The biggest change for me in 2017 is the switch from high carbon O1 tool steel to a "state of the art" powdered metal stainless steel manufactured by Crucible- CPM154. This is a change I have wanted to make for a bit and have finally done it. I settled upon CPM154 after reading the results of a comparative steel test in Blade Magazine and investigating a number of different steels. There are a couple of steels that have greater edge retention than CPM154, but they are extremely difficult to sharpen. I wanted a steel that would retain its edge and perform in the field, but could still be sharpened by the user. Here are the specs for CPM154 http://www.crucible.com/PDFs/DataSheets2010/Datasheet%20CPM%20154%20CMv12010.pdf
The only downside to the switch in steel is the increased cost of the steel and the increased cost associated with heat treatment and cryogenic tempering.
I referenced change number two in my introductory paragraph. This year I am going to focus on what would be considered a Loveless style knife. The designs are my own and feature guards of brass, nickel silver, or stainless steel. This type of knife takes more time for me to construct and requires a number of tasks my previous knives didn't.. Bottom-line, they provide a greater challenge for me. As of right now, I have developed three different designs- a Drop Point Hunter, a Semi-Skinner, and a Caping/Bird and Trout knife. All these knives will be made using CPM154.
Below is my first knife of the year. This is the Drop Point Hunter.
Specs are as follows:
Blade Length- 3 3/4"
Handle Length- 4"
Handle Material- Natural Canvas, Mosaic Pins
Steel- .125" CPM154 61RHC
Included is a hand-stitched 8/9 oz leather sheath
THIS KNIFE IS SOLD
My goal is to offer the absolute best working knives available to today's hunters. If you are interested in commissioning a custom knife of proven design and construction, used by some of the world's most experienced hunters, I can be reached at baumgartknives@gmail.com
Lee
