Design Theory and Knife Steels

Black Sand Knives are all designed and hand made custom knives. Each and every knife is handcrafted by Bernard Lambotte out of his shop in San Diego, CA.

Each craftsmen blade is built by hand from start to finish using materials that produce the highest quality culinary tools to enhance the experience for any Chef and cook in the kitchen.

Blade Steels

A first choice of high carbon steel for my premium knives is 26C3. This steel has an especially high carbon content of 1.2% which allows for an amazingly sharp edge along with great sharpness retention.

The next choice is W2 specifically from New Jersey Steel Baron which they have plenty in stock of the same configuration that is tested. This allows me to have reliable outcomes during my heat treatment process. This steel is also known for it to produce beautiful hamons as well as being incredibly strong steel that's perfect for a kitchen knife.

The last choice is 1080 - which is an awesome steel to work with, as it takes a very sharp edge all the while being easy to maintain and sharpen. It will also take a Hamon but not be as intricate in comparison to the 26C3 or W2.

What is a Hamon?

A Hamon is a way to give the knife a differentiated heat treatment. This process hardens the blade's edge while keeping the back of the knife soft. The blade has a layer of special clay painted on in different designs - I paint my on by hand on both sides off each knife. The clay is left until it is completely dry (24-48hrs). The blades are then heated to it's critical temperature, hardened in oil and tempered twice.

Handle Materials

I really enjoy bringing out the uniqueness of each knife by changing the combinations of materials to produce new interesting looks.

Each of my knife's handles consist of a mix of my favorite varieties of materials. These range from copper, brass, micarta, G10, and many species of wood from locally sourced, exotic and professionally stabilized burl.