Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Malaka" Fine Handmade Custom Knife

• Size: Length overall: 12.25" (31.1 cm), Blade Length: 7.6" (19.3 cm), Thickness: 0.174" (4.4 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 13.9 oz. (394 grams) LeatherSheath:: 7.8 oz. (221 grams), Kydex Locking Sheath: 11.9 oz. (337 grams)
• Blade: CPM 154CM high molybdenum powder metal martensitic stainless steel blade, T4 deep cryogenically treated with quadruple tempering to 60 HRC, hand-engraved
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror polished, hand-engraved
• Handle: Plasma Agate Gemstone (California), Nephrite Jade Gemstone (Wyoming)
• Sheath: Hand-carved, hand-dyed Leather Shoulder nylon stitching, stainless steel fasteners
• Sheath: Locking Kydex (Version 2.0) in Kydex, anodized aluminum, anodized titanium, 304 stainless steel
• Knife: A great custom knife project for a great client, Malaka is named for the ancient Sumerian King of Warriors. My client requested a completely hand-engraved knife on the blade flats, and fully engraved stainless steel bolsters. The Malaka is a magnificently sharp and pointed knife, with a deeply set handle for a solid grip. My client also requested simple hand-tooled leather crossdraw on the sheath, and an additional minimal kit with my version 2.0 locking sheath for outdoor wear. 
  • The steel my client chose for his knife is CPM 154CM, 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 T4 deep cryogenic process in heat treating this blade; it's a highly detailed, extremely sophisticated process that takes 35 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. I performed a beautiful deep hollow grind on this knife,and beautifully and mirror polished it throughout. Before heat treating, I hand-engraved an elegant design in the blade flats. The blade has very deep and bold vine filework for handmade distinction and the tang is fully tapered for balance and beauty. It's a handsome, striking blade and I loved creating it for him.
  • 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 front bolsters are beautifully contoured to support the full thumb rise and sheath lock. The rear bolsters are wide and support the rear quillon that locks the handle into the hand. I continued the deep-relief hand-engraved design on the bolsters. Rarely engraved, 304 austenitic stainless steel is zero-care, unlike carbon steel engravings, these will last as long as the knife with no concern for rust or corrosion.
  • The handle scales of this knife have Nephrite Jade liners against the tang. This is an extremely tough gemstone from Wyoming, and it elevates the main course, striking Plasma Agate from New Idra, California. This is getting to be a very hard stone to find in high quality, and I was lucky enough to come up with some breathtaking scales. Please look over the 6 power enlargements on this page, this is a magnificent material that my client chose for his custom knife. The handle shape has a good belly for a comfortable grip and the quillons are extremely deep, locking the knife solidly into the hand.
  • The knife feels substantial and sharp in the hand, with a sure grip in the handle shape, and smooth rounded contoured bolsters. The engraving sets the knife into the collector's range, but my client intends to use the knife and that means a lot!
• Sheaths: My client requested two sheaths, one in hand-carved leather and another in locking kydex. For the hand-carved leather sheath, I used 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, hand-carved and tooled in the same design as the engraving on the bolsters and blade. He requested a left side crossdraw, so the sheath has a large and strong belt loop secured by six 304 stainless steel screw fasteners for longevity and trustworthiness. The loop holds the knife at a slight point-down angle, and the thick welts protect the wearer from the incredibly sharp edge and point. The welts are double-row stitched where they are not screwed together, and even the sheath back and belt loop are hand-carved and tooled. The high back allows easy access to the handle for casual wear while protecting the wearer. The leather sheath is sealed with multiple coats of saddle lacquer for longevity.
  The second sheath is one of my version 2.0 locking models, made of double-thickness kydex and supported by heavy welts of 5052 H32 high strength, corrosion -resistant aluminum aircraft alloy. I've anodized all of the aluminum in the sheath and hardware with a 1-mil thick, near ceramic-hard anodization with a deep black dye that is sealed with UV-resistant sealer. This includes a complete basic kit of belt loops, straps, and mounts. I included a LIMA with Olite rechargeable flashlight for emergencies in a night excursion, and the locking mechanism and fasteners are blackened 304 austenitic stainless steel with an anodized 6AL4V titanium spring. The sheath is fully waterproof and positively locking for security. The kit includes a basic set of bags and storage tins, and one of my 1000 denier ballistic nylon carry duffles with polypropylene, polyester, and acetyl, D-rings and YKK zipper.
• I'm honored to have made this for a very special client; and look forward to the adventures it will undoubtedly accompany!

Thanks, C. L.!