Here is a nice slim Davis that spends a fair amount of rotation time riding in a belt sheath.  It was also one that I thought had escaped me.  Back in early 2014 Alan made two small trailing points.  One a flipper with a 1084 blade with hamon (I will post that one at a later date) and this one.  He decided to keep this one for himself and sell the flipper, which I obviously bought.  Then, in July of 2015, after carrying it for a little more than a year, he gave it a loving spa treatment and put it up for sale.  When I saw it, I thought to myself that it looked so familiar, but didn't know why (dang sometimer’s disease was rearing its ugly head again!).  I was able to snag it and when it arrived I realized why it looked so familiar.  It was the sibling to the flipper I bought a year earlier!  Anyway, love a trailing point and this one is no exception.  It has some Mammoth bark scales and an Alabama Damascus blade that measures in at just under 3 inches.  It is one of several slim Davis knives I own that keep me smiling! 

Like I said when you got that one Rick .... it's a beauty!  Love the stag on it.  And, seeing this on reminded me, if anyone would like to look at a pic tour of Alan's shop, you can do so here.

I don't know how I could top that beautiful stag Davis that Rick posted … so, I won’t even try!  Since my last post was a mammoth and Rick posted his stag, decided to go with a nice wood for today.  Picked this one up in December (2016) and it features some really nicely figured amboyna burl scales.  The bolsters are a textured M3 composite which are really striking and give a nice contrast between the scales and the 3.0625” Del Ealy multi-bar Damascus blade.  Del has been forging a lot of multi-bar Damascus lately and all of it is really stunning.

(Note:  This knife has a new home!)

Here is another of my Davis frame locks.  Admittedly, I much prefer liner lock folders … but couldn’t stop looking at this one.  The 3.25” Damascus blade (1095 & 15N20) has a wonderful pattern, however it was the frame that sealed the deal.  Alan hand carved the titanium frame and then painstakingly spent hours heat anodizing it with a rainbow of colors.  Its slim profile makes for a great back pocket knife.  Truth be told, I intended on giving this one to my daughter, but the knife just grew on me!!

That is, indeed, a remarkable show of craftsmanship. 

This is, perhaps, my most basic Davis knife, an Ironwood with antiqued blade. Basic as it is, though, note the fine attention to detail that is the hallmark of Alan's work.

This is my most recent. This one features curly koa scales, alabama damascus blade and bolsters and all the exquisite filework and fine craftsmanship that I love about his knives. This second image is from Alan.

Rick ... love them both (actually looked quite long and hard at that koa!  Was glad you picked it up.  And ... by the way ... there ain't nuttin' basic about Alan's knives!!!  I guess tomorrow I post a Davis dressed in wood to keep the theme going!!

For some reason photobucket wiped out my Alan Davis album, so for the record I am reposting the comments with renewed images.

For some time I have been meaning to post this one. And to celebrate an incoming arrival I'll do it. This is s Gentleman's Sambar Stag folder  that I got from Alan in July last year. It features Delbert Ealy T-Rex damascus  blade and bolsters and it probably my favorite of the Davises that I have. 

Unfortunately I lost my first post on the famous pinecone flipper, but I will repost the images since that is what it really is about. The images are from Dennis.

Look forward to seeing tomorrow's post. Next week I will have coming an abalone scale knife that I fished out of the 'Bay for a song. It was there for a while and I made the seller a ridiculous offer which, in essence, he accepted. Love it!!

Dennis, I apologize.  Seems my editing to replace the pics did not take.  Thank you for working so hard to repost!

I have been looking at the rainbow anodized, truth be told I have looked at it several times.  I know you intended it for your daughter but goodness I can certainly understand why it grew on you.  Also I wonder if he will ever do another one?  The time involved had to be extensive and well worth the look 

Jan,  Sent you a message.  Actually it was Rick who reposted the last few that were lost by his host.  Ref the Davis, yes it took him forever to get the colors right on that frame lock.  He told me that he even had to stop, sand out some spots that did't come out like he wanted, and start the process all over again!  As you know, when you do heat anodizing like this, you don't know the exact color that will be reflected until you remove the heat and it cools a little!  His "gambling" paid off big time!  Anyway, time for my Saturday post!

One of the nice things about box elder is that the grain and coloring can differ so much from piece to piece. Throw in some dye … and well, the appearance combinations seem limitless!  Here is an example of some dark dyed box elder with special bolsters.  Alan made this one in September of 2016, but I missed it because I was out doing yard work when it listed.  Fortunately, a month or so later, I was able to pry the knife from the collector who snagged it! (I love haggling with other collectors, whether it be to buy one of theirs or sell one of mine!  You become great friends with people that way!) Anyway, this one has dark, richly colored box elder, a 2.875” Alabama Damascus blade, and blue shred carbon fiber bolsters separated from the scales with some blue G10.  The blue shred is really fascinating, in that you only see the blue under some direct lighting and the color seems to shimmer as you rotate the knife.  Really neat.  

That is stunning. No other word.

Rick,

The "basic" is a splendid looking knife.  It is one I would feel just fine about putting in my pocket.

(Note:  This knife has a new home!)

How about a really eye-popping Davis flipper? The scales are a nicely figured curly Koa, bolsters are s-shaped M3 composite, blade is 3.3125" of iguana pattern Damascus by Chad Nichols, and it has fantastically anodized liners and clip and a carbon fiber back spacer.  I bought this one in 2014 and was really on the fence about it.  I mean the colors are so loud that they scream!  However, after receiving the knife, I really started to appreciate it. Even though it is a little larger than I like, it really feels great in hand … and it is a super slicer!

Everyone needs a few that are over the top!!

Let’s do some Mammoth bark again.  Here’s a great Davis gent's folder.  I bought it because I loved the blade.  Well, that ... and I really liked the coloring of the Mammoth bark.  And, truth be told, I also liked the matching Mokume bolsters and thumb stud.  Okay … fact of the matter is, I love everything about the knife!!   The green/dark caramel colored crackle Mammoth bark ivory scales have a very nice pattern and color.  The bolsters and hand carved thumb stud are some of  Mike Sakmar Mokume.  The blade is nicely sized at 2.875" and is some of Del Ealy's Damascus in his Dragon pattern.  Alan added double anodized, textured Ti back spacer and liners for some added eye appeal.  Hope you enjoy.

(Update:  This knife has been gifted.)

While all of Alan’s knives are uniquely different in one way or another, every now and then, he takes things one step beyond different.  These are the ones I like to spot quickly enough to add to the collection.  Here is one example I picked up in January of 2016.  It is a small folder with a 2.25” Rob Calcinore Damascus blade and curly koa scales.  What sets this one apart from the pack is that it uses a front tab on the blade to open the knife (similar to the opening method a number of South African knife makers use).  While Alan calls this a front opening flipper,  you’d have to have very small hands to easily hold and flip the blade open.  With my larger hands, I find it far more comfortable to roll the blade open with my thumb on the opening tab.  This is a super nice knife that fits comfortably in the watch pocket of my jeans!!

It looks a great deal like a friction folder to me and I LOVE this one.  You know me, I love my woods and this one has a simple quality that I really like

Thanks Jan.  This one is a simply lovely knife.  Only problem is that there is no way I can capture the wonderful chatoyancy in the wood in any of my pics.

Here is a special Davis from my collection. It is dressed up with Mammoth tooth scales, Mokume bolsters and a just under 3 inch blade from some of Del Ealy’s multi-bar Damascus. The reason this one is special is that it has colors in it my mother would have loved. She passed away last year ... less than a week before Alan made this one. As soon as I saw it, knew I had to add it … as it reminds me of her.

Great knife, great memories.

Here’s a Davis that I almost didn’t buy because I thought the blade was a little too large.  However, while the blade was a tad large … it was also significantly more than a tad beautiful!  So, I caved.  As it turns out, this one makes it into my Davis EDC rotation quite often.  This one features some Honduran Rosewood scales and a 3.375” Zoe Crist Damascus blade in his Explosion pattern.  Let me tell you, Zoe’s Explosion pattern is mesmerizing.  Love it. 

This is one of those knives that isn't overly fancy, but really looks to get the job done. I've been buying from some other makers recently, but I need to get back to Alan's work, because nothing feels quite the same.

Here is a nice trailing point flipper dressed up in Mammoth bark ivory.  I posted its sibling back on March 18th, 2017.  That one, however wasn’t a flipper and it had a Damascus blade.  While I like Damascus … sure glad that Alan occasionally puts out a knife  with a non-Damascus blade.  In the case of this flipper, the blade is made from 1084 and has a differential heat treat with a nice visible hamon.  Blade length is perfect for me at 2.875” … and I absolutely love that it is a trailing point (though not overly pronounced).  I do believe it is one of my favorite blade profiles. 

Here is one of my special Davis knives.  Special, because I missed out on the first folder he made using this handle material. It’s a liner lock with some nice tiger coral scales.  The bolsters are titanium texture tech.  The just shy of 3 inch blade is CTS-XHP which Alan acid and stonewashed.  Everything from blade to bolsters to handle come together quite nicely on this folder.

That's gorgeous!

Thanks Rick.  In addition to really liking the handle/bolster combination .... absolutely love the blade profile on this one.

The stonewash was the perfect blade finish for this one.  It allows the beauty of the handle material to stand out

Ah, Dennis.. You did great there. I love the looks of that knife.. Simply Beautiful. Want to get rid of it????? LOL

Thanks Ellis.  As for getting rid of it ..... ummm .... no!   While there are a few of my Davis knives for which my arm could be twisted .... this isn't one of them!  While I love all of Alan's knives, there are a number of them (this one included) where everything just comes together so beautifully.

(This knife has been gifted.)

Here’s a Davis with some nice dyed box elder scales that I love to stare at.  I see different things in the wood each time I look at it. While I admittedly bought this knife for the wood, I also wanted to try out the blade.  I have a number of knives made with D2 steel.  For this knife, Alan chose some CPM-D2. While I haven’t done any abusive cutting with the 3.25" blade, it seems to hold an edge just as well as regular D2.  Some have said that regular D2 is better at slicing and skinning.  I guess where CPM-D2 shines is in edge retention in chopping and heavy cutting situations.  Can’t really comment on that as I am often just too busy staring at the wood!

For me, it's not just the choice of materials and the craftsmanship that draw me to Alan's work, it is also the detail work. I daresay that no one, short of those consciously crafting "art" knives," who pays more attention to the small details.

Here’s a very special Davis from my collection … one that I almost didn’t buy.  Alan told me that it is one of his favorite knives to date.  Now, I have to admit … I love trailing point blades and equally love gnarly mammoth bark.  The only thing that initially held me back buying it was that Alan went and jeweled this one up!  After receiving it, however, I was really glad I decided to go ahead and add it.  The blade, as I said, is a trailing point from some of HHH’s beautiful feather Damascus and is nicely sized at 3.185”.  Bolsters are some of Rob Eggerling's mosaic Damascus.  The mammoth bark has a really nice texture and feels wonderful holding it.  Actually, the shape of the handle just melts right into your hand.  Now, what initially gave me some pause is something that has actually grown on me.  Alan adorned this one with 4 blue diamonds … one in the thumb stud and 3 in the hand carved and file-worked back spacer.  You don’t see blue diamonds that often … especially in a knife … so, I guess it makes this one super special!

Wow! Wowwowwowwow is all I can say.

Today’s Davis is a very nice spear point with some exceptionally attractive sambar stag scales.  I hesitated on this one for just a little, due to the blade size and weight.  But, Alan made a belt sheath to go with it (after carrying it in his pocket for a day … he too thought it was a tad heavy for pocket carry).  The Alabama Damascus blade is 3.375”.  Bolsters are HHH dragon’s tooth pattern Damascus.

I can tell I have missed a few, forgive me I have been playing with a 9 year old grandson that we have with us for the summer :)

If I had to choose 2 damascus makers to appreciate it would be these two.  Of course i am beginning to think that Alan could use dinosaur droppings and make an astonishing knife.  This man sure has talent

Thanks Jan.  I post these here for y'all to enjoy ... just like I enjoy viewing the pictures other folks post.  Alan's work is influenced quite a bit by one of his mentors ... Johnny Stout.

Dennis, is Johnny Stout J.B. Stout? I don't have any of his knives, but have admired them. Your latest looks very much like my Sambar Stag

Two different guys Rick.  JB is Jason Stout down in Tennessee.  Johnny is out of New Braunfels, TX ...  about 40 miles east of Alan.  

(Update:  This knife has been gifted)

Last Saturday, I posted one of Alan’s knives with some Damascus bolsters from Randy Haas in a dragon’s tooth pattern.  Today, I will show one of Alan’s knives using that same Damascus for the blade.  It is a smaller folder with some really nice, gnarly Mammoth bark scales and that nice HHH dragon’s tooth damascus blade … sized at 2.625”.  It is really a great handle design as it slips right into your hand like it was made to be there.

Randy Jr makes some amazing damascus patterns and I like that it goes all the way through.  Pairing it with that exceptional mammoth just shows it off.  I do very much like the material decisions he makes and there is a vast amount of options available on his knives

Yes Jan, Alan makes some very nice material choices.  The first knife he made just for me used some of Randy's feather Damascus.  Beautiful stuff.

Let’s do another Mammoth today.  It is another of my Davis knives that is really larger than I prefer … but one I just can’t bring myself to send on its way to a new home!  The blade is some of Rob Calcinore’s Damascus in his wave pattern and is a hair under 3.5 inches.  Bolsters are M3 composite and the titanium back spacer is carved and file worked. Despite being a larger knife, it feels really great in hand and doesn’t take up as much pocket space as you would think.

and yet again,the style, the depth of design and the materials have given this piece a very unique look.  Simply look at the detail used on the bolsters !

Dennis, if you ever decide to part with it . . .

While I'm here I'll post my most recent of Alan's knives, from 2013, I believe, hammered and flamed frame lock with a blade of 52100 steel, a thumbhole and some nice filework. The previous owner claimed that it was unused, it was not, and someone had buggered up the edge, but I was able to restore the original profile, and dayummm, that thing is sharp, hairsplitting sharp

I remember that one when it originally went up for sale Rick.  The person you got if from was the original owner, so if anyone buggered the edge  .... 'twas him!  Regardless, fixing an edge is easy and besides, that one has some nice colors in the anodizing!!!

Yes Jan, Alan puts a lot of thought into every knife he makes.  Sometimes ... he makes changes to what he was going to do after he's already well into a knife's construction!!!