Nate does Magnacut

[beeinak]

The first preliminary round of heat treat at Peter's didn't duplicate our results. This isn't unexpected, the same thing happened when we were developing the Delta protocol (it took a few tries), but it does mean we're not going to be shipping the Magnacut blades as soon as we had hoped. We got good results but not perfect and we're going to wait until it's right. Sorry (not sorry) for the delay. It's a new alloy and it will be ready when it's ready.

Not settling for ‘good enough’, ‘good’, or anything less than optimal….,that is pretty spectacular. Very cool!

 

[carnifex knifeworks]

The first preliminary round of heat treat at Peter's didn't duplicate our results. This isn't unexpected, the same thing happened when we were developing the Delta protocol (it took a few tries), but it does mean we're not going to be shipping the Magnacut blades as soon as we had hoped. We got good results but not perfect and we're going to wait until it's right. Sorry (not sorry) for the delay. It's a new alloy and it will be ready when it's ready.

This... this is why you've ruined me! Not settling for subpar, not accepting "close enough" as a standard, striving for excellence.
I can't even look at another knife without thinking, "But it's not a CPK". I'm sold. I just don't want or need other knives anymore.

I showed my friend my DEK1 tonight. He held it and said, "Wow! That is really comfortable." When I told him about the tests that have been done, the durability of the blade, the fit and finish, and the small batches the knives are produced in, he said, "That kind of craftsmanship is all but extinct these days."

Thank you for doing what you do!

 

[000Robert]

This... this is why you've ruined me! Not settling for subpar, not accepting "close enough" as a standard, striving for excellence.
I can't even look at another knife without thinking, "But it's not a CPK". I'm sold. I just don't want or need other knives anymore.

I showed my friend my DEK1 tonight. He held it and said, "Wow! That is really comfortable." When I told him about the tests that have been done, the durability of the blade, the fit and finish, and the small batches the knives are produced in, he said, "That kind of craftsmanship is all but extinct these days."

Thank you for doing what you do!

I was looking for someone that made knives like I would want to make. When I found CPK I knew that I was in the right place. I still buy autos and other types of knives occasionally, but I only buy and carry CPK fixed blades. I also bought both of my sons a DEK1.

 

[sickpuppy1]

This... this is why you've ruined me!

Not ruined….enlightened

 

[Blues]

Not ruined….enlightened

Apparently, Nate also "enlightened" CPK Mark...or at least his workplace.

 

[murat1983]

The first preliminary round of heat treat at Peter's didn't duplicate our results. This isn't unexpected, the same thing happened when we were developing the Delta protocol (it took a few tries), but it does mean we're not going to be shipping the Magnacut blades as soon as we had hoped. We got good results but not perfect and we're going to wait until it's right. Sorry (not sorry) for the delay. It's a new alloy and it will be ready when it's ready.

I thought it would not be possible to replicate a custom heat treatment performance using a mass heat treatment company. For instance there would be many blades in the kiln (furnace?) which would result in variations in blade temperatures. Consequently, due to the number of blades in the kiln and limited time, a fast plate quench would not be possible in a company doing a mass heat treat. I am wondering how do you manage to get a custom heat treatment performance of yours using a mass heat treatment company.

 

[Nathan the Machinist]

I thought it would not be possible to replicate a custom heat treatment performance using a mass heat treatment company. For instance there would be many blades in the kiln (furnace?) which would result in variations in blade temperatures. Consequently, due to the number of blades in the kiln and limited time, a fast plate quench would not be possible in a company doing a mass heat treat. I am wondering how do you manage to get a custom heat treatment performance of yours using a mass heat treatment company.

I would love to tell you but I won't. Take my word for it, there is a lot to it.


But 100%. We are doing it. I swear to you, and God, and all that is holy, we are doing it. And it ain't trivial. Peters is fantastic because they are responsive, competent, capable, and willing to do it. I have attempted to duplicate what we're doing in other places and Peters is the only game in town. They absolutely can and do. If I were doing it all by myself, I would be a very niche boutique maker with very minimal output because I am limited to only a few per day doing it the way I do it. They were not able to do it at first either, it took changes, but they did it, they got there.

I pay much much more for my heat treat than other makers do, but in the big picture it just amounts to little more than a rounding error (about the same as a few good ceramic grinding belts per knife) and I feel like we're still getting the best value out there out of it. It's expensive, but it's not ridiculous and it is worth every penny of it.

"Cpk" is actually a measurement of statistical process control. (Fun fact, I was a certified ISO quality auditor in a previous life) That's why I went with CPK instead of "Carothers Performance Cutlery". Which would have been a reference to something in China? I thought it was a better acronym. Because we are constantly testing for process control and Peter's has the best consistency, and it has actually gotten better over time. The work we are doing now is the best it has ever been.

 

[Jason M D.]

I would love to tell you but I won't. Take my word for it, there is a lot to it.


But 100%. We are doing it. I swear to you, and God, and all that is holy, we are doing it. And it ain't trivial. Peters is fantastic because they are responsive, competent, capable, and willing to do it. I have attempted to duplicate what we're doing in other places and Peters is the only game in town. They absolutely can and do. If I were doing it all by myself, I would be a very niche boutique maker with very minimal output because I am limited to only a few per day doing it the way I do it. They were not able to do it at first either, it took changes, but they did it, they got there.

I pay much much more for my heat treat than other makers do, but in the big picture it just amounts to little more than a rounding error (about the same as a few good ceramic grinding belts) and I feel like we're still getting the best value out there out of it. It's expensive, but it's not ridiculous and it is worth every penny of it.

"Cpk" is actually a measurement of statistical process control. That's why I went with CPK instead of "Carothers Performance Cutlery". Which would have been a reference to something in China? I thought it was a better acronym. Because we are constantly testing for process control and Peter's has the best consistency, and it has actually gotten better over time. The work we are doing now is the best it has ever been.

What you put in the heat treat is also evident in the mfg of you knives. The tolerances on the handle/scale mounting holes is pretty amazing. Lining everything up on my UF2 so I could take the scales off then put them back on took some effort. I was not expecting it. At the cost you sell these at must not leave room for much profit. You could probably sell them closer to the aftermarket prices and we would still buy them - please don’t though

 

[murat1983]

I would love to tell you but I won't. Take my word for it, there is a lot to it.


But 100%. We are doing it. I swear to you, and God, and all that is holy, we are doing it. And it ain't trivial. Peters is fantastic because they are responsive, competent, capable, and willing to do it. I have attempted to duplicate what we're doing in other places and Peters is the only game in town. They absolutely can and do. If I were doing it all by myself, I would be a very niche boutique maker with very minimal output because I am limited to only a few per day doing it the way I do it. They were not able to do it at first either, it took changes, but they did it, they got there.

I pay much much more for my heat treat than other makers do, but in the big picture it just amounts to little more than a rounding error (about the same as a few good ceramic grinding belts per knife) and I feel like we're still getting the best value out there out of it. It's expensive, but it's not ridiculous and it is worth every penny of it.

"Cpk" is actually a measurement of statistical process control. (Fun fact, I was a certified ISO quality auditor in a previous life) That's why I went with CPK instead of "Carothers Performance Cutlery". Which would have been a reference to something in China? I thought it was a better acronym. Because we are constantly testing for process control and Peter's has the best consistency, and it has actually gotten better over time. The work we are doing now is the best it has ever been.

Thanks for the clarification. So, as I suspected it is not a standard heat treatment protocol but something extra which is paid for. Previously, I thought you were doing the heat treat yourself. I thought you had 2-3 kiln and was constantly heat treating, grinding etc. etc. But as you said, when I think about the production output even without considering the pre-orders, it would be challenging to keep up with Friday sales if you were doing it yourself.

Even though I do not have any self generated data and evidence for me to believe that the mass heat treatment gives the same result as a custom heat treat (in your case), I have no reason to not to believe you. Based on what you showed in your performance videos, your attitude towards being transparent and perfectionist and the consistency and precision I see in my CPK knives, I believe what you say is accurate.

In one of the videos, you were comparing standard heat treat protocol 3V to D3V, were these blades both heat treated in Peter's?

 

[Sid Post]

I do worry that some common post heat treat grinding processes and dry sharpening techniques will burn the very heat sensitive Magnacut and sully it's reputation. We will see.

Could this be fixed after the fact by heat-treating the blade a second time and re-quenching it or tempering it some more?