{"product_id":"damascus-fillet-knife-rosewood","title":"Damascus Fillet Knife, 6.5 Inch Flexible Blade, Rosewood Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eTaking fillets off a bluegill is a small job repeated many times over. The fish is short, the ribs sit close, and a long blade gets in your own way. This is a 6.5 inch Damascus blade in a rosewood handle, built to bend along a bone rather than push through it. It is the size most people reach for while they are still learning where the backbone runs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e6.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e11.5 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, pattern welded over a high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched raindrop pattern running the whole blade, fine bright edge\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNarrow fillet blade with a fine upswept tip\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 material\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRosewood, brass pins and a steel bolster\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand stitched leather, stamped basket weave face, snap strap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLaser engraving, 20 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\u003eThe steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core, etched so a raindrop pattern shows down the whole blade. The bevel is left fine and bright. The blade is narrow, ground thin, with an upswept tip for starting a cut behind the gill plate. There is real give in it. Enough to follow the ribs without tearing flesh off them, and enough backbone that the edge stays where you put it. The core is carbon, so it darkens with use and it will spot if you leave it wet on a bench.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRosewood is dense and oily in itself, so it copes with fish and water better than an open grained wood. It darkens slowly and takes a shine from being held. The tang runs full length behind the scales with brass pins through it, and a steel bolster sits where your index finger meets the blade. That bolster stops a wet hand sliding forward. Five inches of handle lets you choke up near the heel on a small fish or hold back for a longer stroke.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut for this blade so it goes in snug. The face is stamped with a basket weave. A welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching stays clear of the steel, and every stitch goes in by hand. A snap strap holds the handle. It covers the blade only, so treat it as what the knife lives in between trips, not a rig you wear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eMost first fillet knives are longer than the fish they end up meeting. If what you bring home is bream and crappie, this length is easier to steer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone buying a first fillet knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePanfish and trout more often than salmon\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople working on a small board or a tailgate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want Damascus in a shorter blade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Damascus fillet knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand stitched leather sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA free laser engraving quote on request\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery knife is forged, ground and finished by hand in small runs, so no two leave the shop alike. The raindrop pattern will sit differently on your blade than on the one photographed, and rosewood grain shifts from one board to the next. Yours will be its own piece, not a copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHand wash it and dry it straight away. A thin blade punishes neglect faster than a thick one. Give it a light coat of food safe mineral oil before it goes back in the sheath. Cut on wood or plastic, never on glass or a metal rail. Never the dishwasher. The gray patina that comes up on the core steel is normal and it helps. More sits on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, and on a blade this narrow a name or a date reads better than a sentence. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Free on orders of 10 or more. The rest is on the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs a 6.5 inch blade long enough?\u003c\/strong\u003e For panfish and trout it is plenty, and a short blade is easier to steer.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow does this differ from a boning knife?\u003c\/strong\u003e A boning knife is shorter and stiffer, made for joints and bone in meat and poultry. This one bends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e The core is carbon, so dry it straight away and keep a light film of oil on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it full tang?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, the steel runs unbroken to the butt with brass pins through the scales.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan I have it sharpened later?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, sharpening is free for life on knives we make.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIf you want the same steel in a longer blade, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-fillet-knife-blue-resin\"\u003eDamascus fillet knife with a blue resin handle\u003c\/a\u003e runs 8 inches. For meat rather than fish, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-boning-knife-rosewood\"\u003ehand forged boning knife on the same rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e pairs with it. The rest is in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/fillet-boning-knives\"\u003efillet and boning knives\u003c\/a\u003e, in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/rosewood-handle-knives\"\u003erosewood handle knives\u003c\/a\u003e, and in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44142686896246,"sku":"VEF-FIL-DAM-FLT-1006","price":149.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/fillet-06-damascus-rosewood_2f22d5ef-5abc-42e5-af41-7e2acccfc03d.jpg?v=1788827276","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-fillet-knife-rosewood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}