Hunter's Dream

Product Description for Hunter's Dream

Maker: Steve Schwarzer, M.S. (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 92143
** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind **
Blade length: 3.50 in.
Total length: 8.00 in.
Blade height (at heel): 0.95 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.12 in.
Item weight: 6.50 oz.
Blade: Mosaic damascus forged by Steve from 203E, 1095, 15100 and 15N20 carbon steels along with 9% nickel
Bolster: Mosaic damascus forged from carbon steels
Handle: Ancient walrus ivory
Style: Folding slip joint
Description: This iconic folder was created by Mastersmith Steve Schwarzer in 1993. It is a knife that ushered in an era in knifemaking -- and developed the mosaic damascus technique that we see so often today. Amazingly, there are still few examples of mosaic damascus through today that rival the steel in this folder. This knife was featured in David Darom's 2003 book, Custom Folding Knives.
Over ten years of research went into the creation of this blade with a mosaic damascus hunting scene forged directly into the steel. Mastersmith Steve Schwarzer was on the vanguard of bladesmiths who developed mosaic damascus. In the scene, a hunter is shown pointing a shot gun, along with his dog, a retriever in pointing position and a quail flying in a covey. The details are astonishing, showing even the bill on the hunter's hat, heels on his boots, and the wing tip feathers of the flying birds.
What really sets this image apart from any mosaic damascus created to date is the tiny gun barrel that was kept straight throughout the process, withstanding 8 months of forging! Steve started by cutting the 1-1/2 inch image of the hunter using a wire EDM machine (electronic discharge machines use an electric arc to remove metal rather than using a cutting tool and are capable of great precision. This involve a lot of piercings and using many small elements to fill the holes. The hunter's image was then reduced in a five inch square bar until it was approximately one inch tall with absolutely no distortion to the image. This process took weeks. After being reduced in size, it was jointed to the dog and bird billets that had been similarly be reduced, distortion free. The whole scene was now further reduced to make it small enough to fit within the confines of the folder's blade. The steel was worked at a welding temperature and the pattern inside the bar was controlled only by many years of experience.
Curves can be tweaked on images with curved lines and still be presentable. Here, Steve had to consider the perfectly straight gun barrel, knowing that if it was bent or curved, it would have destroyed the image.
It has been meticulously cared for and is in virtually new condition. The blade is immediately captivating. A differential heat treatment line travels through the intricate steel. The folder has been extensively hand fileworked both inside and out. The pivot screw was hand turned by Steve from his own damascus steel. Ancient walrus ivory scales meet perfectly to the mosaic Damascus bolsters.
Hunter’s Dream is Mastersmith Steve Schwarzer’s finest piece of pattern work to date.


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