Vulpecula
"Vulpecula" Fine Handmade Knife
- Size: Knife: Length overall: 8.5" (21.6 cm), Blade Length: 4.25" (10.8 cm), Thickness: .186" (4.7 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 6.7 oz. (190 grams) Sheath: 4.6 oz. (130 grams)
- Blade: D2 extremely high carbon die steel, hardened and tempered to 60HRC, mirror polished
- Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished, hand-engraved
- Handle: Fossilized, Petrified Fern Jasper Gemstone (New Mexico, USA)
- Sheath: Hand-carved leather shoulder inlaid with ray skin
- Knife: There is a constellation in the northern
sky called the Little Fox, or (in Latin), Vulpecula. This
little fox is a great knife, with a clean straightforward drop point
design and a comfortable, modest working shape, made with premium
materials, and high finish and embellishment. The blade of this
Vulpecula is D2, an extremely high carbon die steel with a
longstanding reputation of supreme edge holding. I ground the blade
with a deep, matched and accurate hollow grind, for nice thinness
behind the cutting edge, so the low angle single bevel edge is as
keen as a straight razor. I created a deep choil to terminate the
cutting edge and aid in sharpening. Being D2, it will hold the edge
for a very long time indeed; the steel has very high carbon content
and with 13% chromium as well, the chromium carbides throughout the
steel create a matrix of hard, wear resistant particles this steel
is known for. It has the characteristic orange peel
granularity (see photo below) that instantly identifies this special
steel. Though it's not considered a true stainless steel, it is
highly stain resistant, requiring only modest care. The high chromium
content inhibits corrosion much more than plain carbon and most
other non-stainless steels. This is a serious working blade, and
it's fully fileworked with a tumbling block pattern for a
masculine appeal. I fully tapered the tang for good balance, and the
blade is bolstered with high chromium, high nickel 304 austenitic
stainless steel, a zero-care stainless that will last for
generations. The bolsters are contoured, radiused, polished and
finished for comfort and easy cleaning, and I've hand-engraved an
interlocking and overlapping leaf pattern in them. Most other makers
and engravers won't touch this steel; it's too tough and resistant
to cutting for them to dedicate the time and effort, but I love the
durability, permanence, longevity, and beauty of this steel. The
bolsters are dovetailed and bed a pair of fascinating fossil handle
scales of fern wood,
millions of years old. This is a true petrified wood, from some
unknown and mysterious fern, and I found this particular rock while
hunting gemstone in the southern mountains of New Mexico. The
strange pattern of growth of the plant shows sweeping curves of
development with curious tick-marks along them, completely different from the
rings of trees. One of the most fascinating things about this fossil
is that it is filled with worm holes, all replaced by chalcedony,
jasper, and agate quartz through millions of years of geological
process. The worms must have loved this fern a lot; it's riddled
with the round structures. I polished the gemstone to a bright, glassy
finish, and the jasper is hard, tough, and will easily outlast the
knife and generations of owners. The knife feels light yet solid in
the hand; the balance point is at the front bolster/handle scale
junction.
- Sheath: The sheath must be commensurate with the knife, so I created a high-backed
sheath out of heavy leather shoulder, and hand-carved the inlay
design to match the engraving on the bolsters. Into the sheath face, back,
and belt loop, I inlaid two colors of ray skin,
tan and brown, echoing the color of the gemstone nicely. The
tiny bones and pattern of the rayskin even looks like the wormholes
in the petrified fern, and the 15 individual inlays are cleanly
spaced throughout the sheath body. The sheath is thick and strong,
made of 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, dyed black, and sealed with a
glossy finish that resists dirt, moisture, and aging. I stitched the sheath
with black polyester for durability and strength; the edges are
rounded, contoured, smoothed, and sealed.
- A handsome and masculine knife of superior blade steel,
intricate engraving, fascinating fossil gemstone, and a matching
durable and tough leather and exotic skin sheath
Thanks, J. S.!
Jay,
I picked up my Vulpecula today and I love it! The knife and sheath are both
beautiful - even your excellent photography does not do justice to the real thing.
This knife will be in my family for decades to come.
Thank you for all your hard work and dedication!
--J.
Please click on thumbnail photos