Gallery of Past and Current Work

[MSicardCutlery]

It's been a very busy 2 weeks for me. A bunch of customs have made it out the door.

First there was this flat 250mm Sabatier-esque workhorse in Magnacut. The profile really grew on me while I was working on it, so I layed out another one just like it that I'm hoping to finish before the new year.

There was a matching set of 3 52100 blades

And this treasure here. I don't often get asked to work with my nicer burl, but I really enjoy it when I do.

I also made great strides with my yanagi. This is my second. The first had a somewhat uneven ura. It's correctable, but it will require more hand finishing than I have time for at the moment. This one came out much better, and is mirror polished 52100 as per request.

I also tried my hand a a different steel, CPM-CruWear. I've been curious about it a while and thought I'd give it a go. I never thought I'd say this, but it really makes me appreciate working with MagnaCut. It's much easier to grind than this stuff.

I've also more or less run out of prefabricated handles, so I started on a batch of 70. Mostly oak and maple, but some walnut and cherry too.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Great stuff Matt!

I dig what you did on that k-tip and love seeing you explore and push and learn.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

I couldn't help but post this one. This is after just one polishing cycle too. You can see some subtle intimations of how active it will be after a couple more. Usually I'm not this excited about honyaki this early into the polishing phase.

It's a 240mm made from SheffCut, a 26c3 derivative.

 

[zizirex]

It's been a very busy 2 weeks for me. A bunch of customs have made it out the door.

First there was this flat 250mm Sabatier-esque workhorse in Magnacut. The profile really grew on me while I was working on it, so I layed out another one just like it that I'm hoping to finish before the new year.
View attachment 214500

Is that the clone of my order? the twin of my MagnaHorsey

 

[MSicardCutlery]

Is that the clone of my order? the twin of my MagnaHorsey

That is the one! And I have a cousin of it to get going on in Z-Wear too now.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

This past weekend was a very busy and productive one. I finally got around to experimenting with high alloy san mai. Below is my proof of concept billet comprised of 4 layers, 304ss/Z-Wear/MagnaCut/304ss. No drawing was done on that billet, only pressing. The Zwear appears to have set more cleanly than the MC, so there's some investigating to be done on that front, but after I completed that initial test I immediately tacked up a full sized billet of 304ss and Z-Wear.

I don't think I've ever worked a billet quite as cautiously as I drew this one out. The welds appeared to be perfect with the exception on the very ends, which is something I typically see with low alloy san mai anyways so there was no great loss there.

This was part way through the rough grinding on a 36 grit belt. The core is partially exposed and everything is looking solid.

I put it through HT and everything came out ok. Just doing the straightening now before the final grinding. You'll see that blade up in the sponsor market as a semi custom before long.

This is really exciting to me. I can't wait to play with other interesting high alloy steels, like MagnaCut and M4.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

I etched the blade and discovered that Z-Wear does not get very dark at all, and noticed that the blade surface had become somewhat more geographic that I like so I took it back down a bit. I think I've achieved a good balance now.

 

[M1k3]

I etched the blade and discovered that Z-Wear does not get very dark at all, and noticed that the blade surface had become somewhat more geographic that I like so I took it back down a bit. I think I've achieved a good balance now.

View attachment 222853

I've found Z-wear to be pretty much stainless, despite it technically not being a stainless steel. You probably need to use muriatic acid.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

I've found Z-wear to be pretty much stainless, despite it technically not being a stainless steel. You probably need to use muriatic acid.

You're probably right about that. This stuff was tempered in the low range too.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I etched the blade and discovered that Z-Wear does not get very dark at all, and noticed that the blade surface had become somewhat more geographic that I like so I took it back down a bit. I think I've achieved a good balance now.

View attachment 222853

That's a gorgeous look.

 

[Justinv]

Did you put nickel between the core steel and cladding?

 

[MSicardCutlery]

That's a gorgeous look.

Thanks!

Did you put nickel between the core steel and cladding?

I did not. I don't have any on hand.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

Finally getting started on a run of pettys. These are all MagnaCut, 3x 180mm, 1x 170mm, plus a 54mm tall 240mm k-tip gyuto. The shortest, a 130mm already has a home. I'll get the HT finished today, and plug away at these as time allows. As of right now only the little one is spoken for, they should slowly make their way to the sponsor market in the coming weeks.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Nice Matt. And again, for anyone wondering, my 165 AEB-L styled as above is a permanent fixture in my line up. It is very much a utility and quick task blade for me but also has enough versatility for silver skin and the like.

It's a really nice "making lunch in the morning before work" knife.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

A few new projects from the last little while

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Those petties are sexy.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

Thanks man! I'll have to make more soon.

 

[MSicardCutlery]

This has been a busy few weeks mostly making honyaki.









And mostly succeeding at it, but there have been a few failures

That's the first blade I've cracked in a long time, and the first I've cracked using P50. There were a few that developed hamons too close to the edge....or even not at all. Sometimes for no apparent reason.

I did also manage to get into the shop to do some forging for the first time in months. With the new batch of Apex Ultra out I decided to draw down some bars of the stock I have from last year, for mono steel blades. While I was at it I even got around to some damascus

24 layers of twist damascus. I'm hoping to get a few suji out of that bar.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Pyro!

 

[MSicardCutlery]

It has been a busy and hectic two months.

A large batch of handles that honestly haven't really been worked on since I took this picture. Some bloodwood, leopardwood, bocote, purple heart, and birdseye maple. Mostly walnut ferrules/caps, but some african blackwood too

A custom Sab style 225 with a curly walnut handle

A custom Apex Ultra santoku with a Laotian rosewood and Bastogne walnut handle

The choil shot of same

A custom 52100 nakiri

A semi-custom suji in 27 layer twist damascus (15n20+1084)

A 200mm CPM-D2 petty

A big one here, 260mmx60mm with a bloodwood handle, and it's a lefty

One of my nicest choil shots to date, off the 250mm Apex Ultra Sabatier style chef listed in the sponsor market

It's been a busy month for cleavers this one is 240x100....3 guesses who's it is

 

[MSicardCutlery]

Another custom cleaver, but not for Bill this time. 220mm x 110mm in AEB-L with an amboyna burl handle

A custom honyaki


A 285mm CPM-D2 sujihiki

 

[MSicardCutlery]

It's been a busy few weeks, but here are some of the projects that were finished in that time period.
An AEB-L and walnut petty

A go-mai Apex Ultra/15n20/low carbon gyuto with a bocote and walnut handle

A stainless clad Apex Ultra san mai sujihiki with a purple heart handle

A wrought iron clad 52100 sujihiki with a roasted birdseye maple handle

A 26c3 honyaki sujihiki with acocote handle

A wrought clad 52100 sujihiki with a bloodwood and walnut handle

A more basic 255mm 52100 gyuto with aburned oak handle. I still make utilitarian knives, but I don't post about them as often anymore.

This MagnaCut k-tip has one of the nicest handles I've made in almost a year. Stabilized amboyna burl, african blackwood, and brass

Ands this labour of love, a sabatier styled 250mm chef in stainless clad MagnaCut

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

All super sexy Matt!

 

[MSicardCutlery]

This was a real test for me. SS clad S90V.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

S90V is an outstanding steel!

 

[MSicardCutlery]

So, it's been a while since I made any serious updates to this thread. Suffice it to say it was a very busy summer with a few really nice wrought iron blades finished

As well as a few utilitarian pieces and one especially unique frame handle

And some san-mai too

 

[MSicardCutlery]

Trying to perfect my honyaki photographing skills on this suji....

I am honestly in awe of how well @KasumiJLA takes shots of them. Everything seems to just fight you.

 

[mc2442]

I am just an idiot with an iphone when I try to capture anything interesting happening in blades.

Looks good tho Matt!

 

[MSicardCutlery]

Thank you!

 

[KasumiJLA]

Trying to perfect my honyaki photographing skills on this suji....

I am honestly in awe of how well @KasumiJLA takes shots of them. Everything seems to just fight you.

You mean like those shots


It's honestly not that bad if you can control the light you are using paired with a good camera. Btw, nice blade Matt!!