Each year the MKA is pleased to offer a limited edition knife, specially created for the club. The purpose of the club knife is to showcase the talents of a particular maker while offering a collectible knife at a reasonable price. The logo of the MKA is etched on each knife, along with the year of creation. Numbers for this limited edition series are also permanently etched in the MKA logo.
Submissions for the club-knife are requested by the board from the completion of the annual show until mid November when a decision must be made in order to give the maker sufficient time to complete the series for delivery by the following July. No specific price or design requirements are specified by the board for each year's knife, however consideration for each year's piece takes into account variety design and affordability as well as the usual considerations for aesthetics and function.
The MKA board has selected this fine piece made by James Luman as the 2001 Montana Knifemakers Association club knife. This knife is stick-tang construction. Blade length is 4 1/8", with an overall length of 8 1/4". Blade thickness is just over 5/32". Blade steel is a damascus pattern of 1095 and nickel. Fittings are brass and handles are of spalted maple, with spacers of nickel, white and black paper, and a slender piece of mastadon ivory. This is a nice piece of work from our maker near Anaconda, Montana. A comfortable knife in the hand, Jim has given us a good tight handle fit, pleasantly rounded. With a uniform texture to his1095, the nickel contrasts nicely in this damascus steel blade. These knives all come with a tooled leather sheath. Knife cost is $150.00, with $25.00 from the sale of each knife going to the MKA's general fund. This is an unbelievable value for an excellent knife.
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