Weight: Knife: 10.2 oz. (289 grams) Sheath: 5.6 oz. (159 grams)
Blade: CTS-XHP High Chromium Powder Metal Technology Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Cryogenically Treated, Hardened and Tempered to 60.5HRC
Fittings: 304 high chromium, high nickel austenitic stainless steel
Handle: Lapis Lazuli gemstone from Afghanistan
Sheath: Hand-carved leather shoulder inlaid with Buffalo (American Bison) skin
Knife: The Last Chance pattern was made and
developed with the direct input of a New Mexico State Policeman, for
his wear and use as a backup and defensive weapon and tool. It's a
popular design of mine, a fairly straightforward tanto blade with an
aggressive and acute point, a full top swage to reduce the point
profile, and a significant blade length with a thick, strong spine
to support it. The blade is deeply and evenly hollow ground, and has
substantial mass at the ricasso, the blade-to-handle junction, for
incredible strength. I decided to take this Last Chance to its
pinnacle of performance, so I made the blade with Carpenter Steel's
CTS-XHP. This is a powder metal technology tool steel, made by the
best process in the field for a uniform, dense alloy distribution
and excellent performance. This is a high chromium, high carbon
stainless steel, and has abundant chromium carbides for tremendous
wear resistance and high corrosion resistance. It also has a good
measure of molybdenum, which adds to the toughness and the content
of super-hard molybdenum carbides. This is a premium powder metal
technology tool steel blade, with the highest corrosion resistance
possible with extremely high wear resistance and high toughness as well. It's
difficult to work with, expensive, and takes considerable
process machinery, time, and effort to make a superior knife with;
definitely not for a casual blade. I mirror
polished this steel to a beautiful finish which, though difficult
and challenging, aids tremendously in
the corrosion resistance. I cryogenically processed this fine steel
with an extended cryogenic aging period, and it's triple-tempered
with cryogenic soaking in between tempers to maximize the thermal
processing and give the steel ultimate stabilization and conversion
of allotropes. What this means is that this is a superior blade
to almost every other tool steel type, particularly in the critical
balance of wear resistance, toughness, and corrosion resistance.
This is an extremely fine piece of steel that
will last for generations with extremely high durability; one of
my very, very best! The striking blade has a full tapered tang for balance, with full
filework in a "Bee's Wings" style of regimented accuracy. The blade
is bolstered with spotless, contoured, rounded, and dressed 304
stainless steel bolsters, the toughest, most corrosion resistant and
most zero-care stainless possible, the same stainless steel used to
make stainless nuts, bolts, and fasteners. The bolsters are mounted
with zero-clearance peened pins for absolute permanence, and are
dovetailed to lock the bedded handle scales to the tang. The handle
scales 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 so that the densest region of pyrite was against the
tang, and the most intensely blue part of the stone is at the
forefront of display. There's a light sprinkling of fine golden
pyrite in the surface, and it builds in intensity closer to the tang
(see photos below). The handle is a pleasure to see and rounded,
silky, and comfortable to grip, solidly nested and bonded to the
tang of this knife. The handle is full and robust, and the
forefinger quillon and rear bolster shape, along with the curved
belly of the handle, make this knife feel very smooth, solid, and
stout in the hand. The balance point of the knife is just in front
of the front bolster-handle scale union. The shape of the handle
also lends itself to reverse grip with the thumb easily wrapped over
and reinforcing the rear bolster.
Sheath: This is a traditional right side
wear sheath, with the cutting edge facing the back. On left
side wear, the grip would be reversed, with the cutting edge to the
front. The knife needed a very special sheath,
one that compliments the knife with a bold shape, pattern, and
materials. I chose 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, and carefully
hand-carved the inlay pockets, large and paneled, with light
camouflage tooling around the border. The inlays are Buffalo
(American Bison) hide, stout and strong, a material that is
difficult to work with due to its high toughness and thickness. It
took considerable effort to skive this material down properly for
the inlays, but it was worth it. The sheath is bold, comfortable,
and tough, and I double-row stitched the belt loop for added
strength. The hand-stitching is brown polyester, and the sheath is
completely sealed with acrylic gloss sealer for resistance against
the elements and longevity and beauty.
A serious, incredibly wear-resistant, tough, and stainless
advanced alloy steel blade, beautifully finished and complimented
with incredible blue Afghanistan Lapis Lazuli, with a robust and
deep heavy sheath with character.
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