Jay Fisher - World Class Knifemaker

"Trifid" Fine Handmade Knife

• Size: Length overall: 8.25" (21.0 cm), Blade Length: 4.0" (10.2 cm), Thickness: .196" (5.0 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 5.3 oz. (150 grams) Sheath: 4.2 oz. (119 grams)
• Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C58, mirror polished
• Fittings: Hand-engraved 304 Austenitic High Nickel, High Chromium Stainless Steel
• Handle: Brecciated Jasper Gemstone (Africa)
• Sheath: Hand-carved Leather Inlaid with Ostrich Leg Skin
• Knife: The Trifid is named for a beautiful Nebula in the constellation Sagittarius. This outstanding piece of meticulous craftsmanship took many hours to create, and it was worth it. The blade has a very graceful light trailing point and is deeply hollow ground in 440C high chromium austenitic stainless tool steel. The grind lines are clear, crisp, well-matched and brightly mirror polished surfaces abound. The blade is razor keen and thin at the fine point: an elegant cutting instrument. The knife blade is completely hand-fileworked with a deep, punchy pattern of square and round cuts in the fully tapered tang, from the tip of the spine to the significant choil which terminates the cutting edge. The knife is bolstered with zero-care 304 high nickel, high chromium austenitic stainless steel, into which I have hand-engraved a deep and intricate pattern of knotted paisley style. Did you know that the paisley type of design component is very ancient and derived from earliest Greek depictions of dolphins and not gourds or vegetables as some think? Most makers would not attempt to hand-engrave 304 stainless steel because it is so incredibly tough and hard, but it is the absolute premium bolster material that this knife deserves. The bolster engraving compliments the complexity of the filework and the angularity of the gemstone handle pattern. The gemstone I chose for the handle is Brecciated Jasper from Africa, brightly and cleanly ground and finished to a glassy luster. Brecciated Jasper has always fascinated me, because of the intense and eons-long process that has occurred to create the stone. First, sedimentary rock was laid down that had high iron content, perhaps even from earth's early ancient seas that were rich in iron while the atmosphere was lacking oxygen. The iron is what makes these rocks red. Then, over millions of years, these iron-rich sedimentary rocks are subject to the intense and prolonged pressure and temperature beneath the earth's surface, and form compressed microcrystalline quartz (Jasper). After that, at some time, the rock is subjected to tremendous stresses and cataclysmic forces that shatter the rock in to millions of pieces (thus the breccia which means broken fragments of rock). Many more millions of years pass, and the broken pieces are fused together in a solid, uniform mass that is bonded under the heat and pressure of the earth's crust. So bonded are the pieces that they become one uniform and complete stone, varying only by color. Looking into this handle can be awe-inspiring, even more so under a magnifier. If you love rock like I do, you'll be taken to wonder about how it all the geologic process happened. The stone on this knife is extremely solid, hard and durable, and will absolutely far outlast the knife. So, maybe in millions of years, someone may wonder about this cut and polished gem. On the knife, the gemstone feels cool and solid, and the balance point of the knife is just behind the forefinger groove at the placement of the middle finger. The blade feels light and effortless in the hand.
  
• Sheath: I wanted a special sheath for this knife, one that compliments the color and pattern of the gem. I made this sheath in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, carefully hand-carved with scalpels and microblades to accept full panel inlays of Ostrich leg skin dyed a burgundy color. The skin is tough and glossy, and the scale pattern on the surface reflects the filework and brecciated pattern of the gemstone knife handle. The knife has panel inlays front and back; even the belt loop is inlaid. I've hand-stitched the sheath together with polyester sinew, and it is lacquered and sealed throughout.
• An elegant and handsome knife for collection or use; a work of art.

Thanks, S.E.!