Cosmoline
Member
I've recently run across some very nice blades by Mark Couch out of the blacksmith's shop in Palmer. I picked up a ram's head as a decorative office knife to sit on the book shelf, but found the quality of the cutting edge so good it quickly became a utility knife. Today I picked up an actual utility knife from Mark's little shelf at Northern Knives. The blades on both are 96 layer damascus 15N20/1080. The utility knife has a thickened steel handle and lovely brass pins. The weight is wonderfully balanced and I loved it the moment I held it. I already used it for some quick work on a giant zucchini and some fruit. I will be giving it a more extensive test in a few weeks when the rutabaga come in.
As I understand it, Mark is a smith by trade and does all kinds of custom iron and steel work. This is sort of a side line. But his prices are very low for the quality. The utility knife was around $200 and the other was $175 or so. I really like his style--he doesn't try to hide the metal or make it overly shiny or precious. The work of someone who really loves steel. Not as polished up as some of the custom blades around, but I like it that way.
As I understand it, Mark is a smith by trade and does all kinds of custom iron and steel work. This is sort of a side line. But his prices are very low for the quality. The utility knife was around $200 and the other was $175 or so. I really like his style--he doesn't try to hide the metal or make it overly shiny or precious. The work of someone who really loves steel. Not as polished up as some of the custom blades around, but I like it that way.
