Culinary The Stage Coach Special Wrought Iron Integral Chef Knife

The Stage Coach Special Wrought Iron Chef Knife.

This knife took a lot of time and effort to forge and finish. With a forged-to-finish integral bolster, you can see the center core shrink down into the blade where the materials squeeze into a perfectly distal taper. A lot of skill and luck went into getting this to work out this way. Every detail has been attended to with micro precision and slow, tedious care. It is very thin and designed mainly for fine slicing and dicing of vegetables or boneless meat. It has been hand sharpened on a diamond wet stone and is one of the sharpest knives ever made — it will chop through a paper towel roll standing up with ease, slice thin pieces of paper, or glide right through a tomato like butter. Please be careful with it! See the videos on Instagram or YouTube for a sharpness demonstration.

Materials

• Core: 52100 high carbon steel, one of the best for edge retention, durability and toughness, tested at 56–59 Rockwell hardness.
• Liner: Pure nickel. The shiny layer not only gives the blade a beautiful contrast but functions as a protective layer to keep carbon from migrating out into the jacket from the high carbon 52100 core.
• Jacket: Historical repurposed wrought iron dug up from behind the Banks blacksmith shop in the historical photo. With a deep etch you can see the layers of wrought iron that look like wood. Each piece is unique, giving the knife character and soul. This jacket also gives the knife a springy, flexible nature since it remains soft after heat treatment. Wrought iron is no longer manufactured, so it's rare.
• Handle: Desert ironwood collected by hand from deadfall in Arizona in the 1970's. Ironwood is one of the hardest, most dense woods on earth and is naturally stable and rot-proof on its own forever.

Dimensions

Each piece is hand forged and one of a kind.

• Overall length: 11 3/4"
• Blade length (heel to tip): 6 5/8"
• Height at heel: 2"
• Spine thickness: 3/32" at maker's mark, tapering to 1/32" at the tip
• Weight: 7.6 oz (216 g)

Care

Hand wash and dry immediately — high carbon steel and wrought iron will rust if left wet. Wipe with a light coat of oil before storing, and never put it in the dishwasher. Hone often and use a wood or plastic cutting board.

Protect your blade and handle: Our handmade Skillet Seasoning Wax, made with beeswax from the hives on our farm and cold-pressed avocado and coconut oil, conditions high carbon steel to prevent rust and keeps wooden handles from drying out or splitting. Completely non-toxic and food safe.