MERLIN (Don Hall) 6.25 inch Custom Tortoise Scale release automatic knife

MERLIN 16cm Custom Tortoise Scale release automatic knife made in the 1990s by Don Hall from Mississippi. Don was a prolific maker of custom switchblade knives back in the 90s and early 00s and no two of his knives are alike. Sadly Don passed away about 10 years ago, but his legacy lives on in his unique switchblade knife creations. This knife is a humpback (hidden) scale release where you press on a secret spot on the front scale and the knife pops open and you push on the hump on the backspring to release the blade to be closed.

The knife measures 3 3/8 inches closed and 6.25 inches open with a thick steel frame and some sort of decorative bronze colored steel bolsters. The long clip blade is full with original finish and no markings. The backspring is marked MERLIN inside the channel at the back (bottom) of the knife. The slab scales look like tortoise, but not sure what the material is. The knife works well with blade tip deep and centered closed, good snap and tight lockup open. EX+ condition.