"Dark Side" Xtrme Low Pro Bear Paw & Coin- Handmade w/Reeded Crowns

"Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side in which they never show to anybody." -Mark Twain. This quote hit me hard. And when you think about it, each of us has a side that no one has seen; that doesn't necessarily mean an malicious side. It just points to the fact that we have parts of ourselves that may be a little less "polished" or vulnerable, that we have decided to hold back from others.

  100% handmade from 1/2" thick solid brass, this Bear Paw has a lot of details that come together to make it what it is. First of all, the overall piece was drawn to be shorter than that of one of my standard or even Low Pro Bear Paws. The reduced height makes for an easier carry, leaving more real estate available, especially if you're someone that keeps other stuff in your pockets. 

  Finger stalls were cut at an industry standard 1" diameter before hand filing each of them to a contouring that literally seats the fingers. You'll find that the rounding reaches from face to face, ensuring that the employed digits rest in a comfortable and anatomically correct fashion. Even the partitions (finger stall separations) have been concaved to allow your fingers to rest as naturally as possible.

  While I have reeded/geared the crowns of various pieces in the past, this is the FIRST TIME that I added them prior to carving and filing the outer edges/borders. The reeding was filed in by hand, attempting to keep the cuts as straight as possible. This adds a very unique texture that has "grab" without being aggressive on the hand or clothing.

  All outer borders were freehand ground to break the edges. Normally, I will go over these areas with a sanding drum to tie things in, but this time, I hand filed everything with a single cut file and used a Swiss file to tie in the reeded crowns. The result is a beautiful aesthetic that while crazy smooth, has an almost spiral look to it.

  The front face was engraved with an extremely detailed illustration of a crescent moon & skull within, which was to represent the "Unseen Side of Us". The opposing face has been deeply engraved with the opening quote above, which came from a book written by the famous Mark Twain in 1897. The underside of the palm brace is engraved with the 2026 year marking (upside down horseshoe & clover).

  The accompanying coin is also made from solid brass. The front of the coin is engraved with the same moon and quote that is on the Bear Paw, but has a little something extra on the reverse side... A detailed moon with the remainder of the initial quote, "You have to slip around behind it if you want to see it".

  Both pieces were given a special wash, blackened, hand rubbed, and then put into a short duration stonewash. This left a beautiful luster, with hints of the blackening left behind in the deeper areas. It also kept a lot of the "swirling" made by the hand filing of the outer edges. Hoppe's #9 was applied to help richen and preserve the finish.

• 100% Handmade
• Xtreme Low Pro Bear Paw
• Reeded/Geared Crowns (filed by hand)
• Deep, specialized engravings
• Solid brass coin
• 100% made in USA