09/30/2026
This Tuna Sword build was about a year in the making. My point of departure was Nick Anderson Nautilus pattern that my highschooler malcolmstewart009 and I were fussing with in the shop last fall. Nick was really generous with his time for a few phone calls to walk us thru a pattern he had created 6 yrs ago. Then this spring when I was in Washington state at Salem Straub forge he said “Hey let’s turn the billet 90° I bet we can get the lines of W’s to look like tentacles!” We had no idea what was going to come out except it would potentially be Squid shaped. I present to you “The Humbolt Red Devil” mosaic. Named after the super agressive squid off Nick’s Northern California coast. But before it became a knife, I needed to learn vacuum casting. You’ve seem pic of me and my shop buddy Adam in big white lab coats casting stuff in the past.
This time we took a photo of mine that was about 8 miles offshore of Quepos, Costa Rica where I set my personal best record for depth. It was a transformative experience to dive that deep and come back. Adam took the pics of the waves on the surface, exported all the wave data into a 3D modeling program, created a bolster then skinned it overtop. *Big breath, I’m still going* then we 3D printed a bunch and cast them in silver and also brass. Handle is African Blackwood, expertly sprayed by Rouge River Heritage Interiors pic of the stand alone bolster by Todd Bolce Knives I want to thank everyone who helped along in this process, answering weird little rabbit hole questions of mine. I’m so grateful for friends that have helped along the way. This and two other damascus knives will be on display at the autumn art exhibit at the Summit Centre in Huntsville, Ontario Oct 7, 2026 - Jan 5, 2027. Coles Art Market Matt Coles Algonquin Art Centre Muskoka North Studio Tour S a i r a 🏝️ Wynn Stitt Fleming HSAD
