Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Nunavut" Custom Skinning Knife

• Size: Knife: Length overall: 7.625" (19.4 cm), Blade Length: 3.5" (8.9 cm), Thickness: .205" (5.2 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 9.3 oz. (264 grams) Sheath: 6.0 oz. (170 grams)
• Blade: 440C high chromium stainless steel, hardened and tempered to 59HRC, mirror polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished, hand-engraved
• Handle: Musk Ox Boss, stabilized
• Sheath: Hand-tooled leather shoulder, stainless steel snap
• Knife: This is a great custom knife for a great client in the newest northern territory of Canada, thus the name. My client kindly supplied the information on the design he needed and this is a true custom piece, from the shape of the blade, the embellishment, and the special handle material he supplied. His input was critical into this piece, and this demonstrates that true knifemaking is a partnership between maker and client, between the guy who makes the knife and the guy who will use and cherish the piece for his lifetime.
  The steel for this piece is 440C, the most corrosion resistant stainless tool steel available, for the least worry and care in its critical use. The grind is hollow, accurate and well-matched side to side, with a curved geometry that was difficult to execute but worth the effort in every way, resulting in a blade that is razor keen along an extremely curved cutting edge, which is what skinning is all about. The mirror polish is striking and will help with cleaning and longevity for many decades. The knife has full, bold filework around the fully tapered tang from the grind lead-off to the choil. I made the taper with just enough extra thickness at the butt of the handle to support the handle material, and the balance point is exactly at the forefinger location when held in forward grip. The knife is bolstered with zero-care, high nickel, high chromium 304 austenitic stainless steel, into which I hand-engraved an overlapping leaf pattern at my client's request. The bolsters are dovetailed and lock a bedded pair of handle scales to the tang, which are secured with six 1/8" through-tang 304 stainless steel pins. All areas are contoured, radiused, rounded and smoothed for comfort in grip. This is a beautiful handle material, supplied by my client, stabilized Musk Ox Boss. The boss is a thick plate of bone that is the base of their huge horns, used to butt heads with other rival bull Musk Oxen. The black area in the handle is the remains of hematomas, or areas where bleeding has occurred due to intense impact. The handle is pearlescent, with beautiful patterns, and a silky smooth polished feel; a great material to work with, and I thank my client for the experience!
• Sheath: My client wanted a simple, unadorned sheath (which is hard for me to make!), so I focused on security and durability foremost. I could not recommend kydex or plastic of any kind, because of the extremely low temperatures this knife is expected to perform in (plastics will become brittle and crack). Only leather would do, so I made this one in 9-10 oz. leather shoulder, simply border tooled, and built extra strength throughout. The entire sheath, belt loop, and welts, are all hand-stitched with double row stitching in nylon for the highest strength. The belt loop is large and accommodating of heavy gear. The flap securing the knife is full, completely protecting the knife with only the very tip of the butt exposed. The flap has a built-in safety boss, a layered stack of shaped leather that engages the handle at the location of the quillon and forefinger location when the flap is snapped shut. This prevents the knife from sliding out of the sheath even when upside down, as long as the flap is snapped. Even the snap is heavy duty stainless steel, for no corrosion worries whatever. The sheath is dyed a medium dark brown, and sealed against the elements.
• A beautiful, elegant skinning knife at the peak of its type that I was honored to make!

Thanks, M. R.!