Description

Designed to be a compact and functional utility bushcraft knife, this clay tempered blade was hand forged from a Caterpillar D6 bearing race and is likely 52100 steel. Some natural texture from fire and hammer marks have been left on the upper surface of the blade. This piece is part of a series combining the style and size of western outdoor knives with the handle engineering of a traditional Japanese sword mount.

The hand carved maple handle began as a piece of discarded furniture built in 1968 and has some interesting lines and colours running through it. Black tea as well as red and black rust were used to give a warm, rich colour to the maple, and a piece of antler was used to give it a smooth burnished finish before coating it with 100% pure tung oil.

The tang and handle are constructed in the same manner as a Japanese tanto and a single bamboo pin holds the assembly together. In addition to the sense of beautiful simplicity, this design allows the knife to be taken apart for cleaning or major resharpening work.

Though the blade is small and purposeful, the handle is generously proportioned to allow for larger work than a knife this size could normally handle. A forged copper guard accents the handle and the lanyard hole is lined with a small flared copper pipe. The blade is 3.75″ long and the overall length is just under 8.5″.

The custom sheath was designed and built by Ira @ Old Farm Handcrafts and will hold a large firesteel owned by the client.

Material: Reclaimed bearing race steel, copper pipe, and copper fuse connector, reclaimed maple furniture
This piece is in a private collection on the Sunshine Coast.