Step 12 - Marking the Knife  

 

Each Muhlhauser knife is individually marked. There are many ways a knife maker can accomplish this. Some choose to stamp their logo into the hot steel. Others go with the most popular method of electro-chemically etching the steel. These are both fine methods. 

At M.G. Muhlhauser & Sohne we laser engrave each knife with using a very powerful laser. The reason for that is that it not only provides an elegant look, but it also allows us to deeply engrave a unique serial number on each blade. This helps protect our customers from counterfeit knives. 

While some may try to emulate the laser engraving, they cannot replicate the unique qualities of the knife associated with a particular serial number. In 2014 we revamped our serial number sequencing to further help in the proper identification of our knives. Should you have ANY question as to the authenticity of a M.G. Muhlhauser & Sohne knife, please contact us. We keep full specifications and photos of each knife, and can compare these to the knife in question to verify authenticity. We suggest that anyone who buys a Muhlhauser knife secondhand, or from a non-authorized dealer contact us accordingly. It is a free service.

Incidentally, each knife also comes with an official Certificate of Authenticity, which accompanies all new knives when sold through legitimate channels. 

Back to the laser engraving… Each knife is engraved with our logo on the upper right of the left side of the blade.  We also mark each blade with our information as well as the type of steel and serial number.

The type of engraving we perform and the laser we use is important as well. Most knives marked with a laser usually have a coating sprayed on them, which makes the mark more evident. This is usually due to the weak nature of the laser being used. It makes a decent mark, but it is not altogether deep or durable.

 

Conversely, we use a much more powerful 100 watt YAG laser which actually engraves the hardened steel quite deeply. Furthermore, all Muhlhauser knives manufactured in  2014 or later feature a proprietary "diamond cut" laser engraving. Micro facets are cut into the engraved area of the logo with the laser. This slightly changes the way the logo catches the light. It is a subtle change, but one which adds to the overall appearance of the knife.

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The knife is now complete and ready for sale. 

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If you enjoyed reading how I make our knives, go ahead and take a look at our videos. The first two videos take you through the entire process from start to finish.