Thomas R Bender A California Knife Maker

8/10/2019 Thomas R Bender A California Knife Maker

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FOG HORN 2014Twobirds Flying Publications

Thomas R. Bender A California Knife Maker

By

Sal Palma


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Copyright 2014, Towbirds Flying Publications. All Rights Reserved.

Bladesmithing has been in existence for

thousands of years as both enterprise and art

form. In ancient cultures, bladesmiths often

collaborated with the resident alchemist andwizard to infuse a blade with mystical powers.

Just look at the works of J.R. Tolkien, Michael

Moorock, and the legend of Zulfiqar - a sword

sent from the Heavens to the Prophet

Muhammadand given to Ali ibn Abi Talib.

Throughout the history of man, edged weapons

have held a prestigious post in social

development; serving as guardians of the weak,

enslaving and freeing civilizations. The blade

has served honorably as both tool and spectacle

of social standing. It is as much a part ofhumanity as painting, literature, music and

theater, a tradition that continues, to this day,

fostering artisans across the world. Then, there

is Thomas R. Bender

Tom Bender describes himself, in a pronounced

northeastern accent, Im not an artsy-fartsy

guy, I make knives expecting them to be used as

tools. So, who is Thomas R. Bender?

Tom is now 64 years young and has been

working with his hands since he was 10. The

better part of his professional life has been

spent working in the entertainment industry as

an explosives technician, armorer and prop

maker. He holds a number of active licenses of

which Ive listed onlya few.

Federal Firearms License

Federal Firearms License-Class-Iii

(Automatic Weapons)

Federal Firearms License-Class-07

(Manufacturer of Firearms)

State Of California Pyrotechnic

Operator-Special Effects- Class-Ii

State Of California-Department of

Justice- Permit To Possess And / Or

Transport Machine Guns

If youve seen action movies in the last 20 years,

theres a very good chance that TomBender has

had a hand in the explosions and firearms used.

He is also an incredibly humble and unassuming

individual.

I recently had the opportunity to review one of

Toms creations and jumped at the chance.

At first glance, it was difficult for me to capture

the essence of Toms knife. There is no single

word to adequately describe it and he doesntgive his creations catchy names. Hes also not

the type of guy that hangs out in Sherwani at

transcendental meditation sessions listening to

Ravi Shankar for inspiration, and you wont find

him going to the mountains for stimulation. So,

Im at a loss for words, which is a bad thing to

be out of when youre a scribe.So, Ill describe

the Bender creations as he does, they are tools!

Toms knives are tools serving two masters.

First, they meet defensive needs when the shit

goes south. Second, they serve the mundane;

opening crates, prying, chopping and probing.

To ensure that his knives meet those needs,

Tom works with 1080+, CruForgeV 01 tool steel

and 5160. I had an opportunity to discuss blade

metallurgy with him and this is what he had to

say:

I now have a difficult time getting the

sizes I like in the 1080+ and CruForgeV. I


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always loved working with tool steel. I

like to double temper the 1080+ and 01

and triple temper the 5160 and

CruForgeV

My T&E sample is made of 1080+ steel. Readers

familiar with the anatomical specifics of knives

know that 1080+ offers an excellent balance

between corrosion resistance and edge

hardness due to the slight amounts of

chromium and vanadium. A 1080+ blade will

hold its edge longer under a more diverse set of

conditions than say 1095 steel or even 1080.

The 1080+ also has excellent consistency ofhardness throughout the length of the blade,

and when tempered two and three times at

350 while achieve a hardness of HRC 60 or

more.

All Bender blades are full tang designs and my

sample was no different.

However, before jumping into a discussion of

the blade profile, which is rather unique, Ill get

some of the numerical data out of the way.

My review sample has an overall length of 11.5

in. and a blade length of 6 in. Blade thickness is

.25 inches with Rockwell hardness of 60.

Without its sheath, the knife weighs 13.8 oz. so,

calling it a beast is certainly not out of line, and

its highly unlikely youll ever need to worry

about snapping the blade or breaking the tip.

So, lets talk about the blade.

Tom is extremely fond of the wedge and all of

his creations use that style of edge in one form

or another. He does not grind the edges;

instead he cuts them and hones them by hand.

Polishing of the blade is also done by hand.

Nowhere in the process does he use a buffing

wheel.

The review sample can be accurately described

as a double edge katana, featuring an

aggressive Tanto tip.

Tom refers to the two cutting edges, along the

top and bottom of the blade, as counteracting


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edges. They are wedged edges oriented in

opposite directions; giving the knife an

interesting performance characteristic.

The counteracting edges provide a slightrotation of the blade on penetration; thus,

creating massive tissue damage with a

correspondingly large wound channel.

The picture above captures the essence of that

design feature.

Combining its aggressive Tanto tip with the

counteracting edges makes the Bender blade a

formidable defensive or offensive tool. A thrust

to the rib cage with this knife will do much

more than pierce the subject; it will also split

the ribcage.

Looking along the blades profile, I noticed a

slight taper extending from the hilt to its tip,and that too is functional serving to assist in

piercing and extraction.

Theres nothing on this knife that one could call

stylistic, everything is 100% function; yet Toms

creation has a classic character heavily

influenced by oriental design that just grows on

you. Aiding that affinity is how well this knife

sits in your hand.

The Bender blade is balanced just aft of the hilt,

so theres considerable heft to the blade, an

attribute that proved itself invaluable as I

started chopping on a 2x4.

As expected, the lumber proved to be no matchfor the knife and my hand felt well insulated

from the impact, which reduced fatigue. So,

part two of Tomstool philosophy is evident in

his designs. Chipping through interior walls and

concrete blocks are certainly within the realm

of possibilities for this knife.

A good knife must have a great handle and

Tom achieves that with full-length G10 scales

affixed to the knifes full tang. There is a very

small amount of texturing on the scales, so to

enhance grip Tom hand cuts jimping all alongthe tang. He also lets the scale screws protrude.

Handle length, G10 scales, tang jimping and

handle screws collectively work to enhance the

grip. While chopping away on the 2x4 I was able

to control the knife quite well.


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Although the 5 inch handle is comfortable, I

think it benefits from a slight recurve, which

aligns the knife somewhat better with the wrist.

This is a matter of personal preference and notan indictment. The bottom line remains the

same the knife felt good in my hand.

Tom does something else that I truly like. He

allows the tang to extend beyond the scales to

create a very nice pummel, which is drilled to

accommodate a 550 paracord lanyard.

Regrettably, pummels are absent in many of the

so called tactical designs yet their utility

cannot be overstated.

Last but not least, Tom tops it all off with a

Spec-Ops Combat Master Knife Sheath

delivering a very special and capable combat

knife that you can count on.

Who are Toms customers, Navy Seals and Army

SOF along with some prominent individuals?

Bender knives are top-shelf handcrafted

defensive tools capable of meeting very

demanding needs. Thomas R. Bender makes

knives because he loves to, and it shows.

However, be advised, if he agrees to make a

knife for you be patient, it will be worth the

wait!

-SP

Contact Information:

Thomas R Bender

[email protected]: 818-802-4529
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Addendum

Thomas R. Bender Filmography

Pirates of the Caribbean Black Powder Legally Blonde 2 FX

Transformers 2 Armorer Bruce Almighty Propmaker/FX

Chicago Overcoat Armorer The Hunted FX

G Force Gun Tech Cinemagique FX

Wanted Gun Tech-Chicago Scorpion King FX

Death Sentence FX Tech The First 20 Million FX

Transformers FX Powder Orange County FXWhat Love Is Armorer Windtalkers FX/Artillery

The Last Sentinel Armorer Miss Congeniality FX

Life and Death of Bobby Z Armorer Evolution PropMaker/Welder

Miami Vice Armorer The Glass House FX

Mission Impossible III Asst. Armorer Squelch FX

War of the Worlds Armorer The Out of Towners FX

40 Year Old Virgin Prop Maker Primary Colors FX

Scary Movie 4 Armorer Speed 2 FX

Step Up Armorer Jerry Maguire FX

Purple Heart Armorer Gridlockd FX

XXX 2 Prop Maker Romy & Michelle FX

Ice Princess FX Ghosts of Mississippi FX

Dawn of the Dead Prop Maker Men in Black Armorer

Memoirs of a Geisha Prop Maker One Fine Day FX

National Treasure Armorer The Brady Bunch 2 FX

Princess Diaries II FX Spy Hard Props

Lemony Snicket Prop Maker Mulholland Falls FX

Raising Helen Prop Maker/FX Operation Dumbo Drop FX

The Cat in the Hat Prop Maker Night Skies FX Asst-GasBombs

Tears of the Sun Armorer Street Corner Justice FX

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Thomas R Bender A California Knife Maker