Damascus Bull Cutter Knife with Stag Horn Handle and Pancake Sheath

A bull cutter is the short bladed cowboy knife carried by people who work cattle, because the job is close and one handed. This is the top of the batch. The blade is 3.5 inches of hand forged Damascus with a flowing wave pattern etched dark and bright, behind a polished bolster, and the handle is stag horn in cream and tan on mosaic pins. A hand tooled pancake sheath comes with it.

Specification

The blade

Damascus here is pattern welded over a high carbon core, folded and drawn until the layers run in a wave down the blade, then etched so the two steels read dark against bright. The pattern goes through the steel rather than sitting on the surface, and no two blades come out the same. Under the pattern it cuts like the carbon steel it is, which means a keen edge that is easy to bring back on a stone. It is not stainless, so it patinas and rusts if put away wet.

The handle

The handle runs 3.75 inches against 3.5 inches of blade. More handle than blade is what makes a bull cutter a bull cutter, because the pattern is driven with the hand choked forward and the thumb on the spine, and the hand needs something to push against. Stag horn in warm cream and tan keeps its grip when wet, and the crown texture gives the palm somewhere to sit. Every piece of horn is a different shape, so no two handles match.

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 blade pocket and one behind. The belt threads through the sheath itself instead of hanging off a single loop, so it sits flat on the hip, does not dig in when you sit in a truck or a saddle, and does not swing. It can ride straight, canted or horizontal. This one is stamped with a scale and floral pattern across the face.

Who it suits

Damascus and stag together is the pairing people save up for, so this is the one that gets bought when the knife is meant to last.

• Buyers who want the best looking piece in the batch
• Ranchers who still want a working blade
• Collectors who want a pattern that is not repeated
• Anyone buying a serious gift for 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 runs stay small and no two come out alike. The Damascus pattern never repeats, and the stag color and the depth of the sheath stamping will vary from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wash it by hand and dry it right away. Never the dishwasher, never left soaking, since dishwasher damage voids the warranty. Damascus is high carbon, so wipe it down and oil it lightly before storage, which keeps the etched pattern clear. Let the leather dry 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, added on this page. 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. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a bull cutter for? Close cattle work, driven with control.

Why is the handle longer than the blade? The hand steers while the short edge cuts.

Is the Damascus pattern real or printed? Real. It is pattern welded steel etched to show the layers, and it runs through the blade.

How is the pancake sheath worn? The belt threads through both slots so it lies flat on the hip.

Will this steel rust? It can, since it is high carbon. Dry it and oil it and you get patina.

Will my knife look exactly like the photo? No. The Damascus and the stag are different on every piece.

For another Damascus, see the Damascus bull cutter in horn and turquoise, or take rasp steel and black horn in the rasp steel bull cutter. The pattern sits in cowboy knives, the steel in Damascus steel, and the handle in stag horn knives.