Knife: This is a new custom knife design for a
great client who requested a hybrid combination of my Mule and Jemez
patterns. I named it Chicoma for the highest peak in the Jemez
wilderness here in New Mexico. This peak overlooks the Jemez
Caldera, a huge 100,000 year old extinct volcano that is a national
treasure in beauty and wildlife in our state. If you've seen the show "Longmire"
on Netflix, you will recognize the cabin location looking across a
vast expanse of a green bowl, and in the background Chicoma peak.
No, Longmire is not filmed in Wyoming, but here in New Mexico! Chicoma is a Jemez Pueblo Native American name meaning "center of all
things." The knife blade is a small but extremely well-ground and
mirror polished drop point, a graceful blade with gentle curved
grind terminations and full simple vine filework. The steel is 440C,
for the ultimate in corrosion resistance and high toughness and wear
resistance, and I've performed by best heat treatment possible on
this knife, consisting of deep cryogenic quenching and aging for
over 40 hours at -325°F for the maximum martensite conversion
and maximum precipitation of carbides, with deep cryogenic thermal
cycling and compression between triple tempering for the ultimate in
wear resistance and toughness that is possible with this steel. The
blade has a fully tapered tang for balance, and is bolstered with
zero-care 304 austenitic stainless steel bolsters. This is the same
stainless used to make stainless nuts, bolts, and fasteners, with 18
percent chromium and 8 percent nickel; it's extremely tough and
durable. I hand-engraved a
leafy wreath pattern on the bolster faces, and they are contoured
and dovetailed to bed a pair of Carnival Crazy Lace Agate gemstone
scales. This is a fantastically intricate gemstone, and it's hard
and tough and striking, even under intense magnification. See the
enlargements below. This is a gem that will literally outlast the
knife, the owner, and many generations! It's smooth and hard
and comfortable to hold.
Sheath: I made the sheath to match this custom
knife, bold, but not too overwhelming. I hand-carved a leaf-wreath
pattern in the sheath front, back, and belt loop, and hand-dyed the
9 - 10 oz. thick leather shoulder with a color to match the reds,
burgundies, and ruby colors in the gemstone. The sheath is
hand-stitched with polyester, and sealed with a thick coating of
acrylic for longevity.
A small, elite custom drop point knife with a huge presence that was a
pleasure to make.
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