Sheath: Hand-carved Leather Shoulder Inlaid
with Caiman Skin
Knife: The Golden Eagle is a very early knife
design of mine, and one of my favorites, named for the majestic
Eagle that lives over most of the northern hemisphere. Like
the bird, this knife packs a powerful visual as well as tactile
punch. This is the knife pattern that you see in every background of
every page of this large website. The blade has a distinctive and
elegant broad, feather-like shape, with a graceful recurve,
substantial belly, and a thin and powerful point. For the steel, I
chose an ultra high tech powder metal technology tool steel,
CPM154CM. This is a high molybdenum martensitic stainless tool steel
that is made in Crucible Metallurgy Tool Steel's process of being
formed as a powder first into a fused billet. This allows an
extremely even distribution of alloy elements, and produces an
excellent blade that excels in high toughness (due to the high
molybdenum) at a high hardness, with extremely good corrosion
resistance. Because of the process at the foundry, this steel is
perhaps the most beautiful tool steel made, with absolutely no grain
structure visible. I've deeply hollow ground and mirror polished the
blade, and fully fileworked the spine and tang from the tip to the
graceful choil. The filework is a complex one, with a dynamic yet
mechanistic style executed with accuracy. The large forefinger
quillon protects the hand from the razor-keen single bevel cutting
edge, and the deep forefinger groove assures a solid union with the
hand. The handle has a gentle drop at the rear bolster that fits the
hand well, and the concavity of the inside handle curve is just
right for the the other three fingers of the hand. The knife is
bolstered with extremely tough and beautiful high chromium, high
nickel 304 austenitic stainless steel, into which I hand-engraved a
thick, leafy and dense artwork that blends well with the
complexities of the handle scales. For the scales, I chose Bicolored
Tiger Eye from South Africa, which is a fascinating gemstone with an
ancient following for good reason. With feathery overlays of gold
and deep golden blue color, the most striking characteristic of this
gem is the chatoyancy, the vibrant "cat's eye" effect when the stone
is moved and rotated in the light. This is due to the fibrous
alignment of the silicified crocidolite. The handle is cut
perfectly to display the most intense silky light play at just the
right angle. Unfortunately, this effect can not be shown just by the
photos. The gemstone is durable and cleanly polished, and
comfortable to hold. The balance point of the knife is perfect,
right at the forefinger groove and the knife feels solid and smooth
in the hand.
Sheath: The sheath for the Eagle had to be a
good one, and I chose nicely patterned Caiman skin and inlaid it in
panels in hand-carved leather shoulder dyed a medium brown and
hand-stitched with black nylon for toughness and durability. The big
lizard had some scars in his life, and I chose to display them up
front, adding to the natural character of the inlays. The belt loop
is stitched with double rows for great strength, and also inlaid
with caiman, and the sheath is sealed and hand-buffed to a rich
luster.
A classy and elegant favorite knife, a pattern I always enjoy
visiting, in a unique and beautiful execution.
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