Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Quetzal" Fine Handmade Knife

• Size: Length overall: 12.0" (30.5 cm), Blade Length: 6.5" (16.5 cm), Thickness: .240" (6.1 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 17.3 oz. (490 grams) Sheath: 8.3 oz. (235 grams)
• Blade: O1 high carbon tungsten-vanadium tool steel, deep cryogenically treated, triple tempered, mirror finished, hot blued. Hardness: 60 HRC
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Hand-engraved, Mirror polished
• Handle: Pilbara Picasso Jasper (Australia), Red River Jasper (Africa) Gemstones
• Sheath: Hand-carved Leather Shoulder Inlaid with Shark skin
• Knife: My first of this design; this is a fantastic knife: stunning, bold, and imposing. I named it Quetzal, for the striking highland forest bird of the trogon family, considered to be one of the most beautiful birds in the world. The long tail, the curvature of the bird's body, all reflected in the form of this knife blade and handle pattern. I went all-out in this knife, please look at every photo below to experience this great piece!
  • The steel I chose for the knife is O1. O1 is an actual tool steel. It's not just an improvement on standard carbon steels, it is a workhorse of the steel tool trade, a fine steel, technically classified as a cold work tool steel. It's used for die-forming other steels, to make taps, cutters, broaches, and shears, a steel that has a proven reputation of performance. While O1 steels vary, this is a premium low manganese O1 steel, with substantial amounts of tungsten and vanadium, forming wear-resistant complex carbides. Add to that my deep cryogenic processing of this steel at -320°F and triple tempering cycles, and this steel has a significant transformational performance curve, with several times the wear resistance of conventionally processed O1. I've tempered the blade at 60HRC, so it's very hard and wear-resistant. I've mirror polished the hollow ground blade and performed my hot bluing of the surface, creating a corrosion inhibiting surface with the appearance of black mirrored glass. The tang is fully tapered for balance and I've fully fileworked the knife in a bold, distinctive pattern. The blade is deeply hollow ground for a thin, keen cutting edge that's just .020" thick behind the cutting edge. Consider that the knife is about 12 times thicker at the spine than at the relief (behind the cutting edge) and you'll get an idea of the radical hollow ground and finished in the geometry of this knife. The blade is large and wide, very resilient and stout, yet razor-keen with a good length of belly and a substantial dropped point (lower than the spine) that makes the knife easy to sheath as well as strong at the point. Like all of my knives, the grinds are well-matched and radiused at the termination, and the finish is incredible.
  • Note about the photos and the finish: Since this knife is hot blued, I took two sets of photos showing the blade (the obverse and reverse sides). One set of photos has a photographic light reflector above the knife, so you can see the hollow grind and the grind lines. Those are the photos that show the bolsters in lighter gray or white. The other set is done without a light reflector above, and in those photos, the bolsters are black or subdued. In those photos, you can get an idea of the actual black, glassy, slick surface appearance of the hot blued blade. You can also tell which is which by the alternate text shown when your cursor hovers over the photo. Hot blued mirror finishes on knife blades are the most difficult to photograph well, so this is the best way to demonstrate their appearance in varying light conditions.
  • I bolstered the knife with zero-care 304 high chromium, high nickel stainless steel bolsters, which are contoured and polished for a comfortable, smooth feel. The bolsters are secured with zero-clearance peened pins and dovetailed to bed the handle scales. The front bolsters are wide and flat, with a concave bolster face to make the most use of the hollow grind while reinforcing the spine. They also cover the forefinger quillon, and are rounded, contoured and polished, feeling very silky in the hand. The rear bolsters incorporate a substantial quillon that that helps lock the handle into the hand while balancing the weight of the blade.
  • I chose an incredible set for the handle scales. This is Pilbara Picasso Jasper from Australia, a rich, black field filled with geometric angular lines of orange-tans and clouds of rusty reds with small fortification areas and amazing features the closer they are examined. There are even some small cloudy white agate areas; examine the 4.5 power magnifications below. There is no stone that looks like this on earth. The jasper is a cryptocrystalline quartz, very solid and hard, tough and durable, an eternal handle. I mounted the handle scales in a doublet, with Red River Jasper from Africa. The red of the jasper layer creates a bold line at the tang, matching the reds of the Pilbara Jasper, a fantastic display. Please look over all of the photos below!
  • The knife feels large and imposing in the hand. This is no small knife; it's a big knife for a big hand, just what I wanted. The balance point is right at the position of the forefinger, the handle seems to wrap into the hand while the thumb rests perfectly along the wide front bolsters at the spine. It feels as good as it looks!
• Sheath: I wanted a masculine, strong sheath that wouldn't detract from the knife, but protect it well with style. I chose large, full shark skin panel inlays for the heavy leather shoulder, and double-row stitched the welts with black polyester. The sheath is sealed with three coats of lacquer for longevity and resistance to moisture and the elements, and protects the knife well with a high back and deep pocket for the blade.
• A fantastic, exciting, bold knife: a unique fusion of premium materials!

Thanks, J. N.!