JS Test Set

E. Scott McGhee Receives ABS Journeyman Smith Certification

On Friday, January 27th at 9:15 am, E. Scott McGhee came out of the judging room in San Antonio with a smile on his face and a load off his shoulders. After laying down his five best knives at 7:45 for the inspection of master and journeyman smiths, the judges finally presented their verdict, and seven out of seven gave him the nod. Later that day, Scott and several other ABS knife makers picked up their JS stamps.

Scott will continue to work as an arborist part-time but with stamp in hand plans to increase the amount of time he spends at home forging knives. Now a new journey begins - the quest become a full-time knifemaker and a master bladesmith . . . think "Damascus, Damascus, Damascus".

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Last Minute Change

Scott completed a commissioned Cottonmouth just before we left for Texas, but no mastersmith had laid eyes on the finished product, so we weren't sure whether it should go on our JS test table or not.

Last night, after the knives were reviewed by a master and friend, we decided that this Cottonmouth would surplant El Toro in the line up.

Here's a quick and dirty photo that I took before we left. This knife is headed to a hog hunt after the show. Thanks for the order Jim. We hope you enjoy your knife!

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The Final Cut

Scott went down to see Jason Knight on Tuesday to have his knives reviewed, and then we made the final cut. The knives that will go on the table tomorrow to be judged are . . .

The Alamo

The Diamondback

El Toro

The Zulu

The Mamba

Less than 24 hours to go! We'll be in touch soon.

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Mamba in Flame Grain Walnut

JS test knife candidate number seven is a sleek, powerful fighter we're calling The Mamba. Black mambas, which have black mouths rather than black scales, are native to Africa and can be any color from olive-green to greyish-brown. This Mamba was forged from W2, has an elegant hamon, and sports a georgeous flame-grain walnut handle. According to Wikipedia, black mambas "have a reputation for being aggressive and highly venomous." Our Mamba isn't poisonous, but there certainly is something aggressive about that profile. Hopefully it will behave on the judging table!

The Mamba

Steel: W2

Finish: Hand-rubbed with hamon

Handle: Flame grain walnut (from Burl Source)

Blade Length: 8 inches

Overall Length: 13 3/4 inches

One more to go!

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The Diamondback

There's only one viper more feared in southeastern NC than a cottonmouth, and that's the eastern diamondback rattler. For his sixth potential JS presentation piece, Scott lengthened and modified his popular Cottonmouth design to make a monster recurve that makes your heart flutter when you get too close. This GHF Diamondback was forged from W2, given a wild hamon, and handled with dyed curly maple. She's a thrill to hold, but be careful - this knife definitely bites.

The Diamondback

Steel: W2

Finish: Hand-rubbed with clay hamon

Handle: Dyed curly maple

Overall Length: 15 1/4 inches

Blade Length: 10 inches

Scott has two more knives in the works that I hope to post soon!

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The Alamo

Scott crafted JS test knife number five into a Texas-size bowie, dressed it in Desert Ironwood, and called it the Alamo. The 11.25 inch blade on this mega knife sports a lot of attitude, along with a wicked clip and a georgeous hamon. It is truly a monster when compared to the Zulu, but the two make a nice pair.

The hamon is hard to see in the studio shots, but it's there.

The Alamo

Steel: W2
Finish: Hand-rubbed with clay hamon

Handle: Desert Ironwood
Overall Length: 16 3/4 inches

Blade Length: 11 1/4 inches

Scott now has five knives ready to present to a panel of mastersmiths in San Antonio but is working hard on two more designs that he hopes to finish before we leave. Keep your fingers crossed!

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The Zulu

For his forth JS test knife candidate Scott went with a tried and true design - The Zulu. This Zulu was forged out of W2, has a clay hamon, and Desert Ironwood handle.

The Zulu

Steel: W2

Finish: Hand-rubbed with clay hamon

Handle: Desert Ironwood
Overall Length: 9 3/4 inches

Blade Length: 4 3/4 inches

Gett'in close now!

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El Toro

We're calling Scott's third journeyman test knife El Toro - a bullish W2 bowie with a wild hamon and meaty African blackwood handle. The hamon reminded me of the Hall of the Bulls in the Lascaux cave paintings, but Scott says I'm hallucinating. He did, however, agree that the knife was bullish enough to call El Toro.

El Toro

Steel: W2

Finish: Hand-rubbed with clay hamon

Handle: African Blackwood

Overall Length: 12 7/8 inches

Blade Length: 6 7/8 inches

El Toro and The Chief.

Only a couple of weeks left!

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The Chief

JS test knife candidate number two is The Chief - a large hunter with a wicked clip, smok'in hamon, African blackwood handle, and plenty of belly to skin just about any type of game.

The Chief

Steel: W2

Finish: Hand-rubbed with clay hamon

Handle: African blackwood

Overall Length: 10 3/4 inches

Blade Length: 5 inches

"Treat the earth well; it was not given to you by your parents,
it was loaned to you by your children."
Ancient Native American Proverb

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The Sidewinder

Scott recently completed his first potential journeyman test knife. We're calling it the Sidewinder, and this little hand-rubbed W2 fighter will possibly be judged by seven mastersmiths (along with four other blades) at the ABS All Forged Blade Expo in San Antonio later this month. See what you think.

Sidewinder

Steel: W2

Finish: Hand-rubbed with clay hamon

Handle: Curly Koa

Overall Length: 10 3/8 inches

Blade Length: 5 inches

The Sidewinder has a beautiful clay hamon, but they can be difficult to capture in photos.
Here's my best shot.

One down and the clock is ticking.

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