Best of the old world with some new world mixed in thats awesome!

Beautiful knife.  Would be an honor to own one!

The GAW has ended and the winner notified.  A total of 42 entries were submitted.  Each was assigned a number based on Date/Time received.  Random.org selected number 24 (Date/time of the message was Nov 20th, 8:07 PM)  If I do not hear from the winner by Nov 27th at 5:10 PM, I will make a new selection.

Since I haven't gotten a message from you I have to assume I wasn't the winner, but I offer hearty congratulations to number 24, whoever that is. Thanks for the opportunity Dennis.

Congrats to the winner, and Thank you Dennis for the generous opportunity!

Congratulations to the winner and Thank you again Dennis Hibar!  OK, now I cannot wait to know who won!

WAHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Okay ... should be obvious by now .... but Ricky is the winner!!!   Knife goes out to him tomorrow.  Speaking of tomorrow, I will be doing my regular Saturday post of a Davis from my collection.  You won't want to miss this one ... it is a real beauty!

WOW how awesome is that :) 

Okay ... we are back to my regular Saturday posting.  I have a a few Alan Davis knives that are so special to me that they will never see any serious pocket time.  Oh yes, they do get to fill a role as pocket jewelry on special occasions … but that’s ‘bout it!  This is one of them.  This small gent’s folder features some drop dead gorgeous blacklip mother of pearl scales.  Alan also inlaid pieces of blacklip into the textured back spacer.  Bolsters are bronze TextureTech.  The blade is some of Del Ealy’s lion pattern Damascus and is 2.5625”.  This was one of those knives that I didn’t have to think more than a nanosecond to know I wanted it.  Fortunately, I noticed it immediately as he listed it for sale.  I claimed it less than a minute later!

As you say Dennis that is a jewel , it's no wonder you were keen to buy it !

Dennis,

I can see why this one immediately drew you in!  The talent Mr. Davis displays, as a master, in this knife is exceptional

Most of my Alan Davis knives are folders …. but I thought I owed it to myself to have one of his fixed blade hunters.  Problem is, I have no need for a very large blade.  Since Alan doesn’t make very many fixed blades anymore (compared to the number of folders he makes), it took some time to find just the one I wanted to add to the collection.  This one came via another Davis collector.  The blade is 2.875” with a flat grind and made from 1084.  Despite its small size, it’s a stout blade … a hair over .2 inches thick with a distal taper.  Handle is made from some nice looking Koa and feels great in hand.  Alan also makes his own sheaths.  This knife is often riding my hip when I am taking care of summertime yard work!

I can understand why you like to keep that one on your hip Dennis ,  it's a beaut  !!

I had to show off my new Alan Davis knife, compliments of Dennis!

Merry Christmas indeed! Thanks Dennis.

[Update: This one has been sold.]

Here is my one and only slip joint made by Alan.  Wish he would make more.  This one has some very nice touches.  Obviously, the ironwood covers are very eye-catching.  Size is fairly manageable and the titanium liners cut down on the weight a little.  The blade is from CPM-154 and is 2.75” long.  Pull is a very comfortable 4-5.  What I really like about this one is the texturing Alan did on the backspring and blade spine.  Not only does it add a classy touch … but when the blade is open, it appears to seamlessly blend into the back spring. 

Here’s another Davis from my collection ... a beautiful art knife Alan created.  It had crosscut Mammoth scales, timascus bolsters, and a 2.875” Rob Calcinore Damascus blade that Alan blued.  A pretty piece that really belongs in a frame, than a pocket!  

*Note:  This one has a new home and is no longer in the collection.

That is a dramatically beautiful knife Dennis !

What I really love is that slip joint though that is truly glorious !!!  I missed it last week due to the winter bug that had me feeling low .

Nice knife Dennis, it would look good in any display case or pocket!

Dennis,

At the bottom of each individual posting in here you should have an edit button.  If you do not, never fear I do!

I love that on occasion you carry a few of these beauties.  Especially the mammoth, like any form of ivory, they just get better with age and contact.  I use a bit of peanut oil on my ivories every once in a while.  Do you use anything on yours?

Thanks for the comments.  Yes, this is certainly a pretty piece.  Like all my knives, I coat them with Renaissance Wax a couple times a year.  And Jan .... unfortunately, see no edit button.

It is Christmas Eve and felt the occasion deserved a really special Alan Davis.  I missed buying this one when Alan finished it and put it up for sale.  However, I eventually managed to pry it from the hands of the Davis collector who initially bought it!   It is called Alan's Elk Scene folder.  It features a 3.125" Doug Ponzio pattern Damascus blade in his Elk Scene pattern, Père David's stag scales and M3 composite bolsters. Père David's stag is somewhat rare.  The deer originated in China and almost becoming extinct.  Here's some info on it taken from Animal Diversity Web:

"The name that the Chinese gave these deer was "sze pu shiang". This means “none of the four.” The deer supposedly has a neck like a camel, a tail similar to that of a donkey, antlers of a deer, and hooves similar to a cow. However it didn’t resemble any of them more than the other (Harper, 1945).

In 1865, Père Armand David, a French missionary, discovered the deer in the Imperial Hunting Park (Nan Hai-tsu Park) near Peking they were believed to be the only surviving members of the species. About a dozen individuals from this group were imported to Europe. In 1894, a flood destroyed the Imperial Hunting Park and much of the herd was killed. Those that did survive were hunted by starving citizens during the Boxer Revolution in 1900. The Duke of Bedford gathered the remaining breeding population of 18 deer at his abbey in Europe and began to increase to population. During WWII the herd was moved because of the fear of extinction due to bombing.

In 1985 Père David's Deer was reintroduced to the Beijing Milu Park and a second group was released in 1986 in a site north of Shanghi called the Dafeng Milu Natural Reserve (Huffman, 2001). In 1997 an estimated 671 deer were surviving in the wild in China (Jiang et al., 2000)."

[Update: This one has been sold.]

While a little larger than I normally like to keep in my pocket, here’s a Davis that, nevertheless, gets plenty of pocket time.  Alan built this one with blue-dyed sycamore scales and a 3.375” stone washed and parkerized 52100 blade.  This is a great combo of materials and the blade shows very little wear and tear because of the finish.  And … I have to say, this is one of the smoothest (and all of his knives are smooth) opening and closing knives in the collection.

Hope everyone has a very Happy New Year.

Beautiful knife again Dennis .

Dennis, thanks for starting this. I am nowhere near you in terms of collecting the knives of Alan Davis but I admire his work greatly and have a handful of examples. Let me know if it would be appropriate to show off my Davis knives here and if so how to do it. I am new to iKnife

Have at it Rick!   I love drooling over Alan's knives!  Tomorrow I'll be posting another nice one outfitted in wood!

Wow, those are some amazing looking knives Dennis!

Here’s a Davis that I bought, well, because I didn’t have anything dressed in this wood!  When I first saw it, I immediately thought a light colored Koa.  Right region …. wrong wood!  The scales are Hawaiian mango.  Blade is nicely sized at 3.125” and made from Alabama Damascus.  Alan added some vine filework to the spine and a Damascus back spacer to give it a touch of class!

This one was in my pocket yesterday, so thought I would feature it today!  It is a great, smaller size EDC Davis that is always a joy to handle ... and begs to be used.  Scales are nicely figured curly koa, bolsters are blue twill carbon fiber, and the blade is a perfectly sized (for me) 3.125” Elmax clip point.  Like all of Alan’s knives, action is perfect and build quality is first rate.

A really nice knife again , that Koa is beautiful but I think the bolsters really make the knife .

One of the things I love about this discussion Dennis is that you actually carry/use these knives.  I know that makes Mr Davis proud.  I have never met a custom maker that thought he was building eye candy and the purpose of it being a knife did not matter

You know Jan .... some women folk I know tend to accessorize with purses, jewelry and the like.  I tend to do something similar ... but with pocket knives!!!  Unless I am sitting around in the house with my fleece comfy pants on, I normally carry 5 knives with me!  One of my Davis' is normally in my front pocket, a Spyderco Centofante Memory in my back pocket, another custom (most often a Davis) in a belt pouch, and GEC 18 Coyote in my coin pocket, and a serrated Spyderco hawkbill ladybug on my keychain!  Some are for using (depending on the task) and others are for showing and talking about.  Oh ... when I am lounging around the house in my comfy pants .... there is always a small jigged bone Davis in my pocket!  With the exception of a few very special Davis knives ... they all get carried.  Actually, the first thing I normally do when I get a new one is to put my own edge on the knife.  I tend to be very particular about the edges on my knives.

(Note: This knife has a new home!)

Last Saturday, I mentioned my fleece comfy pajama pants (probably the greatest invention since duct tape!!).  When I am in the house, that’s what I will be wearing!  And … clipped to the pocket of those comfy pants is my Alan Davis daily use folder.  I bought this one from another Davis collector in 2013.  He picked it up directly from Alan in 2010 and it became one of his every day users.  Since I’ve owned it, it has literally been used every single day cutting anything from rope and twine …  to packaging and boxes … to plants and twigs …. and anything else that needs cutting around the house.   It is one of Alan’s  smaller mini-linerlock folders featuring a 2.5" Alabama Damascus blade and jigged amber bone scales.  I originally bought it because I wanted to carry a Davis when I went to visit my daughter in Akron, Ohio …. and that blasted city as a blade length law (2.5”), so I needed a smaller folder at the time!  Once I got it, I realized what a joy it was to carry around the house.  I just took these pictures, so the knife reflects nearly 7 years of daily use (by myself and the previous owner).  Oh ... I do have another mini-linerlock around-the-house user that really "bites" ... but will share that one another day!!!

Thought I would post this one today, while the memory of her is still fresh in my mind. You see, this past week she went on a journey across the country.  I have a friend who likes Alan’s knives (why the heck would he not?!!) and really wanted something with a stainless Damascus blade.  Since he also loves bolsters and Mammoth … I figured this one would fit the bill. It did!  Alan made this gent’s folder with a 2.75” Damasteel blade, textured titanium bolsters and some really nice looking Mammoth bark scales.  He also did some his outstanding Roman knot file work on the back spacer (I love his Roman knot … and fortunately, I have another with it!!)  While I do prefer high carbon Damascus over stainless … I kind of like unmistakable look of Damasteel.  So, will be on the hunt for another of Alan's knives with a Damasteel blade!

Here’s a Davis folder that falls into my “conundrum” category. It sports some absolutely beautiful ironwood burl scales, carbon fiber bolsters and a 3.5” parkerized Alabama Damascus blade.  I keep telling myself that I should let this one go, as it has far more blade length than I really need.  Then again, I really like the wood and the Damascus!  Therein lies the conundrum!!!

*Note:  This one is no longer with me in my collection.

I also would have a hard time with this one Dennis.  The burl is simply stunning and I am an ADS nut!

Back in early 2013, I bought a nice block of redwood burl ... just because I liked it. I had no idea what I would do with it. Then the light bulb lit up in my head. In September of '13, I sent it to Alan and asked him to put me back on his books and make me something out of this redwood. I told him that I didn't want to know anything about it and to fit me in whenever he got an idea for something special. I was in no hurry. The only thing I told him was that I wanted him to keep the blade between 3 and 3.25 inches, it needed to have a clip and that I thought gold tones might go well with the redwood. Everything else I was leaving up to him. Regardless of what he made for me, I knew I would love it. Well, Christmas came early when Alan told me September 20th, 2015 that it was ready. My 2-year wait was over. To say I love this one would be a huge understatement. This beauty features my redwood burl mated to a 3" Del Ealy Damascus blade in his fish pattern and Doug Ponzio Damascus bolsters. Alan also used Del's Damascus for the clip and back spacer.

Dennis,

Having spent a good deal of time in the redwoods, I perked up a little when you said you had purchased a burl!  This is such a beautiful way to honor a majestic tree.  Make it into a knife using equally amazing steels !!

Yup Jan ... beautiful wood.  Then again, this is coming from a wood lover!!

Here’s one of my Alan Davis gent’s knives that has it all.  Great looks, perfect size, and outstanding combination of materials.  The blade is a multi-bar Damascus forged by Rob Calcinore using his Turkish twist and snowflake patterns.  Alan nitre blued the 2.75 inch blade and mated it to a liner lock frame with Mammoth bark scales and M3 composite bolsters. He also used M3 composite for the back spacer.  Sad to say … this is one of the few that doesn’t get very much pocket time.  It’s just too eye catching to risk marking it up!!  So, it only comes out for special occasions.

Time for my Saturday Davis showing.  

Here's a beautiful Davis folder that I love, but one which really clashes with my typical attire (jeans and shirt!). This trailing point gent's folder features a fantastic color combination. The scales are Mammoth bark. Bolsters are absolutely incredible.  They are copper that Alan first textured, then buffed, sanded and gold plated.  He then sanded and buffed them again to give the bolsters a nice antique look which accentuates the colors in the Mammoth bark very nicely. The thumb stud is also copper that Alan hand carved, gold plated and added an inset blue topaz. Back spacer is highly polished carbon fiber with alternating citrine and blue topaz gem stones. This knife fits my comfort zone perfectly, with its 3.125" blade from Doug Ponzio stainless Damascus. But, as I told Alan, I won’t be adding another with all that bling … as it makes me feel too high class!!!

ZOWIE!

Sometimes I think that craftsmanship is dead in this day and age.

But then I scroll through your Alan Davis knife photos and change my mind.

O.K., mine is going in my pocket today! (still not sure I can force myself to cut anything with it though)

Here is a neat Davis that I picked up in 2014, mainly because of the wood.  The scales are some of the darkest Australian Ringed Gidgee I had ever seen. Bolsters are M3 composite and the blade is a San Mai Damascus by Rob Calcinore comprised of his Turkish Checkerboard with an O1 cutting edge.  Blade length is larger than I normally like, at just under 3.5 inches, but I made an exception due to the Gidgee!

Dennis,

Not only is that wood stunning but the San Mai Damascus is EXCELLENT! 

Thanks Jan.  Get ready for a real stunner in my next post!!!

This is the most recent addition to my Alan Davis collection … one that almost wasn’t to be!! Back in January my desire to take a late afternoon nap got the better of me. I let this outrageously beautiful and first of its kind Davis slip right through my fingers. It was quickly snapped up just minutes before I wiped the sand out of my eyes!! Fortunately, the owner took pity on me and recently offered it to me for my collection. That was an offer I could not refuse! This is the first knife Alan sent off to have the bolsters engraved. The bolsters are bronze and the engraver ( Jake Newell ) did an outstanding job on them. Scales are Mammoth bark and the blade is Doug Ponzio's Damascus (in a loose Turkish twist pattern), nicely sized at 2.6875". This is a drop dead gorgeous knife and am elated to have it in the collection.

Well you sure did deliver on the real stunner.  And the first one to be engraved!

Rick ..... Love that knife!  And .... love it for a whole lot of reasons.  First being that I was the first to own it!!!!!  I originally bought it from Alan in March of 2015.  A beautiful piece and the most striking pine cone scales I have ever seen.  Another collector loved it just as much and had been trying to persuade me to sell it to him for a long time.  I finally decided to let it go, in hopes that some good karma would befall me in "my" attempts to acquire some pieces I was after!!! (btw ... it worked!!)  I still have a bunch of pics of this one.  If you would like them, just send me a msg with your direct email and I can get them to you in a zip file.  Here's a bolster shot:

Dennis, talk about a small world and I guess that this is a small world of Davis collectors. I have run into several of you who are waaaay more serious than I am and really great and helpful people.

But I do love these knives and I did send a PM with my e-mail. I'd love to add your pics to those I have taken.

Rick,

WOW, that has to be one of the best examples of the pinecone scales I have seen.  It takes someone that knows what they are doing working with them.  The have to be placed where it will be the best view, no easy task since they look nothing like this when you start working with them