- Joined
- Jun 5, 2012
- Messages
- 1,071
Hi all,
If you've been following my sales for the last few weeks, you may have read that my fiancé and I recently purchased our first home. The move is rapidly approaching; we do final inspection tomorrow and get keys on Wednesday. I'm going to be on a short hiatus during the move, so likely won't be posting anything for a couple/few weeks, and decided to do these special pieces. I got them done almost a week ago, and didn't have a chance to get photos until today due to prepping for the move. Everything has to be pre-staged because we have a one day window to get from our current place to the new house.
I'd been saving this block of Koa for some time, but decided to finally let it out of my clutches and offer a few special blades to wrap up my pre-move sales. This is from the batch of very good Koa that Mark at burl source got in a few months back. The single block I used to make these three knives was $110, and was my 2nd to top pick out of 38 remaining of the 41 blocks he posted, so this was basically the cream of the crop. I hadn't planned on using this piece until I was able to put it on a $500+ knife, but for whatever reason my will broke, so here it is. To be honest I still feel a bit guilty using it, as if I'm not doing it justice.
This Koa has good curl figure, and incredible chatoyance, which are both rare and desirable traits in Koa, although not incredibly uncommon. The one thing that makes this really special, is the unique coloration, especially when combined with those two other traits. It isn't uncommon to see a wonderful variety of colored streaks in the best Koa, but the color typically stays within earth tones. This stuff literally has every color of the rainbow. It's truly something special. There are greens, yellows, ochre, burgundy, etc. It's hard to capture in photos, but it's something to behold in person. I have seen Koa like this only a couple times in the more than a decade that I've been knowledgeable about high end exotics.
First up are a couple of my Drop Point Kiridashis, so that more people can get in on some of this Koa without having to spend a lot. I love these little guys, and I love them even more with the Koa and white G10 liners. These are about as easy to carry, useful, and classy as you can get at one time. Near zero full flat grind comes scalpel sharp. You can shave individual hairs off your arm with the tip.
The two are nearly identical, all four scale pieces were cut from the same cross section of the block, so this is about as close as two different knives can be (with figured woods like this at least). Even so, I kept the top in the top, and the bottom in the bottom on each photo. If you have a preference please specify when you post I'll take it. Alternately, if I can decide whether one is slightly better, first buyer will get that one. Honestly they're pretty much a coin toss, even if I was taking one for my personal use.
CTS-XHP @ 60, .155" thick
2.5" edge length, 6.25" OAL
Premium Curly Koa, K&G stabilized
White G10 liner
Sterling silver pins
2.5oz
$135ea, includes pocket sleeve. Removable titanium clip is $5 extra.
This is likely the finest traditional hunter I've done to date. Not only is the wood beautiful, but everything else came together just right. It is comfortable, nicely balanced, and has good manners. It is a perfect size for any common task. The blade is a good balance between bellied and slim, so it will do quite nicely as a hunter/skinner. The near zero full flat grind is a great performer, and comes scalpel sharp.
If you want to impress your hunting buddies, here's your ticket. This thing will be "extreme jealousy status" hanging off your hip, or in a display case for that matter. I have to give most of the credit to the amazing Koa tree that provided this wood... it's really something special.
CTS-XHP @ 61, .157" thick
3.5" edge length, 8.75" OAL
Premium Curly Koa, K&G stabilized
White G10 liner
Sterling silver pin, 416ss guard
5.3oz
$315, includes hand stitched premium leather sheath, buyers choice, made to order.
If you've been following my sales for the last few weeks, you may have read that my fiancé and I recently purchased our first home. The move is rapidly approaching; we do final inspection tomorrow and get keys on Wednesday. I'm going to be on a short hiatus during the move, so likely won't be posting anything for a couple/few weeks, and decided to do these special pieces. I got them done almost a week ago, and didn't have a chance to get photos until today due to prepping for the move. Everything has to be pre-staged because we have a one day window to get from our current place to the new house.
I'd been saving this block of Koa for some time, but decided to finally let it out of my clutches and offer a few special blades to wrap up my pre-move sales. This is from the batch of very good Koa that Mark at burl source got in a few months back. The single block I used to make these three knives was $110, and was my 2nd to top pick out of 38 remaining of the 41 blocks he posted, so this was basically the cream of the crop. I hadn't planned on using this piece until I was able to put it on a $500+ knife, but for whatever reason my will broke, so here it is. To be honest I still feel a bit guilty using it, as if I'm not doing it justice.
This Koa has good curl figure, and incredible chatoyance, which are both rare and desirable traits in Koa, although not incredibly uncommon. The one thing that makes this really special, is the unique coloration, especially when combined with those two other traits. It isn't uncommon to see a wonderful variety of colored streaks in the best Koa, but the color typically stays within earth tones. This stuff literally has every color of the rainbow. It's truly something special. There are greens, yellows, ochre, burgundy, etc. It's hard to capture in photos, but it's something to behold in person. I have seen Koa like this only a couple times in the more than a decade that I've been knowledgeable about high end exotics.
First up are a couple of my Drop Point Kiridashis, so that more people can get in on some of this Koa without having to spend a lot. I love these little guys, and I love them even more with the Koa and white G10 liners. These are about as easy to carry, useful, and classy as you can get at one time. Near zero full flat grind comes scalpel sharp. You can shave individual hairs off your arm with the tip.
The two are nearly identical, all four scale pieces were cut from the same cross section of the block, so this is about as close as two different knives can be (with figured woods like this at least). Even so, I kept the top in the top, and the bottom in the bottom on each photo. If you have a preference please specify when you post I'll take it. Alternately, if I can decide whether one is slightly better, first buyer will get that one. Honestly they're pretty much a coin toss, even if I was taking one for my personal use.
CTS-XHP @ 60, .155" thick
2.5" edge length, 6.25" OAL
Premium Curly Koa, K&G stabilized
White G10 liner
Sterling silver pins
2.5oz
$135ea, includes pocket sleeve. Removable titanium clip is $5 extra.
This is likely the finest traditional hunter I've done to date. Not only is the wood beautiful, but everything else came together just right. It is comfortable, nicely balanced, and has good manners. It is a perfect size for any common task. The blade is a good balance between bellied and slim, so it will do quite nicely as a hunter/skinner. The near zero full flat grind is a great performer, and comes scalpel sharp.
If you want to impress your hunting buddies, here's your ticket. This thing will be "extreme jealousy status" hanging off your hip, or in a display case for that matter. I have to give most of the credit to the amazing Koa tree that provided this wood... it's really something special.
CTS-XHP @ 61, .157" thick
3.5" edge length, 8.75" OAL
Premium Curly Koa, K&G stabilized
White G10 liner
Sterling silver pin, 416ss guard
5.3oz
$315, includes hand stitched premium leather sheath, buyers choice, made to order.
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