Damascus Bull Cutter Knife, Horn and Turquoise Handle with Pancake Sheath

A bull cutter is the cowboy knife carried by people who work cattle, short in the blade and long in the handle because the work is close and one handed. This is the bigger one in the batch, 4 inches of pattern welded Damascus with a long upswept belly, a polished steel bolster, and a black buffalo horn handle banded with crushed turquoise. A hand tooled pancake sheath comes with it.

Specification

The blade

Damascus is pattern welded over a high carbon core, folded until the layers show, then etched so the dark and bright bands stand apart. This one runs in a flowing wave along the blade. No two patterns repeat, so this one is the only one like it. The belly is long and swept, which puts more edge into a single pass than the short ranch size does. The honest trade is that the core is high carbon, not stainless. It will patina, and it will rust if you leave it wet.

The handle

The handle is 4.25 inches against a 4 inch blade, so the bull cutter balance holds even at this size. There is still more handle than blade to push against, because the cutting is done up close with the hand driving and the edge following. Buffalo horn is hard, smooth and warm, and the band of crushed turquoise is set flush so nothing catches. A polished steel bolster sits at the blade, and brass pins run through the full tang.

The pancake sheath

Two flat leather panels stitched face to face with a welt down the edge side, and two wide belt slots cut through both layers, one ahead of the pocket and one behind. The belt runs through the sheath instead of the sheath hanging from a loop, which keeps it flat and sideways against the hip. It does not swing, and it does not dig in when you sit in a saddle or a truck. Slots cut straight, canted or horizontal set how it rides, including a cross draw. The idea started with Roy Baker's pancake holster. The face is tooled with a sunburst from the center.

Who it suits

The longer blade suits people who want a bull cutter that also handles game and kitchen work, not only close cattle work.

• Cattle people who want more edge than the short ranch size
• Hunters wanting one knife for skinning and camp cooking
• Collectors after a Damascus pattern that nobody else has
• Anyone buying a gift with turquoise set into it

What comes in the box

• The Damascus 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 in small runs. The Damascus pattern, the streaking in the horn, the color of the turquoise and the tooling on the sheath 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. The core is high carbon, so wipe it down and oil it before storage. The etch sits on the surface, so skip scouring pads. 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

What is a bull cutter for? Close cattle work, done one handed with control.

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

What is Damascus? Layers forge welded over a high carbon core, then etched to show the pattern.

How is the pancake sheath worn? Threaded on your belt through both slots, flat on the hip.

Will my knife look exactly like the photo? No. The shape holds, but pattern and horn vary.

Can you engrave it? Yes, 20 dollars a blade, with a proof image first.

The same steel and stone come in Damascus with bone and turquoise, and Damascus with stag horn takes the antler route. The pattern lives in cowboy knives, the steel in Damascus steel, and the inlay in turquoise handle knives.