Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives |
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New to the website? Start Here |
"Vindicator" with Lapis Lazuli Gemstone handle |
The best way to contact me is through email. Here's the link to my email page. I will respond to your emails if you are seriously inquiring about a fine custom or handmade knife, sword, or project.
Want to send your inquiry, design idea, or request via United States Postal Service, FedEx, or UPS? Here's my studio address:
Telephone numbers: I've had to remove my phone numbers from the public part of the web site, due to the high amount of unrelated traffic and inquiries. If you've already purchased one of my knives, you have my phone number. If you don't, please email me with your knife request. Thanks for your understanding.
The Studio: My Sharp Instinct Studio overlooks Dennis Chavez lake and park, at 14th Street and Edwards. Due to Fire Department Codes, the studio is not open to the general public.
New is better! My studio name (from about 1995) was "Enchanted Spirits Studio." I had this name when I was located in Magdalena, New Mexico, and kept it when I moved to Clovis, New Mexico. I chose this name because our state motto, "The Land of Enchantment." It's on every New Mexico license plate; it's on every New Mexico State quarter. New Mexico has enchanting vistas, tall mountains, stark deserts, lakes, rivers, and plains. We have a wide range of cultures, arts, and sciences, all in a very neat part of our country and world.
However, the word "enchantment" has been hijacked by the new age crowd and mystical clusters, and in the rest of the country, has become a bit of a bent and mixed-up idea. Too bad, because it really only means a very cool place to be and live. I've had people actually complain about the name, be confused about the name, and have even had visitors knock on the door and ask to "See the Shaman." REALLY.
The other part of the original name was "Spirits." A spirit is a good thing to have, but Google and the internet (which came along after my studio name) has decided that the word "spirits" means that I obviously sell liquor. Yep, phone calls in the middle of the night requesting kegs of whiskey and special brands of alcohol were just ridiculous. I still receive catalogs for liquor sales items, mugs, counter displays, handouts for all my drinking customers... ahem.
So new for 2020, I changed the name of the studio to "Sharp Instinct Studio." This should erase the issues of the previous studio name, and describes what I believe it takes to make knives, a sharp instinct for lines, design, fit, finish, materials, and history. After doing this for over 40 years, I realize that instinct plays a role in what makes a good knife great, what makes an idea become a work of functional art.
I'll be posting new photos of the studio, the sign, and any new information here to keep everybody current. It's still the same place, about 3000 square feet of workplace and art studio, in the same location, by the same guy. Only the studio name has changed... not the idea or the creations.
I'll post more photos as the rebuild is underway. In the photo above, we've just completed the mounting of the new sign and the front painting. Still have some window works to do, but it's all looking pretty good so far!
I couldn't have done this without the help of mainly Donnie Land, and also the help of Hunter Plant. These guys came through to speed up the process, with great ideas and some real fun in the process.
In the photo above, Donnie is applying the final row of screws to the drip plate. The letters are hot-formed molded acrylic, coated with UV protection. They're mounted with stainless steel studs through a background of blue foam PVC board, which is screwed to sheets of exterior grade plywood. The plywood is treated with UV blocking and hardening preservative, and the ply is bolted to the angle iron frame I welded in place. The frame is bolted to the building with 1/2" all-thread rod, completely through the cinder block. The sign is 20.5' long and 3' tall.
The lower part of the sign is covered in aluminum flashing, and I'll mount the address there in acrylic later. The top of the sign and the edges are covered in 4" x 6" galvanized flashing, to prevent any water from reaching the plywood. This also frames in the blue board. We used a ton of stainless steel truss head screws, everything that is exposed is protected or immune from corrosion.
You might wonder why this thing is so sturdy, and that's hard for a lot of people to believe. Where I live, we get "normal and typical" springtime winds of over 70 miles per hour. Yep, it's true. The Llano Estacado has nothing to stop straight-line winds, and they happen without a tornado, storm, or weather event. People in other locations panic when they get 30 MPH gusts, and that's just a breeze here. It isn't always windy; most days are pleasant and mild. This photo above was taken on the 21st of December, the first day of winter! Note Donnie's short sleeves: 65° and mild!
Remember how I mentioned straight-line winds of over 70 MPH? Note the wire stays on the evaporative cooler and the heater vent. I'm working hard for a new roof for the facility this year; fingers crossed! I'll finish the windows and do some landscaping as spring approaches.
I’m lucky to have been blessed with the vision of wonder and creation. Art is not subjective, or objective; art is interactive. You are the key, the parity to my equation. Thank you for your interest and patronage!