Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

What is a commemorative knife?

Commemorative knives are knives that have special and custom text, graphics, or a combination of both to commemorate or recognize the knife owner, user, event, or group. A personalized knife can also be called commemorative, when a simple identifying mark is permanently applied or created on the knife or ensemble component. A commemorative or personalized knife is very special to the user, owner, and presenter. Permanent identification, marks, or imagery signifies the personal or professional affiliation and value of the knife, and sometimes its use and character. It also often characterizes the owner of the knife and perhaps their personality. Military knives, combat weapons, law enforcement tools, and even personal working knives can be commemoratives. I make commemorative knives with personalization for any interested knife buyer, at their request, in my shop and studio.

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Who else does this?

I only perform commemorative embellishment, personalization, etching, machine engraving, or custom marking and identification on my own knives.

If you are looking for this service, currently, I know of no other individual knife maker who can and does do this for his clients. There are some jewelers who might take this on, but typically, they are not equipped or familiar with knife blades, hardened and tempered knife blade steel, marking methods, or layout or arrangement of this type of custom work. Trophy shops may be able to help, but don't count on any quality there as trophies are a strictly low-end business.

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How are commemorations created on the blades?

When applied to the blade, in my commemorative knives, I use several proven methods:

• The Blade finish matters in the treatment of the imagery, as well as the blade steel type.
  • In bead-blasted finished blades, I usually machine engrave the imagery using a diamond drag, diamond rotary, or carbide rotary method. This cuts through the flat bead blasted finish on the blade and gives a bright, shiny cut in various or accumulated widths. It is deep and permanent. If a knife blade is bead blasted and hot blued, it creates a striking, bright metallic cut in a background of flat black.
  • In mirror finished blades, I typically etch with a powerful and sophisticated process of successive chemical acids. These are not typical acids, as I design them to cut into the high chromium stainless steel blade surface which usually resists any corrosive exposures. I use no electricity, as this will fog the image edges, and is typically what you see on most maker's marks on today's modern knives. My images are crisply defined, at over 1/100,000 of an inch detail, showing the finest resolution possible. In most steels (including stainless), the cut is dark gray and flat, in some stainless steel types, it is a medium flat gray. It took me six years to perfect this process and it is proprietary.
  • In some cases, I electroform the imagery with another sophisticated process that is similar to the etching process above. Electroform is a very thick, successive electroplate with several different metals. I currently electroform in nickel, silver, copper, 24 kt. gold, green gold, rose gold, and even rhodium over stainless steels, low carbon steels, and high carbon, high alloy tool steels.
  • Sometimes, the client requests personalization such as a monogram, which they request be hand-engraved. Please read about hand-engraving on my Embellishment page.
• Will it last? All of the methods I use are permanent on the knife blade, and would take machine tools, such as power buffers and grinders to remove. I suppose that someone could rub off the electroform if they used a heavy cutting rubbing or polishing compound daily for years, which is unlikely. The acid etching is very deep and would take regrinding of the blade to remove. The machine engraving would also take regrinding followed by re-blasting to eliminate the images. So with the typical minimum care of the knife and blade, the commemorative imagery should last as long as the knife, through at least several generations.
• The knife care does not differ much from any finely made knife, an occasional hand waxing is all that is required to keep the commemorative knife looking new.

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Are commemorations just for the blade?

Though the most requested commemoration is on the blade of the knife, I'm not limited to just the blade. The handle can be a canvas for the artistic and text images, as can the sheath, the case, and even the knife stand. It is up to the client, the artist, and the types of material chosen for creation of the entire piece and ensemble. I've machine engraved micarta phenolic, exotic hardwoods, and even gemstone. I've etched gemstone with acids, engraved brass insets and plaques in cases and stands, and applied personalization and commemoration on bolsters.

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Text or graphics or both?

The imagery of a commemorative or personalized knife is either text or graphics or a combination of both.

With modern technology, nearly every font style of text is available, but that does not mean they all look good. Please remember that text can be very small when etched or engraved on to the knife blade, and must still be readable. Most computer fonts are applicable so their is a bewildering amount of options in text. Often, the text itself is a graphic representation as it is modified from a simplistic, typical font form to a post-modern work of graphic art.

Graphics can be supplied by clients, but usually I work these up myself, since good, high quality graphic sources may be limited. I consider graphics artwork as part of my tradecraft as a modern knife maker. Graphics may require hand-drawing and clarifying, digitizing and cleaning for a clear, crisp image, and typically take more effort and time than standard text forms. Graphics must fit on to the area, which on a knife blade is large in horizontal length, but small in vertical height, which can be a limitation to consider.

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How much does it cost?

Since all my work is custom, the cost depends on the individual job. If the image is simple text, the cost is less than elaborate or complicated graphics, where a lot of time must be taken to digitize and clarify an image. If the engraving is done by machine, it costs less than by hand, and if multiple methods or processes are used, this can add to the expense. A simple set of initials or a singular word may start at about $40.00 US, and prices go up from there. Quotes are given on an individual basis.

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Are their any considerations for evaluation?

Commemorations must be carefully considered.

If you're ordering a custom commemorative or personalized knife, since the commemorations are permanent, the balance of the knife plus the cost of the commemoration must be paid in full before I accomplish the commemoration. Typically, the commemoration or personalization is the last thing I do to a knife, but not always. It is easy to understand that since the knife has someone's name, unit, emblem, logo, or text and image on it, the knife can only go to the individual client, so the balance must be paid in full first.

If being done for a person who is not the original client, the knife buyer needs to be very careful to get the spelling and the graphics right. Also, the buyer needs to be certain that the ultimate knife recipient would want or desire this option on his knife. If this is happening as a surprise gift, it is the responsibility of the buyer to make these determinations beforehand, as I cannot change these permanent marks.

If the client is military, he needs to be certain that his name is appropriate when engraved on the knife. While logos, emblems, and slogans are universally accepted, many units require that the serviceman's actual name not be used for security and privacy purposes. In combat knives, the actual name of the serviceman on the blade can be used against him or his family in the case of capture. This is a very serious issue, and I always follow the specific instructions of my clients.

A personalized knife can help prevent theft. If a knife is easily identified, this can deter a thief from taking it, as he knows he'll have to grind off the text and graphics, dramatically reducing the resale potential of the knife, and scarring it as stolen.

If a knife is being purchase for long term investment, and is to be resold in the future, personalization should not be used. A personalized knife is only valuable to the person for whom the knife is made and his family if passed down through the generations. A name, date, logo, crest, or emblem etched or engraved permanently on the knife may severely limit the possibility of resale on the open or public market if that is the ultimate and long term direction of the custom knife purchase.

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What about layout?

Often, a client wants a large and complicated image, crest, logo, picture, or graphic etched or engraved onto a knife blade. In his mind, he can see it there: clear and concise. In reality though, please remember that the actual image area of a medium sized knife blade is only 1/2" tall. So if a graphic is round, it will only occupy an area on the blade that is 1/2" by 1/2" making it very small indeed. The blade grind is typically great in length, and may be three, four, or five inches long which accommodates text well, even if applied in several lines. The best graphics and text images are laid out with a long horizontal measurement, and a short vertical measurement.

If a working knife is to be personalized, please remember that continually sharpening the knife throughout its lifetime can eventually shorten the depth of the grind and the blade width, also cutting away the commemoration or personalization. This can take years, decades, or generations, depending on use and design of the knife as well as the materials and hardness. If a singular name, moniker, or line of text is to be used, It's best to place it central in the grind or higher, but not near the cutting edge.

Other areas, such as the bolster or flashplate on the sheath may accommodate rounded crests, emblems, flashes, panels, or images better. Consider the height to length ratio of the layout.

Please see the examples on this page for reference. I typically work with clients on the arrangement of these texts and graphics to suit their individual projects.

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Are commemorative knives still useful knives?

You bet they are. In fact, most of the commemoratives I make are for use, in combat, tactical operations, combat search and rescue, and law enforcement. Many of the personalized knives I make are working knives also. I build every knife to be useful, even the collector's art knife sculptures you see on this website. All have properly hardened and tempered blades and are built with durable and working materials.

It is typical that my military and law enforcement clients use these commemorative knives during their service or duty, and then hand them down to their children and ultimately their grandchildren, so that they may know and honor their lineage and have a tangible physical tool and representation of that service to honor.

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Are their any restrictions?

I reserve the right to decline to perform any embellishment that is not tasteful and complimentary to the knives with my maker's mark on them. I do not do nudes, profanity, or any text or graphics that are not tasteful and within the scope and direction of my work, career, and reputation. I also do not reproduce copyrighted materials, artwork, graphics, or text that may be copyrighted by someone else. If a client submits graphics to reproduce, it is up to him to assure they are legal copies and do not violate anyone's copyrights.

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