Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

Menkar

• Size: Length overall: 6.8" (17.3 cm), Blade Length: 3.25" (8.3 cm), Thickness: .204" (5.2 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 6.1 oz. (179 grams) Sheath: 4.5 oz. (153 grams)
• Blade: CPM154CM Powder Technology Martensitic High Molybdenum Stainless Tool Steel, Cryogenically Treated, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell HRC60.5, Mirror Polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel
• Handle: Dendritic Agate Gemstone (India)
• Sheath 1: Hand-carved, Hand-dyed Leather Inlaid with Green Ray Skin
• Sheath 2: Hand-stamped, black dyed leather in basketweave pattern, acrylic sealant
• Knife: The Menkar is named for the second-brightest star (also known as Alpha Ceti) in the constellation of Cetus, the whale. The curvature of the blade reminds me of a whale's form, upswept and dropping at the point, a variation of a Nessmuk-style utility, working, skinning, and dressing blade, popular for centuries. This is a tight, strong and bold knife, small in stature yet stout and durable, with a feisty, bold character. I made the blade in CPM154CM, a powder metal technology version of high molybdenum 154 CM tool steel, an extremely tough steel with high wear resistance and high corrosion resistance. This is a beautiful steel, some of the best modern technology can produce. The finish and grain on the steel is super smooth and uniform, due to the powder metal technology process, and my best heat treating process applied. I quenched this steel at -325°F for maximum martensitic conversion, and aged this steel in deep cryogenic processing, with 43 hour aging for the maximum precipitation of eta-carbides. This was followed by triple tempering with deep cryogenic soaks in between tempers for the most stable allotrope possible. Consequently, this is an extremely tough, very hard, very corrosion resistant and beautiful blade that will literally last for generations. I tapered the hollow grind in the blade, for a very thin and penetrating point, while leaving the hollow grind near the ricasso thicker, reflected in the cutting edge relief, getting wider near the handle. This is done to increase strength at the blade to handle area, yet have the same sharpening angle for easy sharpening when necessary. With the eta carbides and treatment, sharpening should be very seldom! The knife has full, deep, yet simple alternating filework to give a good purchase at the blade spine, and the tang is fully tapered for balance. The handle style is a three-fingered handle, where just the index, middle, and ring finger are wrapped around the handle and the dropped profile at the butt of the handle rests in the palm. It's a very comfortable knife to hold in this fashion. I bolstered the knife with high chromium, high nickel 304 stainless steel, for absolute corrosion resistance and high toughness, a steel that is zero care. The bolsters are rounded, smoothed, contoured and polished for comfort. The bolsters are dovetailed and bed a pair if Dendritic Agate gemstone handle scales. This is very hard, tough agate that will literally outlast the knife. The agate comes from the Aurangabad District, in Maharashtra, India, and has fascinating green, mossy dendrites throughout the white and gray cryptocrystalline quartz. I've polished the agate to a bright, glassy finish and it's smooth and appealing, with fascinating patterns that are even more interesting under magnification. The knife feels solid and tough in the hand, and the balance point is at the front bolster-handle scale junction, making the blade feel light in the hand.
• Sheath 1: I wanted a special, bold sheath for this knife, so I built a deep, high-backed sheath in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, hand-carved complex inlay pockets in front, back, and the belt loop, and applied tonal gradation hand-dying for a rich, toasted look to the leather around the inlays. I inlaid the sheath with green rayskin forms, reflecting the dendritic (leaf and tree) forms in the gemstone handle. I used a meandering, casual stitch line of tight brown polyester sinew, and sealed the sheath in lacquer for longevity.
• Sheath 2: My client requested an additional sheath that was all work, a utility sheath that was less ostentatious and muted for work or daily wear. He requested black basketweave, so this sheath I made in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, with a solid, regular design and a durable, utilitarian acrylic finish. The belt loop has double-row stitching in heavy black nylon for durability and the sheath is deep and protective for the knife and the wearer.
• The knife and sheath are a tough combination of extremely fine modern high technology stainless tool steel, hard and eternal agate, and a robust and tough sheath to match. A great piece.

Thanks D. B.!