Flamesteed - by Jay Fisher

[JayFisher]

Here's a new combat tactical survival custom knife for a great client:

"Flamesteed" Tactical Survival Knife
Size: Length overall: 11.25" (28.6 cm), Blade Length: 6.75" (17.1 cm), Thickness: .265" (6.7 mm)

Weight: Knife: 16.5 oz. Sheath: 7.5 oz.

Blade: 440C High Chromium Martensitic Stainless Tool Steel, Hardened and Tempered to Rockwell C58, hollow ground and mirror finished

Bolsters, Fittings: 304 Austenitic Stainless Steel, mirror finished

Handle: Olive Burl Hardwood

Sheath: Hand-tooled leather shoulder

Read much more about this fine custom knife and see more pictures on a special page on my site here.

Jay

 

[kauai Marc]

That is really a beautifull piece,love that olive burl,and great job on the sheath.
I am not familiar with Martensitic Stainless,is it a special process?
Marc

 

[JayFisher]

That is really a beautifull piece,love that olive burl,and great job on the sheath.
I am not familiar with Martensitic Stainless,is it a special process?
Marc

Hi, Marc. Thanks for the comment.
Thanks for asking about the steel.

Martensitic stainless steels are steels that, when properly heat treated, have much of their austenitic structure converted to martensite. Martensite is a hard, wear resitant constituent of tool steels. Austenite is relatively soft, tough, and ductile. Stainless steels are generally austenitic, ferritic, or martensitic.

In industrial standards (which we as metalsmiths refer to) the term stainless steel refers to high-alloy steels which have superior corrosion resistance to conventional and carbon steels because they contain relatively large amounts of chromium. In a broad sense, standard stainless steels fall into one of the three catagories (austenitic, ferritic, and martensitic).

Austenitic grades of stainless steels are non-magnetic in the annealed condition, but may become slightly magnetic after cold working. They can only be hardened by cold working, and do not harden in heat treat. A good example of austentic stainless steel is 304 or 18-8, used for many stainless fasteners.

Ferritic grades are always magnetic and contain chromium, but no nickel. They can be somewhat hardened by cold working, but not by heat treatment. They have moderate mechanical properties, high decorative appeal, and a narrower range of corrosion resitance. Some of the ferritic grades contain alloys that help prevent hardening. A good example is 405 stainless, which is often used because it can be easily welded and used in the as-welded condition, and is soft and ductile.

Martensitic grades of stainless steel are magnetic and can be hardened by heat treating, quenching, and tempering. They contain chromium and with several exceptions, no nickel. Many of the martensitic grades contain increased carbon content, in the tool steel range, and are hardenable to the highest levels of all the stainless steels. Though they are not resistive to extremely corrosive atmospheres, they have excellent service in most atmospheres and exposures. 440C, for instance, is used to make corrosion resistant ball bearings, high-wear valve parts, molds and dies, and of course, fine knife blades!

Thanks,
Jay

 

[Deweyknives]

I like the knife but that sheath is just OUTSTANDING!!!!! :thumbup::thumbup: Great tooling pattern!! Did you list that in the new sheath forum!

 

[JTR357]

Unbelievable work all around,as usual JF:thumbup:

 

[JayFisher]

I like the knife but that sheath is just OUTSTANDING!!!!! :thumbup::thumbup: Great tooling pattern!! Did you list that in the new sheath forum!

Hey, thanks, Randy. I don't post in the other forums because that's a lot more work for me, and I don't want to do duplicate posts. I think the sheathwork is just as important as the knife, and I go into that in great detail on my site at my "Sheaths" page here.
Long ago, I realized that to be a complete knifemaker, I had to make sheaths that were commesurate with the quality of the knife. I'm still learning, improving, and growing with every knife and sheath!

Thanks,
Jay

 

[AfterTFD]

The filework is great, which I suppose is to be expected from you.

I'm afraid I don't understand the part of the blade near the handle that looks like a gut hook.


I've never seen olive burl before. I'm glad I've seen it now; that's some gorgeous stuff. It would work perfectly with most of your smaller designs such as the Silverton and Dulce.

 

[JayFisher]

The filework is great, which I suppose is to be expected from you.

I'm afraid I don't understand the part of the blade near the handle that looks like a gut hook.


I've never seen olive burl before. I'm glad I've seen it now; that's some gorgeous stuff. It would work perfectly with most of your smaller designs such as the Silverton and Dulce.

Hi, AfterTFD; thanks for writing.
I agree that the line cutter looks like a gut hook; they're both similar in design. The difference is that a gut hook must have a blunt distal area (or be out on the end of the blade) so that the blade does not slice through the organs. You can see how this particular knife could not work that way. A line cutter is something that I started doing for my military and rescue clients.

When you have to cut stubborn line, ordinarily you have to have both hands free: one to hold the line, the other to hold the knife. In wet, windy, or tough environments, the line can just be passed down your arm and hand to meet the blade line cutter which snags it and cuts it in one operation... with one hand. It works well with monofilament, synthetics, and even spectra. I've even added this simple feature on rescue and dive knives, because those guys are always running into line in or near the water.

Thanks for bringing up the Silverton and Dulce... I haven't made those designs in years, and probably should revisit them. The olive burl is nice material to work with. It's hard and dense, and smells like olive oil!

Jay