WW = Weird & Wonderful

Bowie Blocks™

At a show in April 2004 we introduced the Bowie Block™. The response was great and we've stocked the blocks since that time.

A Bowie Block™ is a block of handle material with a unique shape. Rather than being a rectangular block, the material is cut at an angle on one side. The shape allows knifemakers to make a handle that drops at the back. The shape of the block minimizes waste and cost.

The width column has two measurements. The first measurement is the narrow end of the block. The second measurement is the wide end of the block.

B/U: Bohler / Uddeholm

Bohler and Uddeholm are two large steel companies based in Europe. Both companies make high quality steel alloys and are subsidiaries of Voestalpine.

Cross Grain:

Steel is toughest when it is cut with the grain. However, we occasionally get pieces that were cut across the grain. We call this “cross grain”. The cross grain billets are discounted.

CRA: Cold Rolled Annealed

Cold rolled steel has a nice finish. The surface is bright and smooth. It can be darker on the edges of the sheet showing some heat coloring from annealing. Cold rolled alloys have minimal runout. The steel is annealed (soft).

CRHT: Cold Rolled Heat Treated

Cold rolled heat treated applies to only some 15N20. The steel is heat treated to approximately HRC 45. This alloy is used extensively for sawmill bandsaw blades. The sawmills require the steel be heat treated.

Even though this 15N20 is heat treated, it is not full hard. It is easy to work with metal working tools. When drilling this 15N20, It is important to keep constant pressure and use a lubricant.

ESR: Electroslag Remelt

Electroslag remelting is a process of remelting and refining a steel alloy to make it cleaner. The result is very clean steel. The steel is annealed (soft).

FG: Flat Ground

The AKS definition of flat ground is +- .001 inch runout across 12 inches. The surface of the steel is ground until it is bare steel with a uniform grind pattern. The front and back of the billet are parallel.

FGHT: Flat Ground Heat Treated

Flat ground heat treated applies to only some 15N20. The steel is heat treated to approximately HRC 45. This alloy is used extensively for sawmill bandsaw blades. The sawmills require the steel be heat treated.

Even though this 15N20 is heat treated, it is not full hard. It is easy to work with metal working tools. When drilling this 15N20, It is important to keep constant pressure and use a lubricant.

The AKS definition of flat ground is +- .001 inch runout across 12 inches. The surface of the steel is ground until it is bare steel with a uniform grind pattern. The front and back of the billet are parallel.

HRA: Hot Rolled Annealed

Hot rolled steel has mill scale and is dirty on the surface of the steel. The mill scale is easily removed by multiple processes such as pickling or sand blasting. The steel is annealed (soft).

HRDA: Hot Rolled Descaled Annealed

The steel is heated and run between rollers to achieve the desired thickness. As the steel cools, scale forms on the surface of the sheet. The scale is removed by sand blasting or shot blasting. After blasting, the surface of the sheet has a rough finish. The steel is annealed (soft).

HRPA: Hot Rolled Pickled Annealed

The steel is heated and run between rollers to achieve the desired thickness. As the steel cools, scale forms on the surface of the sheet. The scale is removed by immersing the sheet in a bath of acid. The process is called pickling. The acid removes the scale. After pickling, the surface of the sheet has a rough finish. The steel is annealed (soft).

PESR: Pressurized Electroslag Remelt

PG: Precision Ground

The AKS definition of precision ground is less than .001 inch runout across 12 inches.

PM: Particle Metallurgy

Alloys using particle metallurgy processes are made from powdered metal. The powder is put in a can and pressed into a solid billet in a hot isostatic press.

CPM: Crucible Particle Metallurgy

Crucible is a steel company based in USA. They produce multiple steel alloys. Some of the alloys are made using the Crucible Particle Metallurgy i.e. CPM process.

The first step in the CPM process is heating the steel until it is a liquid. The liquid is sprayed through a small nozzle and forms into a powder. The steel powder is packed into a steel container that is welded shut. The container containing the powder is placed into a hot isostatic press or HIP. The HIP heats the container and compresses the steel powder into a solid billet. After the billet cools the container is removed. The remaining billet has a consistent composition.

The major advantage of the CPM process is producing alloys that would not be possible using traditional steel production processes.

CG: Cross Grain

Steel is toughest when it is cut with the grain. However, we occasionally get pieces that were cut across the grain. We call this “cross grain”. The cross grain billets are discounted.

Flash Sale

Due to the CrowdStrike debacle, our flight was cancelled and we were unable to attend the PNWCI show. As a result, we are having a special Flash Sale on all Timascus pieces.

The Flash Sale can start and stop at any time. If you see something you want, do not delay or you may miss the sale.

You must complete order checkout to get the Flash Sale prices. All carts will be emptied when the sale is over.

All sales are final. No returns or refunds for Flash Sale items.

Blemished

Some materials have blemishes. Examples are surface imperfections, foreign objects in the finish, dings or scratches, etc. The pricing for blemished items is significantly reduced.

No returns or refunds for Blemished items. All sales are final.

On Sale

All the materials marked as On Sale are the same materials listed on other pages of this website. The difference is dimensions, sizes or other discrepancies. The quality is exactly the same.

No returns or refunds for On Sale items. All sales are final.

Sprint Run

All materials marked with Sprint Run are limited. This means it is a small production run, sporadic availability or we probably cannot get it again.

If you decide you like Sprint Run materials, buy them while they are available. You may not see them again.

Let us know if you like a Sprint Run item. If demand is high enough and we can get the material again, we will make a new web page for the material. However, there is no guarantee we can get the materials again.

No returns or refunds for Sprint Run items. All sales are final.

Sprint Run - CD#1 Carbon Steel

This alloy is made by Carpenter Technology. The full name is Micro-Melt® CD#1. Carpenter makes some excellent alloys. It is unfortunate that their alloys are difficult to find and buy.

CD#1 is made using the particle metallurgy process. It is designed for for extreme toughness and is one of the toughest cutlery alloys available. When properly heat treated, the edge can be ground thin and not chip.

To heat treat CD#1 use the information in the CD#1 Data Sheet.

No returns or refunds for CD#1 carbon steel. All sales are final.

Sprint Run - Blue Denim Laminate

This material is a composite of epoxy and blue denim fabric. It is made like G10, but with blue denim instead of glass mat. The epoxy in the laminate is the same epoxy used in all our G10. The material is bonded together under high pressure and heat the same as G10. The finished material is strong and looks good. There is a light blue side and dark blue side.

The knife below was made in 2017 by Jon Walker. The blade is 8670 full hard (not tempered). We wanted to test the untempered toughness of the alloy. The guard is heat colored zirconium. The handle is blue denim laminate with orange G10 framing the tang. A copper rod was peened to resemble a rivet. The knife is used every day at a packaging station.

 

Working Tips:
Use new sharp course belts with little pressure. Pushing hard gums up the belt quickly and creates fuzz rather than dust. The denim fabric quickly burns. The belts were sprayed with WD40 during grinding. The belts that worked best were inexpensive aluminum oxide 2x72. The AO belt is a big change because we prefer ceramic belts. The speed of grinder was turned down. Buffing was more difficult than G10 or micarta. Again, the denim burns quickly unless light pressure is used.

We bought this material to determine if knifemakers and collectors like it. If it sells well, we will buy more. Let us know your opinion.

No returns or refunds for Blue Denim Laminate material. All sales are final.

Sprint Run - Black Canvas Laminate

This material is a composite of epoxy and black canvas fabric. It is made like G10, but with black canvas instead of glass mat. The material is bonded together under high pressure and heat the same as G10. The finished material is strong and looks good.

We bought this material to determine if knifemakers and collectors like it. If it sells well, we will buy more. Let us know your opinion.

No returns or refunds for Black Canvas Laminate material. All sales are final.