Sheath: Hand-carved, hand-dyed Leather Shoulder inlaid with Tegu Lizard skin, Nylon Stitching
Knife: Kochab is the original name for
Beta Ursae Minoris, the brightest start in the bowl of
the constellation of the Little Dipper. This knife design is a great
small utility and skinning knife, a tough, durable, beautiful knife
with a sweeping mirror polished grind and a full, wide handle.
The steel I chose for this knife is
Food Contact Safe 440C high chromium martensitic stainless
steel, my most requested steel for a reason. When properly
treated, it's a dependable, reliable workhorse of extremely
high corrosion resistance, good toughness and high wear
resistance. The high chromium of 440C along with the high
carbon and moderate molybdenum results in profuse chromium
carbides, increasing corrosion resistance as well as wear
resistance. To bring this steel to its zenith, I used my
proprietary T3 deep cryogenic process in heat treating this
blade; it's a highly detailed, extremely sophisticated
process that takes 33 individual steps and takes over a week
long. The result of this is an incredibly wear-resistant
blade that has extremely high carbide development, fine
grain, and extremely high corrosion resistance. Asperity is
reduced; the microstructure development is superior to any
other typical handmade knife, and far above any factory or
manufactured knife. This is, simply put, 440C at its very
finest advanced condition. The grind for this knife blade is
hollow, leaving a very thick and strong spine with a
moderately thin,
tough cutting edge. The point is designed similar to the
lines of a "Nessmuk" skinner, a trailing, yet dropped point.
This makes for a stronger point profile, and a knife that is
easier to sheathe, since there is no sharp angle to
accidently contact the sheath welts. I fileworked the knife completely
around the tapered tang with a simple geometric
pattern for handmade flair and reduced slipping of the
finger along the
spine. The thickness of the spine encourages pressure with
the thumb in tough cutting use and tight control.
I bolstered the knife with large, zero-care 304 high chromium, high
nickel stainless steel bolsters, which are contoured, rounded and
finished for a comfortable feel. The bolsters are secured with
zero-clearance peened pins and dovetailed to bed the
handle scales. The rear bolsters
are wide and support the rear quillon that locks the handle
into the hand.
The handle scales of this knife are
a beautiful pair of Petrified Sycamore Wood gemstones.
This gem is the fossil Platanus from the Squaw Creek forest southeast of Kittitas, Washington,
known for the beautiful feathery pattern that woodworkers would call quilted.
This is a
very hard and durable chalcedony, one of the toughest
gemstones I use. The petrified wood takes a high
vitreous polish that is smooth and glassy. A very
classy material that will literally outlast the knife!
The knife feels robust in the hand, yet
the blade feels light and easy to control, just right for a
skinning knife of this size and shape. The sweep of the
blade is perfect, and the point is strong and durable. The
forward finger groove gives good control, and the butt of
the knife fills the palm for a secure feeling.
This knife is
food-contact safe.
Sheath: I wanted a strong design in the sheath,
one with repeating patterns to compliment the beauty of the gemstone
handle. I chose Tegu Lizard skin inlays with shapes that match the
sweeping lines of the knife handle color. The 10 inlays rest in
pockets hand-carved into 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, dyed dark brown.
The sheath is stitched with heavy nylon thread and lacquered and
sealed. It's a high-backed sheath that is deep and protective, thick
and hardened leather shoulder makes it stiff and strong.
A beautiful and durable working and skinning knife with a
striking fossil gemstone handle.
Copyright 1996-2024 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.
Learn more.
