Damascus C-Guard Fighter with Fluted Ironwood

Product Description for Damascus C-Guard Fighter with Fluted Ironwood

Maker: Stuart Smith, J.S. (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 101953
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Blade length: 11.90 in.
Cutting edge length: 11.10 in.
Total length: 18.00 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.27 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.24 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.22 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.04 in.
Item weight: 22.60 oz.
Shipment weight: 17.4 oz.
Blade: W's pattern damascus forged from 1080 and 15N20 carbon steels
Bolster: Hand forged damascus C-guard and fittings
Handle: Hand fluted ironwood with fileworked bronze spacers
Sheath: Cowhide leather sheath with faux ostrich leather inlay
Description: Getting to meet with Journeyman Stuart Smith is a real highlight of my trips to South Africa. Smith began making knives in 2000 after he took a class with Mastersmith Kevin Harvey. Stuart was immediately hooked and quite his job working as a salesman by 2004. Only a few years after that, in 2009, Stuart began teaching classes of his own. Among his many students is Neels van den Berg. Stuart has been very active over the years in the Southern African Bladesmiths Association (SABA) and the Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa (KGSA). Stuart became an ABS journeyman smith in June of 2019.
Stuart forged this fighter blade from his own W's pattern damascus. It is high contrast, extremely detailed, and shows tremendous skill at the forge. A fully sharpened swedge travels the entire length of the blade. Stuart's maker mark is on the right side of the ricasso and his J.S. mark is featured on the left side.
The handle is made from presentation grade ironwood that has been painstakingly fluted by hand. Desert ironwood (Olneya tesota) is a rare wood that is only found in the valleys of the Sonoran Desert below 2,500 foot elevation. It is among the most desirable of exotic woods used for knives and is very durable. The matching C-guard, spacer and butt cap are all made from damascus. The C-guard is perfectly designed to catch an incoming blade and with a quick move allows you to deflect or disarm the incoming attack. Rope fileworked bronze spacers and a nut finish the handle.
To keep the knife close at hand, a cow hide leather sheath with a faux ostrich leather inlay is included.
Excellent work throughout!


Availability: Not currently available