This page is part of the ARCHIVE COPY of John Bailey's original throwing knife shop. Details and copyright

Read Christian's story of the Boker visit

Trip to Boker Knives in Germany - September 1999


The trip to Solingen Germany went off without a hitch. My wife and I were the V.I.P. guests for Bokers 130-year anniversary and 25 year anniversary of the President, Mr. Felix, and the start of production of my knives. Christian Thiel came all the way up to meet me. John Introducing Wolfgang to Christian
The Tourist
From the photos you can see it was not all work. Boker supplied us with a guided tour for the first three days. We went down the Rhein river to Koln one day; off to Schloss-Burg castle the next day, then down the Wuppertal suspended train through the town. You can hardly turn a corner in Solingen without running into a blade or scissor plant like Henckel, Boker or Drelzack-Trident. Solingen, is after all; the heart of the cutlery production in all of Germany.
As to the two knives I designed for Boker, after much discussion we decided to change the lineup. It was brought to my attention that the TanKri would be better in the European market, because it's design was more in tune with present trend. The BoKri is ear marked for the American market and is in limbo at the moment. The Starlight is still in the development stages and should be in the February 2000 catalog along with the TanKri. I hope to have both in stock by December. 
John with the Blue Prints
at the Stamp Machine
Got Christian's approval
on the knife
The first twenty (20) of each have been set aside for special attention.  I plan on showing on this page, the step by step development of the TanKri; from blank to completion. Look for a button on my page with the up-dated information, as soon as I get it. As to the description of the TanKri. It is approximately 13" long, 2" wide (at it's widest points), 4.5mm thick, and approximately 15 oz. These dimensions are not etched in stone and do not include the handles. The TanKri will come in a leather sheath that can be used right or left handed. O.K. this is the point I know you many of you are waiting to argue about . Boker has assured me that they have one of the toughest Stainless steels out there and they can temper it to withstand the stress of throwing. We talked about this extensively, when we first met and I was convinced that a company, that has been in business 130 years, and has that much confidence in their steel should be given the benefit of the doubt. So, YES, the knife is made out of stainless steel.
The Starlight is made of the same stainless steel and is not in the stamping stage yet. But, I guarantee you it is like nothing you have ever seen. The prices have not been set because, prices are always determined after production and marketing evaluations. Boker will establish the price and it should be comparable to any professional or custom-throwing knife.

John L Bailey
Warm up for the
Boker Gala Presentation

© Copyright 1999 Bailiwick Enterprises. All rights reserved.
Reproduction or copying of images is prohibited. 

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This page is part of the ARCHIVE COPY of John Bailey's original throwing knife shop. Details and copyright
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