This is something that I really enjoy but its not for everyone.

In the course of exploring this technique, I had to experiment a lot to learn the correct amount of temperature and pressure to get the copper to fuse. In the making of this blade I pushed a little too hard at too low a temperature. It caused a crack to start from the spine down. I added some bronze to that spot and attempted a repair.

The bronze did not flow all the way into the crack on both sides, but it did at the spine and I decided to call it good (the knife didn’t want any more heat cycles). This sort of spontaneous repair and the effect it creates is really unique, in my mind, and adds an aesthetic that is almost impossible to create deliberately (though it is something I am interested in cultivating in my practice).

For more general info about this series, feel free to read my blog post.

52100 steel, copper, bronze.

The handle is Palo Santo which has already darkened since these photos were taken. I don’t know this wood well, but I would guess it will be nearly black before long.

Specs:

Length: 272 mm

Height: 52 mm

Thickness at handle: 3.7 mm

At midpoint: 3.0 mm

At grindline: 2.7 mm

1cm from the tip: .9 mm

Weight: 286g