In 2016 I started marking my knives to show what year the knife was stamped and what number in sequential order the knife was stamped. I say stamped because in some instances I may stamp the knife before I actually complete the knife. For example, the knife may be stamped in December of 2016 but not completed until January of 2017. The serial numbers are stamped into the blade before heat treatment. The serial numbers are four digits. The first two digits state the year the blade was stamped and the remaining digits represent the sequential order the knife was made that year.
1601 = The first knife I completed in 2016
169 = The ninth knife I completed in 2016
1621 = The twenty-first knife I completed in 2016
In 2017 I added a letter after the serial number. This letter reflects the type of steel used in the blade. Therefore, “171a” is the first knife made in 2017, and it is made with 52100 steel. Below is a chart identifying the type of steel used by letter identification. As I am only using 52100 ball bearing steel at this time, therefore the steel chart is extremely short. I will update the chart as more knife steels are used.
A = 52100 Ball Bearing Steel
Below are links to the knives made each year:
Knives Made in 2017
Knives Made In 2016
A Pig Sticker
Knives Made Prior to 2016
texasknives.org 