Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

Whether at use in the professional kitchen or in processing barbeque, this pair of knives are an extremely well-made, useful and beautiful pair of instruments that will last for generations. In this set, I included a very strong, straight slicing and utility knife in my Bordeaux pattern, combined with my thin, flexible Rebanador slicing knife.

This versatile pair of knives qualifies for what is sometimes casually identified as a Barbeque Set, but it is so much more. These are professional grade knives, and both designs are crossovers that can be applied to a large range of cutting activities in the kitchen by the chef. There is no reason knives of this caliber should be regulated to a narrow range of tasks, and I'm committed to making wide-ranging functional crossover designs, the first choice and best knives for the job.

I've used premium materials, an ultimate heat treatment, finish, and fitting, to create this useful and dependable pair. This is one of the very finest chef's pair of knives you will ever see, truly one of the very best ever made, representing my commitment to the science and art of knifemaking and chef's knives.

440C high chromium hypereutectoid martensitic stainless steel is an absolutely excellent steel for the professional chef. The reason this steel excels is because it's a martensitic stainless steel, forming an incredibly strong microstructure of martensite, the acicular, hard crystalline allotrope of the best tool steels. It also can be treated to form profuse carbides: iron carbide, chromium carbide, molybdenum carbide and multi-element carbides. These intricate crystalline structures offer incredible wear resistance and high strength along with excellent toughness.

When properly heat treated, 440C is the most corrosion-resistant of all of the high alloy martensitic stainless steels, with little to no chance of corrosion, even in the acidic and corrosive environments of the kitchen. It does not form these microcrystalline components easily; it takes extremely complicated heat treatment to bring this out. While it can be conventionally heat treated, the difference between conventional processing and a highly sophisticated processing of this steel results in night and day difference in performance and durability. Proper heat treating is paramount, resulting in superior edge retention, toughness, strength, and corrosion resistance.

In order to bring this steel to its zenith of condition, I perform a proprietary heat treating process I call "T3." The technical aspects of this "tertiary third" formation of carbide structure is not a simple process. It takes over a week long, consists of 33 individual specific steps accomplished with high accuracy furnaces working at 1900°F, cryogenic equipment working at -320°F, and numerous staged and ramped process parameters. One small mistake will yield a less than optimum blade, and I'm determined to create the very finest knives made in the world today. Consequently, no other knifemaker, no factory, no machine shop, no heat treating facility will recreate the incredible condition of this blade steel.

The Bordeaux in this set is tempered to HRC 59.5, for a very hard, durable and stiff blade. This is a professional blade that has an incredibly thin cutting edge, with thick, strong spine to support it, and a deep hollow grind that gives this blade an incomparable slicing and cutting potential.

The Bordeaux has a very unyielding character. This is not a flexible blade; the heavy spine is 0.119" (3.0 mm) thick. This—combined with the lengthy heat treatment regime—means that there is no movement in this stiff, large blade, apart from the minimal flexibility at the very tip of the point. The hollow grind of the blade is what I define as a severe grind, similar to what is seen in a straight razor. The hollow geometry is established with a 12" diameter hollow grinding contact wheel. Rather than have substantial thickness at the cutting edge, this knife has a 0.016" (0.41 mm) thickness just behind the cutting edge. This is incredibly thin, the thickness of four and a half sheets of standard notebook paper.

One of the most notable features of the Bordeaux is the long, extended front bolster. It's made of 304 stainless steel; this is the absolute best material for knife fittings, particularly for chef's knives. This is because it's a zero-care high chromium, high nickel austenitic stainless steel, the same steel used to make stainless nuts, bolts, and fasteners. It's also used to make heavy duty sanitary restaurant equipment, and it's absolutely Food Contact Safe.

Beyond the material, the geometry of the bolsters is unique; I know of no other fine chef's knife that has the extended front bolster. While not used on every knife, on the Bordeaux, this allows a certain and comfortable "pinch-grip" on the bolster, when light work is desired, or high control of the blade point only available in the pinch-grip style. The front bolster is secured with three through-tang zero-clearance pins for absolute mechanical security, and is sealed with food-safe sealant to the tang.

Some chefs prefer to apply a light pressure for control by using the thumb or forefinger on the spine of the knife blade. On a thin blade spine, this can become uncomfortable. In the photograph above, you can see how much bearing surface is available for the thumb or finger on the extended front bolster. It's a wide bearing area, smooth and even, and comfortable to use. In the photo, you can also see the dovetailed front and rear bolster pairs, which positively lock the handle scales to the tang. The scales are bedded, secured, sealed, and solid.

In the photo above, you can see that the knife has a fully tapered tang, which is always seen only on the very best full tang knives. It's difficult to make an accurate tapered tang, which helps reduce weight in the handle without sacrificing strength, balancing the knife overall, and always indicating handmade excellence. I chose to forego any filework that would trap foodstuffs and debris, making the knife comfortable to hold and tremendously easy to clean.

The photo above shows the obverse side handle detail. The knife has a small heel for a tight, compact form, typical for slicing knives. The heel has a rounded and gentle cutting edge transition, to make sharpening easy and smooth. The inside of the bolster curve is polished and tapered for cleanability, and all of the surfaces are contoured, rounded, polished, and comfortable. The belly in the handle, the heel, and the rear "hawk's bill" at the rear bolster help lock this knife into the hand. The "drop" curve at the butt and rear bolster assure comfort in the palm of the hand.

Hard, polished gemstone is the absolute finest premium natural handle material, and this choice was a striking one. This is a hard, extremely tough, and beautiful stone; it's Brown Zebra Jasper from India. The gem has creamy white opaque areas, some tinged with hints of red, and chocolate-brown stripes. While it's commonly called a jasper, I believe it's technically a rhyolite, laid down in a volcanic event. This is typical of some common names of gemstone. Very similar to jasper, it's a tough and durable gemstone with a bold character. This is a beautiful stone that will literally outlast the knife; it's positively bedded and sealed to the tang, securely locked between and under the stainless steel bolsters. It's a zero-care stone, an eternal material with fascinating patterns.

The Rebanador slicing knife is a quite different character than the Bordeaux, and this is why they make a great complimentary pair. Rebanador is the Spanish word for slicer, The Rebanador is incredibly thin, long and keen. The design of blade is a recognized form of a slicing knife for the chef, designed to create long, thin, and accurate cuts.

This Rebanador has the added feature of being thinly ground with a 12" diameter hollow grinding contact wheel, for a geometry that creates a narrow blade width (spine to edge), with an incredibly thin cutting edge. Because it's so thin, I applied my T3 deep cryogenic process and tempered it to 56.5 HRC hardness, making it extremely flexible and tough. This is a knife that can easily serve as a crossover to a magnificent large fillet knife, suitable to marine and oceanic catches.

The Rebanador has an extremely thin spine for a long knife blade, at 0.070" (1.8 mm). This means it will slip into and through meat and vegetables without substantial thickness to impede the cut. The thickness just behind the cutting edge is 0.021" (.5 mm). This is enough to support the incredibly sharp and keen cutting edge, and it's these small adjustments in the geometry of knife blades that give them distinct and reliable functions. The blade is in a traditional blunt point, so piercing is prohibited to preserve control of very accurate cuts; stopping the blade from going where the chef doesn't want it to go.

The Rebanador has a comfortable, safe handle, with a forefinger curve that stops the hand from sliding onto the razor-keen edge, good belly for comfort, and a wide rear hawk's bill bolster that helps counterbalance the long blade. As with the Bordeaux, the Rebanador handle is beautiful, strong, tough, smoothly polished, and bedded and locked to the tang. These knives will last for generations, and knowing that these beautiful gemstones will absolutely outlast the knife is the reason I love this eternal natural handle material.

The case for the Bordeaux and the Rebanador had to be complementary, useful, tough, and beautiful. You simply won't see anything else like it made; this is my commitment to the entire tradecraft and art of knifemaking. I made this case in multiple layers of heavy 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, bonded and stitched with strong, heavy nylon thread that allows a little flexibility and high strength. This is one of my "book" cases, and the knives rest in thick leather pockets, actually surrounded by leather, a true presentation grade case. The outer case is covered with Bison (sometimes called American Buffalo) skin, specially treated and wax-sealed. The Bison is tough and durable, beautiful and bold.

The leather shoulder used in the body of the case is layered to 0.770" (20 mm), or over 3/4" thick where the knives rest. These layers are hand-cut and edge-finished, then bonded and stitched with very heavy nylon thread to create an extremely tough and durable protective shell around the knives. When closed, the case is over an inch thick. I've mounted three zero-care stainless steel snaps to secure the case closed, and the inside cover is ready for embellishment or personalization.

Laser engraving, dedication and personalization: The inside cover shown in the photo above is bare leather, ready for personalization. I use my laser engraver and hand-dying to finish these areas, and the effect is beautiful and classical. Here are a few photos of other laser engraved knife book cases I've made:

Ultimately, my client opted for a clear, simple finish for the inside cover, as shown above. For additional photos of the finished work, please look over the photo string of thumbnails at the bottom of the page. I followed up with a quilted, embroidered heavy layered canvas bag for storage, a very neat package.

The case inside is dyed brown, sealed with lacquer for longevity, and heavily bonded and stitched to the Bison cover with heavy brown nylon thread. I've placed perfect finger grooves in just the right locations to facilitate removal of the knives. This tasteful and elegant book case will last for generations with little care. It's a secure case that is an ultimate classic presentation medium.

Please look over the many photos thumbnailed below the specifications for this pair of professional grade knives. I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed making this magnificent pair of knives!

"Bordeaux and Rebanador" Fine Handmade Chef's/BBQ Knives

• Size:
  • Case: Length: 17.75" (45.1 cm), Width: 6.0" (15.2 cm) Thickness: 1.2" (3.1 cm)
  • Bordeaux: Length overall: 13.4" (34 cm), Blade Length at cutting edge: 8.4" (21.3 cm), Thickness: 0.119" (3.0 mm)
  • Rebanador: Length overall: 16.0" (40.6 cm) , Blade Length at cutting edge: 11.1" (28.2 cm), Thickness: 0.07" (1.8 mm)
• Weight:
  • Bordeaux Knife: 10.6 oz. (300 grams)
  • Rebanador Knife: 9.6 oz. (272 grams)
  • Case: 43.4 oz. (1230 grams)
  • Case with Knives: 3.9 lb. (1803 grams)
• Blades: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered with T3 Cryogenic Process to Rockwell HRC 59.5 (Bordeaux) and HRC 56.5 (Rebanador), Mirror Polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror polished
• Handles: Brown Zebra Jasper (Rhyolite) Gemstone (India), Carved and Polished
• Case: Bison (American Buffalo) Skin, Hand-carved and Dyed Leather shoulder, Nylon Stitching, Stainless Steel Dot Snaps, Lacquer Sealed, Wax-sealed Bison
• Storage and Transport Bag: Brown Canvas, embroidered both sides, quilted and padded throughout, in cotton, polyester, nylon.
• A pair of extremely well-made legacy knives, professional grade, with superb leather presentation book case.

Thanks, R. N.!