Blade Show Preview 2026: Custom Knives to Watch

Spring is always an exciting time of year in the knife world, as a vast number of the makers, collectors, and knife enthusiasts all prepare for Blade Show, which takes place in Atlanta, Georgia every year on the first weekend of June. The Blade Show is the largest knife show in the world, drawing custom knife makers, knife manufacturers, tool and material suppliers, and attendees from all over the world, and if you want to see the most new and exciting knives, Blade Show is the place to go.

I attended my first Blade Show in 2018, when I tested for my Journeyman Smith stamp in the American Bladesmith Society, and I have attended every year since, save for 2022 when I was in India for the year. Like many makers, I always seek to bring examples of my finest work to sell at the show, and I also submit them in the competitions for custom knife awards. The competition for the custom knife awards is always stiff, but I have won a few in the past. Wish me luck for this year!
So what am I bringing to the show this year?

I have three pieces planned. One is completed, and the final two are still under construction.

The First Piece: Rathambore
This knife is an eye-catching piece, sure to upstage all the other knives on my table at first glance. Rathambore is named after the famous tiger preserve in Rajasthan, India, which is not far from where I was studying during my Fulbright grant. It draws inspiration from the formidable hunting knives, used historically in that region by regal hunting parties to process large game in preparation for the king’s feast. These knives also served as a last line of defense in the jungle against large predators like tigers and panthers. There are many names given to similar types of large knives, including “Khyber knife,” “pathan,” or “churra,” mostly from the region of Afghanistan, but this knife is more stylistically similar to the Indian variant, regionally called a “Chaku” which translates to “big knife.”

Ranthambore is my interpretation of the Indian hunting knife or “Chaku,” and it includes a forged blade with a full tang and integral bolster made of pattern-welded steel. The blade has the geometry of a short saber, with a deep fuller running most of its length and a slightly rounded tip that is sharp all the way around. The handle scales are ebony, and they are fastened to the tang with solid 14K gold domed pins. Along the tang, I added 24K gold koftgari in a vine and flower pattern based on a motif that I observed in a private collection in India.

Ranthambore will be available for a price of $10,000

The Second Piece: Quillon Dagger
Anyone who is familiar with the American Bladesmith Society will know that in order to achieve the rank of Master Smith, every applicant must submit a European-style quillon dagger among his or her five presentation knives. Quillon daggers are notoriously challenging to make, due to the 4-way symmetry of the blade and the complex construction of the guard and grip, and executing one well requires a high level of technical skill and precision. When I made my Master Smith test dagger back in 2020, I forged three different blades for it before I settled on the one that fit my design perfectly. I set the other two aside to finish at a later time.

Now, 6 years after setting those blades aside, I am finally finishing one. I drew up a new design around the existing blade, and now I am finishing it up. So far, the blade is mostly finished and the guard is forged, and over the next week and a half, I will be filing the guard to shape, attach a wire-wrapped grip, turn a pommel, and polish all the components. I’ll be posting regular updates on my Instagram page and YouTube channel if you would like to follow along.

The Third Piece: MagnaCut Chef Knife
Several of my most recent commissions have involved a new super stainless steel called “MagnaCut.” MagnaCut was designed by metallurgist Larrin Thomas to give a better balance of toughness, hardness, and corrosion resistance than any previously made steel, and that balance makes it ideal for high-performance chef knives that need to take a thin edge and hold it for a long time.

Stainless steels like MagnaCut are notoriously difficult to forge, due to the narrow temperature range in which they can be worked and their incredible hardness even at high temperatures. As a result, the vast majority of MagnaCut blades are “stock removal” blades, meaning they are cut out of a sheet of steel and ground to thickness. Stock removal can make an excellent blade, however, the process makes it difficult to incorporate one of my favorite features to have on a kitchen knife: and integral bolster. After a good deal of experimentation and after sourcing some thicker stock, I have successfully forged a number of MagnaCut blades with integral bolsters, which in my opinion combine all the best traits for a high-end, high-performance chef knife. Pictured is my most recent commission for a MagnaCut, integral-bolster chef knife, and I will be finishing up a similar blade to present at Blade Show.

Blade Show is June 5-7 at the Cobb Convention Center in Atlanta, Georgia. If you are planning to attend Blade Show, come find me at table 3S.

Tickets to the show are available at bladeshow.com/buy-tickets/ and if you would like a $5 discount on a three-day pass, let me know on my contact page, and I will send you a discount code. I hope to see you there!

About The Author
Jordan LaMothe is a Master Bladesmith, a Fulbright scholar, a member of the Art Knife Invitational Show, and a teacher of knife-making. His work has won numerous awards, has been published in magazines internationally, and has made him a Forged in Fire Champion. At the end of the day, he makes collector's pieces, family heirlooms, and fine tools including culinary and outdoor knives for the kitchen and field.