Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Corvus" Fine Handmade Custom Chef's Knife

• Size: Length overall: 11.5" (29.2 cm), Blade Length: 7.5" (19.1 cm), Thickness: 0.116" (2.95 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 9.4 oz. (267 grams) Prise: 2.0 lbs. (907 grams)
• Blade: 440C high chromium martensitic stainless steel blade, T3 deep cryogenically treated with triple tempering to 58 HRC
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror polished
• Handle: Bay of Fundy Agate (Fossil) Gemstone (Nova Scotia)
• Prise: Hand-dyed, hand-cast high strength silicone
• Knife: Corvus is the Latin name for the family of crows and ravens. I named this design because the shape of the Corvus blade reminds me of the incredibly useful and resourceful beak of the birds, one of nature's very best tools. The Corvus knife reflects that; it's just the right size for most kitchen and chef's work, without being to large and unwieldy. This is a thin, hard, and incredibly sharp knife, with a good heel for the board and a perfect curve for the chef's handwork. Our family likes this design so much, it's the design pattern for our main knife in our own home kitchen.
  • 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. I ground this blade with a 12" contact wheel for an extremely thin cutting edge that has great longevity after generations of sharpening. To give you an idea, I sharpen our Corvus once or twice a year only; it will well outlast me or my heirs!
  • I bolstered the knife with 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 very, very special. This is Bay of Fundy Agate, coming from the area between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick provinces in Canada. The bay boasts of the highest tides in the world, with striking and fantastic intensely old fossil and geological deposits, and this gemstone does not disappoint. On first glance, you might notice that the gem is an agate, with clear areas and a purplish-lavender tint with hints of reddish carmine. Study closer and the fascinating fossilized nature of this gem becomes clear. Please scrutinize the photo magnifications below; this is some of the most striking fossil I've ever encountered. I don't know the nature of the once-living remains in this rock, it's many millions of years, perhaps billions of years old, and these might be some of the earliest creatures on the planet. The tubular and segmented structures float throughout the agate; it's like no other material. Usually, in fossils, the rock is not agate but jasper or other opaque material, because fossils are formed by sedimentation. Clearly put, agates cannot be formed by sedimentation, yet, here is a fossil in agate! Also, in agates, the translucency is typically formed in fortifications, layers like a moat around a castle, with "flames" of intrusive colors brought into the stone by water deposition and self-forming crystallization. This is none of these; this is a floating, transparent agate of once living things. I truly wonder at how this fossil was formed; I've seen nothing else like it. The agate is hard and solid, incredibly tough and dense and takes a high vitreous polish that is smooth and glassy. This is a handle that is more fascinating the closer and more intensely it's scrutinized.
  • This great feeling blade has a good curve and heel for great board work; I love working with meats, vegetables, dicing, trimming, and chopping. It's a great all around knife with a tight feel, and necking up on the blade by pinching the spine is effortless. It cleans with a soapy brush and rinse, and air dry. It's smooth with no filework to catch debris and, of course, it's entirely food-contact safe.
• Prise: New to the field and new to the world, in early 2020, I developed the prise. This is a substantial block of hand-cast 800 psi tensile strength silicone, grippy and tough and completely food contact safe. This 2 pound silicone form is heat-resistant to 450°F (232°C) and is the perfect companion for the fine chef's knife. More than a rest for the knife, it's storage, safety, protecting the knife from other utensils, stopping movement, creating a safe zone for the knife during use (instead of laying it bare on the countertop or cutting board where it could spin around dangerously). It's easy to clean, extremely durable, and won't move on the counter due to its "grippy" nature. Nothing sticks to it, and a quick rinse in soapy water and rinse is usually all that is required to clean it. I custom-dyed this prise at my client's wishes and guidance, in a light battleship gray, with lavender swirls and areas, floating in a clear field. In bright light, the silicone seems to change color to a hint of blue. As with all of these silicone creations, it's entirely unique and changes depending on the lighting. Even the back of the prise is a work of art, like an canvas of gentle color. When the knife is to the right side or at the top of the cutting board, the cutting edge of the knife and point face away from the user for safety. Please take the time to read more about the prise at this bookmark, and see how our own family uses this wonderful adjunct to the kitchen knife.
• A beautiful and durable working and skinning knife with a striking fossil gemstone handle.

"Cygnus ST" Fine Custom Chef's Knife

• Size: Knife: Length overall: 9.9" (21.1 cm), Blade Length: 5.25" (11.4 cm), Thickness: .125" (2.9 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 7.3 oz. (136 grams) Prise: 1 lb., 6.0 oz. (113 grams)
• Blade: CPM 154CM high molybdenum powder metal stainless steel, T3 deep cryogenically treated, hardened and tempered to 61.5HRC, mirror polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished
• Handle: Kaleidoscope Stone Gemstone (Utah)
• Prise: Hand-dyed, hand-cast high strength silicone
• Knife: The Cygnus is named for the constellation of the swan in the northern sky. This Cygnus has a shortened blade, thus the designation ST. I created it for a lighter, smaller version of my popular Cygnus style, which has found a great home among chefs for its clean, substantial, yet fine blade. This Cygnus ST has a very thin, very hard blade, made for slicing , trimming, and most medium-sized tasks.
  • The steel I chose for his knife is CPM154CM, a powder metal tool steel, a high technology steel known for extremely even distribution of alloy elements and a uniform microstructure. It's a high molybdenum stainless steel, and the molybdenum aids in forming nucleation sites for complex carbide development. The moly also increases the toughness dramatically, resulting in a blade that's extremely durable. This allows me to temper the steel at a higher overall hardness, for great wear resistance as well. The high chromium and high carbon 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 toughness. 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, 154CM Powder Metal steel at its very finest advanced condition. The grind is hollow and deep, well-matched and beautifully mirror polished. I tempered this knife to a high hardness of 61.5 because the geometry and steel type will support it, maintaining the sharp cutting edge an extremely long time. The blade heel is fully thick to the base, protecting the hand from moving forward for lighter tasks. The knife feels substantial and like a dedicated working tool in the hand.
  • I bolstered the knife with 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 I made in Kaleidoscope Stone, a gemstone from Utah. It's not a singular mineral, it's actually a combination of chrysocolla, fluorite, and malachite, with prisms of small crystal structures throughout. It's a striking combination of minerals and has intricate patterns that fascinate the closer they are examined. The colors match the prise (next) well.
  • Prise: New to the field and new to the world, in early 2020, I developed the prise. This is a substantial block of hand-cast 800 psi tensile strength silicone, grippy and tough and completely food contact safe. This 2 pound silicone form is heat-resistant to 450°F (232°C) and is the perfect companion for the fine chef's knife. More than a rest for the knife, it's storage, safety, protecting the knife from other utensils, stopping movement, creating a safe zone for the knife during use (instead of laying it bare on the countertop or cutting board where it could spin around dangerously). It's easy to clean, extremely durable, and won't move on the counter due to its "grippy" nature. Nothing sticks to it, and a quick rinse in soapy water and rinse is usually all that is required to clean it. I custom-dyed this prise at my client's wishes and guidance, in a light battleship gray, with lavender swirls and areas, floating in a clear field. In bright light, the silicone seems to change color to a hint of blue. As with all of these silicone creations, it's entirely unique and changes depending on the lighting. Even the back of the prise is a work of art, like an canvas of gentle color. When the knife is to the right side or at the top of the cutting board, the cutting edge of the knife and point face away from the user for safety. Please take the time to read more about the prise at this bookmark, and see how our own family uses this wonderful adjunct to the kitchen knife.
• This is an extremely sharp and hard-bladed durable slicing and trimming knife with a striking handle and matching dedicated prise.

Thanks, S. C.!