Option Descriptions

KNIFE PATTERN/STYLE: this selection refers to the knife pattern itself. You can see my 370+ knife patterns by clicking here. When you go to the patterns page, you'll see over 70 groups with picture links. Included in this textbox is the group page number where your knife pattern can be located. Have the name of the pattern but don't know where to locate it on the patterns page? Look it up in the Alphabetic Pattern List here.

HYBRID?: this refers to hybridization, that is, one style of knife blade married with another style of knife handle. I can mix and match blade and handle styles nearly any way you want. Some adjustments may need to be made in width at that junction, but let me handle that. If you're partial to a particular knife handle, and a blade from another pattern, why not get the knife you want?  Over 370 Knife patterns here.

NEW PATTERN?: this selection specifies if the knife is a new pattern or style. I work with clients on their own designs, getting them just the knife they want. Be sure to email me the pattern, knife picture, or drawing, or send by USPS mail. Please send only copies, you keep the original!

Email: Email Portal Here

United States Postal Service mailing and shipping address:

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BLADE LENGTH: the blade length your prefer may deviate from the pattern. Enter your blade length here. The blade length is legally specified (in most states) from the front of the bolster or guard to the tip of the point, not the length of the cutting edge.

BLADE THICKNESS: I have standardized the thickness of most of my knife patterns. Lightweight small blades with taper grinds are .0625" (1/16") thick, small knives are .125" (1/8") thick, most medium to large knives are .1875" (3/16"), and some larger knives are .250" (1/4"). Other sizes are available, and sizes may be specified by the knife client. Note: some stock may not be optimal, yielding thicknesses that are just under or over this thickness by up to .010". Also, specifying a thicker blade will increase the cost of the knife, due to increased stock prices and extra machining effort and expendables. Read details about knife blades, geometry, and grinds here.

OTHER MODIFICATIONS OF BLADE (HOOKS, GROOVES, CUTTERS): This option includes serrations, line cutters, gut hooks, chisel edges, and specialties of the cutting edge. Please describe amount, size, and location of these features if you require them and they are not part of the pattern image from the patterns page. Be sure to include length of serrations, and remember that serrations also subtract length from the cutting edge! Read more about blade serration geometry here.

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FILEWORK: Filework was created as a way to stop the thumb and fingers from slipping on a slick spine, giving more purchase and grip. Factory imitations of filework is called jimping and is usually a machined set of regular cuts (yuuk). Filework by hand has evolved into a decorative art form, fully customizing a knife. Interestingly, it is one of the definite indicators of a handmade custom knife, because there is no machine and no unskilled worker that can imitate the careful, controlled cuts along the length of the blade and tang, as the cuts are reduced, enlarged, and adjusted along the length to accommodate a tapered tang. It can be made quite beautiful, and you can learn more about filework on the Embellishment Page here. There are five options:

• FULL: Full filework extends from the point all the way around the handle and tang to the choil at the start of the edge. Full filework is the most valuable, looks best to the collector, defines the knife as custom, and displays the talent and skill of the maker, and gives the knife its personality.
• SPINE ONLY: Spine filework covers the back of the spine, from the point of the blade to the handle butt. This is a less expensive file cut, still displaying the custom signature, but eliminating the filework in the belly of the handle.
• BLADE ONLY: Blade filework is only on the blade spine, forward of the handle. This is usually used when the owner doesn't wish any filework in the handle area that would capture blood, tissue, or debris, yet wants enough filework to accent the blade and give him some purchase and grip along the blade spine.
• THUMB REST ONLY: Blade filework is placed only where the thumb rests when gripping the knife handle, to aid in friction and control. Acts as a nice little blade accent, too.
• NO FILEWORK: No filework anywhere on knife. The least expensive option, usually used in a tight budget, or a tactical knife or chef's knife where any debris or irregularity of the blade spine would hinder cleaning, corrosion prevention, or sheathing.

FILEWORK STYLE: This refers to the style of the filework. I offer a range of filework styles, you can see many of them on the pages of this site. If you know the name of the filework style or the knife name and page description from this site, enter here. Note: Most clients leave the filework style to me, and I will choose a suitable artistic interpretation and application for your piece.

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HANDLE SIZE: Though most of my handles fit most hands, you may have a specific need in size. Click here for my Knife Grip Tactics Page with instructions how to fit the handle to your hand size.

• STANDARD?: Refers to the knife pattern. Is this the standard handle size and style used on that pattern?
• HANDLE LENGTH: If the handle is not standard, specify length details here. Please include length between quillions (if applicable) and overall length of the handle. For instructions on how to fit the handle to your hand, click here.

STEEL TYPE: This option refers to the type of steel used to make the knife blade. Though there are many available steel types, I use mainly 440C high chromium martensitic stainless steel, O-1 Tungsten-Vanadium high alloy tool steel, ATS-34 high molybdenum martensitic stainless steel, and D2 extremely high carbon die steel. For other steels, details, and descriptions of these steels and their uses, refer to the FAQ page here: section "What's it made of?" There is also more detailed information about blade steel on the "Blades" page here.

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BLADE FINISH: The type of finish requested on the steel. Satin, sanded, bead blasted or mirror. Read about the details of the final blade finish on the blades page here.

1. THE SATIN FINISH (or brushed finish): The simplest finish is to leave the grind marks on at about 240 grit. Sometimes, this is requested by clients who are going to scratch, rip, and scar the blade, and do not want to pay for the effort to finish a blade that's going to be marked up anyway. The least expensive finish.
2. THE BEAD BLASTED FINISH. This is accomplished by first grinding to 240 grit on the grinds and flats, then bead or sand blasting to uniformly rough the surface. This looks great on tactical, combat, or fighting knives where reflection of a shiny blade is unwanted. It also compliments a knife blade that will then be hot blued, for a completely flat black finish. The only drawback is that the texture of the steel surface tends to hold water and debris, and can accelerate corrosion if not cared for. On the positive side, the same rough surface tends to hold waxes well, thus protecting the knife greatly.
3. THE SANDED FINISH is very popular among knifemakers, but I seldom do it, and then only by request. Most makers hand-sand blades along their length, and their reasons vary. I've heard that "my buyers expect a sanded blade" and "my sanding is perfectly aligned with the knife" and "I sand to 1200 grit and you can look at my sanding with a microscope and it's perfect." Wow. I personally feel that most makers who sand cannot achieve a fine mirror polish, and it's a short, quick way to finish a blade. As you can see, it's not my favorite...
4. THE MIRROR FINISH is best, for a host of reasons. It's beautiful. High chromium and alloy tool steels can be made to obtain a gorgeous finish, even D2 with its characteristic orange peel appearance is enhanced by mirror finishing. A mirror finished blued blade is stunning. The mirror finish has the highest appeal among most collectors and users. It increases the value of the knife, also the cost as the blade labor is more than doubled (that's probably why most makers just sand their blades). A mirror finish doesn't hold debris, water, or corrosives. The blade slides through materials with less effort. And there are some studies that indicate a high polish increases the break resistance of the blade, because all fractures start from a surface imperfection. The most important aspect is value. A mirror finish is worth more on a knife for long term investment value.

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HOT BLUED BLADES: Note: bluing is not offered on all types of steel and knives, and some types of bluing cannot be done if it interferes with the blade temper or construction. Each knife is different. I offer two types of hot bluing. Bluing is a passive oxidation process, whereby the surface of the steel is submerged in a series of chemicals that react with the steel surface, and oxidize it, creating a passive surface that inhibits corrosion and colors the steel. It is NOT a rust proofing treatment, it just inhibits rust. It is the same treatment that is used to blue fine firearms, and they too will rust if not cared for. Bluing is NOT available for stainless or high chromium steels. It is only available for O-1 and low and high carbon tool steels. Read more about the bluing process here.

TYPE AND COLOR OF BLUING: There are two types of bluing, sodium or nitrate salts. In sodium bluing, a jet black finish is formed, and this is the traditional finish of modern steel firearms. The sodium finish is the thickest and most durable, extending relatively deep into the surface of the carbon steel. It can be eventually buffed away by use and rubbing, just like a firearm. It looks great on bead-blasted O-1 blades for a flat black look. It's absolutely stunning on a mirror finished blade, as the finish is polished, glistening jet black. No photo can illustrate this appearance. The second type of bluing is with nitrate salts. They can be used to produce a variety of colors ranging from purple blue to vermillion (dark red) two dark golden straw. The colors are similar to the old "peacock" bluing of antique firearms. They are the least durable of the bluing processes, and will wear away after a period of years of buffing and rubbing. They're best served on knives that are for collections and display as they will change with age. Nitrate bluing is also less corrosion resistant than sodium bluing.

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BOLSTERS, GUARD, POMMEL MATERIAL: What the bolsters, guard, or pommel are made of. Generally, this is a choice between brass, nickel silver, mild steel, stainless steel, mokume gane, or pattern welded damascus. Read more about the details of these handles, bolsters, guards, pommels, and materials on the handles, bolsters, and guards page here.

LANYARD HOLE: Whether or not a lanyard hole is requested. Lanyards have many purposes, but mainly are to secure the knife with a loop of rope, leather or line to the wrist or a long line to the belt (such as on sailors knives). A lanyard can help to locate a knife in the dark or in foul weather. A short length of braided line can also be included to ease pulling the knife out of a deep sheath. On full tang knives with no rear bolsters, hole is drilled through the handle material and the tang and a liner tube is inserted. With rear bolsters, the lanyard hole penetrates both bolster sides and the tang. With hidden tang knives, the hole is drilled through the pommel. I'll adjust the size of the lanyard hole to fit the cross sectional area, bolster width and pin arrangement in the bolsters, but usually the lanyard hole is between 3/16" and 5/16" (.1875" to .3125" or .5cm to .8cm) In some knives, a bolster slot can be milled in the end of the tang, where the tang extends outside of the rear bolster or handle material. Because this is a specialized milling, it will cost more.

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OTHER MODIFICATIONS TO THE BLADE OR HANDLE?: Any other modifications requested on the blade and handle not already listed above: please email me with details. This may be decorative pinning, unusual features, enlarged or reduced areas, or other features you've thought of and I haven't!

HANDLE MATERIAL(S): The materials used in making the handle. A combination of these may even be used in mosaic arrangements. Link to specific pages on handle materials:

• Gemstone knife handles (my specialty): over 280 pictures in nine photo galleries, details, questions and answers about gemstone knife handles
• Hardwood knife handles: one of the best pages of hardwood knife handle info on the internet: hundreds of pictures, names, descriptions
• Horn, bone, and ivory knife handles: details about all types of natural handle material
• Manmade material knife handles: lists of materials, picture charts for comparison, uses, descriptions, pros and cons

 HANDLE MATERIAL DETAILS: Email me with other handle details. You might suggest a dark colored hardwood, you might even know the hardwood's name (like Cocobolo). If it's a bone type or ivory, you might suggest an animal, color, or pattern. If it's gemstone, you might know the material (like Jade, jasper, agate or petrified wood) and you might suggest a color or range of colors you're interested in.

• Gemstone knife handles (my specialty): over 280 pictures in nine photo galleries, details, questions and answers about gemstone knife handles
• Hardwood knife handles: one of the best pages of hardwood knife handle info on the internet: hundreds of pictures, names, descriptions
• Horn, bone, and ivory knife handles: details about all types of natural handle material
• Manmade material knife handles: lists of materials, picture charts for comparison, uses, descriptions, pros and cons

ETCHING? Note: I only etched mirror finished blades! This option is for etching on the blade. I etch with my own lithographic process, in photographic resolution. I've got some of the cleanest, sharpest etching in the business. It took me six years to develop, and it is proprietary. What it allows is the cutting into a shiny polished blade a deep, permanent darker image of text or graphics. I handle the price of etching on a case by case basis, as each client's needs are different. The least expensive to etch is text, followed by graphics, and if the graphics and artwork need to be digitized from rough sources, this will add to the price. Note: I only etch mirror polished blades! Etching is usually a dark gray cut into the shiny metal. See fine examples of my etching on the Commemorative Tactical and Military Knives page here, or on my Embellishment page here where I detail the process with examples.

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ENGRAVING? Engraving mostly means hand-engraving of the bolsters, blade, filework or sheath metallic components. That is the process of laying out a design by hand, cutting into the blade before it is heat treated or the bolsters after the handle is finished by hand gravers, sharpened hardened tools made to chisel away the material. Hand engraving is deep, bold, and unique as each design is hand cut. There are as many types of hand engraving as you can imagine, and full time engravers sometimes charge $250 a square inch (that's 1/2" x 1/2")! I don't charge that much, but just like etching, I'll quote on a case by case basis. The costs depend on the materials (some are very difficult to engrave), the area involved, the grade and difficulty of the cut. I also do machine engraving, that is with a computer numerically guided machine. It's not as textured as hand engraving, but can produce very fine results in most surfaces. See examples of both machine and hand engraving on the Embellishment Page here.

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KNIFE SHEATH OPTIONS: Select the type of knife sheath required here. Read more details on the "Sheaths" page here. These are the types:

• BORDER TOOLED LEATHER: This is my simplest leather sheath, included in the base price of the knife. It is 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, tooled around the borders, glued with waterproof cement, and usually hand-stitched with polyester sinew, the toughest binder on the market. The leather is dyed to accompany the knife, and sealed with waterproof lacquer.
• HAND-TOOLED LEATHER: The next highest grade of leather sheath, usually includes all the features of the Border Tooled Leather Sheath above, with full hand-tooling over the face of the sheath, on the back and the belt loop. Looks very nice, custom.
• EXOTIC INLAYS IN HAND-TOOLED LEATHER: These are the finest leather sheaths I make, with all the features of Border Tooled Leather and Hand-Tooled Leather above, and including inlays of exotic skins like rayskin, shark, snake, stomach, cape buffalo, alligator, lizard, and others. The best sheaths I make, these are the ones people ask me to make for all their knives by other makers.... I won't!
• KYDEX ON ALUMINUM FRAME: This is a tough military grade combat tactical sheath. I use double thick aluminum welts nearly a quarter inch thick, with two layers of kydex form fitted to the knife on each side. This is one of the best knife sheaths made, period. No other maker makes a sheath this tough. The layers are glued together with waterproof cement, and bound with nickel plated or blued steel Chicago screws. Includes nickel plated steel boot/belt clip or double aluminum belt loops screwed to the welts. Active duty military swears by these sheaths as "bulletproof." Available in a variety of colors, usually black, gray, Concealex®, forest camo, desert camo. There are other colors, just ask.
• LOCKING KYDEX, ALUMINUM, STAINLESS STEEL: This is the finest tactical sheath made. Includes all the features of the Kydex on Aluminum Frame above, with the addition of a stainless steel locking mechanism. The mechanism is hand made, all 304, 416, and 302 stainless steel, and positively locks the knife into the sheath. Used where absolute security is desired, such as parachuting, combat quads, and active combat. This is a knife sheath that will last as long as the knife, even in combat. This feature adds $150-$200 to the cost of the knife, depending on size.

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SHEATH OPTIONS: Depending on the type of sheath you select, you may wish for some options like a specific color, right or left side wear, cross draw or traditional draw. You may wish to specify a belt clip, or belt loops. You may want it completely waterproof and non-scratching and assembled with nylon screws. You may want to indicate type of exotic skin or color. Just be sure that I'll make a sheath that is commensurate with the quality of your knife, and that it will be one of the best knife sheaths made! Locking sheaths add at least $200 to the base cost of the knife. Email me with specific details.

SHEATH EMBELLISHMENT OPTION: This option is for sheaths that require a flash plate, engraving, or customization such as initials, monographs, names, or graphics. Many military and tactical knives feature machine engraved lacquered flash plates with the insignia and text of the particular organization. See many fine examples on the "Commemoratives" page here. Some clients prefer initials engraved into the leather, or imagery, text, and graphics cut right into the leather face of the sheath. I can do that for you. Please email me with your details. Take a look at some of the fine sheaths illustrated on the "Sheaths" page here for ideas.

CUSTOM KNIFE STAND OPTION: Click here if you want a custom knife stand for your collectors or art piece investment. Each stand is made commensurate with the quality of the knife to compliment and enhance the quality and appearance of your investment. Please look at the "Custom Knife Stand" page here for more details and pictures of my fine custom knife stands, ranging from simple holders to elevate and display knives to wholly sculptural pieces of knife art.

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DELIVERY DATE ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED! Some knives absolutely, positively have to be delivered by a specified date. This is usually a military deployment date, a birthday or holiday. While I cannot guarantee delivery due to unforeseen events in my studio, such as injury, materials availability, or family emergencies, I've never missed a rigid delivery date after I've accepted a project and deposit in over 20 years. Please, please only use this if absolutely necessary. Due to very long project lists, your delivery date may not be workable. Thanks.

CLIENT INFORMATION: Your information will NOT be given out, sold or in any way disclosed to anyone, ever. I don't like my name on mailing lists and data sheets, and I'll respect your privacy in the same fashion. You could fill out this form anonymously, but it would be meaningless if I can't contact you.  Please, serious inquires only. If you'd like, just give me your name and email, I don't absolutely need your shipping address unless you order a knife from me. Very important! Give me a valid, carefully typed email address! If you don't, I have no way of contacting you with your quote. It's surprising how often I try to contact a client, and he's given me an undeliverable or non-existent email address. You can see the current bad email list at this link.

HOW YOU FOUND MY SITE: Help me help you. My business is making knives, and maintaining this website as a professional knifemaker and artist. In order to tune my efforts to make the best, most efficient, economical, and successful knives, knives that will appreciate in value over the years, YOUR KNIVES, please let me know how you came across this site and any other helpful information. THANKS! Jay

ANY OTHER INFORMATION LEFT OUT OF THIS FORM: Thank you for taking the time to fill out the form. Please help me adjust the form if there are options, information boxes, or any other items I've left out of the form, or anything that would help you to fill out and submit the form. I value your input!

PRICE: My price quoted to you. See Custom Knife payment details here.

ESTIMATED DELIVERY DATE: While most delivery dates are not guaranteed, I'll do my best to keep your knife in my lineup. Please remember, I may be working on 100 knives at once, some of them large art projects, and I do everything in the shop including maintaining this website and sweeping the floor of the metal swarf from your knife! Thanks for your patience most of all!

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Contact me with any questions, or to order a knife!