Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Vindicator" Custom Push Dagger

• Size: Length overall: 8.125" (20.6 cm), Blade Length: 5.5" (14 cm), Thickness: .272" (6.9 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 14.5 oz. (411 grams) Sheath: 5.6 oz. (159 grams)
• Blade: CPM154CM High Molybdenum Powder Metal Technology Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Cryogenically Treated, Hardened and Tempered to 61 HRC
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel
• Handle: Lapis Lazuli gemstone, Afghanistan
• Sheath: Hand-carved leather shoulder inlaid with elephant skin
• Knife: The Vindicator is a very special push/punch dagger that has found great service in the counterterrorism field. It's one of the longest blades available on any push dagger, similar to my Grim Reaper which was designed by an Army Intelligence officer, for it's long, penetrating blade reach. This is an extremely strong, stout knife, one capable of any defensive application, and that is why this one will find its way to PSD (Principal Security Detail) and CT (Counterterrorism) use. There is no rule that says a knife must have a flat, dark, or subdued finish, and in fact, a bright, clean blade is often more desirable depending on the knife user and owner, and this one is a fine custom work. I made the blade in cleanly hollow ground, mirror-polished CPM154CM high molybdenum, high chromium martensitic stainless steel. This is modern powder metal technology steel, created as a finely powdered mass fused into a solid bar with no segregation or density variation of the alloy components. I've employed deep cryogenic treatment at -325°F with a 40 hour aging and compression, followed by triple tempering alternated with thermal cycling at deep cryogenic temperatures for the ultimate in high wear resistance with high toughness this steel offers. This extensive and elaborate heat treating process creates the maximum carbide precipitation, maximum transformation of martensite, and quite simply, makes this steel the very best it can possibly be. This is a beautiful blade, with a smooth, even, appearance and no visible grain. The grinds are deep and well-matched with a small contact wheel that leaves plenty of spine strength, and the cutting edges are thin and extremely sharp. With the high hardness, increased toughness, and cryogenic processing, this knife will hold its edge an extremely long time. The blade has a large quillon-guard that has all surfaces rounded, polished and smoothed for comfort with a tight fit between the fingers, and the wide, thick, and strong handle fills the palm like a driving hammer. The blade has variable engraved filework for a bold and distinctive handmade appearance, and the knife is bolstered with zero-care 304 stainless steel, polished and dovetailed to bed the fantastic gemstone scales. These are Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli, the stone of the ancients, stone of the bible referred to in Exodus as the pavement under God's feet. This is lapis from the ancient land of the Hindu Kush region, where the best lapis on earth is found. Lapis has been treasured for over 6,000 years, and it's one of the world's oldest and most desired of gem materials. It was the "sapphire" of Aaron's breastplate, treasured by the pharaohs of Egypt and the rulers of Greece, Rome, and Babylon. It was even ground up and used as the cherished basis pigment of the Renaissance, ultramarine blue. It's solid, it's tough, and of incredible beauty, and no other stone can compare. Lapis is actually a rock, a mixture of minerals lazurite, hauynite, sodalite, noselite, with pyrite, calcite, diopside, feldspar, and mica. Because it's a rock, it tends to dig out and undercut (removing the softer components in the finish), so it's difficult to achieve a bright, glassy polish on this rock, taking many steps and careful process. The intense color of this stone is entirely natural; it was not treated in any way, and I carefully oriented each scale for maximum blue intensity. The handle is a pleasure to see; rounded, silky, and comfortable to grip, solidly nested and bonded to the tang of this knife. The Vindicator feels extremely strong and rigid in the fist, a dominating defensive weapon.
• Sheath: The sheath for the custom Vindicator is as special as the knife. I made it in hand-carved 9 - 10 oz. leather shoulder, dyed medium brown, and inlaid with large, full panels of elephant skin. This is a tough, unique skin with bold pattern and texture, and the sheath is stitched with black nylon and sealed with acrylic.
• Sheaths (PSD): An additional pair of sheaths were requested for this knife for Principle Security Detail (PSD) wear. When heads of state or important dignitaries travel with professional tactical support teams, these teams are called Principle Security Details. They typically wear suits, and with their shirts costing over $500 and the suits in the thousands, they simply don't want a leather sheath that could bleed and stain their clothing in hot, humid, or active environments. Because there is always a chance of leather becoming damp and bleeding dyes and sealers, these special clients request sheaths that are untreated in any way, in essence, bare leather. The sheaths included in this package are several. First one sheath is horizontal, for wear in the belt line, usually in the middle of the back, and the knife secured with my "button lock" which is a round stack of stitched leather that engages in the knife's finger groove location. To unlock the sheath, the button is pressed and the knife can be withdrawn behind the back, without visual aid. The second sheath is a standard vertical sheath, worn along the belt, with tension holding the knife in typical fashion. The PSD sheaths are another example of my commitment to bring knives and accessories specifically suited to my client's individual requests.
• A great PSD and CT custom knife, in full dress, bold and beautiful, and it was a great honor to make this for my special patron and client.

Thanks, S.!

Additional Sheaths and Gear

My client requested additional sheaths, a pair of hybrid tension-locking sheaths with most of the accessories, and also an improved, more secure version of the PSD, undyed untreated leather sheaths. I wanted to make certain that the leather sheaths were more positively locking, that the knife could not fall out without a determined release. So I developed a double-snap sheath for the leather, and also supplied a new elephant-skin sheath based on the new double-snap design. The design works by having two double "tab locks" that have built into them stainless steel dot snaps. When the knife is inserted, pressing the front of the sheath closes both snaps. To remove the knife, the finger is worked along the push dagger handle to pop loose the snaps, and then the knife can be removed. The leather is, in essence, a hinge that opens up and as long as the snaps are engaged, the knife cannot fall out. This is, so far, the most secure leather sheath I've developed for this kind of knife. My client wanted a standard vertical belt sheath, a horizontal belt sheath, an IWB (inside waist or web band or belt) sheath for the right side, and an IWB for the left side, as well as the exotic inlay dress sheath. All five sheaths have my new double-snap lock.

Since my client requested coyote and black tactical hybrid tension-lock sheaths as well, here are how the kits break down:

• Sheaths: I've included my best hybrid tension-locking tactical sheaths, the very best of their type made in the world today. They're made of double-thickness black and coyote brown kydex, bonded and sealed over a frame of anodized and color-matched 5052 H32 corrosion-resistant, high strength aluminum alloy. The near-ceramic hard coating on the aluminum is permanently dyed and specially sealed against fading even in long-term ultraviolet sunlight exposure. The sheaths are built with all black oxide or dark straw brown oxide 304 stainless steel hardware and fasteners, and with an extremely corrosion-resistant and tough blue-black or straw brown 6AL4V titanium spring lock sets for reliability, no matter what the sheaths are exposed to. The sheaths are sealed with waterproof bonding and the inside is permanently coated and prevents the blade steel from contacting any metal of the welt frame. The tension locks are quick and secure, solid and strong, so the knife can be worn in any position, even upside down. These are absolutely, positively, the very best hybrid tension-locking sheaths made in the world. The sheath frames feature my integrated spacing so that my accessories and mounts can be used (below). The sheaths are entirely reversible for a huge variety of wearing options with the equipment included. I've even included three interchangeable dogleg titanium springs for each sheath so the wearer can adjust the tension of the sheath release. If you're not familiar with my tension-lock, here's how it works: the knife is retained at the bolster thumb rise with the pressure of a ball-lock. The pressure can be removed by using the thumb to push out on the spring, or the knife can be pulled very hard, directly from the sheath, releasing the lock. The mechanisms are light, adjustable, and completely reversible on the sheaths allowing a tremendous amount of wearing options. And I've included three titanium springs of different strengths so the owner can adjust the tension and retention strength to his preference.
• Horizontal Belt Loop Plates: I've included a pair of horizontal belt loop plates for each knife sheath. These bolt onto either side of the sheath using included hardware, and are 5052H32 high strength corrosion resistant aluminum alloy, completely anodized and permanently dyed black or coyote brown with a near-ceramic hard surface. They are welded for durability, and light weight. They allow horizontal wear of any belt up to 1.5" wide, and the sheath runs inline with the belt. More about the horizontal belt loop plates here.
• Flat strap plates (horizontal and/or vertical): These have several uses: one is to mount the knife sheath rigidly clamped to the sternum harness, with no play. They also allow the sheath to be clamped on any gear (like PALS webbing) with a solid strap security and no sliding around (like on traditional belt loops). So they clamp the sheath to your gear with all stainless steel hardware. They accommodate any web strap up to over 2" wide. They are also 5052 H32 high strength, corrosion-resistant aluminum alloy, anodized with a permanent black or coyote brown color, and a near-ceramic hard surface. More about the flat strap plates here.
• High and Low-profile belt loops (footman's loops): I've included two pairs of anodized aluminum belt loops for each sheath: one pair that accommodates 1.5" wide belts up to .250" thick and one pair that accommodates 1.5" wide belts up to .190" thick. They work with the integrated spacing so can be mounted in a variety of positions on the reversible sheath. All black or coyote brown non-reflective camouflage. More about the belt loops here.
• Ultimate Belt Loop Extender (UBLX): I included my ultimate survival, CSAR tactical, rescue, and counterterrorism sheath belt loop extension with outstanding and critical features and devices for each knife sheath. The nylon and polyester accessories are waterproof, durable, and extremely stout, and lower the hybrid tension-locking knife sheath to be worn in a more traditional belt position with the knife handle below the hip. The extensions are mounted with 304 stainless steel straps and stainless steel cap screws attached to the existing stainless steel Chicago screws, and the assemblies are stiffened by trapped acrylic stiffeners stitched in place with polyester. These prevent the extensions from folding, bending, or collapsing when the knife is extracted from the sheath. The belt loops are 2 inches wide for standard tactical belts. At the lower back of the extensions I've included custom fit pockets for DMT (Diamond Machining Technology) Mini-Sharp diamond-nickel abrasive hones, to bring up the cutting edge in the field with ease, even on this high alloy powder metal, wear-resistant blade. These are great tools that can re-sharpen or just touch up even the hardest tool steel edges, as they are surface-bonded with diamond abrasives. The pockets for this tool are situated at the sheath backs and against the body, so the sharpeners can not be removed unless the sheaths are off the body and the industrial strength Velcro (hook and loop) closure is open. Read more about the UBLX at this link.
• New! Extra Length Belt Loop Extender (EXBLX): Responding to requests, I've included two  extended length belt loop extenders in this kit, one in coyote brown and one in black, to match the pair of hybrid tension-locking sheaths. They works the same as the UBLX above, but they are even longer and have a 2" wide acetyl-buckle leg strap to secure the knife on the side of the thigh, just above the knee. This frees up critical space if the user is wearing body armor, a load belt, or does not have room for the knife in the traditional location. Marines who wear and use my knives in combat have requested this critical assembly. Read much more about this critical accessory at this link.
• New! LIMA Emergency Lamp (Lamp Independent Mount Assembly): An important lesson I learned from my military and counterterrorism clients is the addition of the emergency lamp. I've included two LIMA accessories for this kit, one in coyote brown and the other in black. The LIMA has a special socket in thick and wide double-thickness black or coyote brown polypropylene or nylon, stitched with polyester for durability and rot resistance, and it accommodates a New! LED ThruNite Ti3. These are tremendous lights, they're programmable, have four settings and can last up to 115 hours on the lowest setting, and crank out an amazing 120 lumens on the highest setting. They even have a strobe function, and are completely waterproof! They can give you plenty of light to get to safety, and the entire LIMA assemblies are extremely lightweight and waterproof. The LIMAs are secured with a black oxide or dark straw oxide 304 stainless steel straps and screws and mount anywhere along the sheath welts where I have the critical 2.5" spacing. The retaining strap rings are also 304 stainless, and the 3/16" shock cords are easily replaceable if needed, and replacement shock cords are included. Read more about the LIMA and the new ThruNite Ti3 here.
• New! 2" x 6" dual diamond sharpener and storage/pad: This is a new accessory, and one that I'll be including in my newer kits. It's a double-sided diamond sharpener, with two grits, 400 and 600. Diamond is all I recommend for sharpening, and it's important to have it available and included. Because diamond is the hardest known substance, it makes an excellent abrasive for the very hardest, toughest cryogenically-treated tool steels. Because it's so hard, special care must be taken in handling and storing the sharpener, as it absolutely will scratch every single surface it comes in contact with! This is why I've gone to the extra effort to create an incredible, tough, and durable pad/bag for it. The diamond pad is stored easily in the heavily-stitched thick nylon bag, and secured with industrial strength hook and loop. When the diamond pad is out of the bag, the owner can set it on top of the bag, using it as a thick, heavy, protective flat pad for sharpening his knives. He can even use it as an assembly pad for laying his knife on for adjusting, servicing, or cleaning. This is the heaviest, thickest piece of nylon you will find! A great addition to the kit!
• Heavy 11" x 19" Duffle: It's important to keep everything together, safe, and accessible, and I couldn't find any duffle heavy and stout enough for the job, so I make these too! I make them in 1000 Denier Coyote Cordura® ballistic nylon, coated on the inside with polyurethane for water resistance. This is some of the heaviest, toughest material available, and I've double-row stitched all of the seams with strong, waterproof, sunlight-resistant heavy polyester thread. All through-stitches of webbing are reinforced on the inside. I've attached strong black #8 zippers and double pulls, and reinforced the zipper ends and 2" wide nylon carry straps. I've even included a 7mm thick closed-cell foam inner base pad, in the bottom to prevent abrasion and wear. You can store paperwork and other items in the base bag. The duffle is identified with my "Quality Without Compromise" patch. New! Since some of my clients have multiple knives, their kits can all look alike, so they need to identify the different ones. I've included a hook and loop (Velcro) tag strip with an embroidered name patch to identify the individual knife. That way, my client won't be confused as to what part goes with which knife! These tags are removable for privacy.