{"product_id":"caping-knife-d2-bone-handle","title":"Caping Knife, D2 Steel with Bone Handle and Leather Sheath","description":"\u003cp\u003eCaping is the fine work around the head and cape of an animal when a hunter wants the hide kept clean for a mount. A caping knife is small on purpose, so the point follows bone and cartilage around an eye or an ear without cutting through the skin. This one is D2 tool steel with a satin finish and a dark forged spine, a narrow point on a shallow belly and a slim white cow bone handle. It is full tang, and it comes with a small hand stitched leather pouch sheath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eD2 tool steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSatin with a dark forged spine\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\u003eHandle material\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWhite cow bone, two steel pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBolster or guard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNone\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrown leather pouch sheath, hand stitched\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLaser engraving, 20 dollars per blade\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\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eD2 holds an edge longer than any steel we run, and caping is where that pays. The cuts are short, repeated and made right against bone and hair, which pulls an edge down fast, and a blade that lasts the whole cape saves you stopping in the middle of delicate work. D2 is semi stainless and high in chromium, so blood and damp do not mark it the way they mark plain carbon steel. The honest trade comes at the stone, because once a D2 edge goes it takes patience to bring it back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCow bone is close grained and pale, and it polishes to a clean white with faint natural markings showing through. The handle is kept slim because caping is finger work. You choke up toward the point and roll the knife with your fingertips, and a thick grip gets in the way of that. Two steel pins run through the tang and hold the scales. Bone is a natural material, so the color runs anywhere from white to cream and no two handles come out matching.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a specialist and nobody buys it as their only knife. It rides in the pack next to a skinner and comes out when a big blade would ruin the hide around a head.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHunters who take their trophies to a taxidermist\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who capes their own animals at home\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHunters who already own a skinner\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSomeone building out a hunting kit piece by piece\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe caping knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA hand stitched brown leather pouch sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA free laser engraving quote on request\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery knife here is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two are alike. The color of the bone, its natural markings and the look of the satin finish will vary from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWash it by hand and dry it right away. Never the dishwasher and never left soaking, since dishwasher damage voids the warranty. D2 is semi stainless rather than stainless, so wipe it and oil it before it goes away. Store it dry, and let wet leather dry away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side and finish on a strop. No pull through sharpeners. More in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and on a small one like this a longer message sits 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 cleanly. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a caping knife for?\u003c\/strong\u003e The fine work around the head and cape when the hide has to stay clean for a mount.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the blade so small?\u003c\/strong\u003e Control. A short blade and a fine point let you steer with your fingertips around eyes, ears and lips.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the bone handle need looking after?\u003c\/strong\u003e Very little. Keep it out of the dishwasher and out of long soaks, and wipe it dry after use.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e D2 resists it well but is not fully stainless. Dry it after use and oil it before storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow sharp is it out of the box?\u003c\/strong\u003e Sharpened by hand and inspected before it ships, so it arrives ready to work. Sharpening is free for life afterward.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you engrave it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, 20 dollars per blade, with a proof image first and 3 to 5 business days added. On a blade this narrow the sheath is often better.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-skinning-knife-bone-handle\"\u003eDamascus skinning knife with a bone handle\u003c\/a\u003e matches the handle and does the skinning, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/gut-hook-knife-d2-olive-wood\"\u003egut hook knife in D2 and olive wood\u003c\/a\u003e shares the steel. The rest of the range sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hunting-knives\"\u003ehunting knives\u003c\/a\u003e, this steel runs through \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/d2-tool-steel\"\u003eD2 tool steel\u003c\/a\u003e, and the handle carries on in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bone-handle-knives\"\u003ebone handle knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44130352824438,"sku":"VEF-HUN-D2-CA-107","price":109.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hunting-07-d2-caping-cow-bone-a_4fa25969-654d-40b9-823d-431b94de6d0c.jpg?v=1788674555","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/caping-knife-d2-bone-handle","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}