{"product_id":"bush-machete-walnut-handle","title":"Bush Machete, Hand Forged 18 Inch Carbon Steel with Walnut Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA bush machete is the long one, the blade for a whole afternoon of clearing. This one has an 18 inch blade in 5160 spring steel, 24 inches overall, with full tang walnut scales and a hand tooled leather sheath. The bush pattern widens through the last third, so the weight sits out at the end and the blade does the work. Made by hand in North Carolina.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e18 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e24 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5160 spring steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark gray hand forged finish, faint hammer marks, mirror bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFull tang dark walnut scales, three brass pins, lanyard hole\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFull tang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled leather, running chevron pattern inside a carved border\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIncluded\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled leather sheath and care card\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 dollars per piece\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eMade in\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eForged and finished by hand in High Point, North Carolina.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWarranty\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLifetime warranty against defects, free sharpening for life.\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe steel is 5160 spring steel, tough enough to take a hard swing without chipping and easy to bring back on a stone or a file. The finish is the dark gray left from the forge, faint hammer marks showing, the bevel ground wide and polished mirror bright. At 18 inches the belly widens through the last third, so the heaviest steel sits furthest from your hand and the tip carries speed. The trade is reach, because a long blade wants room to swing, and carbon steel rusts if left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe scales are dark walnut with a close straight grain, the wood used for tool handles because it takes shock without splitting. The tang is full, so the steel runs the whole 6 inches of the handle and shows as a line all round the scales, with three brass pins through it. There is a lanyard hole at the butt, and a wrist loop is worth using here.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat it clears\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the length for open work. Tall weeds and grass, cane, briars and bramble thickets, saplings along a fence line, the vines that close a trail in one wet summer. The reach lets you cut low without bending double and clear an arm span at a time. It is a clearing blade, so hardwood belongs to an axe.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sheath is vegetable tanned leather cut long for this blade, so it holds without rattling. A wide belt loop is stitched to the back, a snap strap closes over the handle, and a welt keeps the stitching clear of the edge. It is stitched by hand in cream thread. The face is hand tooled with a running chevron pattern inside a carved border, struck one impression at a time. Others stop at genuine leather.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis suits someone with acreage and a growing season that gets away from them, who would rather buy one blade made by hand than a stamped one every spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLandowners clearing pasture edges and property lines\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTrail crews and path clearers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHunters opening access lanes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHomesteaders keeping briars back\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand forged 18 inch bush machete\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tooled leather sheath with snap strap\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery blade is forged, ground and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish the same. The hammer marks, the walnut figure and the tooling differ from the photographs. Yours is its own piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that comes with use is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a stone or file, following the bevel already there. Oil it before storage and let the leather dry away from heat. More is on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade or the walnut. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a bush machete?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is a long machete whose belly widens near the tip, so the weight sits at the end.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs 18 inches too long?\u003c\/strong\u003e Not on open ground, where the reach saves your back. In tight growth a shorter blade suits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does full tang mean?\u003c\/strong\u003e The steel runs the whole handle in one piece and shows all round.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can, so dry it after use and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill my blade look exactly like the photo?\u003c\/strong\u003e No, the marks, grain and tooling vary on every piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long until it ships?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days, and returns are accepted within 30 days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor a shorter blade, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-machete-rosewood-handle\"\u003ehand forged machete in rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e runs 14 inches, and in the same walnut there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-machete-walnut-handle\"\u003eDamascus machete\u003c\/a\u003e. More sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/machetes\"\u003emachetes\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-survival\"\u003ebushcraft blades\u003c\/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gifts-for-him\"\u003egifts for him\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44136477589622,"sku":"VEF-MAC-HC-BSH-508","price":139.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hand-forged-bush-machete-walnut-handle_6d7852a2-9370-424a-9d5c-f7cbaae587ea.jpg?v=1788764557","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/bush-machete-walnut-handle","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}