Northlander Forest Knife. M390. Curly Birch

After the grinding is done, the knife is heated in a computer controlled oven to precisely 1050°C (1922°F) and then quenched between two aluminium plates and circulated air quench. To reach the 65-67 HRC hardness for the blade it is subzero treated for 2 hours at -80°C (-112°F) in dry ice. This is also called cryogenic hardening or deep cooling. The super cool temperatures transform the steel structure from austenite into martensite. Cryogenic hardening relieves some stress, raises the Rockwell hardness by 1-3 points and refines the internal grain structure of the steel. The knife is then annealed for 2 hours in a tempering oven of 150°C (302°F). 

The blade for this knife is matted using a very smooth sand blast stream. The sand for this final abrasive is taken out of our local river-bed. Afterwards, the blade is smoothly polished with diamond polishing paste, giving the blade a satin finish. Afterwards the knife is honed to razor sharpness.

The guards and fittings for this knife is made of Titanium. The handle for this knife is hand shaped out of a block of stabilized Curly Birch, thermally treated wood that grows very slowly in the far North in Finland (Lapland). It is oiled with a pure tung nut oil and afterwards waxed with beeswax.

The sheath is made from a block of turkish walnut burl.  It is oiled with a pure tung nut oil and afterwards waxed with beeswax. This wood comes from the species "Juglans Regia" that originated in Iran, and is the same species as English Walnut. Although the mineral content in the Turkish soil gives the wood a different color, it still has the dark brown or black mineral lines. The base color of the wood tends to have a range from light honey to a subtle orange cast. These trees can be as old as two hundred years and have trunk diameters in excess of ten feet. The exhibition blanks are highly prized and are found on some of the worlds finest guns.

These knives are crafted by Chris, our master bladesmith.