Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Macha Navigator" Fine Handmade Custom Knife

• Size: Length overall: 11.75" (29.9 cm), Blade Length: 6.5" (16.5 cm), Thickness: .284" (7.2 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 17 oz. (482 grams) Sheath: 6.9 oz. (196 grams)
• Blade: 440C High Chromium Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered, T3 Cryogenically Processed to Rockwell HRC 60.5, Mirror Polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror polished
• Handle: Rooster tail Agate Gemstone (Mexico)
• Sheath: Hand-carved, Hand-dyed Leather Shoulder, stitched with nylon
• Knife: This is a great custom knife, made for a wonderful client, and it was an honor to create every part of this unique and stunning knife for him, his family, and as a legacy piece. He chose my "Macha Navigator" pattern, pronounced mak-kha, named for the Celtic goddess of war. The original Macha was created with the design input of a Principle Security Detail professional. The navigator differs from the original Macha design, with a more traditional front bolster making it lighter and more streamlined but with the same purposeful blade design and style. The blade steel chosen for this project is 440C but not just any 440C; it has my premium heat treatment and processing: T3. This process yields an astounding blade in incredible condition through advanced processing protocols. How advanced is this treatment? It's a multi-stage cryogenic treatment, involving temperatures ranging in over 1950°F (1066°C) to -320°F (-196°C). The process is an evolution of my advanced heat treating processes, and consists of 33 dedicated and specific steps and takes 172 hours. This means that just to heat treat this blade takes over a week! The reason for this is scientific and critical, but yields the most stable, most wear-resistant, most durable and long-lived structure of this steel, profuse with fine multi-element carbides and a uniform and unbelievably robust structure. This is a testament to my determination to make the very best knives, steels, treatments and kits in the modern world. I know of no one else who has advanced the treatment to this level; it's unheard of in the metals field.
  The blade is incredibly robust, with a very thick spine and carefully matched deep hollow grinds for a tough, yet thin and hard-working cutting edge. The specialized treatment along with the steel type and geometry create a smooth and razor-keen cutting edge with extremely high corrosion resistance, fine grain structure profuse with fine eta-chromium carbides and molybdenum-chromium carbides, and a complete and stable martensite microstructure. The blade has over 4" (10 cm) of standard cutting edge, and has an additional 2" (5 cm) of my Vampire rip-tooth serrations, with highly aggressive and acute cutting teeth, points, and edges. The blade has a two-third's-length top swage which reduces point profile without sacrificing strength and has vine filework completely on the spine, from the swage to the butt and rear bolster. The tang is fully tapered and my client requested a smooth belly so the knife has no filework on the inside of the handle tang. The knife is bolstered with zero-care 304 austenitic stainless steel, secured by multiple pinned and peened stainless steel pins for absolute permanence. The bolsters are smooth, contoured, rounded, and polished for a very comfortable, inviting feel. They are dovetailed to lock and bed a pair of gorgeous and striking gemstone handle scales. They are Rooster tail Agate, a rare and striking gemstone I acquired from the last of a special stock mined decades ago in Mexico. This is an extremely hard and tough cryptocrystalline quartz, very fine-grained, super durable and bold with areas of red, gold, orange, and white, with some clear and translucent parts. The stone is very difficult to grind and polish, taking many hours to bring to a fine glassy luster. This is a gemstone that will literally outlast the entire knife, and probably most of human civilization! It will maintain its polish and appearance indefinitely since the only thing that will scratch it is the hardest silicon carbide or diamond. The rock feels very smooth and comfortable in the hand, and the balance point of the knife is at the placement of the forefinger in a forward grip style. The knife also feels secure in a reverse grip, with the thumb "capping" or riding over the rounded and substantial rear bolster.
• Sheath: My client requested a sheath as bold and striking as the gemstone-handled knife, so I created this very special work of art. Carrying on with the theme of the rooster's tail, I hand-carved overlapping tail feathers in the front, back, and even in the belt loop of the 9-10 oz. heavy shoulder leather of the sheath. I hand-dyed the feathers to match the gemstone and gave it a bold, green Celtic background for brilliant contrast and ancestral recognition. I stitched the sheath with heavy black nylon, with double-row stitching in the belt loop for high strength, and the sheath is sealed with acrylic for durability and resistance from the elements.
• A fine, personal treasure made for a very special client and his family.

Thanks, P. B.!