New EDC fixed blade in K390 by David Williamson

C

capid1

Joined
Jan 11, 2011
Messages
811
Good afternoon everybody,


I just received my custom fixed blade in K390 and it is truly awesome! It was made by David Williamson of Ozark Traditional Knives. He goes by BlackCatt on BladeForums. I own a few of his knives and I knew he wasn't afraid to work with exotic steels. I asked him to make a fixed bade in K390 in comparable size to a Spyderco Mule. David truly exceeded my expectations on this one. Here are some specs,quick thoughts and pics...

OAL: 8.5in
Cutting edge: 3.6
Thickness at spine: .155in
Thickness behind the edge: .013in

The Steel

K390 at 64rc
Carbon: 2.45%
Chromium: 4.15%
Molybdenum: 3.75%
Silicon: .55%
Tungsten: 1.00%
Vanadium: 9.00%


Handle

CF handle with Dovetailed titanium bolsters. David did an amazing job on this. The attention to detail is nothing short of perfection. The handle just melts into your hand with no hot spots noted.

Blade

FFG Drop point with distal taper. The taper starts at approximately half way to a good usable tip. This is an EDC so I didn't want it fragile. It was hand sanded to a 400grit and I did not expect anything higher as it is incredibly difficult to hand sand. Even Phil Wilson stated he went to 400grit on K390 and he probably wont do that again.
The jimping is just about perfect as it gives good traction but not incredibly abrasive on the thumb

Sheath

During the build David contacted me asking if I wanted to use a new material (Bolatron) for the sheath. It has a CF pattern/look but without the expense of a true CF sheath. I think it completes the package.

Pictures

Knife and Sheath


Jimping and Dovetailed CF and titanium


As compared to a Spyderco Mule


Distal Taper


Random shots



Family of knives that David has made for me. Left to right is red and black G10 for a Mule in M390, EDC in K390, Best Friend Model in CTS-XHP, and the Dragon Drop Point in Elmax.


It is truly a privilege to work with David. His communication throughout the process was incredible and his work speaks for itself. If you have any questions let me know. Thank you for looking!
 
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Congrats on an awesome knife in an awesome steel! I remember David's very informative contributions to a recent thread about K390 in the Spyderco forum here recently -- based on that and other things I've read about it, it's definitely one of the steels I'm most eager to try.

If it wouldn't be too much trouble, and since you'll be using it as an EDC, some updates/impressions about the steel's performance would be very welcome. :)
 
Neuron,

I'll be happy to do that for you. Just from the few cardboard boxes I broke down something tells me it's going to be a long time before I need to sharpen it :D
 
Those are great looking knives. The design of your new one really appeals to me. I always like it when a custom maker is willing and capable of working with the new steels. And by sharing as you have done here, we learn a bit also. Thanks. Mike
 
Mike157 said:
Those are great looking knives. The design of your new one really appeals to me. I always like it when a custom maker is willing and capable of working with the new steels. And by sharing as you have done here, we learn a bit also. Thanks. Mike
Click to expand...

David really does go the extra mile with his customs. The list of steels he works with is nothing short of impressive.
 
capid1 said:
Neuron,

I'll be happy to do that for you. Just from the few cardboard boxes I broke down something tells me it's going to be a long time before I need to sharpen it :D
Click to expand...
Awesome, thanks!

(BTW, being a total steel junkie, I'm about to send you a PM to ask you a few more questions about David's custom work. As is often the case with threads here on BladeForums, chances are that all of this is going to end with me buying another knife. :p)
 
Sorry if this is a stupid question but how do you like the elmax knife? Im reading alot about elmax and was going to purchase the mule in elmax monday if I get a chance.
 
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