I finally received the firesteel knife from the knifemaker, Erik Boese, a couple of days ago. I am giddy with excitement over this thing. It is exactly what I wanted it to be, so hats off to Erik for doing a great job bringing our ideas to reality. I think I am going to go with Sparky as the name for it, since that sounds awfully appropriate for what the knife is. I wanted to wait until I had some nice shots of it before posting too much more about it, so I took care of that today:
More pictures are in the store. I have the preorder up in the store for those of you that are interested.
Here is the item description I wrote up for Sparky:
The Sparky Fixed Blade is a personal dream knife. I worked with skilled knifemaker Erik Boese on the design to incorporate the traits of my ideal knife for the outdoors. I wanted sturdiness, dependability, utility, and a few interesting twists to differentiate the Sparky from your average knife.
One of the first things that you will notice with the Sparky is that it has a 1/4″ diameter firesteel built right in to the butt end of the handle. This firesteel incorporation might seem gimmicky, but it is incredibly useful. The spine of the blade is squared off so that it can be used as the striker for the firesteel, giving you everything you need to quickly and easily prepare and start a fire in a compact tool. The firesteel is even replaceable, with a set screw holding the firesteel to the aluminum handle. That set screw also securely locks the firesteel into the handle when you twist it into the small indentation cut into the knife’s steel.
Orange G10 handles on the knife not only greatly increase the visibility of the knife if it is dropped or left on the ground, but they are also durable and will last for many years to come. The steel on the knife is O1, a dependable tool steel that can take a razor sharp edge and keep that edge through a large amount of use and abuse. The sheath is kydex, specifically made and formed for this knife, so the knife is only removed from the sheath when you want it to be.
Specifications:
* Steel: 1/8″ O1* tool steel, hand sanded to 400 grit
* Hardness: 59-60, heat treat by Peters’ Heat Treat
* Grind: Full flat grind
* Handle: Orange G10
* OAL: 8 1/2″
* Blade (cutting edge): 4″
* Pins: Stainless Steel
* Sheath: Kydex with mini Tek Lok
* Firesteel: 1/4″ x 2 1/2″, replaceable by removing the set screw on the handle.
* Lifetime warranty from the knifemaker (Erik Boese) against defects in materials or craftsmanship, nominal fee for sharpening and cleaning
*Tool steels are NOT stainless steels, and will rust without the proper care. This is meant to be an outdoor tool though, so the proper care is not leaving it sitting in a velvet case. Just be sure to wipe it down after use, and treat it with oil or another protective chemical between trips. If rust appears, scrub it off with fine steel wool and WD-40, or Windex and 600 grit waterproof sandpaper.