A6 Premium Flipper - Full Engraved Art Nouveau and Floral Scroll - Damacore (Ceramic IKBS)

Product Description for A6 Premium Flipper - Full Engraved Art Nouveau and Floral Scroll - Damacore (Ceramic IKBS)

Maker: Van Heerden & Thorburn (collaboration) (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 105522
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Blade length: 3.50 in.
Cutting edge length: 3.50 in.
Total length: 8.30 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.37 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.14 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.13 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.06 in.
Item weight: 6.00 oz.
Shipment weight: 8.8 oz.
Blade: Mirror polished Damacore san mai forged from stainless steels by Damasteel
Bolster: Damasteel stainless damascus pivot and collar
Handle: Engraved 3Cr12 stainless steel
Sheath: Premium stingray padded pouch
Description: South African knifemakers André Thorburn and André van Heerden create exceptional folders at a tremendously high skill level. When they collaborate, they create A2 knives. Very few A2 Premium knives are made each year. This exquisite folders is among their most ambitious knives to date.
The blade is perfectly centered and the action is silky smooth -- easily opened with one hand using the discreet and ambidextrous flipper toggle. It uses IKBS (Ikoma Korth Bearing System). This mechanism, which was originally designed to fit balisong knives, uses ball bearings to create exceptional action with no blade play. Thorburn and van Heerden created this special A6 Premium Flipper with ceramic ball bearings. Generally IKBS bearings are made either from tool steel or from stainless steel. Stainless steel can wear away, resulting in uneven action over time. Tool steel bearings can oxidize making the action rough. Ceramic bearings are the best of all worlds. Extremely hard and wear resistant, they are also inert and will not oxidize.
The blade is hand ground Damacore stainless damascus san mai forged by Damasteel in Sweden. This exciting premium steel combines a high performing core of nitrogen based N11X, surrounded by alternating outer layers of stainless damascus (forged from RWL34 and PMC27 martensitic stainless steels). N11X has a comparable composition to nitrogen based Vanax SuperClean which is known for having both high wear resistance and high toughness against chipping or cracking. Both the flats and grinds are exquisitely mirror polished.
Handle scales are 3CR12 stainless steel, meticulously engraved by Julien Marchal. Julien studied engraving and gun making at Léon Mignon Liège in Belgium and now lives in South Africa. Art Nouveau floral scroll is meticulously engraved across both sides of the handle. Copper, 24K gold, and platinum inlays add depth to the engraving. The left scale features an Art Nouveau-inspired nude. This is among Marchal's first Bolino engraving. This time-consuming technique using thousands of tiny dots to create detailed shadows and definition. The custom pivot and collar are stainless damascus forged by Damasteel in Sweden. Both the backspacer and pocket clip are engraved in matching style. The 3D machined pocket clip is mounted for right-side, tip-up carry.
Exceptional work from these incredible makers!


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