Hamon Bowie with Amboyna Burl

Product Description for Hamon Bowie with Amboyna Burl

Maker: Stuart Smith, J.S. (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 107059
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Blade length: 12.80 in.
Cutting edge length: 12.10 in.
Total length: 18.90 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.58 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.27 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.25 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.06 in.
Item weight: 17.60 oz.
Shipment weight: 22.4 oz.
Blade: Hand forged 1070 carbon steel with a clay zone heat treatment
Bolster: Bronze fittings
Handle: Stabilized blond amboyna burl
Sheath: Hand stitched tooled custom leather sheath
Description: Getting to meet bladesmith Stuart Smith was 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 American Bladesmith Society Journeyman Smith in June 2019.
Stuart forged the large (12.8"!) clip point bowie blade from 1070 carbon steel. Despite its size, this bowie is surprisingly nimble. Stuart borrowed his heat treatment technique from the world of Japanese swords. The spine was coated in clay prior to quenching. The clay acts as a heat sink, keeping the spine soft and supportive, while the cutting edge is extremely hard. The undulating transition line between the hard and soft steel is called a gunome hamon.
The faceted handle begins with a contoured bronze guard and ferrule. It is meticulously fit to both blade and handle -- joints between materials are virtually impossible to detect. The handle is blond amboyna burl. This exhibition grade wood has a swirling figure. A mixture of hand rubbed tung oil and Danish oil provides a silky smooth, timeless finish.
The knife is accompanied by a hand tooled leather sheath.
Exceptional work throughout!


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