Page 60 - Blade (January 2019)

DEATH IN THE FAMILY |

Wayne completed his ABS master smith
test successfully under the watchful eye of
BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame
®
member Bill Moran (left).

ing community,” ABS master smith
Brion Tomberlin wrote on social media.
“[Wayne] helped so many people with his
books and columns and his willingness to
share what he knew.”
“[Wayne] inspired me very much,”
wrote Brion Baker. “I dog-eared his
books, then gave them away to other peo-

ple. I’ll always be influenced by his books
and approach to knifemaking.” Added
knifemaker Zane Blackwell, “We should
all try to contribute as much to our craft
as Wayne did.”

Wayne sold his first knife in 1963. A
long-time member of both the ABS and

The Knifemakers’ Guild, he taught bla-
desmithing at hammer-ins around the
country, and conducted sharpening and
other seminars at the BLADE Show,
BLADE Show West and other venues,
WANT A RAZOR EDGE? all for decades. Like one of his contem-

poraries, Bob Dozier, Wayne was a huge
proponent of D2 tool steel for blades, call-
ing it “the old reliable.” He focused atten-
• No experience needed • Quick & fast tion on the importance of the proper heat
treating of a blade’s steel to ensure the
• Just pull backwards • Maintenance free
knife performed its most important job—
• Handmade right here • Tells you when you’re cutting—as well as it could. In fact, he
at Knives Plus fi nished stressed that an inferior steel heat treated
properly could outperform a superior
KNIVES PLUS STROP BLOCK steel heat treated improperly.
800-687-6202 OR WWW.KNIVESPLUS.COM Phyllis, Wayne’s wife, preceded him in

death by several years. They were insepa-
We are a stocking dealer of most major knife brands since 1987. rable, including at knife shows, where they

60 BLADE JANUARY 2019