Hand Forged Camp Knife, Carbon Steel with Stacked Leather Handle

This is the plain working knife of the batch. Nothing on it is decorative: a 5 inch blade in 1095 with the hammer marks left on the flats, a grip of leather rounds stacked on the tang, and a 10 inch overall length that rides on a belt. People take it camping and keep using it at home, because this size handles rope, kindling and dinner without being awkward at any of it.

Specification

The blade

1095 is simple high carbon steel. It takes the sharpest edge in the shop and is easiest to bring back, so a few passes on a stone put it right. The blade is forged under the hammer with the marks left on the flats, and only the bevel goes up to a mirror bright finish, which is why the two surfaces look unalike. Five inches is camp knife length. A bowie runs far longer and carries a clipped point and a cross guard. Carbon steel wants drying after use or it will spot.

The handle

A stacked leather grip is the oldest handle fitted to a working fixed blade. Rounds of leather are cut, threaded onto the tang, pressed tight, sanded and finished, so the handle reads as banded rings under your fingers. Leather warms to the hand quickly and holds better as it dampens. A steel pommel cap closes the stack at the butt and a steel bolster sits where the handle meets the blade. The tang runs the full length inside the stack.

The leather sheath

Each sheath is cut to its own knife, so this one takes a 5 inch blade and nothing else. It is vegetable tanned, with a welt sewn along the edge to keep the thread off the sharpened side. The belt loop on the back is wide, and a snap strap goes over the handle to hold the knife through a day out. The stitching is done by hand with an awl. The face carries a carved sunburst inside a scalloped border, worked into damp leather so the lines hold depth.

Who it suits

Most people who buy this one wanted a fixed blade they could use hard without worrying.

• Weekend campers who want a knife that earns its space
• Bushcraft users making feather sticks and kindling
• Anyone who would rather sharpen carbon steel than stainless
• Buyers who like an old style leather grip
• A first fixed blade for someone old enough for one

What comes in the box

• The hand forged camp knife
• The tooled leather belt sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Because the hammer work is done by eye, no two blades carry the same marks. The leather rounds vary in color as the stack is sanded, and the tooling on each sheath is cut fresh. Treat the photograph as the pattern.

Looking after it

Wash and dry it by hand, and store it out of the sheath if it has been wet. A dishwasher will ruin the steel and the leather stack, and that damage is not covered. Carbon steel goes gray with use, and that patina is doing you a favor, so leave it alone. Oil the blade before storage and keep the leather away from direct heat. Read our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

You can add laser engraving on this page for 20 dollars per blade. About 30 characters fits on the blade, and a longer message belongs on the sheath. A proof image comes to you before anything is engraved, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Orders of 10 pieces or more are engraved free. Details on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a stacked leather handle? Rounds of leather stacked on the tang, pressed tight and sanded into rings.

Does a leather handle turn slick when wet? No, leather grips better as it dampens.

Why buy this instead of a bowie? A camp knife is a general tool for cord, kindling and cooking.

Is it full tang? Yes, unbroken steel from the tip to the pommel cap.

How sharp is it out of the box? It is sharpened by hand and ready to use.

Can you engrave it? Yes, for 20 dollars per blade.

For a layered pattern in the steel, see the Damascus camp knife with a green micarta handle, or the Damascus camp knife with a rosewood handle. More sits in bowie and camp knives, in high carbon 1095, and in gifts for him.