Fealty

I wanted to see if I could use clean, simple materials, avoiding anything with unnecesary complication to create a knife that felt anything but simple.  I actively chose not to use materials like my laminated steel or damascus, no raised clip, no guard, no ivory...not even wood.  It is meant to serve as a demonstration of Fealty to my craft. 

The blade is 52100, which although considered an advanced steel, was the first steel I used when I began bladesmithing. The blade has a deep sweeping fuller, and the primary bevels are also hollow ground with rolled edges. This reduces weight and makes for a faster blade on a very big knife.

The handle is black Richlite, a grainless, featureless material that doesn't offer any possibility of distracting from the lines. The nickel silver liners are in some way the focal point of the entire piece.  It offers the one spot where unnecessary adornment is applied in a sea of simplicity. The filework pattern is Tim Hancock's "X's and O's" pattern, named because if the liners are put together they form alternating X and O shapes.  Tim was my mentor and was known for his detailed filweork. I don't know anyone who is doing this particular pattern so I included it as a fitting reminder of my heritage.

The sheath is as simple as I could make it using black dye, natural edges and white thread. There isn't even a belt loop but rather a sculpted steel stud with hollow grinds and steel finish to perfectly mirror the blade grinds.

Blade length 13.25", overall length 19.5".