Knife: Clarau is a stunning
small knife, adorned in rich deep blue that only Lapis Lazulii can
bring. This is Peruvian Lapis, from some old stock I had set back
for just such a project. This is the real stuff, not some dyed or
stabilized plastic, and you can see seams, inclusions of pyrite, and
just a tiny bit of calcite in the matrix. Lapis is not a mineral,
it's actually a rock, made up of different minerals, and is
absolutely prized for its magnificent color, used for over 6000
years as a gemstone. I knew this lapis would work well with the
striking black blade, mirror-finished and hot blued for corrosion
resistance. O-1 is a great steel, holds a fine edge, and has
impressive wear resistance. This is a full tang knife, with full
filework in an alternating pattern reminiscent of an Incan design.
The blade has deep hollow grind with
good transition grind termination between blade and handle, with
plenty of spine to support the blade. I chose 304 high chromium,
high nickel austenitic stainless steel bolsters, mirror-finished
them and hand-engraved them with freehand leaf forms. The small
knife is comfortable in the hand, and with a noticeable forefinger
quillon, protects the hand well. The drop point is easy to sheath
and feels like an extension of the finger. I put a scalpel-like
single bevel cutting edge on the knife.
Sheath: For this fine knife, I made a sculpted full-panel inlay of
chocolate lizard skin inlaid in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder,
with inlays also on the back and belt loop. The leather is thick and tough, dyed
black, hand-stitched with polyester sinew, lacquered and sealed.
Copyright 2010 by The Jay Fisher Company. All rights reserved. Federal copyright law prohibits unauthorized reproduction by any means and imposes fines up to $25,000 for each violation.
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