Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

"Vespula" Fine Handmade Custom Knife

• Size: Length overall: 14.25" (36.2 cm), Blade Length: 8.4" (21.3 cm), Thickness: .180" (4.6 mm)
• Weight: Knife: 14.0 oz. (397 grams) Sheath: 5.4 oz. (153 grams)
• Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Steel, Hardened and Tempered with T3 Cryogenic Process to Rockwell HRC 58.5, Mirror Polished
• Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, Mirror polished
• Handle: Mosaic of Black Onyx and Tiger Jasper Gemstone (India)
• Sheath: Cocobolo Rosewood, African Padauk Hardwood
• Knife: I have the very best clients a knifemaker could have, and when my client challenged me with this Vespula, I was honored by the opportunity. He asked for a Vespula knife that was true to the name. Vespula is the genus of wasps most of us identify as "yellowjackets." I named the knife pattern Vespula because of the stinger-like shape of the blade. Since the blade is double-edged, this reminded me of being stung by these wasps, a memorable experience! More on the artistic attributes to this knife design below.
  • The steel chosen for my client's Vespula 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. It's also one of the very best steels for extremely high corrosion resistance with little care. I applied my proprietary T3 deep cryogenic process in heat treating this blade; it's a highly detailed, extremely sophisticated process that takes 33 individual steps and takes over a week. The result of this is an incredibly wear-resistant blade that has extremely high carbide development, fine grain, and high toughness. Asperity is reduced; the microstructure development is superior to any other typical handmade knife, and far above any factory or manufactured knife. This is, simply put, 440C at its very finest advanced condition. This is difficult on such a long, double-edged blade, since the stress of heat treating happens after the blade is hollow ground. The hollow grinds are special; this is a differentially ground knife, in essence a non-symmetrical dagger. The upper cutting edge is ground with a 3" contact wheel, so the edge is very thin while maintaining a strong central spine along the blade. The lower or main grind is accomplished with an 8" contact wheel, for a tough, strong standard cutting edge. The blade is very strong and stiff, and the point is devastatingly sharp, like the wasp's stinger. I created the blade with a fully tapered tang for balance, and the blade has full distinctive filework which I call (of course) "stinger."
  • 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. This is a true, no-care bolster material, 304 is also known as 18-8 stainless, found in the toughest stainless steel nuts, bolts, and fasteners. The Vespula has a mid-bolster, which reinforces the forefinger groove on the handle, and adds a distinctive look. This means that there are actually six bolster pieces that have to be accurately and permanently secured to the handle. This is a very strong handle.
  • My client requested handle scales that would have colors reminiscent of these beautiful creatures. My quest was to find just the right handle material, and I acquired Black Onyx and Tiger Jasper, both from India. Just like the wasp, the black onyx is actually a very dark chocolate brown, and the gold of the handle is Tiger Jasper. This was an extremely challenging handle to make, requiring lots of planning and many steps. It is technically called a "mosaic" handle, Instead of singular, monolithic stone pieces, I decided that the graduated stripes would be more appropriate and striking as well. I cut and hand-lapped many pieces of each rock, you can see that they are graduated in thickness from the butt of the handle to the thinnest at the front bolster. Look closely at the photos; there are 40 actual pieces of gemstone in this handle! They are matched side to side, by hand, and fitted to the tang with tight precision. This is an extremely difficult handle to make, and I absolutely love it! These are both extremely tough gemstones, permanently bonded to the tang and reinforced by the bolsters. They will outlast the rest of the knife, and the jasper and onyx (both microcrystalline quartzes) are very hard, tough, and durable. What a piece of work!
  • The knife feels as it looks in the photo; extremely strong, sturdy, and durable, with the balance point right at the union of the front bolster and the front handle scales. The knife is sleek, razor keen on both edges, and strikingly beautiful.
• Sheath: My client requested a rosewood sheath, for personal reasons, and I was happy to accommodate him. I built a slip sheath, with a true rosewood front and back. This is cocobolo, the classic rosewood. While nowadays people call a lot of woods "rosewood," only the true dalbergia family are actually classified as rosewoods, and cocobolo is dalbergia retusa. I chose the most striking piece of cocobolo rosewood I could find, and shaped and finished it by many sanding steps and a simple coat of wax. For the welts of the sheath (the parts that the cutting edge rests upon, I chose an extremely bright African Padauk, a somewhat softer wood to be in contact with the edges. Padauk is also known as African Coralwood because of the striking bright color when initially cut and sanded. Both of these woods will darken a bit over time through natural oxidation processes, and should age and blend together quite well in color and hue. Rather than have extensive fittings, I created a slip sheath, which has just the right tension to hold the knife. This is not an easy sheath to make; the blade slides in solidly and is snugly held by the tension of the wood. This lets the wood stand out boldly and the striking contrast goes well with the complex gemstone handle.
• A very cool knife, great theme, fantastic color, in premium materials; my thanks to my great client.

Thanks, H. R.!