Hello
all! What exciting times! Lots to talk about and show you in this newsletter, so let's get going. The
response to my last letter was great; I was personally answering your
e-mails for two days straight. One thing everyone wanted to know was,
“What do the MOAB knives look like?”
and
“When will they be for sale?” I
am happy to
announce their debut today, complete with pictures! 
I have 18 ready for immediate delivery as
a) completed knives, b) self-assemble kits, or c) blades only. As each blade is
hand forged and varies in size somewhat, I have adjusted the prices to
reflect small (3.5~4.5 sun), medium (4.6~5.5 sun) and large (4.6+ sun). | Small | Medium | Large |
|---|
| Blade
only | 245 | 270 | 295 |
|---|
| Kit | 345 | 370 | 395 |
|---|
| Complete | 445 | 470 | 495 |
|---|
On
a side note, one of my faithful
readers politely pointed out to me that there was one other knifemaker
who used the term MOAB for his blades also. I immediately personally
contacted that knifemaker by phone and inquired whether it was a
problem or not to use the same acronym. He was most gracious and said
there was no problem. 
By the way, MOAB, in Carter Cutlery language,
stands for “Mother of All Bailouts”
in celebration
of the unprecedented bailout package US congress has signed into
legislature. You will need a MOAB knife to cut your way out of the mess
our congresscritters have gotten us into! 
New Kuro-uchi Knives Posted
|
The
batch of 100 Kuro-uchi Kitchen Knives Murray has been working on is now
completed. Due to demand, Murray forged a large number of Nakiri in
various sizes as well as the other standard blade shapes. Please note
that when shopping at the Carter Cutlery Products Kuro-uchi webpage, the
pictures of the KU Series are generic, and while similar to the knife
being purchased, are not of the actual blade itself. Blade Performance
will be exactly what you expect from a Carter Blade -- The Best
You’ve Tried! A series of
FIRSTS For Carter
Cutlery
|
1st
Carter Cutlery Custom Carving Set
1st
Carter Cutlery Carving Fork
1st
Hand Carving in Wood Handles
The
following custom carving set was commissioned by a good customer and
his testimonial reads as follows:
"Well,
my friend, it was worth the wait! I was so excited to get
this commissioned carving set, and you have well exceeded anything I
could have imagined.
"As you know, this journey began
5 years ago when I decided I wanted a top-of-line carving set with a
presentation box to serve as a family heirloom for many generations of
Thanksgiving & Christmas birds, Spring roasts, Summer steaks,
and Autumn chops. My search took me first to classic
European/Western professional line makers, but as I learned more about
blade smithing my focus turned to Eastern makers -- especially Japanese
lines. Despite this, I still didn't find anything worthy of
an heirloom for my family, so I researched well-known and respected
bladesmiths, followed by master bladesmiths.
 "The first FIVE
resources I queried (names I got from journals, and 3 knife companies)
on such an expensive and personal gift gave me your name -- and the
rest, as they say, is history. Not only was I able to have
faith in your work as it is seen by many, if not all, master bladesmiths, as the best one can buy, but also in you. I had no
problem putting down a large deposit for a carving set that I wouldn't
feel in my hands for years, just 5 minutes on the phone with you allows
one to feel the man behind the forge.
"And
despite all this anticipation, you have exceeded anything I could have
wanted for the future look generations. The fork is unique
and solid like no other in the, literally, dozens I closely evaluated,
held, and rejected. The carving knife begs to be out of the box and in
a chef's hand, only to be queried by those watching to its origin from
handle to blade to designer to bladesmith... 'Ah yes, my
friends, there is a story behind this knife.'
"Your
set will now be a part of my family. Thank you for taking
those extra moments, those extra re-checks, that extra buffing and
cleaning and attention to minute detail on this set -- as if you were
making it for future generations of Murrays. That is why
people recommended you, and that is why, when people query me on the
origin of my set, you will be named.”
"Thank
you! --Rod"
Rodney
Look, MD
Chief
of Emergency Services
I
am taking orders for carving sets similar, but uniquely different, to
the set featured here. The cost including the presentation case is
$3500. Special customizations such as Damascus steel or other exotic
materials will increase the price. Remember,
I am now taking orders for and forging knives in my new line-up of SFGZ-EH
(HH). Below is an 8.4-sun Ebony-handled Wabocho in white steel that I currently have for sale. First one to contact
me by phone or email can buy it for $394.80. 
YouTube and
Knife Show Connection Update
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Our YouTube
viewership and subscribers are growing exponentially. This is a great
thing to see -- in no time at all we will have a greater demand for my
knives and bladesmithing school than I can provide. It really is neat
to be part of an American Dream in the making.
I’ll need to
come up with some new and informative YouTube entries, though
admittedly it will be hard to top the “Shaving
With a Machete”!! That video has created
quite a response, and the organizers at both the Oregon Knife Collectors Association April Knife Show
and the Atlanta Blade Show have invited me to be a featured demonstrator to,
yep, you guessed it... shave with a machete in front of hundreds of
blood-thirsty observers!
By the way, here are some
important dates to mark on your knife-related calendar: OKCA
Show, Eugene, Oregon , April 18-19 Blade Show,
Atlanta, Georgia, May 29-31 Blade Show West,
Portland, Oregon, September 11-13
These are pretty
much the only shows I have the time to attend, so if you can make it, I
sure would love to see you and chat with you there.
I
leave you with a few testimonials that have rolled in recently:
“You
asked me about my first impressions of your new knife
series, SFGZ-EH?
"How about knife nirvana! This knife
is simply awesome in every respect from fit to finish. Quality just
oozes from this beauty.
"I have been putting of thru it's paces in my
professional kitchen and it has become my 'go to'
knife. Easy to maintain, and handles everything I toss at it with
ease. Handle is beautiful and feels warm in the hand, unlike
synthetics. Blade geometry is crafted with a master’s touch
that shows when this baby falls thru, no slices thru, foods!
5 stars!
Johnny
Sarran
Owner
Bubba's Diner
"My neck knife is with me every day of the
week. I wear it over my singlet and under my shirt. By
wearing it like this, it is out of the dust (sort of) and out of
harm’s way until needed.
"I gave my neck knife
another sharpening on the weekend and I thought the edge was pretty
good, so I lathered up and had a shave with it. It was really satisfying
to utilise the quality of your blade and using my own efforts get the
blade sharp enough to shave my face fully. With further
practice I am sure I will improve.
"I keep watching the videos and
picking up different little bits and pieces -- they are an amazing tool.
I have also decided to start using a straight razor again. I
also had a look at your latest shaving on YouTube; very informative
and entertaining.
"Our kitchen knife is also brilliant, and with both
knives, it is not only how sharp they can be but also how quickly and
easily they can be sharpened. It is an honour to have these knives with
the craftsmanship that goes into them.
"I hope all is good with you.
Kind regards, and thanks for your help and inspiration.”
Peter
Gale, Australia |
Until
our next email news,
Stay
Sharp and may God richly bless you!
Carter
Cutlery
P.O.Box 307
 Vernonia,
OR 97064
Carter Cutlery ~ Home
Carter
Cutlery Products
phone 503-429-0447
murray@cartercutlery.com
|
