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Fish-bellied Utility Knife

As an exercise piece to keep up my practice, I decided to put together this utility knife. The blade was forged to shape from a small piece of W1 round bar and clay-cloated to reveal a hamon in the heat-treatment. The finish ground blade was given a satin finish and light etch to show the hamon, but still provide a working finish on a useable blade. The blade distal tapers in both directions from the top of the grip, and balances nicely in the hand.

The blade was drilled and purpleheart handle slabs were pinned in place. I have contoured the handle slabs to have two finger recesses between the first two pins, to add an ergonomic feel to the grip. The purpleheart grips have been sanded to 800 grit and soaked overnight in boiled linseed oil. The purple color of the wood will conitinue to darken slightly with age, as this wood is a tan color when first cut and oxidizes to the purple color.

A custom leather belt-sheath is currently being made for this knife by Aaron Schnatterly and will be ready to ship with the knife. Current plans are to dye the leather black to set off the purple of the grip.

Specs:
Steel: Forged W1
Grips: Purpleheart
Length: approx. 10" overall (grips approx. 4.6" in length)

Price: $325 (includes black leather belt-sheath in the fold-over and welted edge style)

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Very nice, I really like the flowing lines from the edge side to the handle profile. The hamon looks really attractive also.

Say hello to Aaron for me and my best wishes. :D ( Since he moved does he have the same E-Mail address ? i haven't tried sending him a message yet in case it just gets lost in cyberspace deadletter zone. ;) )

It's good to see some new work from you here, Jason.
Cheers..

Thanks for the compliments guys, and I've already forwarded the request on to Aaron, Jean.

Aaron has completed the sheath for this blade, and here is a pic:

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The knife is now ready for immediate shipment.