A special companion for a Lefever Optimus

[Ken Snyder]

The description Brian detailed is pretty spot on! I’ve carried a knife virtually every day since the age of 8 when my Granddad gave me my first Case XX two blade folder. I have some great knives but I’ve never had a real custom. Who knows? maybe it was too many episodes of Forged in Fire, but the thought of creating something beautiful and truly unique as a companion to the Lefever Optimus was something I just couldn’t let go. What started as a passing thought grew into a full-blown project before we were done!
The Shotgun/Knife translation isn't a direct path, and as Brian noted the guard was perhaps the most difficult element but his design created a perfect canvas. I definitely wanted to see the breech ball carving from the gun employed in the guard and had hoped to see other elements of scroll and border engraving included in the finished product but I didn’t really have an exact picture in mind for how that might come together. I think we both had a pretty good idea on how the wood needed to look, and bringing elements like the arrowhead points in the beautiful checkering design he had created for the Optimus was a priority for me. The horn pistol grip cap detail with the gold ring is also one of my favorite elements from the gun and it worked well as a pommel for the knife once the mechanics were sorted out to attach the handle.
Given my experience working with Brian on the Optimus I was happy to give him plenty of artistic freedom to make decisions and bring others to the table to get it right. My gratitude to Geoffroy Gournet, Justin Julian and Nick Bachtel who are all Masters in their respective crafts and they each contributed their experience, skill and detailed work to this project.
Now that I’ve had this beautiful knife in hand for a week or so I have had time to inspect all of the little details closely and I am once again left with a deep appreciation to my incredibly talented friend. This is above and beyond my expectations in every way, thank you Brian!
Ken.

[Mike of the Mountain]

Ken, being a huge fan of Forged in Fire, I can understand how that show would have influenced you. That is one of my favorite shows. It's entertaining and very educational.