Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Sanchez" Custom Chef's Knife

• Size: Length overall: 9.875" (25.1 cm), Blade Length:5.75" (14.6 cm), Thickness: .179" (4.6 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 8.0 oz. (227 grams) Stand: 2 lbs., 15 oz. (1.33 kilograms)
• Blade: 440C high chromium martensitic stainless steel, mirror polished, hardened and tempered using cryogenic process to 59HRC
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror polished
• Handle: Lapis Lazuli gemstone, Afghanistan
• Stand: Courbaril (Jatoba) exotic hardwood, Poplar hardwood, Black Galaxy Granite (India), neoprene, stainless steel fasteners
• Knife: The Sanchez is a popular mid-sized knife, designed with and named for the man who wanted a reasonable working knife for the kitchen, for boning, medium-sized work, but with enough point and cutting edge to be highly versatile without being overly long or wide. I've made the Sanchez in a variety of ways over the years, but this is probably the most striking piece. It is a custom knife, made for a great client who requested and supplied the gorgeous Lapis Lazuli gemstone that handles the knife. This is Afghanistan Lapis, the rock of the ages, of historic and biblical reference, one of the most beautiful gemstones on earth. It's not a mineral, but actually a rock, a mixture of minerals lazurite, hauynite, sodalite, noselite, with pyrite, calcite, diopside, feldspar, and mica. Because it's a rock, it tends to dig out and undercut (removing the softer components in the finish), so it's difficult to achieve a bright, glassy polish on this rock, taking many steps and careful process. The intense color of this stone is entirely natural; it was not treated in any way, and I carefully oriented each scale so that the densest region of pyrite was against the tang, and the most intensely blue part of the stone is at the forefront of display. The lapis is bordered by bright, mirror polished bolsters of 304 austenitic stainless steel, with 18 percent chromium and 8 percent nickel, and the most carefree, tough, and durable bolster material possible. The bolsters are contoured and blend seamlessly with the handle scales, and all the handle surfaces are rounded, smoothed and polished for a luscious grip and feel. The blade is a full tang blade of a favorite steel requested by my clients for its high durability, great wear resistance and toughness, and extremely high corrosion resistance in the kitchen, 440C. This is not a typical 440C blade; I gave it my absolute best heat treatment with a 40 hour long cryogenic soak for the maximum creation of hard carbides throughout the structure, and the blade is triple tempered with deep cryogenic thermal cycling at -325°F staging in between tempers. This creates an extremely stable, highly wear resistant, tough, and durable blade, the best this steel can be. I polished the blade to a bright mirror finish, it's fully fileworked with simple vine pattern completely around the fully tapered tang, and set with a razor keen cutting edge. This knife feels perfect in the hand; it's smooth and comfortable, and the balance point is right at the front bolster to handle scale junction.
• Stand: My client requested a simple stand for this knife, and I wanted to make one that would compliment the knife, elevating the handle for display and access, without drawing attention from the striking gemstone. The stand form I carved in a simple scroll shape from Poplar hardwood, with an outer frame of Courbaril. The poplar is a forgiving wood, which creates a gentle place for the blade and cutting edge to rest, while bringing a bright line contrast to the center axis of the carved wood form. The Courbaril (also known as Jatoba, Copal, Algarrobo and Guapinal) is an extremely dense and hard wood, and difficult to work with. This is a wood that is used in striking tool handles, it's tough and very resilient. I hand-sanded and finished the wood to a high luster, and waxed it for a clear, clean, and natural finish. The wood scroll form is mounted with stainless steel screws to a weighty and stable base of Black Galaxy Granite from India, polished throughout, and set with neoprene feet for scratch resistance on any surface it rests on.
• A striking, beautiful custom made blend of stone, steel, and wood for any kitchen or collection.

Thanks, J. E.!