A6 Premium Flipper with Damasteel, Timascus, and Antique Westinghouse Micarta (Ceramic IKBS)

Product Description for A6 Premium Flipper with Damasteel, Timascus, and Antique Westinghouse Micarta (Ceramic IKBS)

Maker: Van Heerden & Thorburn (collaboration) (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 106372
*** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind ***
Blade length: 3.60 in.
Cutting edge length: 3.60 in.
Total length: 8.30 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.34 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.15 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.14 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.05 in.
Item weight: 5.00 oz.
Shipment weight: 5.8 oz.
Blade: Stainless damascus forged by Damasteel in Sweden
Bolster: Timascus bolster with custom Timascus pivot and Damasteel pivot collar
Handle: Antique Westinghouse Micarta
Sheath: Padded pouch
Style: Folding liner lock with Ceramic IKBS
Description: South African knifemakers André Thorburn and André van Heerden create exceptional folders. When they work together, they create A2 knives. A2 collaborated on this knife with French designer Tashi Bharucha! Tashi's bold, modernistic curves are readily apparent, and combined with A2's acute attention to detail, the results are a precision made piece with artful execution! Very few A2 Premium knives are made each year.
The blade is perfectly centered and the action is as smooth as it gets -- 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 made from Draupner pattern stainless damascus forged in Sweden by Damasteel. The high contrast pattern immediately grabs attention. The broad leaf-shaped blade provides a particularly dramatic canvas and shows Thorburn's grinding skills at their best. The flats are polished, nearly hiding the pattern.
Handle scales are antique Westinghouse Micarta. This Micarta was developed in 1910 by Westinghouse Electric Corporation as an industrial thermo-set laminate for electrical insulation. This light toned Micarta was lost in a warehouse and only recently discovered. The top shows the beautiful yellowing with age that makes this Micarta so captivating. True antique Westinghouse Micarta has become exceedingly rare. Timascus bolsters are perfectly fit to the antique Micarta scales. A Damasteel pivot collar surrounds the Timascus custom pivot. Bronze anodized titanium liners surround a Timascus backbar. The Timascus pocket clip is mounted for right-side, tip-up carry.
Excellent work throughout!


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