My "organic" knife

K

Kevin R. Cashen

Joined
Sep 9, 2003
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2,361
The “organic steel” thread started by Platypus made me think if the project that my friend Tim Zowada had me working on all through November. I have been smelting my own steel from iron ore I dig myself right here in Michigan for a few years now (see the link here: http://www.cashenblades.com/challenge/challenge.html for more information on one of the public smelts I did in case you missed it in discussion previously on this forum.). Tim got very interested when instead of using rocky ores I started working with magnetite sand gathered from the shores of Lake Superior, so we started doing a few projects and smelting together. Earlier this fall Tim was asked to write an article about smelting to appear in “Knives 2012” and so I got a frantic call to assist in quickly working out the details and producing some materials and items for inclusion in the write up.

Of course we needed pictures of finished blades made from what I have dubbed “Gitchigumi-gane”. Here in Michigan the hunting knife is king so a simple hunter was my choice. As I work in my shop everyday and listen to the radio I have to hear the Michigan tourism add campaign of “Pure Michigan” all about Michigan products. I always had a smirk on my face as I polished a product made not only in Michigan but literally made from Michigan, so I decided to take that theme to the extreme. This is the result:

Pure%20Michigan.jpg


The blade is high carbon steel made by me from black sand gathered from the shores of Lake Superior, the handle is Michigan elk antler the fittings are unrefined natural float copper found in the northern Keweenaw peninsula, a mixture of pure metallic copper and rocky copper ore particles made by Michigan herself millions of years ago. The hamon is all natural (no clay) from quenching in Parks #50.

Fortunately I took several photos with different backgrounds so I can share this one with you and not give away anything from the article which will include details about our smelting and metallography work I did on the material. Tim now blames me for another hobby that eats up all of his spare time, but since he only works with the sand he doesn’t have the addiction as bad as me since I am also a rock cooker. This month I used my son’s college visit to MI Tech as an excuse to load my wife’s car with a quarter ton of hematite and magnetite rocks from the Marquette range… I am going to be doing some serious kissing up to for a while to smooth that one over:o.
 
bad@ss! great work. How did you collect the magnetite? Didya just sit there with a large magnet collecting it and dumping into a bucket?

Next thing that will happen is Chris Reeve will call you so you can refine the minor elements within the alloy so it will polish easier and hold and edge longer! 8^)
 
shotgunner said:
bad@ss! great work. How did you collect the magnetite? Didya just sit there with a large magnet collecting it and dumping into a bucket?...
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One of the reasons I like the rocky ores, despite having to roast them and crush them up myself, is that there are whole small mountains made from the stuff in the U.P. The sand on the other hand is very elusive and ephemeral, never really in the same place twice as the winds and waves of Superior seperates it out in veins on the beaches, it can be a lot of driving down remote trails until you find a black patch of sand, but if you are lucky it is pure enough to scoop up with your hands and fill buckets (which weigh around 3 times as much as regular sand, so you don't want to have to lug it too far:()
 
zaph1 said:
Very nice knife. Does the copper have a patina or is it a hammer texture?
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It looks like copper blue cheese because it is not refined copper but a rock that is so rich in copper that it is mostly pure copper metal with little black rocky inclusions everywhere. It is not particularly friendly material to work but having that texture is what makes it so appealing. If all natural is what you are looking for the guard and but cap were made entirely by mother nature, I only did a little shaping of it.
 
That's really cool Kevin. I like the whole "Michigan" theme. I was born and raised in northern Michigan and can easily envision all the places you are referring to.

That natural hamon is really cool too. Is there a short form (or long form, if you wish and have the time) answer of why that happened that way?

The rest of the knife looks like a very nice version of a classic Michigan hunting knife.
 
That is way cool! Have you thought about contacting a local historical society or museum and ask them if they would be interested in a display? I know our local society is all over stuff like this and so is our childrens museum with their natural sciences dept.


Way cool.


-Xander
 
Ah... The ultimate "found materials" piece, taken to the extreme. Neato :thumbup:
 
Super cool, Kevin, and proof positive that attention to the science of knife-making doesn't diminish the fun to be had.
(That's a neat hamon, too--P.94 figure 9.5B, Verhoeven)

John
 
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Nice knife and cool concept. That copper is unique. I'm curious about the hamon too...

"Gitchigumi-gane" has a nice ring to it. I live in the Okanogan valley and have friends who dredge for gold on the Similkameen river. They give me the magnetite sand byproduct from their operation. If I ever smelt it I'll call it "Okano-gane."
 
Fantastic and inspiring Kevin! I can't wait to see better pictures of this one.

-d
 
Salem Straub said:
They give me the magnetite sand byproduct from their operation. If I ever smelt it I'll call it "Okano-gane."
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Make sure you first smelt with sand, borax and sodium nitrate to extract the flower gold they gave you.

Then make iron, or sell the gold and buy iron... !
 
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