Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Nihal" Fine Handmade Knife

• Size: Knife: Length overall: 6.25" (15.9 cm), Blade Length:3.0" (7.6 cm), Thickness: .127" (3.2 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 3.0 oz. (85 grams) Sheath: 2.9 oz. (82 grams)
• Blade: 440C high chromium stainless steel, hardened and tempered to 58HRC, mirror polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished, hand-engraved
• Handle: Amazonite Gemstone
• Sheath: Hand-carved, hand-dyed leather shoulder
• Knife: Nihal is the name of a star in the constellation Lepus (the Rabbit). This is a great small knife, and I don't make many small knives, so this one is a real gem. The blade is clean and smooth, made in highly corrosion resistant 440C high chromium martensitic stainless steel, for almost no care and extreme corrosion resistance with good toughness and high wear resistance. The blade is clean and polished to a high mirror finish, and with no filework, choil or abrupt geometry, is easy to keep clean. The blade has a razor sharp single bevel edge with a substantial finger depression behind the blade for a safe grip. The tang is fully tapered for balance, and the blade is bolstered with zero-care high nickel, high chromium 304 stainless steel alloy. This is a very tough, durable, and highly corrosion resistant stainless steel. I've hand-engraved a light intertwined leaf pattern in the bolsters, a hint of Celtic style. The bolsters are dovetailed to bed a pair of striking green Amazonite gemstone handle scales to the tang. Amazonite is a potassium aluminum silicate, a microcline feldspar that resembles turquoise or chrysocolla at first glance, but is harder and more electric in intensity. You can see from the photos that this is a bright material, with bits of white tipped crystals throughout. There is nothing that quite looks like the intense color, and though the knife is small, the extreme appearance will not be ignored. The knife feels accurate and particularly light in the hand, with the balance point at the junction of the front bolster and handle scale. This is a three finger handle shape; the first three fingers of the hand wrap while the small finger is draped behind the rear bolster quillon, and it molds into the palm. As you look at the photos on this page, please note that they are all enlargements. Even the full photo above is over 2 times the size of the actual knife, showing every detail.
• Sheath: As always, my sheaths must be commensurate with the knife, so I created a high-backed sheath out of heavy leather shoulder, and hand-carved and hand-dyed the design that matches the bolster engraving. I wanted it darker and less striking than the handle, so I chose a deep emerald green against a background of black for the color dye arrangement. The sheath is carved and tooled front, back, and on the belt loop, and hand-stitched with black polyester for durability and strength. The sheath is deep and protective, sealed from moisture and the elements.
• A beautiful and elegant small knife, with an vibrant gemstone handle and pleasing sheath.

Thanks, L.B.!