{"product_id":"hand-forged-bowie-knife-rosewood","title":"Hand Forged Bowie Knife, Carbon Steel with Rosewood Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the plain working bowie of the batch, forged from 1095 high carbon steel with the hammer marks left on the flats. The blade is 10 inches of clip point, the knife 15 inches overall, with a rosewood handle over a full tang and a polished brass cross guard. People buy it because 1095 takes a keener edge than anything on the bench and comes back faster on a stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand forged, hammer marks, mirror bright bevel\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 material\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRosewood, brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGuard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePolished brass cross guard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled leather belt sheath\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\u003e1095 is simple high carbon steel and it is what smiths reach for when the edge matters. This blade was moved under the hammer rather than cut from stock, so those dimples stay on the flats while the bevel is polished bright against them. At 10 inches it is a full bowie clip point. The concave cut along the top third pulls the point down in line with your hand, so the knife leads where you aim it. Carbon steel asks something back. It colors with use and rusts if left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eRosewood is dense and oily by nature, which is why it has been going onto knives for as long as knives have had handles. It resists the drying and splitting that catches softer woods, and the dark grain runs its own way through every set of scales. The scales are shaped to fill the palm and pinned through with brass, over a tang of full length steel from tip to butt. The brass guard stops the hand moving forward onto the edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sheath is cut and stitched around this exact knife, so the 10 inch blade seats properly and stays put as you walk. Vegetable tanned leather, a wide loop stitched to the back for your belt, a snap strap over the handle, and a welt sewn into the seam so the edge rides on leather instead of thread. It is stitched by hand end to end. The face is hand tooled with a barbed wire pattern inside a carved border, cut into damp leather and burnished rather than printed on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the practical choice in the batch. You get the size and shape of a bowie without paying for pattern welded steel, and 1095 is easier to keep sharp in the field. It is what we point people toward when they want something they will not be nervous about using hard. It is a user, not a display piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers who sharpen their own knives\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHunters who want a wood handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFirst buyers of a hand forged bowie\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 1095 bowie knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tooled leather belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA free laser engraving quote on request\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSmall runs, all of it done by hand. The hammer texture falls where it falls, rosewood grain and color shift from one handle to the next, and the tooling depth varies around the border. Yours will differ from the one photographed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWash and dry it by hand after use. The dishwasher is out, since that damage voids the warranty, and it should not sit wet in a pack. The gray patina that builds on 1095 is normal and protects the steel underneath. Oil it lightly for storage and dry the leather away from heat. Whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. More on our \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\u003eLaser engraving costs 20 dollars per blade and is added here on the product page. About 30 characters fits across a blade, while longer wording sits better on the sheath. A proof image comes to you before the laser runs, and the work adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art engraves well, photographs do not. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is 1095 steel?\u003c\/strong\u003e A plain high carbon steel that takes a keen edge and sharpens easily.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy the hammer marks?\u003c\/strong\u003e Forged under a hammer, with the texture left in place.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does the clip point do?\u003c\/strong\u003e It drops the point lower so the knife steers and slices well.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes if left wet, so dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it full tang?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, one piece of steel from tip to butt.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you engrave it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, 20 dollars a blade, with a proof image first.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-camp-knife-rosewood\"\u003eDamascus camp knife in rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e puts the same wood on a shorter blade, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/handmade-bowie-knife-buffalo-horn\"\u003ehandmade bowie in buffalo horn\u003c\/a\u003e pairs this steel with dark horn. Large knives sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bowie-camp\"\u003ebowie and camp knives\u003c\/a\u003e, plain carbon in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003ehigh carbon 1095\u003c\/a\u003e, and wood in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/rosewood-handle-knives\"\u003erosewood handle knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44134490538102,"sku":"VEF-BOW-HC-CP-506","price":179.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hand-forged-carbon-steel-bowie-knife-rosewood-handle_87f56b9d-70a1-4c7a-818b-f85a769b8b6e.jpg?v=1788736398","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-bowie-knife-rosewood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}