The best resource for knife education is back! BLADE Show offers exciting and intensive learning opportunities taught by industry legends and professional makers. Improve your craftsmanship and deepen your knife knowledge with a BLADE University class. From informal and informative demos, exciting competitions, to small-group sessions with some of the biggest names in the knifemaking world—BLADE Show has it all.
Classes start at $25 each and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page:
2023 Class Schedule
Friday, June 2nd
Courtyard
AmeriBrade and guest makers will provide a general overview on grinds, technique and different equipment. The class will be interactive and the team will answer questions and demonstrate suggestions for common issues.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 103
There have been many legends about the toughness and cutting ability of damascus steel, but how does it actually perform? What are the best steel combinations for high-performance damascus? Is there really a “damascus cutting effect”? Learn about the experiments Devin and Larrin Thomas have performed on the strength, toughness and edge retention of damascus steel.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 104
This class will take you through some of the design considerations to think about when designing kitchen knives. Bob Kramer ABS Mastersmith, will take you through his path to making Kitchen knives and why he made the choices he did.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 104
BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Michael Walker will answer your questions regarding the linerlock, the lock he developed in 1981 that revolutionized folding knives. Chosen the world’s No. 1 knifemaker from the years 2000-2017 in a poll of industry observers in the May 2017 BLADE®, Michael also will discuss the evolution of the many other locking systems he designed after the linerlock, how to secure a patent, and his process for fine-tuning details on his knives. Questions will be determined in advance, though Michael will entertain limited questions from those attending as well.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 103
Ben Petersen, co-founder of Knafs, will discuss how to sell knives online and build your brand while navigating Google, Amazon, and Meta.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 113
The heart of the knife is the blade steel, and nobody knows steels like those who produce and sell them for a living. Among the leaders in the field are Damasteel, Mike Norris Damascus, Nichols Damascus and Vegas Forge Damascus. Join them as they discuss today’s hottest steels and what makes those steels so much in demand. They will explore each steel’s performance, ease of sharpening, looks, other desirable traits and more. Bring your questions and your pad and pencil so you can take lots of notes and leave with lots of knowledge.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 107
Hosted by Ilya Alekseyev, this panel we will explore why practicing forging methods used by the craftsman of old translates into modern material and why it is important to establish proper forging techniques even with modern material while bladesmithing.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 113
What happens when a knife gets dull? How do you know when to sharpen it? Bring your own knife or borrow a demo model and learn the progession of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintinence from the team at Work Sharp. You will get hands-on practice and experience sharpening your blade using a variety of sharpeners and abrasives, from whetstones to belts.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 107
Matt Stagmer will focus on blade makers that have been in the craft for many years and how that path to becoming an ABS certified maker differs from someone learning those standards from day one. Tips and tricks to retrain your hands and your mind.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Saturday, June 3rd
Room 113
Want to give your knife a professional look that will take it to the next level? How about something that can not be found on production made knives? Doing filework on the spine of your blade is something that really can make your customers say “WOW! How did you do that?”. Knifemaker Kyle Daily of KHDaily Knives will show you his preferred files and the equipment he is using to make his 5 most popular patterns. This class will show you how to layout your pattern and take you step by step to be successful. Their will be and opportunity to watch him do a hands on demonstration at the end and ask more detailed questions.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Courtyard
At BLADE Shows from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, Timothy Potier always made it a point to attend BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bill Moran’s forging demonstrations. Today an ABS master smith in his own right, Timothy continues Moran’s BLADE Show tradition by offering a demo on how to forge a full-tang drop-point hunter. Using his propane forge, Timothy will go through the entire process, including forging the blade to shape from tool steel. He also will discuss heat treating, normalizing and more.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 104
Bob Kramer, ABS Mastersmith, will share his 35 year experience of running a successful knife making business with you and share tips on things to pay attention to along the way.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 107
Tim Robertson makes some of the smoothest and most historically accurate pocketknives in the business. He is also a member of the South Texas Slipjoint Cartel, an organization of slipjoint knifemakers mentored by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bill Ruple. Tim will cover patterning traditional slipjoints from original factory knives in detail, including methods of disassembly, correct scribing techniques, and proper hole layout (including changing the hole diameter). He also will cover methods of using paper patterns commonly found on the Internet.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 113
Learn how to leverage 3D Printer Technology to make mind-blowing canister Damascus patterns. Steve Schwarzer and Ron Hardman show you how to use this game-changing advancement to forge patterns on a budget that were previously unthinkable.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 104
Have a panel of award-winning knifemakers share their decades of knowledge and experience in critiquing your custom knife. Lucas Burnley, David Lisch, Mike Quesenberry, Luke Swenson and Devin Thomas will go over every square inch of your knife and tell you what is good about it, what is not and how you can make it better. Bring one knife only. Questions from attendees will be entertained throughout.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 113
What happens when a knife gets dull? How do you know when to sharpen it? Bring your own knife or borrow a demo model and learn the progression of shaping a bevel, sharpening and edge maintenance from the team at Work Sharp. You will get hands-on practice and experience sharpening your blade using a variety of sharpeners and abrasives, from whetstones to belts.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 107
Have you wanted to write for a knife magazine but don't know where to start? Author and knifemaker Jason Fry and a panel of industry insiders will share the tips and tricks it takes to get into the writing industry. Topics will include idea submission and topic selection, interviews and content generation, methods for obtaining quality pictures, and more!
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
Room 104
David Carver of Carver Knife Company will teach techniques on making a folding knife that works well, looks good, and feels great in the hand/pocket.
Classes start at $25 and can be purchased on the ticket checkout page by clicking here.
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