I had done quite a bit of inlay work
while I was still making custom one-of-a-kind knives and so had seen
the Sebenza as a "handle-waiting-for-an-inlay"! The essence
of what I wanted to do rests in "inlay" and not "overlay". It
is quite easy to add a piece of wood or ivory onto the outside of
the handle, but I wanted to "inlay" the piece. There is also
a great difference between hand fitting an inlay on a one-of-a-kind
custom knife and offering an inlay in volume - albeit a limited volume!
Choosing to take the inlay route requires machining both a pocket
and a section of material of almost identical dimensions, and setting
the section into the pocket.
The first challenge to tackle was
the shape of the inlay . After several weekends spent drawing
on the CAD system, I finally came up with a shape that was both pleasing
to the eye and practical - possible to machine both the pocket and
the inlay section repeatedly and accurately.
The next challenge
involved the choice of material to be used for the inlay. I have always
loved wood so that was my first and natural choice. Having already
decided that this Sebenza would be a limited annual edition, I wanted
to make the handles exceptional. I looked for pieces with tight
burls or fiddleback - unusual, striking pieces. By their nature,
these pieces are not easy to work with because the wood is fragile,
tending to chip and break during the cutting process. Stabilizing
the wood (a process that replaces the air and moisture in the wood
with polyester resin, resulting in increased strength and durability)
alleviated some of the problem.
Inlay
for an Mnandi being machined from a block of Bloodwood
Epoxy
was my first choice for holding the inlaid section but there were
disadvantages with that. The solution came from the 3M Corporation
in the form of VHB™ (very high bond) double-sided tape. This is not your ordinary tape from the local hardware store. 3M VHB™ tape
is used in a variety of industrial applications such as wings on aircraft,
name plates, truck cabs and the mirrored ceiling panels used in the
tunnels under the runways at Chicago O'Hare Airport. With the
precision fit of the inlay, combined with the holding strength of
the double-sided tape, the inlays will never come out of the handle.
This cross section shows how the inlay sits into the
handle of the knife and is not attached to the outer surface
The development of the inlay for the Annual Limited Edition
Wood Inlay Sebenza has paved the way for the other models that are
made in a similar fashion. These inlays are further evidence
that Chris Reeve Knives are made to some of the tightest tolerances
in the industry.
Damascus integral, inlaid with pink ivory. The matching
pink ivory clog style sheath is trimmed in damascus.
1989
Titanium dagger inlaid with ivory resting on a stand
made of wood, ivory and titanium.
1986
Comments from Chris
on CRK Inlays
The Mnandi, the Annual Limited Edition Sebenza and the Classic Wood
or Leather Sebenzas are all enhanced with inlays on front and back
of the handles. In 1999, we introduced our first folding knife
with an inlay - the Annual Limited Edition Sebenza.
Here are examples of knives that Chris made several years ago.
Please understand that they are not available, nor can they be ordered.
