Damascus Kukri Knife with Black Micarta Handle and Tooled Leather Scabbard

The kukri is the forward curving Nepali knife. This one is Damascus over a full tang, with a 10 inch blade and 15 inches overall, short enough to swing in one hand and carry on a belt. Damascus on a kukri is a modern piece rather than a traditional one, and we say so plainly. It goes to buyers who want the pattern along the curve and a blade that still cuts.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark raindrop layers show along the curve, with the bevel taken to a mirror. The blade leaves the handle narrow, sweeps forward and down and widens towards the tip, so the heaviest steel sits furthest from your hand. The cho, the small notch at the base of the edge, stops a cut running back into the handle. The core is carbon, so it darkens and rusts if left wet.

The handle

The scales are black canvas micarta, matte rather than glossy. Micarta is canvas set in resin, so it stays put in a wet hand and does not move with humidity. Three brass pins run through it. The tang is full, the steel unbroken from tip to butt and showing as a line all round the handle.

The karda and the chakmak

Two small knives ride in pockets on the back of the scabbard. The karda is the sharp one, for the fine work the big blade is too heavy for. The chakmak is blunt, used to true up a rolled edge and traditionally struck to raise a spark. Serious Nepali makers include both and name both. Most sellers leave them out. Ours come with the knife.

The leather

The scabbard is water buffalo leather formed over a wooden core, with a brass cap at the tip, a leather belt frog at the throat and hand stitching throughout. The two pockets for the karda and the chakmak sit on the back. The face is hand tooled with a geometric diamond pattern inside a double border line, cut and stamped into damp leather rather than printed, so the pattern has depth you can feel.

Who it suits

Buyers come to this one for the pattern first and the size second.

• Collectors who want Damascus in a kukri shape
• Campers cutting firewood at a small camp
• Anyone buying a first kukri
• Buyers who prefer micarta to natural handles

What comes in the box

• The Damascus kukri
• The tooled leather scabbard
• The karda and the chakmak
• A care card

Every piece is different

Each blade is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out alike. The Damascus pattern never repeats, so yours will read differently from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. The gray patina that builds is normal and protects the steel. Sharpen with a stone or a file following the existing bevel, working the belly of the curve. Oil it before storage and let the leather dry away from heat. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade or a handle. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves well, photographs do not. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Is it spelled kukri or khukuri? Both spellings name the same Nepali knife, and we use kukri throughout.

What is the notch at the base of the edge? That is the cho, and it stops a cut running back into the handle.

Why does the blade curve forward? The curve puts the heaviest steel furthest from your hand, so it cuts above its size.

Is Damascus traditional on a kukri? No, Damascus on a kukri is a modern piece rather than a traditional one.

Will this steel rust? It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.

How sharp is it out of the box? Sharpened by hand and ready to cut on arrival.

For the same steel in a longer blade, see the Damascus kukri with rosewood handle and brass bolster, and for the same grip in spring steel the full tang kukri in green micarta. More sit in kukri knives, in Damascus steel, and in gifts for him.