Sheath: Hand-carved, Leather Shoulder inlaid with American Buffalo (Bison) skin
Knife: This is a very nice custom knife, made for a
great client, and it was an honor to make this
unique knife for him. He chose my "Arcas" pattern, derived from
the Greek word "Arktos," the word for bear.
This is a very nice,
compact design of knife, a lot of knife in a tight package. The
steel chosen for this project is 440C but not just any 440C; it has
my premium heat treatment and processing: T3. I've
discovered that this
process yields an astounding blade in incredible condition through
advanced processing protocols. How advanced is this treatment? It's
a multi-stage cryogenic treatment, involving temperatures ranging in
over 1950°F (1066°C) to -320°F (-196°C). The process is an evolution
of my advanced heat treating processes, and consists of 33 dedicated
and specific steps and takes 172 hours. This means that just to heat
treat this blade takes over a week! The reason for this is
scientific and critical, but yields the most stable, most
wear-resistant, most durable and long-lived structure of this steel,
profuse with fine multi-element carbides and a uniform and
unbelievably robust structure. This is a testament to my
determination to make the very best knives, steels, treatments and
kits in the modern world. I know of no one else who has advanced the
treatment to this level; it's unheard of in the metals field.
The knife geometry is a deep hollow grind in a gentle drop point
which results in a very fine point and thin cutting edge with
excellent longevity even after repeated sharpenings. The blade is
mirror-polished for maximum corrosion resistance and beauty, and has
full complex filework throughout the fully tapered tang.
I bolstered the knife with zero-care 304 high chromium, high
nickel stainless steel bolsters, which are contoured, rounded and
finished for a comfortable feel. The bolsters are secured with
zero-clearance peened pins and dovetailed to bed the scales.
The scales my client chose for his project are beautiful
Tiger Eye gemstone. While most tiger eye is uniform and golden
in color, this particular set of scales from Africa have blues
with even hints of red running through. Technically, this is
classified as a "blue" tiger eye, but there is much more color
than the photos can display. The gemstone has quite a lot of
chatoyancy, the cat's eye effect, when moved and rolled in
bright light. The scales are locked beneath the bolster
dovetails and bedded to the full, solid tang. They are rounded,
smoothed, and polished to a bright vitreous finish and are very
comfortable.
The shape of the handle is a "three-fingered" style, with a
short overall length that allows the knife handle to be
completely wrapped by the palm. For a smaller knife, it's
surprisingly secure with a substantial forward finger groove and
contoured belly for control. The thumb rise allows solid
pressure to be applied to the tough, razor-keen edge.
Sheath: I wanted a very special sheath suited just to this
knife, so I chose a beautiful brown Bison skin inlay in leather.
Technically, bison is the most accurate scientific description for
what many call "American Buffalo." Using the name bison
distinguishes the animal from Cape buffalo or water buffalo,
entirely different animals. The bison skin is inlaid into 9-10 oz.
leather shoulder, hand-carved and dyed a medium brown. The sheath is
stitched with heavy nylon for durability, and sealed with
weather-resistant lacquer.
A beautiful knife that was a pleasure to complete!
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