Photos of the new shop

The house we found has a detached 2 car garage with a room above that was perfect for the shop and office. Putting up a couple of walls allowed me to create a separate room for all the dirty, grit and dust kicking operations. The main room has my workbench, mills, lathe, jig-bore, lapping machine, heat-treating oven, toolboxes, etc.... and the dirty room has the band saw, buffer, bead-blasting cabinet, grinders and surface grinder. Valerie has set up her office and photo studio in the room above.

Here are some photos:

Introducing my new line of Midtech knives

I have been wanting to do this series for many years but never had enough time to pursue it. This series of midtechs will be called the Jack after the Recon Jack of all Trades. All of midetchs are designed by me, parts are CNC machined, I will then examine, do the final fit and finish on each knife. The theme of the Jack series is down to earth tactical and defensive edge tools. I will be using the best materials for this series.

The first one being introduced is a knife that I designed about 25 years ago when I was in 4th Recon. During that time I experimented with a variety of knives that I made and settled in on this design. It is a 6.25" 1/4" thick CPM-M4 with Cerakote blade.

A 3 piece G-10 handle, the middle being red which represents the USMC blood stripe. Textured G-10, 3D contoured for a comfortable and positive grip. The sheath is the Hogue Elishewitz sheath, IMO one of the best nylon sheath on the market and MOLLE compatible. The handle has 4 hidden 1/4" hardened pins and structural adhesive as fasteners; with this construction the user does not come in contact with the blade if it touches a hot wire.

 
All the Jack series knives will have the "Jack Of All Trades" logo on the blade to differentiate from my custom knives.

There are lots of hidden meanings behind this design and there isn't one official JOAT. Most of the Jacks being used are very similar to this one: Here is a complete description I found on a Facebook page called USMC Recon Jack:
"the Recon Jack represents Recon Marines being the "jack of all trades." the gold wings, weather half or full wing span, stand for Recon Marines jump capability (to include static line, HALO and HAHO). The diver or "frogman" represents the combat dive capability, this is also sometimes represented by the diver rebreather worn by the skull (this image is most commonly seen in the Force Recon Jack). To represent the history of Recon Marines using small rubber boats AKA CRRC or Zodiac, the wooden paddle used. The paddle today hold a very special mean among Recon Marines, to be given one is a high honor. the Ka-bar Fighting knife again represents the history of Recon Marines being Swift, Silent and Deadly killers, using close and quite means to take out their enemy. the skull or "Roger's Skull" taken from the image of pirate flags, has on its forehead 3 bullet holes and a crack, each with its own meaning. The bullet holes stand for "Pain, Suffering and Agony." The crack in the skull stands for "Perseverance," because not even a cracked skull can stop a Recon Marine from completing his mission. In some Recon Jack images you may see on the top of the skull a torch, flame and wing, this is the logo of the Path Finder, a skill that is not what you may think, its the skill to be able to find and mark landing areas for para Ops, not a common image among most jacks but still one that is out there. On to the Path Finder torch is a single wing, that of the Greek messenger God Hermes, who wore the wings on his shoes to give him speed. It is simply part for the Path Finder badge but I see it as this; a Recon Marines main Mission is to deliver information back to the commander faster and more accurate than any other means, so you can see why the connection to Hermes is appropriate."

I believe that the meaning behind the Jack plays true to all the tactical guys that need to cross train in many discipline in order to be complete in today's society. I hope you enjoy the series!

This first series is now available in limited quantities in tan, green and black. The price is $450 including Priority Mail shipping in the USA (Additional cost applies to overseas shipping). 

Contact me by email if you are interested in one of the midtechs: allen@elishewitzknives.com


 

Update and new contact info!

The last few months have been a blur between getting ready for the ECCKS, a working trip to Hogue's facility in California and moving the shop to Tennessee. The final trip was rough but we made it and are getting close to being settled in. I'll post some pics soon but first here are the new contact info:

Mailing/shipping address:
875 HWY 321 N
Suite 600 #212
Lenoir City, TN 37771

Phone: 865-816-3309