Bone Handle Bowie Knife, Hand Forged High Carbon Steel with Sheath

A bowie this size is a camp knife first. It splits kindling under a baton and takes the heavy cutting a small hunting knife struggles with. This one is forged from 1095 high carbon steel, dark from the forge with a bright polished edge. The long clipped spine brings the point down fine without giving up belly. A polished steel guard sits ahead of a cream bone handle with three steel pins.

Specification

The blade

1095 carries a big blade well. It takes the sharpest edge of the steels we forge and comes back on a stone quickly, which matters on a knife used for rough work far from a bench. The trade is rust. 1095 is not stainless, so sap, blood and damp leave their mark, and the flats go gray with a patina in time. That patina is normal and it slows the next rust down. Wipe it, dry it, keep oil on it. The clipped spine keeps the point fine for closer jobs.

The handle

The bone is cream, dense and close grained, and it holds a grip better than a slick handle once your hands are cold or wet. Three steel pins run through the tang, and the polished guard sits ahead of them so your hand has something to stop against on a hard push cut. There is room to slide your grip back for splitting or forward for close work. Bone is a natural material, so color and grain differ on every one.

Who it suits

Made for camp and for hunting, where one big blade saves carrying several small ones. It splits wood, and it breaks down large game once a smaller knife has done the fine work. It also sits well on a shelf, since the bowie is the shape most collectors start with, and the bone and the guard give it a classic look.

• Campers who cut their own firewood
• Hunters working on large game
• Collectors of classic bowie patterns

What comes in the box

• The knife
• The brown leather sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

This one is forged, ground and finished by hand, so it will not be an exact match for the photographs. The bone runs its own color and grain, and the forge finish sits differently on every blade. Runs stay small because of it.

Looking after it

Wash by hand, dry it right away, never the dishwasher. Dishwasher damage voids the warranty. Never leave it soaking or sheathed wet. Carbon steel wants dry storage and a light coat of oil. Leather dries slowly, away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. A knife is not a pry bar. More on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and gets added here on the product page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and a longer message sits better on the sheath. Blade, bolster, handle and sheath are options. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and engraving adds 3 to 5 business days. More on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is the clipped spine for? It brings the point down and makes it finer, so a knife this size can still start a cut. The belly behind it does the heavy work.

Does the guard get in the way? No. It stops your hand running forward on a hard push. Choke up behind it for control.

Can I baton with it? Yes, on seasoned wood within reason. The tang is full and unbroken, which is what carries that load.

Will this steel rust and how do I stop it? It can, since 1095 is not stainless. Dry it after use, oil the blade lightly, and store it out of the sheath.

Will my knife look exactly like the photo? Close, not identical. The bone and the forge finish differ on every piece.

How long until it ships and can I return it? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days with USPS, free over 99 dollars. Returns run 30 days, unused and unsharpened, in the original packaging.

More big blades sit in bowie and camp knives, the rest of the bone handles are in bone handle knives, and gifts for hunters is where to start if you are buying for someone else. For this shape in black horn, see the high carbon bowie with black horn, and for a smaller knife in bone, the hunting knife with turquoise inlay.