Spalted Pecan

BloodrootBlades

BloodrootBlades

Joined
Nov 29, 2011
Messages
128
Hey!

We just got a bunch of spalted pecan that we collected stabilized and this is the first knife that's wearing it, what do you think?

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The knife itself is 248mm tip-heel, HRC 63, convex on the right and full-flat on the left, sharpened 80/20 to 6000 and stropped :D

Thanks for looking!

~Luke
 
That's gorgeous!! If you don't mind me asking, what kind of steel are you using and how much does something like this typically go for? PM me if you would prefer :)

My best,
Dylan
 
Dylan,

We use all recycled materials. This one is from an old lumbermill circular saw blade with integral teeth. There are several different steels that get used for those blades, but they're almost all eutectoid steels with low amounts of alloy to increase hardenability and toughness. We thoroughly test each blade independently to dial in the heat treatment for that particular steel. This particular steel is HRC 65-66 as-quenched (oil quenching steel) and is remarkably tough in the mid-low 60's HRC- tougher than O1 and much tougher than 1095 when they're all at HRC 62 for instance. I couldn't figure out how to PM (I'm new to forums), but I left you a "visitor message". Best,

~Luke
 
That knife looks sick dude! Its funny that I just came across this because I was just talking about you the other day even though we've never met and this is the first of your work that I have seen. A coworker of mine was asking me about all of the knives that I always have on me and said that she knew a knife maker and it was you! I work at the Globe by the way so if youre ever dwntwn in athens and want to talk knives I am usually around. Great work again and I love that spalted pecan bet it smells nice when you work it.
Brian
 
Thanks guys! Brian- crazy that we'd first "meet" in an international forum when we're only a few miles apart!

We had the wood professionally stabilized, but I also sealed the grain with three coats of Danish oil and sealed any big pores with CA (pecan is ring-porous and has some big xylem elements).

The smell is a little so-so as it smells a little musty from the spalting, and once it's stabilized it's got some acrylic smell as well. The more intact wood does smell quite nice though- makes me hungry for some wild boar pulled-pork!
 
We cut some pecans down in my business partner's yard last summer, cut it into firewood-sized blocks, piled it in the shade, waited until January and Voila! Just sawed it up on the bandsaw and dried out the blocks to <10% humidity to stop the fungus and let it take the acrylic and mailed it off to the stabilizer.
 
That sure is a great looking knife. Handle material does nothing but make the whole package lovelier!

Good call on the copper bolsters too. Looks great with the wood!
 
Congrats on your write up in the paper by the way! Somebody pointed it out to me when I got to work yesterday and I was like "Wow thats funny I just commented on one of his knives on the forum the other day" Looks like youre comin up! If ya stop by the Globe Ill get ya a free beer to celebrate;) By the way do you know Jarrett Fleming? He's a maker in athens as well who posts on here makes some great looking stuff more of the outdoors type blades. Just wondering how connected the athens knife scene is.
Brian
 
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No, I haven't met Jarrett, unless I have around town and haven't remembered. The "scene" is reasonably connected, but I wish it were more so. I've met 9 other makers that live and work within 15 miles of Athens, and know of a few others. A few of them are more hobbyists than serious makers, but there is a LOT going on in Athens and quite a few makers are quite good. There are only two of us that specialize in kitchen knives to my knowledge, most folks seem to be making hunting/EDC. I'll take you up on the beer sometime!

~LS
 
BloodrootBlades said:
Dylan,

We use all recycled materials. This one is from an old lumbermill circular saw blade with integral teeth. There are several different steels that get used for those blades, but they're almost all eutectoid steels with low amounts of alloy to increase hardenability and toughness. We thoroughly test each blade independently to dial in the heat treatment for that particular steel. This particular steel is HRC 65-66 as-quenched (oil quenching steel) and is remarkably tough in the mid-low 60's HRC- tougher than O1 and much tougher than 1095 when they're all at HRC 62 for instance. I couldn't figure out how to PM (I'm new to forums), but I left you a "visitor message". Best,

~Luke
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Thanks Luke!!

I've been drooling over your work ever since I found my way over to your website. Keep up the great work!!!

-Dylan
 
Great looking knife Luke! I read an article about you in the paper the other day. Have you ever attended any of the Ga knife makers guild meetings? There is one coming up on May 4th I believe. It will be in Alto at Scott Davidson's shop and I hope to see you there!
 
Jarrett, hope to meet you soon. Yes, I'm a member of the Guild and have been to several meetings but can't always make it as I have a lot of family and work constraints. We're pretty much always at Trackrock and will be there again weekend after next- perhaps we can meet there if you're planning to participate. Best,

~Luke
 
I have never been up to trackrock but I plan on going to one of the get togethers sometime. I don't know if I will make it to this next one though. I would love to learn how to forge eventually, but right now all I do is stock removal.
 
what a beautiful chef's knife. Can you explain why you have made this type of grind? What's the benefit of it and how is the food release? I know a bout a 50/50 profile grind etc, but what's a 80/20 sharpening?

Thank you,
Johan
 
Van Zanten said:
what a beautiful chef's knife. Can you explain why you have made this type of grind? What's the benefit of it and how is the food release? I know a bout a 50/50 profile grind etc, but what's a 80/20 sharpening?

Thank you,
Johan
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Sure, thanks for asking. The food-release is good on a knife like this, which is the main reason it is convexed at all. Less of the surface of the knife is in contact with the food at a time with a convex blade, but by nature convex blades can't get as thin behind the edge as flat-ground blades can, so in order to reduce food stiction you tend to increase the pressure required to cut by a little bit. Of course these differences are merely academic unless the flat grind and the convex grind are extremely thin already. With a knife like this I've optimized/compromised the thinness behind the edge AND food-release by only convexing the side that the product falls away from during normal right-handed use. The complaints with asymetric grinds (like many Japanese knives) is that they "steer" to one side or the other and you have to compensate with your technique to create a straight cut. On a knife like this there is NO steering due to the thinness of the blade and the subtlety of the convexity. My customers are often worried about this with an asymmetric grind, but invariably they've said that it does not steer at all. Asymetric blades often cut the best if the sharpening geometry roughly matches the asymmetry of the blade for some reason AND asymmetric sharpening often allows the total (included) angle of the cutting edge to be less than it would be if it were 50/50 but still be able to support itself. This is one of the main reasons that sashimi knives that cut very delicate materials such as raw fish into translucent slices are often single-bevel- they can simply get sharper.

~Luke
 
Here's what a customer said about this grind- he didn't trust me at first when I suggested it to him as he doesn't like single-bevel blades that steer, but after a week or so of use he said this:

"Wow! The asymmetrical edge and blade perform even better than I expected. The knife tracks straight all the way through even the most challenging ingredients.
I was able to slice translucent slices of sunchoke. It was so impressive that I pulled out my (very sharp) one-sided, and two-sided Japanese knives to do a comparison. It was night and day."
 
That's a beautiful knife! I've been looking at your knives for a while now.. I recently moved out of Athens after 7 years there but frequented the farmers market hoping you would pop in! I found out about ya'll from a guy that works at sunshine cycles who told me about his friend who was really into leather working. I told him I was looking for a sheath blah blah blah then he told me about yall! Beautiful work! I was back in town last weekend but next time I come through I hope to be able to see some knives in person and hopefully purchase one.. Wonderful work!
 
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