"Xiphias" (the Swordfish)

Size: Length overall: 11.5" (29.2 cm), Blade Length: 7.5" (19.1 cm), Thickness: .21" (.53 cm)

Weight: Knife: 11.2 oz.  Sheath: 6.8 oz.

Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C58, hollow ground and mirror polished

Fittings/Bolsters: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished

Handle: Polished Brecciated Jasper Gemstone

Sheath: Black Rayskin Inlaid in Hand-Carved Leather

Sister to my "Dorado" pattern, Xiphias shares the similar inspiration, as the name is the Latin species name for the Swordfish. The Xiphias sports a fine forefinger ring, which blends the transition from a sharp, highly angular aggressive tanto point to the radically curved gun-like handle angle. This angle creates a comfortable blade position in either traditional or tactical grip style. I made this knife from tough, proven, 440C high chromium martensitic tool steel, the same steel that is requested by soldiers and professionals on most of my combat grade weapons and CSAR tools. I've hollow ground the blade and worked it to a fine mirror finish, preserving the crisp angles of the grind and flats, and created a full length top swage that reduces the point geometry to a super-sharp advantage yet conserves spine strength. The grind terminations are curved and gentle, distributing forces without stressing the blade-to-handle junction, and I created a deep choil for a definitive edge termination. At the ricasso is the dominant finger ring, fully finished, smooth and polished inside and out for comfort and ease of use. The top of the handle spine has a simple, clean, accurate filework pattern that extends down the fully tapered tang and stops at the rear quillon. The underside of the tang is smooth and monolithic with no filework. I've bolstered the knife with tough, zero-care 304 stainless steel, the front bolster is sculpted around the finger ring, and the rear bolster has a .250" through-tang lanyard hole for security when needed. The thing I can't show here is how comfortable and light this knife feels, even though it is made from substantially thick stock. The handle melts into the hand, the angle of the blade points nearly straight forward with the hand in a locked fist position.  I can tell I'll be using this handle design again; it's fantastic! The handle material had to be stunning, so I chose tough, hard, Brecciated Jasper gemstone, a stone that had been formed, crushed, and reformed in millions of years beneath the planet's surface. This is a hard, durable, and extremely long lasting gem, filled with visual interest, and worthy of this knife.

The sheath had to, of course, be commensurate with the quality of the knife, so I designed a special one. It's designed for left side angular wear, cross-draw with the right hand into traditional grip, or draw with the left hand into defensive tactical grip. I constructed it with a very light fit, so the knife can be quickly drawn. The sheath loop will accommodate up to a 2.25" belt. The sheath is made of 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, hand-stitched with polyester sinew, lacquered and sealed. I dyed the sheath a deep burgundy-brown hue, and it's hand-carved and inlaid with a raindrop pattern of 11 beautiful pieces of black rayskin, which are as hard as bone. At its thickest, the sheath is over 1" thick!

Together, this knife and sheath make a stunning combination, suitable for the most serious of users and collection.

Thanks, T. S. !