9" Aikuchi in Crucible CPM-S45vn & LOTS of carbon fiber

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
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This was a really slick project, with a good backstory.

I was chatting with good friend of mine that lives far, far away from me during the start of the pandemic, and he mentioned a drawing he'd made as a teenager that had some design elements similar to a lot of my work. After showing me his schoolday sketches, I knew I needed to make it. He was gracious enough to allow me some creative room to truly make it my own, and this is the outcome.


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The 9" long blade in .160" Crucible CPM-S45vn features a satin finish blade, with frosted fullers.

Hand-laid and polished carbon fiber handle over Terotuf core, with carbon fiber tsukaito.

Matching saya in polished hand-laid carbon fiber. Kurigata in black Richlite.


Blade and handle are 14” long, and 15” overall length in the saya. Knife is 9-1/4 ounces, and balances at my maker’s mark.


As always, thanks for looking!
 
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that is a good story. I am making knives for friends right now, but not quite as cool of a story. You are a good friend, and that is one sleek beauty. I haven't ever polished carbon fiber. I assume you use grades of liquid polishing compound after the usual abrasives we always use. Maybe a buffer in there in between the typical abrasive paper stuff and the liquid compounds usually used on guitars and show cars and pianos and such (that's what I use on really high-polish poly, varnish, epoxy, etc.). Awesome. A knife with soul.
 
kevin (theprofessor) said:
that is a good story. I am making knives for friends right now, but not quite as cool of a story. You are a good friend, and that is one sleek beauty. I haven't ever polished carbon fiber. I assume you use grades of liquid polishing compound after the usual abrasives we always use. Maybe a buffer in there in between the typical abrasive paper stuff and the liquid compounds usually used on guitars and show cars and pianos and such (that's what I use on really high-polish poly, varnish, epoxy, etc.). Awesome. A knife with soul.
Click to expand...

Considerably more involved than that, buddy. I'm starting with raw carbon fiber cloth, then saturating it with resin. After it cures, you apply countless coats of resin until you build up the surface to be completely even. Then you wet sand, re-apply another coat of resin, wet sand, rinse, repeat. Over and over again until you get a buildup you can wet sand and polish the way you're thinking. The saya and the handle under the lace were taken to 4000 grit before they were buffed and polished. Each piece took about a month. Hope you're good, man!
 
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