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Special
Announcement: I will be attending the New York Custom
Knife Show at the New Yorker Hotel, on Friday, November 1st and
Saturday, November 2nd. The hotel is located at 481 Eighth
Avenue, at 34th Street, and the show hours are: Friday, Noon
to 8:00 pm, and Saturday, 10:00am to 6:00pm. The main
telephone number there is (212) 971-0101.
If you
would like to order an Aftermath,
MicroMaxx Static
or a Venturi Balisong, for delivery at the show,
please call or email me as soon as possible to make the arrangements. See the
details on these newest knives below.
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5.5-inch exaggerated
Bowie Blade, fully flat ground to .01” edge with Carved
Titanium Frame.
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3-inch MicroMaxx "Static"
with Carved
Titanium Frame, and Satin Finish on French Gray background.
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These new knives incorporate my new
highest quality construction and finish standards and I will be
upgrading the rest of my line over time. I am upgrading the 7.125”
“Gibbs” Model Madd Maxx to a carved frame design
now.
The following are my
new standards used in these new knives and all my knives going
forward:
All these new
knives have extremely tight tolerances, as close as 5/10,000 in
most cases. All frames have a high-grade, almost mirrored finish
on the outside edges, and they are contoured, rounded and domed on
the edges to give them a “melted” feeling in the hand. The insides
of the frames are chamfered for additional comfort in the
hand.
I use a special blend
of 6Al4V Titanium, which has modified to my own
specifications - for added strength - in my frames. The frames are
satin finished on the faces, and contoured around the edges. This
gives a great feeling in the hand, and slims the knife down for
easy, comfortable carry in the pocket.
Finishing touches include satin, bead-blasting,
and color anodizing, nugget work on the handles, as well as file
work on the blades and handle exteriors. All knives now have a
jeweled finish on the insides of their frames.
All screws and hardware are hand-polished to a
high-grade finish. Pocket clips are all hand-rubbed to a satin
finish.
 My folders are now
made with both “tip up,” and “tip down,” screw holes pre-drilled and
ready for use. The blank screws holes are finished with an extra set
of polished screws to complete the aesthetics, and the clips are
easily reversible to your own preferred manner of
carry.
The Aftermath folder is
offered, standard, with an exaggerated bowie style blade (above), in
S30V, with your choice of the finishes below. It features the same
Integral Bar Lock as the Madd Maxx, which has been touted as the
world’s strongest folder (right).
The 3-inch MicroMaxx “Static” is available with each blade
style that I offered on its big brother, the Madd Maxx: dagger,
spear point, and Bowie. These and more photos are available on my
website. If you want something not shown, just ask!
All my knife blades are available with 3
finishes:
1)
Hand-rubbed
2) 600-grit machined
satin
3) Dual
finish (ceramic peened and satin finished) for tough
uses.
My blades are now being done with a
thinner edge-grind. It is my conclusion that thinner edges on
pocketknives simply cut better. I have done exhaustive testing on
all the blade materials I use, and every one (except Talonite®) will
take a very thin edge and still survive under hard use. They will
pass practically all the cutting tests I have been studying with
along Jerry Fisk at the various Camillus events.
I still adjust
the edge grinds to the blade lengths, with the larger Madd Maxx and
Venturi Balisong blades having greater edge-thickness for heavier
cutting chores.
I offer the following standard blade steel
alloys on all my knives:
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D2 for everyday use. It
is easy to sharpen and holds a great long-lasting edge. It also
has a “toothier” edge than stainless steels, and I use only the
Crucible AIRDI 150® D2 blend, for absolute cleanliness and perfect
consistency.
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CPM S30V® for tougher uses, and its stain
resistant properties.
I offer the following optional alloys
in any blade:
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CPM S90V® for the
extreme user. It is harder to sharpen, but it holds the best edge,
and has stain resistant properties.
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Mike Norris Stainless
Damascus. This steel is made to the highest standards, and I have
personally tested it to be certain. It cuts very well, and adds
great beauty to my knives.
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Talonite® or Stellite
6k®. Both cut exceedingly well, and I feel these alloys are ideal
for skinning and general meat cutting. They sharpen very easily
and will not stain. Both are uniquely well suited for wet use. I
grind these alloys with at least a .022” edge thickness to prevent
the possibility of chipping under side loads.
Most of my knives, from now on, will
have limited edition carved patterns. I will make only limited
numbers of frames in each particular pattern, and I hope this will
keep the collector value high.
I will also offer limited
edition inlayed handles on select models.
Inlayed materials
will include:
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Carbon Fiber
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G-10
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Fine Stag
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Rare Ivory and pearl
These inlayed frames will
be offered with a pure hand-rubbed satin finish and rounded,
contoured edges in line with my new finish standards.
In each
of my folders, the unlocking area of the lock bar and the opposite
side of the frames will have enhanced “grip-grooves,” in them. This
is designed for easier unlocking of the blade from the open
position.
 I still maintain my “straight-across,” theory
on the frame. No thumb relief is cut into the frame opposite the
thumb-release on the lock bar. This is the only logical set-up for a
working knife. The lock will not accidentally fail from twisting the
frame in the hand, or when accidentally bumping the release while
working with the knife.
Adopting these higher quality
standards requires that I focus mainly on one style at a time.
Consequently, delivery times on new orders will vary according to
what knives I am concentrating upon at the time. (I will fulfill my
commitments on delivery times for all standing orders, as
quoted.)
Delivery times on each of the the new designs will
be 30-90 days
Delivery times on all my other knives are also 6
months to one year.
I feel that maintaining the lead in the
custom knife industry requires dramatic improvements and changes
over time. I like to introduce all my changes at once, in order to
make the best impression. I hope this helps to lay out the path I
will be taking for the rest of the year.
I am entirely
committed to building the best custom knives I am capable of
producing. These upgrades in my standards and my new designs are my
best efforts to date, and I have a very unique new custom knife
design coming out soon!
Best regards,
Darrel
Ralph
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