Late last year, SolidSmack reported on master Japanese bladesmith Murray Carter of Carter Cutlery and his unique process of using a Sakamoto Tekkosho power hammer to craft world-class knives.
Well, we followed up with Murray to find out a little bit more about his process, how the power hammer works…and what exactly would he like to smash with the power hammer if he had the option?
Who are you Murray Carter?
I am a traditional Japanese bladesmith – the 17th Yoshimoto bladesmith to be precise. I speaks fluent Japanese and lived in Japan for 18 years learning traditional Japanese bladesmithing. I forge high-performance cutlery by hand using traditional Japanese methods. We import some products from Japan (Shozaburo Shears, specialty artisan knives) that we can access due to my existing relationships there. We also sell educational resources ranging from books to sharpening instruction DVDs. We have the only traditional Japanese blacksmithing school in the US.
Tell us more about how a ‘Spring Power Hammer’ works? What do you create with it?
The power hammer converts centrifugal force into vertical force using a clutch assembly and a toggle. It was purchased in Japan from Sakamoto Tekkosho. Despite the fact that it looks you are just crushing something, using it requires precision. Too much force can split the steel and ruin the lamination we are trying to achieve. Traditional Japanese bladesmiths make laminated knives because they are stronger and easier to sharpen. A very hard steel (I work exclusively with white steel) is sandwiched between softer steel. This makes the knife easy to sharpen and gives the cutting edge great geometry.
What are the five wackiest things you’ve always wanted to hit with the Spring Power Hammer…a giant gummy bear for example?
Things I have smashed:
– my thumb–I lost a nail, but no serious injury
Things I would smash:
– politicians I disagree with
– yappy dogs
– mercury fulminate
– Obama’s health care plan
note: an earlier post mentioned that Murray would smash a Rubik’s Cube. He has since updated his smashing choices.
To check out Murray’s knives, head on over to Carter Cutlery.
