Part 2: The Making of the Knife: Crafting the Blade

What do you need to keep in mind when making a blade?

Crafting a high-quality hunting blade is a meticulous process that demands both skill and precision. The primary considerations include selecting the right steel, ensuring the blade geometry supports its intended use, and achieving a balance between sharpness and durability. For the Balmoral knife, the focus is on creating a blade that can handle rigorous tasks in the field while maintaining a fine edge and resisting corrosion. Every element, from the type of steel to the grind, must work in harmony to deliver a blade that performs consistently and holds up under the demands of hunting.

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The steps involved

The creation of the blade begins with steel selection and shaping. First, the chosen steel is marked up from the Balmoral’s master template, then cut and rough-shaped to the dimensions required. The shape is then refined to a tight tolerance, and the tang holes drilled to accept the desired handle fixings – in this case, decorative ‘Mosaic’ pins. Further holes are made in strategic locations to aid the epoxy glue in binding the handle securely to the tang. This is followed by heat treatment, where the blade undergoes a carefully controlled process to harden and temper the steel, revealing its peak performance in toughness and edge retention. After hardening, the blade bevels are ground to achieve the desired grind shape and edge geometry, ensuring it performs well for slicing, skinning, and other intended tasks. The blade then undergoes an acid etching process to reveal the intricate Damascus pattern, giving it its distinct and striking appearance. Finally, the tang area is rough sanded to aid epoxy binding, and cleaned to degrease ready for handle fitting.

What steel and why?

For the MyHunt knife, we opted for Damasteel’s stainless Damascus patterned steel, a top-tier choice in the world of custom blades. This steel is a combination of two martensitic stainless alloys, RWL34™ and PMC27™, which are renowned for their strength, corrosion resistance, and superior edge retention. Damasteel’s powder metallurgy process results in a highly homogenous product, free from impurities, ensuring that the blade remains sharp over extended use and resists the elements. In the field, this means a knife that performs reliably with minimal maintenance—a vital feature for any serious hunter.

What is Damascus?

Damascus steel, in a contemporary sense, refers to the distinctive patterned steel created by combining two or more types of steel, often with different properties, into one material. In this case, Damasteel’s stainless Damascus uses a unique blending process of RWL34™ and PMC27™, resulting in a swirling, layered pattern revealed during acid etching. Beyond its aesthetic appeal, Damascus steel offers functional advantages; the different layers contribute to the blade’s strength, edge retention, and cutting performance. This blend of form and function makes Damascus steel highly sought after by both artisans and users alike.

What grind?

The Balmoral knife features a flat grind, a popular choice for hunting knives due to its balanced cutting performance. The flat grind tapers evenly from the spine to the edge, creating a thin, sharp edge that excels in slicing while still retaining enough thickness along the spine for added strength. This grind is ideal for the Balmoral, as it allows for precise control when skinning or processing game without sacrificing the robustness needed for tougher tasks. The choice of grind is a crucial element, as it directly impacts how the knife feels and performs in use, making the Balmoral a dependable tool for the field.

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Stay tuned for Part 3 in the coming days...

MyHunt Team