Knife:Zosma is the original name for
Delta Leonis, a star in the constellation of
Leo. This design is a great one, a tough and durable drop point
knife with a full and comfortable handle. I've performed a great
hollow grind on the blade, a full mirror polish, and attached a
hard, extremely durable gemstone handle.
The steel I chose for this knife is
Food Contact Safe 440C high chromium martensitic stainless
steel, my most requested steel for a reason. When properly
treated, it's a dependable, reliable workhorse of extremely
high corrosion resistance, good toughness and high wear
resistance. The high chromium of 440C along with the high
carbon and moderate molybdenum results in profuse chromium
carbides, increasing corrosion resistance as well as wear
resistance. To bring this steel to its zenith, I used my
proprietary T3 deep cryogenic process in heat treating this
blade; it's a highly detailed, extremely sophisticated
process that takes 33 individual steps and takes over a week
long. The result of this is an incredibly wear-resistant
blade that has extremely high carbide development, fine
grain, and extremely high corrosion resistance. Asperity is
reduced; the microstructure development is superior to any
other typical handmade knife, and far above any factory or
manufactured knife. This is, simply put, 440C at its very
finest advanced condition. The grind for this knife blade is
hollow, leaving a very thick and strong spine with a thin,
tough cutting edge. The point is thin enough for fine and
accurate work, the cutting edge is single-beveled and ready
for heavy cutting chores. I fileworked the knife completely
around the tapered tang with a punchy geometric alternating
pattern for handmade flair and reduced slipping along the
spine. The thickness of the spine encourages pressure with
the thumb in tough cutting use.
I bolstered the knife with large, zero-care 304 high chromium, high
nickel stainless steel bolsters, which are contoured, rounded and
finished for a comfortable feel. The bolsters are secured with
zero-clearance peened pins and dovetailed to bed the
handle scales. The rear bolsters
are wide and support the rear quillon that locks the handle
into the hand.
The handle scales of this knife are
handsome and tough. This is West Texas Moss Agate,
very hard and durable chalcedony, one of the toughest
gemstones I use. The clear and translucent white areas are
filled with dendrites, caused by manganese and iron oxides
left behind with water infiltrating the crystal lattice,
early in its formation. The Moss Agate
takes a high vitreous polish that is smooth and glassy. This
is a handle that is more fascinating the closer and more
intensely it's scrutinized; see the enlargements below. It
requires zero care, maintaining the appearance indefinitely.
The knife feels extremely solid and
substantial in the hand, with a sure grip in the handle
shape, guidance applied by the front bolster finger groove.
The butt of the knife is heavy and tough; this is one
long-lasting workhorse of a beautiful knife.
This knife is
food-contact safe.
Sheath: To match the bold pattern in
the stone, I chose a complicated inlay of 15 individual inlays of
Frog skin, in gray and black. This
was a substantial piece of work; I even inlaid the belt loop. The inlays are
set into hand-carved 9 - 10 oz.
leather shoulder, dyed black, with black heavy nylon stitching. This
is a deep sheath, with a high back, to protect the knife and the
wearer from the cutting edge of the blade. while allowing a low wear
position on the belt. The rear finger quillon
helps pull the knife from the sheath and the drop point makes
sheathing easy and fast. The thick, hard sheath is sealed in a thick coating of lacquer for
longevity.
A handsome, tough, durable working knife with class and beauty,
and West Texas style
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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