This for the FtB legal defense fund. See [go fund me] for details. Rules are below:

This Auction is Closed. Final price was $201! Thank you!

 

For your consideration we are auctioning “Jazzlet’s Eye-Gouger” [stderr] knife in 1095 and 15N20 high carbon low-layer count twist damascus, with resin-impregnated bog oak handle, integral bolster, and matching damascus steel end-cap. Overall length is 7″ (177mm). It has a fairly thick back and is quite strong; in case you ever encounter a potato that is wearing armor.

High carbon stains and can rust, so it needs to be cleaned and lightly oiled before it’s put away for any period of time. Red meat will stain the blade in an attractive bluish color so everyone will know you’re not a vegan. The handle can be brought back to looking great by the simple expedient of rubbing a drop of olive oil (literally, a drop) across the wood in the palm of your hand. Do not put this in a dishwasher.

Shipped “usably sharp” or “lethally sharp” – please specify

Currently the blade is not etched, so the patterning is there but it’s not as visible. If you want me to, I can parkerize it a little bit to bring up the contrast.

Flaws: This knife was an experiment and a prototype, so it has more flaws than usual. In fact, I nearly chose not to release it, but it’s serviceable and might make someone happy (or put an eye out). Mostly, the flaws are that the blade has some deep scratches in it, in a place where it would be hard to get them out without reshaping the grind. The integral bolster design is something I had not tried before, and it’s problematic because the bolster gets in the way while you are shaping the blade (normally I add a bolster while assembling the handle). Also, the detail-work on the end-cap is not great: whenever you combine soft wood next to high carbon steel, you cannot sand them flush because the wood is removed at a much higher rate and it forms unattractive divots. I did pretty well with grinding the end-cap but it’s far from perfect.

Rules:

You can bid in the comments, or bid by emailing me [link]. If you email, I will assume that you wish to remain anonymous and will post a comment in the bidding section that reads: “Anonymous bid in the amount of $___”

Whoever bids the most for the knife wins it for $1 more than the second highest bidder bid. For example, if I bid $75 and Joe bids $5 and I’m the highest bidder, that makes Joe the second highest bidder, and I win the knife for $6. This is a variation of the Ebay bidding algorithm and, while it is less effective at milking money from the bidders, it discourages people from feeling that they need to log in at the last minute and try to bid over someone else. At the time when bidding closes, whichever bid is the highest, whether it’s email or a comment, wins.

The winner is expected to donate the agreed-upon amount to the defense fund and send me suitable proof (a screenshot or whatever) and give me a shipping address, and I’ll send the knife along.

Since we don’t have an automated bidding system like Ebay, I’d like to discourage “auction sniping.” If you want the knife, bid what you’re willing to pay for it and just see what happens. If you simply must have it, bid $1million for it and if the second highest bidder bids $50, it’s yours for $51.

If you do not win, you owe nothing!

AUCTION CLOSES SEPT 23, AT 10:00AM EST

My comment settings require manual approval for the first comment from a person. If you comment and don’t see it, I’ll get it, fear not. If you email me and do not get an acknowledgement, and you are gmail user, check your spam box. Google’s spam algorithms don’t like me for reasons I have never cared to figure out.