Damascus Bushcraft Knife, Spear Point with Olive Wood Handle

Drilling a hole for a peg, opening a notch, hollowing elder into a spile. Fine work wants a tip you can aim. This blade is 4 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, and it ends in a spear point, so the tip sits on the center line, not up near the spine. The olive wood handle keeps it quiet in the hand.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus over a high carbon core, etched so the twist shows. The billet is drawn out, twisted and forged flat, so the lines land in spirals. That is surface. The carbon steel under it cuts. The grind is flat and taken well up the blade, thin behind the edge, parting wood rather than shoving it aside. On a spear point the spine drops to meet the belly coming up, so the point holds a line going into a stick. Carbon steel goes grey with use, and spots if put away wet.

The handle

Olive wood is dense and a little oily on its own, which is a fair thing in a handle held with damp fingers. The tang is full, held by three brass pins, with a brass lined lanyard hole at the butt. At 4.5 inches the handle is a shade longer than the blade, and that proportion is what makes a knife read as a woods knife rather than a hunting knife. There is room to slide back for a long cut, or forward onto the ricasso when boring a hole.

The leather sheath

Vegetable tanned leather, cut and stitched by hand to this blade's own outline, so the knife drops in without rattling and comes out without a fight. The face is stamped with a border pattern, pressed into damp leather rather than printed on it. A welt sits inside the seam to keep the stitching clear of the edge. It rides on the belt, and the leather darkens over a few seasons.

Who it suits

This is a detail knife more than a chopper. It suits people who spend time making small things fit.

• Anyone drilling, reaming or opening notches with the tip
• Buyers who want the point on the center line
• People carving pot hooks, stakes and spoons
• Anyone who wants pattern welded steel on a working knife

What comes in the box

• The 4 inch Damascus spear point knife
• The stamped leather belt sheath
• A care card
• An engraving proof if you order one

Every piece is different

Every knife is forged and finished by hand, so no two land the same. The twist pattern never lands the same way twice, and the etch bites where it likes. Olive wood is a grown thing, with dark streaks running where they want. The stamping is worked into each sheath by hand. Yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe it dry when you are done, and pay attention to the seam where the scales meet the steel. A light coat of oil before it goes back in the sheath, and do not leave it in leather for months. Grey patina is normal. Orange spotting is not, and it comes off with fine wool and oil. Sharpen on a stone, then strop it. More in our care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it here on the page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so nothing goes on the steel unseen. Add 3 to 5 business days to the order. It is free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What does a spear point do that a drop point does not? It puts the tip on the center line, so pressure runs straight down the blade when you bore a hole. An offset point wants to walk.

Is a point like that fragile? It is a working point, not a needle. The stock stays thick behind it.

Why is the spine squared off? A sharp ninety degree corner scrapes a ferrocerium rod and shaves dry tinder. A rounded spine slides off. No rod included.

Will it rust? Carbon steel can, if you neglect it. It darkens with use, which is normal, and spots if it goes away wet.

What is the twist pattern? It is how the steel was forged and etched, layers wound into spirals.

When will it get here? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days. Engraving adds a few days.

For the same steel in another hand there is the Damascus bushcraft knife on camel bone, and for more shape in the grip, the Damascus bushcraft knife on stag antler. The rest live in bushcraft knives, the pattern welded pieces in Damascus steel, and the whole range in every knife we make.