Ladron

A stylized and curvaceous bowie style blade, Ladron is named for a mysterious single mountain in south central New Mexico, where I use to hike and explore. Over 13.5" long and with an 8" blade, this is a substantial, graceful, and unique art knife. The blade is mirror finished O-1 high carbon tungsten-vanadium tool steel, and I've hot blued it for a reflective black finish. The blade has a very nice sweep with just a bit of recurve, and a top swage at the bowie style clip. The blade is fully fileworked, with a fully tapered tang. The handle is bolstered with hand-engraved low carbon steel bolsters, three sets of them, supporting the forefinger quillon, the rear hawk's bill, and the sub- hilt style of central quillon. The bolsters are dovetailed and bed two pairs of striking polished Red River Jasper gemstone handle scales, hard and tough, sculpted to fit the curves and belly of the handle. The sheath had to be commensurate with the knife, so I created an open style sheath protecting the dangerous parts of the knife (the tip and the cutting edge) and displaying the rest of the piece. The sheath is inlaid front and back with black Stingray skin set in hand-carved 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, in Oxblood red. A beautiful piece!

Thanks, J.L.!