{"product_id":"damascus-carving-knife-stag-antler","title":"Damascus Carving Knife, 9 Inch Blade with Stag Antler Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA roast gives up a clean face on the first pass and a ragged one on the fourth. The fewer times steel travels the same slice, the better it looks on the plate. So this blade is 9 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, narrow all the way, and the handle is stag antler, cool and uneven in the hand. One long draw, one slice off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e14 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDamascus, high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched twist pattern\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCarving knife, long and narrow with a rounded point\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\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStag antler, three brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand carved oak leaf and acorn leather blade cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 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\u003c\/table\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePattern welded steel over a high carbon core, etched so the twist reads as bands leaning across the flat. The bar is heated and wound along its own length, which sends the layers spiralling instead of lying flat. Decoration, all of it. The core beneath holds the edge. The blade is long and narrow with a rounded point, and narrow is the part that counts, since a thin blade has less side pushing at the meat. Less drag, fewer strokes. Carbon steel darkens grey with use and spots if put away damp.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eStag antler is hard outside and soft in the core, so pieces get sorted before cutting. None of them are smooth and no two feel the same, which is the reason people ask for it. The tang is full, three brass pins going through antler and steel together. The handle is 5 inches, so your whole hand sits behind the blade at the moment carving asks you to pull rather than push. Grip low for a long draw over a big roast.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather blade cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather cut to this blade's outline and stitched by hand. A welt runs inside the seam, so the thread sits in its own channel and never under the edge. The face is carved rather than stamped, an oak leaf and acorn cut into damp hide with a swivel knife, then backgrounded until the leaf lifts. It goes over the blade and stops. The handle stays in the open, so the knife keeps in a drawer or a roll. Not for a belt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eCarving is a weekly job in some houses and a set piece in others.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone carving a bird at the table\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCooks who slice a roast thin\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want antler and carved leather together\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople buying for a holiday cook\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus carving knife on stag antler\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved oak leaf and acorn blade cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn engraving proof if you order one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAntler grows how it grows. Colour, pitting and the curve along the grip move handle to handle, and a crown end is never twice the same. A twist tightens where the bar ran hottest, so banding leans at its own angle on each blade. The leaf is drawn freehand into every cover.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHand wash and dry at once, minding the seam where antler meets steel. A wipe of food safe mineral oil keeps the blade quiet between holidays, and a knife used a few times a year wants more oil, not less. Wood or plastic boards, never a plate you have already carved onto. Bring the edge back on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees a side and finish on a strop. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e has the detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLettering runs 20 dollars per blade and gets added here before checkout. Roughly 30 characters fits, usually a family name and a year. There is plenty of flat on a blade this long. You approve a proof image before the laser runs. It adds 3 to 5 business days, and it is free at 10 blades or more. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is it so narrow?\u003c\/strong\u003e Less steel touching the cut face. The blade slides rather than shoves, so the slice comes off whole.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the number of strokes really matter?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. Each extra pass reopens the face and roughs it up. A long blade finishes a slice in one run.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy is the point rounded?\u003c\/strong\u003e A carving knife works along a joint, not into it. A rounded tip stays out of the way and snags less.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Carbon steel sits under the pattern, so dry it, oil it, and never put it in a dishwasher.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan antler go in water?\u003c\/strong\u003e A rinse does no harm. A soak does, so wash the blade and keep the handle out of standing water.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long is delivery?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA longer, narrower blade for cold cuts is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-slicing-knife-olive-wood\"\u003e11 inch Damascus slicing knife on olive wood\u003c\/a\u003e, and the board work before the roast goes in belongs to the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-santoku-knife-ram-horn\"\u003eDamascus santoku on ram horn\u003c\/a\u003e. Both live in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/kitchen-knives\"\u003ekitchen knives\u003c\/a\u003e, etched blades in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e, the full range in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-knives\"\u003eevery knife we make\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145895211126,"sku":"VEF-KIT-DAM-2104","price":219.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/chef-14-damascus-carving-stag-antler_9831cb97-1db3-4e51-a49a-13a59a21a7db.jpg?v=1788856880","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-carving-knife-stag-antler","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}