Damascus Kephart Knife, Black Micarta Handle and Leather Sheath

Camp work is mostly small work. Kindling to split, a strap to cut, supper to deal with while the light goes. The Kephart pattern was made for that kind of day and it has outlasted plenty of shapes that looked better beside it. This one carries a 4.5 inch blade in Damascus over a high carbon core, and the scales are black canvas micarta. Old outline, modern grip.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus over a high carbon core, etched with a ladder pattern. The grind is a high flat grind, so the bevel starts well up the blade and little steel sits behind the edge. The point stays low and the edge runs long and nearly straight, and steel ground that thin slices instead of wedging. The spine is squared at ninety degrees, a hard corner for a ferrocerium rod or for shaving tinder. Carbon steel sits under the pattern, so it darkens to a grey patina and spots if left wet.

The handle

The handle is black canvas micarta, layers of cloth set in resin. It does not swell in the damp or shrink in a heated room, and it holds grip when wet. Three brass pins hold the scales to a full tang, so steel runs the whole length under your hand. The lanyard hole is lined in brass. At 4.75 inches the handle is longer than the blade, which is what makes a knife read as a woods knife rather than a hunting knife.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, with a welt set between the layers so the stitching sits in a channel out of the way of the edge. The face is stamped. It is cut to this blade's own outline, so the knife seats with some friction and stays put when you bend over. There is no fire steel loop on this one, so the rod goes in a pocket.

Who it suits

This one is for a buyer who has landed on the oldest answer and would rather not nurse a wooden handle.

• People who want the Kephart outline in a modern handle
• Anyone who prefers a thin slicing blade to a thick one
• Buyers who want Damascus and still mean to use it
• Carvers who work off the edge more than the point

What comes in the box

• The Damascus Kephart knife
• The stamped leather belt sheath
• A care card
• Engraving details

Every piece is different

No two finish the same. Each blade is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, and the runs are small. The ladder pattern lies its own way on every billet. Ground micarta shows whatever the cloth was doing under the resin. The leather takes the stamp differently each time. Yours will not match the photograph.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry when you are done and do not leave it in the sheath wet. Oil it lightly before it goes away for a season. The grey patina that comes up with use is fine. Sharpen on a stone and finish on a strop. Sharpening here is free for life, so it can come back to the shop whenever you want a fresh edge. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Engraving is 20 dollars per blade, added here before you check out. Around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date, or a short line. You get a proof image to approve before the laser runs, which puts another 3 to 5 business days on the order. Ten blades or more and we do it for nothing. Details are on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Why has this pattern lasted? It does not specialise. A long, nearly straight edge carves as well as it handles food at camp.

Is the Damascus only for looks? The ladder pattern is cosmetic. The high carbon core under it is what cuts.

What does a high flat grind do? It leaves less steel behind the edge, so the blade parts wood instead of pushing it apart. The wide flat also lies nicely on a stone.

Why micarta on an old pattern? The handle is the part that lets you down first. Wood moves with damp and dries out indoors. Micarta does neither.

Will it rust? It can. Carbon steel sits under the pattern. Dry it after use and keep a light film of oil on it.

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

The same outline in plain carbon steel is the Kephart in oak. For Damascus in another shape there is the spear point in olive wood. The woods knives sit in bushcraft knives, the pattern welded blades in Damascus steel, and the whole bench is under every knife we make.