Blade Steels

There are many great blade materials available today. I use the following blade steels for the majority of my knives and have come to favor each of them for their unique attributes. These steels offer a wide range of mechanical properties and varying degrees of corrosion resistance to satisfy the most demanding cutlery requirements.

If you are not sure what steel you need, just let me know how the knife will be used and I will select the steel that best suits your needs. If you would like a material that is not listed below, just let me know what it is and chances are I can use it.


Ø ATS-34
A good martensitic stainless steel made by Hitachi in Japan. ATS-34 has been used by knifemakers for approximately 30 years, has good wear resistance and takes a fine finish. ( Sample )

Ø BG-42
A fantastic bearing steel made by Latrobe steel here in the United States. BG-42 is comprised of 1.15% carbon, 1.20% vanadium and 14.5% chromium. The vanadium gives the steel great edge retention properties while the chromium provides outstanding corrosion resistance. BG-42 is used in the military aerospace industry for bearings in critical applications such as rotors and valves. BG-42 will take a fine finish and gets screaming sharp. ( Sample )

Ø CPM 420V / S60V
A high speed tool steel made by Crucible Steel in New York utilizing their particle metallurgy process. Pre-alloyed molten steel is atomized into a spray of micro ingots of uniform size and composition. These are isostatically compressed at high temperatures into 100% dense compacts. CPM steels have a uniform distribution of carbides throughout the matrix. ( Sample )

S60V is comprised of 2.2% carbon, 9.5% vanadium and 13% chromium. CPM S60V has the highest edge retention and wear resistance of any stainless currently available. It is very difficult to work with, does not take a fine finish and is much harder to sharpen than the other cutlery grades of stainless.

Ø A2
A2 is an air hardening carbon tool steel. A2 exhibits good wear resistance and great toughness. A2 steel will get screaming sharp and is a good choice for larger knives where toughness is important. A2 steel is comprised of 1.00% carbon and 5.25% chromium. A2 is not stainless and must be properly cared for to prevent corrosion. A2 is considered to have the best compromise between wear resistance and toughness of any of the standard cold work tool steels. ( Sample )

Ø CPM 3V
3V is a unique new tool steel made by the Crucible Particle Metallurgy process. It is designed to provide maximum resistance to breakage and chipping in a highly wear resistant steel. 3V is a great steel which offers the highest toughness of all the wear resistant tool steel grades. 3V is comprised of .80% carbon, 7.50% chromium and 2.75% vanadium. 3V is not stainless and must be properly cared for to prevent corrosion. ( Sample )

Ø DAMASCUS STEEL
I use Stainless and Carbon Damascus made by Mike Norris. The Stainless is comprised of 19C27, 302 and D2 steels. The Carbon is made up of 1095 High Carbon Steel and 304 Stainless Steel. Mike Norris makes outstanding Damascus that looks and performs great. ( Sample )

Handle Materials

I use a wide variety of natural and synthetic handle materials. The natural materials offer beauty and warmth while the synthetics offer unsurpassed strength and longevity. I select only the finest natural materials available and go to great lengths to insure that they are dimensionally stable prior to being installed. The inherent problem with all natural materials is the fact that they expand and contract with temperature and humidity variations. I can not guarantee that a natural handle material will never check, crack or warp. If you experience a problem I will repair it for a modest fee.

The handles on my Japanese style knives are diamond wrapped nylon over genuine rayskin. The completed handle is coated with a UV resistant polymer that cures through chemically induced polymerization. The handle provides a superb grip and is virtually bulletproof. ( Sample ) Rayskin is available in several colors including red, black, ivory and gray.

I use handmade sterling silver menuki on my Japanese Style Knives. Menuki are priced at 40.00 each and any cord wrapped knife can be ordered with or without them.

All of the following handle materials are available on just about any knife I make:

Linen, Paper or Canvas Micarta, G-10, Carbon Fiber, Mastodon Ivory, Elephant Ivory, Desert Ironwood, Snakewood, Maple Burl, Spalted Maple, Box Elder Burl, Stag, Water Buffalo Horn, Apple Coral, Tiger Coral, Mother of pearl, Giraffe shinbone. Contact us for pricing.