A Set of Custom Knives

Posted below is a set of custom knives recently completed in my shop.

The Top knife is a large kitchen/chefs style knife with a full
handle and large 8 inch blade.

Second knife was made as a carver but a blade of this shape and
style has been around forever and could easily be used for many
tasks besides kitchen and meat slicing.

Third knife down is my last chance carry with a patina aged blade
and double pinned lanyard holes.

Last knife is a deep belly drop point design I make with a blade
about 3 plus inches.

All the knives were handled in a very hard and dense Australian eucalyptus
wood.

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

The 1 Wicked Way to dull a Knife in the kitchen

If you love your knives and you work at keeping
your edge at its finest then you want to keep reading
this.

I will have to also  say  in this post I am NOT
a professional chef in the kitchen, but I do know from
making knives for a living and using knives in many different
ways for years that if you want to dull your blade real quick
the number one edge killer is to use your fine tool improperly.

By this I mean if your cutting meat or vegetables
use a decent cutting board.

I worked with butcher's years ago and I don't
think I ever saw one of them using a Steel
top cutting surface directly with the blades of there
knives.

DO NOT Use glass or marble for a cutting area.
This will dull your fine blade up very quickly.

If you ask my opinion the best thing to use in the kitchen
is a solid wood cutting board.

Wood has been used for years and if you clean it
and oil it properly it should last a very long time.

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

Vintage Custom Knife years Later

This knife you may have seen posted before,  This is one
of my wife's personal knives.  Most of the work this knife
sees is in the kitchen, with once in awhile a fresh water fish.

At this point I cant remember exactly how old this knife and
sheath is, but it's older than ten years.  Closer to eleven.

This knife has seen many years of service and wanted to
show you how well it has aged, including the hand stitched sheath.

The blade on this is about 4 1/2" long.  Handle a bit shorter
than that.  The handle material is bird's eye maple and it
has aged very nice.  The pins are rustic steel pinned.

The sheath on this piece was hand stitched with very old
bark tanned leather that came from the old Muir and Macdonald
Tannery that is no longer in operation.

Also I have started uploading knife pictures  up to Flickr.  I will keep this updated.
Some of these pics are pictures not seen anywhere else, so If you want to
have a look here is the link.
ML Knives on Flickr

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