Here is a pair I finished up a couple weeks ago. This pair of knives, whimsically named The Twins will be sold only as a set. This pair of knives are featured in the David Darom – Dennis Greenbaum book “The Art of Moden Custom Knifemaking 100 Custom Knife Related Projects in the Making” In this book, there is a two page spread on with pictures and comments documenting how I made these knives.
The above photo by Jim Cooper is his typical awesome work. The book will be done some time next spring (released 2008).
If you are one of my relatives, you now know what you are getting for Christmas from us next year.
The steel is CPM154CM, a particle technology steel by Crucible Steel Company. This uses the same composition as 154CM or ATS34 but is smelted using a vacuum and particle technology. This gives the steel a much finer, more homogeneous composition and makes for an amazing mirror finish. This steel is not generally available for sale to the public yet. I had to talk a little to the guy to get some.
They are 8” hollow ground in mirror finish all the way. The bolsters are 416ss and dovetailed. The top knife uses black line spalted maple burl with black liner for accent. The bottom knife is redwood burl with red liner.
Here are a few pictures I took for the book that didn’t get published. Not enough room for all of them…
This shows the two knives curing the epoxy after setting the handle scales…
Soaking the just heat-treated knives in liquid Nitrogen at minus 300F. This converts any remaining austenite to martensite in the structure of the steel.
A cyro treated knife tends to hold an edge by up to 30% more in cutting tests…
Grinding the bolsters dovetail on the disc grinder.
One slip here and my knuckles are toast for a month…and it hurts like hell…
