Dutch Knife Exhibition 2018

The Netherlands boasts one big annual knife show: the Dutch Knife Exhibition. The 12th edition took place on the 21st of April.

Text and pictures: Bas Martens

This year’s Dutch Knife Exhibition (DKE) was the busiest ever, especially regarding the number of exhibitors. The knife show drew participants from as far away as Bulgaria. The DKE usually has a mixed offering of international custom knife makers, industrial knives, and knife maker’s tools and materials. The show is held in a large restaurant on the outskirts of Tiel, a small town in the central provinces of the Netherlands. The following shows a selection of the better-quality knives presented at the DKE.

Left: The DKE had excellent weather which was great for the outdoor activities. Right: A small part of the show floor.

Like most shows the DKE awards prizes in various categories.
Best Folding Knife: the Gitano by Gudy van Poppel.
Best Fixed Blade: ‘Fighter’ nr. 56 by René Huismans.
Best Newcomer: fixed knife by Martijn de Boer (M-Knives).
Best Damascus blade: Damascus Stag Bowie by Alessio Salsi.
Best of Show: double Kindjal by Gotscha Lagidse.
Best Production Knife: Knives & Tools Ruiki Folder P121 Black.

The prize winners. From left to right: Gotscha Lagidse, Gudy van Poppel, Knives & Tools, René Huismans

and Martijn de Boer.

The ‘Kingfisher’ by Dutch knife maker Erik Markman. The blade has 418 layers of O2/75Ni.8 ladder Damascus.

The handle is black micarta. The knife measures 18 cm.

Belgian knife maker Samuel Lurquin made this ‘Tsavo’. The 28 cm blade is from 80CRV2 steel, the handle is Gidgee, an Australian hardwood.

After many years of making fixed blades, Dutch knife maker Ed de Pauw recently started with folding knives.

This friction folder has an O1 blade and titanium handle.

The ‘Lorely’ by Dutch knife maker Dan Adriolo. The blade is Zladinox ZDI-1016 Damascus in a 150-layer

twist. The handle is Mother of Pearl with Grenadilla liners. The knife’s container is made of Imbuia wood,

with lizard skin.

Dutch collector Bart Kanis had to wait seven years for this set, made by Hill Knives, but it was worth it. The knives are numbered from 1/5 to 5/5 and engraved with the initials BK on the blade. The descriptions are as follows:
1/5 Blade N690 steel, handle Snakewood. Total length 216 mm;
2/5 Blade N690 steel, handle Waterbuffalo. Total length 228 mm;
3/5 Blade N690 steel, handle Mammoth Ivory. Total length 227 mm;
4/5 Blade N690 steel, handle Ebony. Total length 224 mm;
5/5 Blade N690 steel, handle Cocobolo wood. Total length 241 mm.

The ‘Bear Paw Wanderer’ from Polish knife maker Michael Trollsky. This is his first knife with an Elmax blade.

It was hardened to 61 HRC in the workshop of his colleague Rafal Brzeski (BRR knives). The satin finish

of the blade, says Trollsky, “tought me patience on a whole new level”. The handle is stabilized Beach burl.

The overall length is 230 mm.

A fixed blade by Bulgarian knife maker Plamen Tasev. The blade is 165 layers of 80CrV2 and 75 Ni8 steel.

The handle is nickel silver and stabilized Alder Burl.

Andreas Behrend, from the Austrian company Two4sharP Art, made this ‘Kings Knife’. The set consists

of a handmade leather box with an ivory chess-motif. This contains a ‘King’ made of buffalo horn, titanium,

RVS Damascus and ivory, which serves as a screw driver for the axis screw of the knife. The knife has an

RVS Balbach Damascus blade with herringbone motif. The handle is grade II titanium, with an inlay of

Mother of Pearl.The axis screws are handmade from Damasteel. The blade measures 6,5 cm, the overall

length of the knife is 18 cm.

Dutch designer and knife maker Theo van Leeuwen (Lion Design) made this knife with a Niolox blade and

bone handle. The anodised titanium liners extend beyond the handle scales, given a special effect.

The ‘Bonka’ by Belgian knife maker Jan Dox. This is his first knife with a so-called Suminagashi blade

– in this case 67 layers of stainless steel with a VG10 core. The handle is stabilised Poplar. The blade

measures 180 mm.

Lenno Boogert (Boog Knives) made this skinner in hollow grind D2 steel and in house made micarta.

The length of the knife is 245 mm.

British knife maker Toby Platts made this ‘Voyager’. The blade is O1, the handle (according to Platts ‘the’

most comfortable one) is Linden Burl stab. The knife measures 238 mm.

A liner lock knife by Dutch maker Aad van Rijswijk, made for collector Bart Kanis. The blade is Markus

Balbach Damascus, the handle is CITES compliant ivory with 18 carat gold pins.

The ‘Sleek Framelock’ by Belgian knife maker Filip de Leeuw. The blade is CPM154, the handle scales

are curly Carbon Fibre. Although completely smooth, this gives a three-dimensional effect.

A Puukko by Belgian/Italian knife maker Alessio Salsi. The blade is made of 1.2519 steel, the handle is

Karelian Birch and reindeer antler. The overall length of the knife is 220 mm.

A miniature axe, by Polish knife maker Bartosz Herman. He made it as for fun, but the little axe drew a lot of attention.

This Gitano by Gudy van Poppel won the DKE prize for the best folding knife. The skulls on the titanium

handle are hand engraved. The blade is Markus Balbach inox Damascus.

This ‘Nr. 56’ by Dutch knife maker René Huismans won the DKE prize for the best fixed blade.

Bernhard Schiffel and his wife Wendy live in Bali where they employ several carvers. Schiffer design

makes knife handles but also jewellery and art. These are two examples.