Wasat
"Wasat" Custom Knife
- Size: Knife: Length overall: 8.375" (21.3 cm), Blade Length:4.1" (10.4 cm), Thickness: .171" (4.4 mm)
- Weight: Knife: 5.5 oz. (156 grams) Sheath: 4.3 oz. (122 grams)
- Blade: O-1 high carbon tungsten-vanadium alloy tool steel, hardened and tempered to 58HRC, mirror polished, hot-blued
- Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished, hand-engraved
- Handle: Fossilized Stromatolite Algae Gemstone (Jasper/Hematite/Quartz)
- Sheath: Hand-carved leather inlaid with Tegu Lizard Skin
- Knife: The word Wasat means "middle ground" and
this Wasat is named for a star with the same name. However, its
proper name is Delta Geminorum which is just too long for this
medium sized knife! This is a great mid-sized knife made for a great
client. The Wasat pattern has a light trailing point blade, which
means a very fine and super sharp tip with a razor keen single bevel
cutting edge. The steel on this knife is O1 high carbon
tungsten-vanadium alloy tool steel, an improved O1 oil hardening
tool steel with added tungsten and vanadium for increased wear
resistance. The blade is meticulously mirror polished, and I
hot-blued the entire knife for the highest corrosion inhibition
possible with a stunning black, glassy appearance. The blade has
full and accurate fine "S" filework around the tapered tang from the
grind termination to the choil. The knife is bolstered with
zero-care 304 high nickel, high chromium austenitic stainless steel
for the longest lasting beautiful engraving possible. I engraved a
light vine and small leaf pattern as my client requested, with high
detail and microscopic tendrils. The bolsters are dovetailed and bed
a pair of striking Fossil Stromatolite Gemstone handle scales,
polished to a glassy finish. This is red jasper and gray metallic
hematite with just a hint of quartz, the fossilized remains of the
blue-green algae that ruled the earth for thousands of millions of
years in the Precambrian (yes, billions). The oceans had a lot of
iron then, and the atmosphere had much less oxygen, so the iron was
tied up in the oceans and thus in the mineralogy, and ultimately was deposited in this
fossil. That is the reason for the red and the hematite (which is
iron oxide). This is one of the very oldest fossils on earth, and it
is extremely solid, tough, and hard. I'm certain it will outlast the
entire rest of the knife as well! My client chose it for its
striking beauty, like billowing clouds and embers and smoke, with
intricate patterns and flows, a surface that becomes more intriguing
the closer it's examined. The gemstone and handle feel great in the
hand, and the light-bladed knife balances just behind the front
bolster for great point control.
- Sheath: The sheath requested is one of my
classic crossdraw models, made to wear on the left side. It's made
of 9-10 oz. thick leather shoulder, inlaid with full panels of Tegu
Lizard skin with small inlays in the belt loop. It's dyed black,
hand-stitched with tough black nylon thread, and sealed and
polished.
- A handsome and classy mid-sized knife with accurate character
from the tip to the engraving.
Thanks, M. R.!
I got the knife today. Thank you soooo much! It's perfect. Can't wait
to show it around.
Thanks again.
--M.
Please click on thumbnail photos