Damascus BBQ Knife Set of 4, Buffalo Horn with Leather Knife Roll

A long cook over fire is mostly waiting, then all work at once. These four knives are what that second part asks for. A 10 inch carving knife, an 8 inch chef knife, a 6 inch cleaver and a 6 inch boning knife, hand forged in Damascus with polished black buffalo horn handles over full tangs. They come in a hand tooled leather knife roll with a pocket for each one.

Specification

What is in the set

The steel

Every blade is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers show. The etch is done after grinding, so the raindrop pattern runs the whole blade including the bevel. Raindrop reads as soft concentric rings down the length of the steel, and no two blades come out the same. Under the pattern it is carbon, the honest trade. It takes a keen edge and comes back on a stone quickly, and it darkens with use and rusts if it goes away wet.

The handles

The handles are polished black water buffalo horn, near black with faint gray streaking that shifts as the light moves. Horn is a natural material and takes a polish nothing synthetic matches, deep and warm to the hand. Red liners sit between the horn and the steel, a thin line of color, and brass pins run through into the tang. The tang is full on all four, so the steel runs the whole handle. Every knife carries the same horn.

The knife roll

The roll is vegetable tanned leather cut as one long panel with four stitched pockets, one per knife. Slide them in, fold the flap over the handles, roll it and tie it shut with the leather strap. Nothing rattles and nothing rubs. The outward face is hand tooled in basket weave inside a plain border, a square woven stamp struck row by row across the whole face, which is why the rows drift where one strike meets the next. Most sets in this category ship in a plain bag.

Who it suits

This is the set for the cook who runs the long outdoor cooks and would rather carry their own knives. The carving knife and the boning knife cover work most kitchen sets have no answer for, and the chef knife and the cleaver take the board. It also goes out as a gift for a father or for someone retiring.

• Cooks who cook over fire
• Anyone portioning large cuts
• Buyers wanting natural handles
• Gift buyers wanting engraving

What comes in the box

• Carving knife
• Chef knife
• Cleaver
• Boning knife
• Hand tooled leather knife roll
• Care card

Every piece is different

Each blade is forged, ground and sharpened by hand, so no two sets finish alike. The etch, the streaking in the horn and the drift in the basket weave vary from the photographs. Yours will be its own set.

Looking after it

Hand wash them in warm water and dry them straight away. Never leave one in the sink, and never in a dishwasher. Damascus and carbon steel darken with use, and that gray patina is normal. A light coat of food safe mineral oil before they go back in the roll. Sharpen on a stone following the bevel, and use wood or plastic boards. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Engraving is 35 dollars for the set, one price covering all four knives. It is an option, not part of the set price. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and clean line art beats a photograph. We send a proof before the laser runs and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

How many knives are in the set? Four. A carving knife, a chef knife, a cleaver and a boning knife.

Is the leather roll included? Yes. Vegetable tanned leather with a pocket per knife, tooled in basket weave, and it ties shut.

Is engraving included? No. It is 35 dollars for the set, added on this page, and one price covers all four.

Will this steel rust? It can if put away wet. Dry it after washing and oil it lightly.

Can it go in the dishwasher? No. Hand wash and dry straight away.

Will my set look exactly like the photo? No. The etch and horn vary from set to set.

For a smaller version the Damascus BBQ knife set of 3 in black micarta leaves out the chef knife, and the Damascus kitchen knife set of 5 in burl wood covers a whole kitchen. More sits in kitchen knife sets, Damascus steel and cleavers and butcher knives.