The Garden Knife

Construction

Blade: The steel used in the Garden Knife is American made and comes from United States Steel Corporation (USS) and is known as COR-TEN, a weathering steel. COR-TEN is from a group of steel alloys which were developed to obviate the need for painting, and form a stable rust-like appearance if exposed to the weather for several years. The primary alloying addition in weathering steel is 2% copper. “Weathering” means that due to their chemical compositions, these steels exhibit increased resistance to atmospheric corrosion compared to unalloyed steels. This is because the steel forms a protective layer on its surface under the influence of the weather. The corrosion-retarding effect of the protective layer is produced by the particular distribution and concentration of alloying elements in it. The layer protecting the surface develops and regenerates continuously when subjected to the influence of the weather making it a great tool for our gardening application since it will be exposed to damp or wet dirt when in use. Weathering steel is popularly used in outdoor sculptures, such as in the large Chicago Picasso sculpture, and as exterior facades, for its rustic antique appearance.

We have chosen this steel for our Garden Knife because we want it to be a tool that you can use for your lifetime and something that will still be a good, quality tool to pass on to your children like my Grandmother did to me! The Garden Knife comes with a beveled edge on one side of the blade. Through usage, you may want to re-sharpen your blade and you may find it desirable to sharpen it on either one side or both sides, depending on your preference.

Handle: The handle of the Garden Knife is custom made from Oak, a hardwood that is both pretty and strong enough to hold up to years of continued usage. After the handles are shaped, they are then painted with three separate coats of Spar Varnish to ensure they will stay smooth and protected through years of hard use.

Screws: We have assembled the blade and handle with stainless steel screws that are strong and should hold up without rusting or breaking.