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Black Scale Forge is Jordan Gutierrez, working out of Livermore, California. The origin story is the good kind. A conversation at work about railroad spike knives, one spike he had been saving at home, and a forge rigged out of bricks, charcoal, an old barbecue pit, and an air mattress pump. That first blade turned into a full time craft, and the work has moved a long way from the backyard setup without losing what makes it recognizable.
Gutierrez forges rather than grinding from bar stock, and the difference shows. Brute de forge finishes leave the hammer texture and forge scale on the flats where the steel was worked, so no two pieces come out identical. That is the appeal. On the other end of the range he does fully hand sanded work, bowies and choppers finished to a level that takes hours of stone and paper. Recurve profiles, layered and clad constructions, and full tang builds throughout.
The steels are forging steels. The EDC models here run 52100, a high carbon bearing steel with a reputation for taking an unusually fine edge and holding it, favored by forgers because it responds so well to thermal cycling. Larger pieces run 80CrV2 for impact toughness. Neither is stainless. Both will patina and both reward a wipe down and a light coat of oil after use, which is the trade for the edge you get.
The EDC is a 4.65 inch full tang fixed blade on 0.196 inch stock in 52100, with a nearly one inch thick micarta handle that fills the hand, available in green or black. Just under ten ounces. Note that these ship without a sheath, so plan on having one made or picking up something aftermarket. Past work has included pieces like the King Teddy, a 9.6 inch brute de forge recurve chopper in 80CrV2 weighing well over two pounds, which gives you a sense of the range.
Availability moves. Gutierrez is one maker with two hands, so what is on this page at any given moment is what exists. If you want more in this vein, the rest of our custom knives and fixed blade knives are worth a look.
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