{"product_id":"damascus-skinner-knife-desert-ironwood","title":"Damascus Skinner Knife, Desert Ironwood Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe belly swings out wide and carries the edge round to a rounded tip, which is the whole point of a skinner. A curve stays in contact through a long pulling stroke where a straight edge lifts away and quits. The blade is 4 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core. The handle is desert ironwood, about the densest wood anybody puts on a knife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4.5 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 raindrop pattern\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSkinner, wide sweeping belly to a rounded 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\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDesert ironwood, dark brown and orange with tight swirling figure, three brass pins, lanyard hole\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStamped basket weave leather belt sheath inside a stamped border\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\u003eThe steel is pattern welded and then etched, so a raindrop pattern comes up dark against bright and sits in rings down the flat. The rings land where the billet puts them. Underneath is a high carbon core, and that is the part taking the edge. Behind the sweep the bevel is ground wide and shallow, so the curve does the cutting on a pull and the tip stays out of it. Carbon steel greys off as it gets used. It also spots if it goes away wet, so dry it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIronwood runs dark brown into orange with tight swirling figure that shifts as you turn it under a lamp. It is heavy enough to sink in a bucket and hard enough to come off the buffer shining, with no oil or lacquer on top to wear through under your thumb. The tang is full, three brass pins go through the scales, and there is a lanyard hole at the butt. At 4.5 inches a cold wet hand still gets four fingers on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this blade's own outline rather than a generic pocket, so the knife seats and stays put without rattling around. The face is stamped in basket weave with a stamped border run round the outside to frame it. The edge is welted, which keeps the stitching clear of the sharpened side, and it is stitched by hand. The belt loop takes a normal belt without a fight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePeople buy this one for the handle. The steel is the same Damascus as the ebony, but ironwood is what gets turned over twice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want wood, and want it dense rather than soft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone sick of a handle finish wearing off in patches\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors who like figure in a grip as much as pattern in a blade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHunters after a short curved blade that lives on a belt\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe skinner, sharpened\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped leather belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngraving details\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIronwood grows slowly and every block has its own mind. Some come out nearly black with an orange streak through the middle, some lighter with the swirl wound tight as a thumbprint. The etch varies too, since the raindrops fall where the billet decides. Yours will not match the photograph.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the blade dry before it goes back in the sheath, and oil it lightly if it will sit in a drawer for a month. The ironwood wants nothing. Do not feed it or wax it. A dry cloth keeps the gloss. Sharpen on a stone, finish on a strop, and if it gets away from you, sharpening here is free for life. More on the \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\u003eEngraving is 20 dollars per blade, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits, enough for a name and a year. We set it out and send a proof image, and nothing goes under the laser until you approve it. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Ten or more on one order and it costs nothing. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the handle need oiling?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. Ironwood polishes on its own and carries no finish to feed. A dry cloth is the routine.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the pattern printed on?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. Damascus is layers forge welded together, then etched so they show. The carbon core underneath holds the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Left damp it spots, and an etched flat shows spotting more than a plain one. Dry it, oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy ironwood over walnut?\u003c\/strong\u003e Weight and hardness. It sits heavier and shrugs off knocks. Walnut is softer and wants oil.\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 4 inches long enough?\u003c\/strong\u003e For this shape, yes. The curve does the work, not the length, and a short blade steers easier.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the same steel darker in the hand, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-skinner-knife-black-ebony\"\u003eDamascus skinner on black ebony with a brass bolster\u003c\/a\u003e is next. For a hooked notch and colour in the grip there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-gut-hook-skinner-bone-turquoise\"\u003eDamascus gut hook skinner in camel bone and turquoise\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/skinner-knives\"\u003eskinner knives\u003c\/a\u003e, the pattern welded blades in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-knives\"\u003eevery knife we make\u003c\/a\u003e is in one list.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44146173706358,"sku":"VEF-SKN-DAM-2306","price":189.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/skinner-19-damascus-desert-ironwood_4d7f7681-a65a-4120-a753-8ae5ad771761.jpg?v=1788861145","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/damascus-skinner-knife-desert-ironwood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}