridge so I bought it too. I can see why Colt sued AWA. The previous owner actually thought it was a genuine Colt.