Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Chicoma" Custom Knife

• Size: Length overall: 7.5" (19.1 cm), Blade Length: 3.5" (8.9 cm), Thickness: .200" (5.1 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 6.0 oz. (170 grams) Sheath: 3.5 oz. (99 grams)
• Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Cryogenically Treated, Hardened and Tempered to 58 HRC
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, hand-engraved
• Handle: Carnival Crazy Lace Agate Gemstone
• Sheath: Hand-carved, hand-dyed leather shoulder
• Knife: This is a new custom knife design for a great client who requested a hybrid combination of my Mule and Jemez patterns. I named it Chicoma for the highest peak in the Jemez wilderness here in New Mexico. This peak overlooks the Jemez Caldera, a huge 100,000 year old extinct volcano that is a national treasure in beauty and wildlife in our state. If you've seen the show "Longmire" on Netflix, you will recognize the cabin location looking across a vast expanse of a green bowl, and in the background Chicoma peak. No, Longmire is not filmed in Wyoming, but here in New Mexico! Chicoma is a Jemez Pueblo Native American name meaning "center of all things." The knife blade is a small but extremely well-ground and mirror polished drop point, a graceful blade with gentle curved grind terminations and full simple vine filework. The steel is 440C, for the ultimate in corrosion resistance and high toughness and wear resistance, and I've performed by best heat treatment possible on this knife, consisting of deep cryogenic quenching and aging for over 40 hours at -325°F for the maximum martensite conversion and maximum precipitation of carbides, with deep cryogenic thermal cycling and compression between triple tempering for the ultimate in wear resistance and toughness that is possible with this steel. The blade has a fully tapered tang for balance, and is bolstered with zero-care 304 austenitic stainless steel bolsters. This is the same stainless used to make stainless nuts, bolts, and fasteners, with 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel; it's extremely tough and durable. I hand-engraved a leafy wreath pattern on the bolster faces, and they are contoured and dovetailed to bed a pair of Carnival Crazy Lace Agate gemstone scales. This is a fantastically intricate gemstone, and it's hard and tough and striking, even under intense magnification. See the enlargements below. This is a gem that will literally outlast the knife, the owner, and many generations! It's smooth and hard and comfortable to hold.
• Sheath: I made the sheath to match this custom knife, bold, but not too overwhelming. I hand-carved a leaf-wreath pattern in the sheath front, back, and belt loop, and hand-dyed the 9 - 10 oz. thick leather shoulder with a color to match the reds, burgundies, and ruby colors in the gemstone. The sheath is hand-stitched with polyester, and sealed with a thick coating of acrylic for longevity.
• A small, elite custom drop point knife with a huge presence that was a pleasure to make.

Thanks, R. F.!