Description
Blade: 4.5″ “Dragon’s Fire” high carbon damascus steel
Guard: high carbon w’s damascus steel
Handle: 4.5″ hand carved Arizona ironwood burl
This piece is called “Custos Ignis,” which (hopefully) means Guardian of the Fire. This was one of the five pieces that earned me the rank of ABS Master Smith in 2019. The blade features one of my favorite damascus patterns, called Dragon’s Fire, which was developed by my good friend Mareko Maumasi. The handle features gracefully carved flourishes in Arizona ironwood, one of the hardest woods on the planet. The burl presented the extra challenge of carving through zones of varying hardness throughout the piece. I look forward to doing something like this again!