Mariner and Seahawk Custom Knife
"Mariner" Fine Custom Handmade Knife
with "Seahawk" Marlinspike
- Size: Knife: Length overall: 10.1" (25.7 cm), Blade Length: 5.25" (13.3 cm), Thickness: .209" (5.3 mm)
- Size: Marlinspike: Length overall: 6.75" (17.2 cm), Width: 1.0" (2.5 cm), Thickness: .276" (7.0 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 10.4 oz. (295 grams), Sheath: 9.7 oz. (275 grams), Marlinspike: 2.8 oz. (79 grams)
- Blade: Knife and Marlinspike: Mirror Polished 440C High Chromium Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered, T3 Cryogenically Processed: Knife: Rockwell HRC 59.5, Marlinspike: HRC 58
- Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel
- Handle: Stone Canyon Jasper Gemstone (California, USA)
- Sheath: Hand-carved Leather Shoulder inlaid with Shark Skin, stitched with nylon
- Knife: This is a fantastic custom knife, made
for a great client, and it was an honor to make this very special
sailor's knife for him. The style is my "Mariner" a dedicated knife
for the sailor and usable for nearly every heavy cutting chore.
Along with the knife is my "Seahawk" marlinspike, necessary for
rope, line, and rigging. Both of these tools are fine instruments,
and I gave them my top treatment. The steel chosen for this project is 440C but not just any 440C;
it has my premium heat treatment and processing: T3. This
process yields an astounding blade and tool in incredible condition through
advanced processing protocols. How advanced is this treatment? It's
a multi-stage cryogenic treatment, involving temperatures ranging in
over 1950°F (1066°C) to -320°F (-196°C). The process is an evolution
of my advanced heat treating processes, and consists of 33 dedicated
and specific steps and takes 172 hours. This means that just to heat
treat this high alloy steel takes over a week! The reason for this is
scientific and critical, but yields the most stable, most
wear-resistant, most durable and long-lived structure of this steel,
profuse with fine multi-element carbides and a uniform and
unbelievably robust structure. This is a testament to my
determination to make the very best knives, steels, tools,
instruments, treatments and
kits in the modern world. I know of no one else who has advanced the
treatment to this level; it's unheard of in the metals field.
The Mariner is a working, dedicated knife style, and the noticeable
profile is a clipped point. The clipped point or clip point
is common in seafaring knives, because it offers a less acute point
profile and the clip (angle at the top of the point to the spine)
creates a tougher point shape with a less acute angle, yet a flat
surface to get underneath objects to cut them (with the edge
upwards). The straight spine is all business, and the spine is thick
and strong to support the matched and accurate hollow grinds. The
blade has over three and a half inches (8.9 cm) of razor-keen
cutting edge, with over one and a half inches ((3.8 cm) of extremely
sharp and aggressive Vampire rip-tooth serrations for the toughest
cutting chores through textile, wood, and even bone. The knife has
full filework, I hand-cut a profuse geometric pattern throughout the
fully tapered tang for increased grip security and handmade
distinction. The knife is bolstered with my zero-care 304 high
nickel, high chromium austenitic stainless steel bolsters, the same
stainless steel used on nuts, bolts, and fasteners. In the rear
bolster I've included an absolutely huge chamfered lanyard hole,
through the tang with an through-diameter of 3/8" (9.5 mm).
This is important because this knife will invariably be used over
water, and the lanyard is incredibly important. The larger hole
makes it easy to string many types and styles of personal lanyard
quickly and easily. The bolsters are rounded, contoured, polished
and finished for smooth comfort and durability. They bed a pair of
gemstone handle scales, in extremely tough and hard Stone Canyon
Jasper. This is a rich, dark, and bold gemstone, like a boiling
volcanic cauldron, in oranges, deep reds, and metallic black. This
gem comes from California, but hasn't been actively mined for over
20 years, and this is old and rare stock. The stone is everlasting,
outlasting the knife, and perhaps humanity itself, since the only thing that
will cut this hard mineral is silicone carbide or diamond. The knife
feels cool and solid in the hand, with the balance point at the
location of the forefinger.
- Marlinspike: This kit includes my "Seahawk"
marlinspike, a useful accessory, tool, and instrument for the
rigger. This Seahawk was treated just like my Mariner, with steel in
top condition, a bit tougher than the blade and not expected to need
the
higher wear resistance of the knife blade. The marlinspike is used to work with knots,
line, rope, and rigging, and if you've ever used one you know how
important it is to be of a workable size to grip (this one is over
six inches long) to apply force and control to the point. The point
is never sharp so textiles and line is not damaged, and the device
is tapered not only in profile, but in thickness. The Seahawk also
has a shackle breaker slot I've milled into the tool. This is a
tapered, milled slot that allows the shackle pin head to be inserted
in the slot, to "break" a tight pin screwed into the lugs in the
jaw. This offers a bit of help and mechanical advantage for stubborn
shackles. Like the Mariner knife, it has an absolutely huge lanyard
hole for easy stringing of lanyards, critical when working over
water.
- Sheath: This kit needed a very special sheath
for both instruments. I created it in heavy 9-10 oz. leather
shoulder, hand-carved the sheath, and inlaid it with cocoa brown
shark skin. The sheath has the marlinspike sheath mounted to the
face of the knife sheath, in a "piggyback" style. There is a tight tension
fit for both the knife and the spike, with just the lanyard hole
accessible for protection of the tools and the wearer and security
of the lanyards. The belt loop is double-row stitched with nylon for
strength, and is tall enough to allow the lanyards to loop and
secure the tools when working elevated over water. Though leather
has to be kept from immersion on the water, I've sealed this sheath
with a heavy, thick acrylic to help protect it from exposures.
- Lanyards: I've included several lanyards with
the kit. Lanyards are critical accessories when working with tools
in elevated positions or over water. A dropped knife or tool, a slip
or missed grip does not mean the loss of a knife. Typically, the
knife owner has his own personalized lanyard arrangement depending
on his particular needs and experience. In the photos below, I've
illustrated a typical lanyard attachment arrangement. The lanyards
shown are my sliding noose type lanyard in typical 550 Nylon
Kernmantle Rope (Paracord). They are fairly long, so that the tools
can be used while the sheath is attached to the belt. They are
secured with "lark's head" (or "cow hitch")-type hitches on the
knife and marlinspike, and also hitched with lark's heads on the
belt loop. There is plenty of room on the sheath belt loop for a wide, thick
belt while the lanyards are secured.
- A beautiful, classic, critical kit that was a treat to make for a great client!
Thanks, A. A.!
I love it Jay. It looks too chic but also too rough!! I don¹t know if I should use it or just save it :) Thank you for a great job.
Best,
A.
Please click on thumbnail knife photos