Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Nishi" Fine Handmade Knife

• Size: Length overall: 8.25" (21 cm), Blade Length: 4.5" (11.4 cm), Thickness: .174" (4.4 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 7.0 oz. (198 grams) Sheath: 4.2 oz. (119 grams)
• Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered with  Cryogenic Process to Rockwell HRC 60.5, Mirror Polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror polished, Deep Relief Hand-engraved
• Handle: Sonoran Flame Agate Gemstone (Mexico)
• Sheath: Hand-carved, hand-dyed Leather Shoulder
• Knife: The "Nishi" is a small tanto design, named for the Japanese word for west. This is a palm-handled knife; the short, rounded contoured handle fits in the palm of the hand, which makes the knife compact and tough. Even though the blade is just over 4" in length, it's deeply hollow ground creating a thin, keen cutting edge with high durability while having the support of a very strong spine. The spine incorporates a substantial thumb rise for applying force and control of the tough blade. I added a punchy, offset, full filework throughout, and the tang is fully tapered for balance.
  • The steel I chose for this dagger is 440C, my most asked-for steel for a reason. It's very tough, highly wear resistant and excels in corrosion resistance, for the lowest care needed of just about any knife steel. I used a special cryogenic process in heat treating this blade; the result of this is an extremely wear-resistant blade that has very high carbide development, fine grain, and high toughness with reduced asperity (surface roughness). This results in a very tough, highly wear-resistant, corrosion resistant blade that will simply last for generations of use.
  • 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. It's very difficult to engrave 304, since it's 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, the same steel that is used to make stainless nuts, bolts, and heavy fasteners. I fully hand-engraved the bolsters in deep relief to match the flame design in the Agate gemstone handle scales (next).
  • The handle scales are absolutely striking; this is one of the most beautiful gemstones I've encountered. It was acquired from old stock mined over two decades ago, now unavailable in any sizes large enough for a knife handle. What you may find in Sonoran Agate is called "fire" agate, but doesn't come close to the striking patterns of this rock. It's formed by fine sediments being carried into a narrow seam in periods that allow the formation of quartz, a cryptocrystalline gemstone that has distinctive "flame" banding in a wide range of colors. Ranging from tans, oranges, and reds to whites, translucents with hints of purple, this is an absolutely stunning piece of gem. The gems had crystalline pockets, and I've carefully stabilized and filled them with jeweler's quality methods to make them permanently sealed and solid throughout. This rare material is something to behold; I only wish I had much, much more of it! Take a close look at the magnifications below, and you'll see what I mean. The agate is very hard, tough, and strong and will literally outlast the knife. The scales are bedded, accurately fit, and rounded, contoured, and polished to a vitreous finish.
  • The balance point of the knife is at the forefinger placement, and the handle seems to meld into the palm. It's a compact, yet seriously durable knife.
• Sheath: Making a complimentary sheath for this knife was a design natural, I only had to replicate the pattern of the gemstone and the bolster engravings into the leather. I hand-carved the opposing flames with a deep background in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder. I used many steps of graduated and mixed dyes to display the gradations of the flames set against a coffee-brown receding background. The sheath is fully carved and dyed, front and back an in the belt loop with the design. I stitched it together with heavy nylon thread, and it's sealed throughout with lacquer for permanence.
• A wonderful, intensely striking gemstone-handled small tanto knife with bold fiery character.

Thanks J. N.!