Hand Forged Boning Knife, 6.5 Inch Damascus Blade, Buffalo Horn

A deer comes back to the garage and the work starts on a folding table. Quarters, then the long muscles, then the trim for the grinder. That is a lot of close cuts in one evening. This boning knife is made for that stretch of the night, a 6.5 inch Damascus blade over a high carbon core, on a water buffalo horn handle.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the raindrop pattern runs the whole blade to a fine bright edge. The shape is curved with an upswept point, so the belly peels and the tip reaches tight places. It is stiff. A fillet blade has give in it and this one does not, and that stiffness is what lets you lean on it around a joint. The core under the pattern is carbon steel. It darkens with use and it spots if you leave it wet.

The handle

Water buffalo horn is dense and takes a polish, dark through the middle with lighter streaks running down it. It does not drink water the way an open grained wood does, which matters when your hands stay wet. The scales sit on a full tang and are pinned through with brass, so steel runs the whole length of the grip. At 4.5 inches the handle is short on purpose. You choke up near the ricasso and your knuckles still clear the table.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut for this blade and stitched by hand. The face is stamped with a basket weave, pressed into damp leather rather than printed on. A welt is sewn into the edge, keeping the stitching clear of the steel, and a strap with a snap closes over the top. It covers the blade for storage in a drawer or a tote. There is no belt loop on the back.

Who it suits

This is aimed at the person who brings the animal home and does the work himself.

• Hunters breaking down deer and hogs at home
• Anyone working through a lot of meat in one session
• Cooks who want a curved stiff blade for poultry and joints
• Buyers who want hand forged Damascus on a working knife

What comes in the box

• The Damascus boning knife
• The hand stitched leather sheath
• A care card
• Free sharpening for life on any blade sent back

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground and finished by hand here, so runs stay small and no two come out the same. The raindrop pattern never repeats. Horn is an animal material, so the color, the streaking and the polish change from one handle to the next. Yours will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wash it by hand and dry it straight away. Never leave it in the sink or the dishwasher. A wipe of food safe mineral oil before it goes back in the sheath is enough, and it matters if it sits for months between seasons. Cut on wood or plastic, never on glass or stone. The gray patina is normal and you can leave it. More is on our 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. We send a proof image before the laser runs and it adds 3 to 5 business days to the order. Clean line art engraves well, photographs do not. It is free on orders of 10 or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is the difference from a fillet knife? A fillet blade is longer, thinner and has give, for following the ribs of a fish. This one is shorter, curved and stiff.

Is 6.5 inches enough for a deer? It is the size most people reach for on quarters and trim.

Will it rust between seasons? Yes, if you put it away wet. Dry it after every wash and keep a film of mineral oil on it.

How is the handle fixed on? The horn scales are pinned with brass through a full tang.

Will mine look like the photo? No. The pattern and the horn differ on every knife.

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

For more blade there is the hand forged boning knife on rosewood, and if fish come home as well as deer, look at the Damascus fillet knife on stag antler. The rest of the group sits in fillet and boning knives, the pattern welded blades are in Damascus steel, and more sit under kitchen knives.