This is the very last custom folder made of 2020, so you know it's good! Dave wanted the last folder of the year to be something special, and set off to build it as if it were one he'd keep. Built the way he liked with his favorite combinations of materials, this folder is an heirloom right out of the starting blocks.
-
Constructed as a linerlock, all the materials were individually gauged so the combined total thicknesses were all equal in the finished frame - left to right. No funky thicker lock side here, or thin and unstable presentation side. Built to use, built to last, but done elegantly with materials that look like they've already been passed down a generation. Antique'd marine brass bolsters are paired with OD green canvas micarta scales, a material that has a very vintage military look and feel to it. Sort of reminds Dave of his Dad's old Vietnam ditty bag.
-
Various milling details run through both the brass and the micarta, tying those ares together visually and adding a bit of modern design nod to the vintage vibe of this knife. Geared titanium pivot screws fabricated by Steve Kelly also increase the mechanical look. All titainum parts have been painstakingly (and finger burningly, real word?) given a satin orange peel texture on a 8" wire wheel. This texture not only looks fantastic, but is amazing resilient to wear.
-
Last but not least, we come to the blade! An incredible piece of San Mai, forged by Chad Nichols in Blue Springs, Mississippi. All stainless, and with an CTS-XHP core the resulting grind revealed an unbelievably cool pattern. Truth be told, you never know what you're going to get when you grind a peice of core dammy. Much depends on how true the core runs, and if it moves much during the forging process as it was pattern welded together. Honestly, it's always cool... but this piece, this piece is outrageous! First fit to the frame, then precison ground to the proper thickness. Much labor was spent removing a few thou. at a time from each side, in order to best line up that core straight down the center. With a bit of wave showing down the edge, Dave figured it would peak out in spots after it was ground, but was pleasantly surprised to see the presentation side of the blade show this rain drop effect! A truly unique piece of steel. One that was further detailed by a deep etch to raise the veins, then a final tumble in the stonewash rig. The result creates a finish the we've really come to appreciate around here. Almost antique in appearance, the method gives damascus a depth and feel that you just can't create any other way. Even more interesting is the hidden pattern that emerges. When tumbled there is another phenomeon that happens, as light strikes the dimensional highs and lows of the pattern. You just don't see that in a traditional one step etch. Only after the pattern is really raised and tumbled do you notice the subtle way light plays of the blade, increasing the depth of what's going on there. Like a topo map made in steel!
-
The Super Butcher is essentially the middle brother in the size relationship. The same width and height proportions as the standard butcher, it was "stretched" instead of scaled up as was done with the Mega. Essentially, this is the long butcher. The BtB had the frame lengthened and redesigned, and the blade was stretched out to about 3.5".
Dimensions
OAL when closed 4.75
OAL when open 8"
