Long Time Coming. Classic blades and Must see Info.

 "It has been years since I have posted on this blog. This is one of the very first blogs I started and still has many valuable posts and info on my work on it. I have decided to start posting again on this blog!

I plan to mostly post from my vast archive of customs and old-school blades I have worked on.

If you have followed my work for years, you might have looked on here and have waited for new posts or just gone back to see some of these pieces. I have a tremendous amount of photos and info on custom knives and pieces I have made.

Originally, back in 2014, I was going to leave this mainly as an archive, but it doesn't hurt to post here as well.

I hope you all enjoy the posts.

So I will start back on here with this piece shown below. I have also attached a video below on this piece I put up on YT.

The piece below was a custom order with a large section of antiqued Crown Elk Antler. The forward haft of the handle was leather hafted with a section of hand-cut leather lace and sealed. The blade on this knife was about 6” long and has a spine 3/16” thick."

Thank you for looking

Matt ML Knives

https://ml-knives.com/

Fishing with my country bag, carry knife and a stag kephart custom

I had a chance to get out and do a little fishing recently
and I wanted to show you what I carry most times.

My country bag  that has a fishing kit inside, an ultra light
rod a reel and my carry knife.

This carry knife has been with me for awhile and now I am
currently carrying this with a single piece of leather and cord
lock.

I will post more about this in a different blog post as well as
give you more details and info on how you can use this set up.

This sheath set up will be offered on my website as well in the
future.



The kephart below is a custom order with a beautiful stag handle. Sheath has been hand stitched.

Thank you

Matt

ML Knives

http://www.mlknives.com

Straight back Knife with High grain burl handle

Posting this week is a custom straight back design with a
blade about 5" long both pattern and patina aged.

The handle is a one of a kind piece of high grain stabilized
red wood burl and the spine has been hand file worked.

The sheath has been hand stitched, hand tooled and carved
with a one of a kind design.

Thank you,
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

A custom drop point knife with tooled Deer Sheath

A recent custom knife posted bleow with a
blade a bit over 4 inches long, with both
pattern and patina aged finish.

The spine was hand file worked and the handle
is aged tiger maple.

The leather sheath was antiqued and hand stiched.
All the tooling and carving of the deer scene
was done free hand as well.

The Newest Video.

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

A Camp and field knife with a Customized Sheath

Below is one of my recently completed custom order
camp and field knives.

The handle is tiger maple with brass pins and rear
lanyard hole.

Something that was custom ordered on this knife
was the sheath.  This sheath has a custom flap
and snap that goes over the entire handle.

Also just recently posted a new video showing a different style snap
sheath below.

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Frontier Spear Point Knife with a custom Rawhide sheath

This is a recently completed custom piece.

The knife itself is a classic spear point design with a blade
over 4 inches long both with  pattern and patina aged finish.

The spine was hand file worked.

The handle is antiqued elk stag with a tight stitched forward
haft of vintage aged rawhide.

The sheath is one of my custom Frontier rawhide sheaths
with a hard veg tan liner.  The rawhide has been antiqued
and cross stitched and laced with vintage aged trade beads,
tin cones and horse hair.  The copper piece (dangler)
was also forged and shaped by hand.  This sheath can be
worn high and cross drawn.

Thank you
Matt
ML knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Happy Easter.

A Custom stag handled long knife

This week,s post is a custom frontier style long knife
with a blade that is a bit over 9 inches long.  The
blade also has a nice pattern and patina aging.

The knife was handled with beautiful antiqued elk
stag with 3 steel pins.

The sheath was antiqued and hand stitched and
was also set up to wear high on the belt and
cross draw.

The sheath also has free hand tooled and carved

cross hatching.

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.knives.com

Straight Back Custom with Stag

Recent custom work from my shop posted below.

This is a straight back design that is very traditional with a blade
about 5 inches long.

The handle on this is stag with three copper pins that have been
left with a vintage look.

The hand stitched sheath is a special order as well with a custom
brass snap flap.

A New Video has been posted as well.

Thank you

Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

A set of custom Belt Knives with forged guards

This weeks post is a set of custom belt knives.  Both of these knives
were custom ordered and have beautiful tiger maple handles
with steel pins.

The guards were forged from steel and hand fit to the beefed up
3/16" tang.

The blades are about 8 inches in length, with pattern aging.

The sheaths were both antiqued and hand stitched with a
loop for the belt.

Thank  you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

A customized Short Survivalist

This weeks post I have a custom order short survivalist.

This survivalist has been special ordered with mammoth
ivory scales and mosaic pins.

The leather at the rear lanyard hole was hand braided.

Sheath is my multi carry high ride/neck carry set up
in dark brown that has been hand stitched.

File worked thumb stops have also been worked
into the spine of the knife.

Thank you all for everything.

Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Semi Spear point custom knife and tooled Starry Night Sheath

This week I am posting a custom order knife that has a
a 6 inch semi spear pointed blade.  The blade also has
pattern and patina aging with a file worked spine.

The spine is 3/16" thick with a solid heft.

Handle was shaped in a bird beak shape with old
growth rough cut maple.  Pinned with brass pins
over brass washers.

The sheath was hand stitched and hand tooled
and carved with a representation of
Vincent Van Gogh's starry night.

Another image of the sheath has been posted on flickr

Thank you
Matt ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Woods and Bush knife with Beautiful Ironwood

Recently I completed this custom woods and bush knife for
a custom order.

This Woods and bush has some very nice ironwood with
a beautiful burl grain.  Also requested was a thinner 3/32"
spine and a pattern and Patina aged blade.

The sheath is one of my hand stitched custom dangler sheaths.

Also Part 2 of the Country Bag video.  This bag is almost completed and I will have a final video
posted when It's all set.

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Wilderness Neck Knife and a set of Fire Steels

This custom order Neck knife will make a great companion
in the wilderness.

Overall this is about a 7 inch knife with a really nice patina
aged blade.  Handle is some really beautiful Tiger maple
with large brass pins.

I custom made a slimmer ferro rod for the neck carry option
and it fits right next to the knife on the sheath.

Both of the Fire steels were forged from stout steel in my shop
and are tempered to throw some nice sparks.

Some of you have asked me in the past about some of the leather tools and knives
I use in making sheaths and some of the leather work I do.

Below is one of my custom leather cutting tools I use everyday.  I forged this in my
shop and it works great.

I guess you could say this is a cross between a head knife and a mini ulu, without
a handle.  I have more control with it the way it is shaped and the size I find I can
use for most leather cutting.  The blade is about

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Large Frontier Knife..

The Frontier style knife below was a custom order knife with a blade
about 8 inches long.  The knife will be used to butcher large game
and I am sure for many more tasks as well.

The blade also has plenty of forge pattern and patina with a hand
file worked spine.

The guard was forged and hand fitted right after the antiqued bone
handle.  The pins are of steel.

All my sheaths are hand stitched just as this one and was antiqued
to fit the piece.

When Possible I like to share some of the photos I take in back country and trails I
hike.  Below are a couple pics I took you might like.

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Straight back Frontier style knife and a set of vintage knives

This week's post will feature recent custom work and a
photo of my vintage work.

First is this nice straight back classic design.  A knife of this
design has has many names attached to it through history.

It's straight back spine and just about 5 inch blade would
be an ideal set up for many uses.

The blade has some forge pattern as well as a medium patina.
Handle is very nice antiqued tiger maple.

Sheath hand stitched and set up high ride style with some
hand tooling and carving on the face.

Next is a group of knives I found looking through some older
photos.  This picture goes back to 2005 so all of the knives
were made about 8 year ago or so.
Thought you would all enjoy seeing this.

Thank you
Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

A Set of Mini Kephart Knives

Recent custom work, completed.  This week is a set of custom made
mini kephart knives.

Both knives were handled with tiger maple and have pattern and
patina aged blade.  The mini kephart also comes with fileworked
thumb stops on the spine.

Both sheath's were set up for belt carry and have hand carved names
and the top of each.

Thank you

Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Price Frontier Hunter/Skinner with Big Bear tooling

Recent custom work posted below.

This is one of my customized Price Frontier Hunter Skinners
with an antiqued stag handle.  Antiqued steel pins and brass
washers.

If your jumping here from the net and just
finding out about my work here are some more details.

The blade on this knife is just about under 5" and the forward
part of the blade has a tapered swedge clip.

This knife has also been customized with a rear lanyard hole.

The sheath was hand stitched and made to wear high on a belt
and cross drawn.

The lower face of the sheath I hand worked a big bear scene with
tooling and custom carving/line work.

Also posted below is some custom leather tooling I created on a
custom sheath. As all my tooling and leather work everything was
done by hand starting with a sketch on paper, or directly in the leather.
If I can ever get some time to make a video on the techniques I use
for this I will.

Thank you

Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Vintage dirk style knife from Past Work

A mid week Look at a custom knife from my past work
collection of pictures.

This piece was made awhile back, maybe 2007 or so.

Piece represents the style of early vintage dirk type knives.

A knife similar in design is shown in Swords & Blades of
the American Revolution by: George C. Neumann on page 236
Titled EUROPEAN KNIFE

The blade if I remember right was about 6 to 7 inches in length
with deep grooved file work.  The handle was aged stag
with steel pins and the forward collar was aged raw steel.

Sheath was hand stitched and set up to wear high on a belt
with some tooling and carved line work on the face.

Thank you

Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

Long Knife with Stag

I Recently completed a custom order Long
knife with a 10" blade and Stag handle.
I posted a new video to show a closer look
at this knife.

Here is a close up photo of the tooling
and carved line work done on the sheath.

Thank you Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com

What Everybody Ought to Know About Carbon Steel Knives

If you love carbon steel already, or you have followed or own my work
then you just plain love the steel.

To those that are new to my work or the world of carbon steel knives
I decided to re-post some brief info or quick tips on carbon steel.

Especially 1095 high carbon, the steel I use.

Carbon steel fact's or what you should know about it.

Can I use carbon steel cutlery in the kitchen? 

Yes. Carbon steel is sought after for its edge holding capabilities

and ease of re-sharpening.

Not only does it make an excellent knife in the kitchen but this is
a great steel for just about any purpose.

Many a good hunting, survival knife and butcher

blade (just to name a few) has been forged and made from

carbon steel.

For many years carbon steel has been used and has
worked well, and it still remains an outstanding steel.

What kind of oil should I use on my blade or how do I care for it?

Mineral oil.  You can use other oils as well but mineral oil is my number 

one choice.

How do I clean my blades?

Hand washing is what I recommend on any custom knife

I offer.  Never a dish washer. 

Will my high carbon steel blade turn a different color?

Yes.  This is called patina. An array of grays and dark black 

color can build up on your blade and those who know of carbon

steel love this effect.

This also will help protect your blade. A decent post on the subject
of patina.  
Patina, a beautiful thing

A beautiful carbon steel kitchen blade that has served well.
Patina is very nice on this wide blade.

How often do I sharpen my knife? 

Simple, if it starts feeling dull sharpen it.

Many chef's sharpen there knives once a day.
This is a tool and proper edge maintenance

is important.  

I have posted on my blog about sharpening stones, have a book
on the topic and several videos on youtube on sharpening
and knife care.

until next time.

Thank you

Matt
ML Knives
http://www.mlknives.com