Phobos
Phobos: Fine Handmade Knife
- Size: Knife: Length overall: 13.875" (35.2 cm), Blade Length: 8.75" (22.2 cm), Thickness: .245" (6.2 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 16.5 oz. (468 grams), Sheath: 10 oz. (284 grams)
- Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C59, hollow ground and mirror finished
- Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Hand-Engraved
- Handle: Brown Micaceous Hematite with Feldspar Gemstone (Bronzestone)
- Sheath: Brown Rayskin Inlaid in hand-carved and tooled Leather Shoulder
- Knife: Phobos is the Greek word for
fear, the name of one of the sons of Ares and Aphrodite, the larger
and innermost moon of Mars, and the root of the word phobia. Only a
special piece could bear this name, and this is my Phobos: an edged
work of art. Phobos is a magnificent knife: over a pound of steel
and stone, razor keen with an aggressive, steeply angled tanto tip.
The blade is made from quarter-inch thick stock of
hollow-ground and mirror- finished 440C high chromium martensitic
stainless tool steel hardened and tempered to be very wear resistant
with great longevity and corrosion resistance. I've put a
half-length top swage on the blade spine to reduce the point profile
without sacrificing spine strength. The blade has a steep thumb rise
in just the right place for a solid grip. I've cut a deep, bold,
geometric filework pattern throughout the blade, and sculpted the
choil for a clean edge termination. The tang is fully tapered for
balance, and the knife feels great in the hand. The handle shape is
curvaceous and comfortable, locking the fingers well between the
deeply carved quillons. The knife is bolstered with full, stout 304
high-chromium, high-nickel stainless steel bolsters, dovetailed and
hand-engraved. I designed a pattern that works well with the sharp
and square angles of the blade and the curves of the handle, as well
as the pattern in the gemstone. I call this a vine on trellis
design. Do you know that I never repeat an engraving? Do you know
that very few makers will ever attempt to engrave 304 stainless
steel because it is so difficult to do? 304 has the greatest
longevity, toughness, and best finish of any bolster material, and
that's why I use it. Many hours went into these bolsters,
substantially increasing the long-term value of the knife. The
gemstone I chose for the handle is unique; I've only seen one piece
of it in my thirty years of making. It's been called Bronzestone,
but that name has also been used for some completely different
gemstone, so that is not definitive. This is actually a micaceous
brown hematite with feldspar inclusions and aventuresence. The gem
has beautiful, rich plays of light reflecting off the feldspar faces
inside the rock, which look like translucent fallen leaves in
red-browns and silvery, metallic copper colors. The gem also has
veins of solid dark gray hematite running through, and the handle is
substantial in mass and smoothly polished with a great feel.
- Sheath: I wanted an outstanding sheath for this knife, so
I created a full and deep angled cross draw sheath from brown-black 9-10 oz.
leather shoulder, hand-carved and inlaid with large panels of brown rayskin to
match the gemstone in the knife. This extremely well-built sheath is inlaid
front and back with the durable rayskin, which is actually interlocking bone,
and the toughest, hardest natural inlay material on any knife sheath, period.
I've oriented the "horn" (the apex of the center of the rayskin and the heaviest
bony patch) to the central face of the sheath front. The sheath is
hand-stitched throughout with polyester sinew and double stitched at the belt
loop, border tooled, lacquered and sealed. This is a heavy sheath; the welts at
the sheath mouth are an inch thick!
Thanks, D. T.!
Jay,
Once again your skills and craftsmanship in knife making have
yielded another wonderment of our Earth's minerals, PHOBOS! It is
not only a most beautiful Jay Fisher knife, but its edge, balance
and form make it a fearful weapon. Many thanks for giving me the
chance to own it.
--D.T.
Please click on thumbnail knife photos