Bryan Raquin creates custom chef's knives using traditional techniques and house made san mai steel. A focus on heat treatment and performance has led Bryan to water-quench his blades almost exclusively and to work with exceptionally clean steels such as the small-batch 145sc steel, which contains 1.45% carbon and only minute amounts of other additives, including 0.31% Manganese. Learning from his mentor, friend and acclaimed metallurgist and knifemaker Eric Plazen, Bryan developed a deep respect for the opportunities and limitations of employing various forging and quenching techniques. The challenges, and advantages, of working with water-quenched steels is a major motivation in Bryan's quest to continually refine and perfect his craft. Hammering out profiles of gyuto's, sujihikis, nakiris and paring knives, Bryan uses locally sourced wood for walnut and burnt oak handles, and often employs 250+ year old wrought iron found in his local Auvergne region of France.