Sheath: Hand-carved Leather inlaid with Black
Stingray skin
Knife: Here is a very nice take on my Mercator
pattern, a knife style I've made for combat, search and rescue, law
enforcement, and for collectors. This is definitely collector's
grade. The blade is long and nicely tapered in profile with a
sharply angled tanto design, fully hollow ground, razor-keen with a
single bevel edge, and in mirror finished 440C high chromium
martensitic stainless tool steel, it's the most corrosion resistant
you can get. This blade should hold its beautiful appearance
indefinitely with minimal care. The knife has a good, long top spine
swage for minimal cross sectional geometry, and a useful thumb rise
for control. The tang is fully tapered for weight balance, and the
balance point is exactly at the forefinger. The top of the spine has
a clean "arrowhead" filework, and the inside handle has my modified
"royale" design filework. The knife is bolstered with my favorite
304 stainless steel bolsters, a high nickel, high chromium
austenitic stainless steel that is zero-care. The bolsters are hand-engraved, and I designed a nice pattern
based on a seaweed-like cluster of fronds to compliment the handle.
The bolsters are dovetailed, polished throughout, and the rear
bolster has a 1/4" diameter through-tang lanyard hole. The bolsters
and tang bed a pair of striking green Nephrite Jade gemstone handle
scales. Deposited by an ancient glacier in northern California, this
naturally colored, intensely green specimen is the toughest (most
resistant to breakage) gemstone I use. I arranged a book-matched
pair that has a light underbelly in the inside handle area, and the
stone has fascinating areas of clarity, whites, greens, and even
blacks. I've included a close-up macro photograph below to inspect
this gem, and a person could spend hours with the handle under a
microscope discovering this geological treasure. It's no wonder jade
has been the precious stone sought through the ages and by nearly
every culture. I polished the jade to a high luster, and the handle
is smooth and comfortable in the hand.
Sheath: The Mercator deserved one of my inlaid
sheaths, so I designed one that would showcase the handle and front
bolster. The sheath has a high back, framing the green handle in the
sheath mouth, with an angled front and a circular window displaying
the front bolster. I chose Black Stingray Skin for the inlays, and a
nice teardrop or paisley design motif. Did you know that this is a
very ancient design, and originated with early man's representation
of the dolphin? The sheath front has 10 inlays, the back 8,
including inlays in the belt loop which echoes the "V" and circle
cutout of the sheath front. I reinforced the unusual cutout areas by
stitching the entire sheath with nylon thread, which is very tough
with a bit of flexibility. The sheath is made from 9 -10 oz. thick
leather shoulder, dyed to a medium brown color, and is lacquered and
sealed.
Copyright 1996-2024 by The Jay Fisher Company. All rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines up to $25,000 for each violation.
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