Bull Cutter Knife, Rasp Steel Cowboy Knife with Black Horn Handle

The working ranch knife is short, and a bull cutter is the proof of it. The blade here is 2.75 inches under a 4.25 inch handle, because cattle work is done close and one handed. This one is forged from an old farrier rasp with the file teeth still readable across the flats, left dark with a bright edge, and hung on black cow horn. A hand tooled pancake sheath comes with it.

Specification

The blade

A farrier rasp is high carbon tool steel that already spent years cutting hoof. Drawn out and forged flat, it makes a good blade. We leave the file teeth showing across the flats on purpose, so it keeps a record of what it was. The finish stays dark with the edge taken bright. The shape is short, wide and deeply bellied, which keeps the point low while the belly does the cutting. Rasp steel is not stainless. It will patina, and it will rust if you put it away wet.

The handle

Black cow horn with faint amber streaks running through it, held by a single brass pin through the full tang. Horn is hard, smooth and warms fast. The handle is 4.25 inches against a 2.75 inch blade, and that is deliberate. You choke up close to the work, so the handle has to give you something solid to hold and steer with while the blade only needs to be long enough to cut. Every piece of horn streaks a little differently.

The pancake sheath

Two flat panels of leather stitched face to face with a welt down the edge side, and two wide belt slots punched through both layers, one ahead of the pocket and one behind. Your belt threads through the sheath itself instead of it hanging off a loop, so it lies flat and sideways on your hip. It does not swing or dig in when you sit down. Slots cut straight, canted or horizontal decide how it rides, cross draw included. The design comes from Roy Baker's pancake holster. This one carries a basket weave stamp across the whole face.

Who it suits

This is the true ranch size, so it goes to people who already know a short blade does more work than a long one up close.

• Cattle people who want the pattern in its original size
• Anyone who carries a knife every day and hates bulk
• Buyers who like old steel put back to work
• Someone shopping for a rancher or a horseman

What comes in the box

• The bull cutter knife
• The hand tooled pancake sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Every knife here is forged, ground and finished by hand, so the runs stay small. The file teeth left in the steel, the streaking in the horn and the basket weave stamping will all vary from the photographs you see here.

Looking after it

Wash it by hand and dry it right away. Never the dishwasher, never left soaking, since dishwasher damage voids the warranty. Rasp steel is high carbon, so wipe it down and oil it lightly before storage. Let the leather dry slowly and away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and longer messages sit better on the sheath. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves well, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Why is a ranch knife this short? Because cattle work is close work, and a long blade gets in the way.

Why is the handle longer than the blade? Control. The hand drives while the short edge does the cutting.

What is rasp steel? High carbon tool steel drawn from an old farrier rasp.

Will it rust? Only if left wet. Dry it, oil it, and you get patina instead.

How sharp is it out of the box? Sharpened by hand and ready to work, with free sharpening for life after.

How long until it ships? Most US orders land in 5 to 7 business days, free over 99 dollars.

For the same steel with wood in the hand, see the rasp steel bull cutter in rosewood, or take the longer belly of the rasp steel bull cutter in bone. The pattern sits in cowboy knives, the steel in rasp steel knives, and the rest in all knives.