"Phobos"
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"Phobos" Size: Knife: Length overall: 13.875" (35.2 cm), Blade Length: 8.75" (22.2 cm), Thickness: .245" (6.2 mm) Weight: Knife: 16.5 oz. Sheath: 10 oz. Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C59, hollow ground and mirror finished Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Hand-Engraved Handle: Brown Micaceous Hematite with Feldspar Gemstone (Bronzestone) Sheath: Brown Rayskin Inlaid in hand-carved and tooled Leather Shoulder Details: Phobos is the Greek word for fear, the name of one of the sons of Ares and Aphrodite, the larger and innermost moon of Mars, and the root of the word phobia. Only a special piece could bear this name, and this is my Phobos: an edged work of art. Phobos is a magnificent knife: over a pound of steel and stone, razor keen with an aggressive steeply angled tanto tip. The blade is made from quarter-inch thick stock of flawlessly hollow-ground and mirror finished 440C high chromium martensitic stainless tool steel hardened and tempered to be very wear resistant with great longevity and corrosion resistance. I've put a half-length top swage on the blade spine to reduce the point profile without sacrificing spine strength. The blade has a steep thumb rise in just the right place for a solid grip. I've cut a deep, bold, geometric filework pattern throughout the blade, and sculpted the choil for a clean edge termination. The tang is fully tapered for balance, and the knife feels great in the hand. The handle shape is curvaceous and comfortable, locking the fingers well between the deeply carved quillons. The knife is bolstered with full, stout 304 high-chromium, high-nickel stainless steel bolsters, dovetailed and hand-engraved. I designed a pattern that works well with the sharp and square angles of the blade and the curves of the handle, as well as the pattern in the gemstone. I call this a vine on trellis design. Do you know that I never repeat an engraving? Do you know that very few makers will ever attempt to engrave 304 stainless steel because it is so difficult to do? 304 has the greatest longevity, toughness, and best finish of any bolster material, and that's why I use it. Many hours went into these bolsters, substantially increasing the long-term value of the knife. The gemstone I chose for the handle is unique; I've only seen one piece of it in my thirty years of making. It's been called Bronzestone, but that name has also been used for some completely different gemstone, so that is not definitive. This is actually a micaceous brown hematite with feldspar inclusions and aventuresence. The gem has beautiful, rich plays of light reflecting off the feldspar faces inside the rock, which look like translucent fallen leaves in red-browns and silvery, metallic copper colors. The gem also has veins of solid dark gray hematite running through, and the handle is substantial in mass and smoothly polished with a great feel. Sheath: I wanted an outstanding sheath for this knife, so I created a full and deep angled crossdraw sheath from brown-black 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, hand-carved and inlaid with large panels of brown rayskin to match the gemstone in the knife. This extremely well-built sheath is inlaid front and back with the durable rayskin, which is actually interlocking bone, and the toughest, hardest natural inlay material on any knife sheath, period. I've oriented the "horn" (the apex of the center of the rayskin and the heaviest bony patch) to the central face of the sheath front. The sheath is hand-stitched throughout with polyester sinew and double stitched at the belt loop, border tooled, lacquered and sealed. This is a heavy sheath, the welts at the sheath mouth are an inch thick! Thanks, D. T.! |
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Jay, --D.T. |
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