Zedteq Hunting Knives

Darren Englebretsen, New Zealand

Steel

I use recycled L6 high carbon circular sawblade steel for my knives. The advantages of this steel are that its heat treatment procedures are well known and relatively simple, and it can be tempered to yield a knife with a good balance of hardness and toughness. In addition blades can be edge quenched, giving a knife with a hard, tempered edge having good edge retention backed up by a tougher, more flexible back. The downside of such plain carbon steel blades is that they will rust. This can be partly prevented by not storing the knife in its sheath when not in use, and cleaning and drying the knife carefully after use then wiping with a fine machine oil. Any rust spots that do form can be removed using 3M Scotch Brite™ or similar non-metallic scouring pads.

Handle material

I use Maire, a New Zealand hardwood (the hardest of all New Zealand native woods, photo below left), as the default wood for most of my handles. Maire is hard, dense, durable and attractive. Note that currently available pigstickers are furnished with Jarrah handles. I can also offer handles by request in Paduk (sometimes spelt Padauk, a reddish African hardwood, photo below right). For custom knives I am able to offer red stag antler handles, subject to availability.

Maire Paduk