Hand Forged Boning Knife, 5 Inch Carbon Steel Blade, Black Micarta

Boning out a chicken thigh, or working a shoulder apart at the joint, is close work and the point does most of it. This is a 5 inch boning knife in 1095 high carbon steel with black micarta scales. The blade is short and stiff, so it stays where you put it. It is the shortest in our boning group.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon. The spine stays dark gray from the forge and the bevel is ground up to a bright satin. A boning blade is stiffer than a fillet blade, and this one is stiff all the way to the point. At 5 inches there is almost no give in it, which is what you want with the point riding a joint under pressure. The grind is thin behind the edge. Carbon steel is honest about neglect. It darkens with use and it spots if left wet.

The handle

Micarta is cloth soaked in resin and cured hard. It does not swell or soak up what you are cutting, and it grips better wet than dry, which is the point on a knife washed twenty times in a week. The scales are black with a fine texture. It is full tang, with steel pins set through both sides. The handle is 4.5 inches, short enough to choke up near the point and long enough to fill a big hand.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut and hand stitched, with a welted edge so the thread sits down in a channel. The face is stamped in a basket weave, worked over square by square with a stamp and a mallet. A snap strap closes over the handle. It covers the blade and no more, so it is a cover for a drawer rather than a rig for a belt.

Who it suits

This is the plain working knife of the batch. It goes in the sink, comes out, gets wiped and goes back to the board.

• People breaking down whole chickens most weeks
• Cooks who want a short stiff blade for close work
• Anyone working with wet hands
• Buyers who like carbon steel and its patina

What comes in the box

• The 5 inch boning knife
• The hand stitched leather sheath
• A care card
• An engraving card

Every piece is different

Each knife is forged, ground and sharpened by hand, so batches stay small and none come out identical. The forge gray on the spine sits differently on each one and the stamped leather will not match the photographs square for square. Expect something close to the picture, not a copy.

Looking after it

Hand wash it and dry it straight away. Do not leave it sitting in the sink while you do something else. Carbon steel goes gray and blotchy over the first weeks and that is normal. Put a light coat of food safe mineral oil on the blade before it goes in a drawer. Cut on wood or plastic. Never the dishwasher. More is on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, so a name or a date will go on. We send a proof image before the laser runs, so check the spelling. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Order 10 or more and the engraving is free. The engraving page has the rest.

Questions buyers ask

What is the difference between a boning knife and a fillet knife? A boning knife is shorter and stiffer, made for joints in meat and poultry. A fillet knife is longer and thinner with give, to follow the ribs of a fish.

Is a 5 inch blade long enough? For poultry and smaller joints it is. For a large cut, a longer blade suits better.

Will the handle take constant washing? Micarta does not swell or split from water and it does not turn slick when wet. Dry the steel, not the scales.

Will the blade rust? It can. 1095 is carbon steel. It darkens with use and spots if left wet, so dry it and oil it.

Does the blade flex? No. It is stiff and meant to be. Give belongs on a fillet blade.

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

For the same blade with color in the hand, there is the hand forged boning knife with a green resin handle. For fish, the hand forged fillet knife in the same 1095 does that. The group sits in fillet and boning knives, more of the same steel is in 1095 high carbon, and the board knives are in kitchen knives.