{"product_id":"hand-forged-chef-knife-buffalo-horn-bolster","title":"Hand Forged Chef Knife, 8 Inch with Buffalo Horn and Brass","description":"\u003cp\u003eA chef knife spends its day on onions and herbs and whatever else came out of the bag. Eight inches is the length most people settle on. This one carries brass between blade and handle. That is a bolster, and it is the reason to pick this one. The blade is 8 inches of 1095 high carbon and the scales are black buffalo horn.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e13 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\u003eDark forged spine, bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eChef knife, flat heel running into a curve\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\u003eBlack buffalo horn with a brass bolster, three brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade cover\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStamped basket weave leather blade cover\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 high carbon, spine left dark out of the forge, bevel ground up bright, so you can see where the fire stopped. The heel is flat and the edge runs forward into a curve. That is a rocking shape. Put the tip down, leave it there and bring the heel up and over, and the curve stays in contact the whole roll. It does not chop straight down as cleanly as a flat edged blade, which is the trade. Carbon steel darkens into a grey patina and spots if it is left wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuffalo horn is dark and dense and polishes to something near black, with lighter streaks in places. The tang is full and three brass pins hold the scales onto it. The brass bolster sits at the front where blade meets handle, filed to meet both. It puts weight behind your hand and gives your fingers something solid to stop against when you pinch the blade. The handle is 5 inches, which leaves a full grip behind the bolster instead of crowded knuckles.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather blade cover\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, cut around this blade and bolster so nothing sits loose. A welt goes in between the layers, a leather strip keeping the stitching in a channel where the edge cannot reach it. Basket weave is stamped into the face while the hide is damp. The cover takes the blade only and finishes at the bolster, handle out and easy to grab, as a drawer or a knife roll asks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlenty of knives here have no bolster and cut just as well. This is for people who like the feel of one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who pinches the blade rather than the handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCooks who prefer weight back in the hand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want brass against dark horn\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like some heft\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 8 inch chef knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe stamped basket weave leather blade cover\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHorn is grown rather than made, so the streaking changes on every pair of scales and some come out nearly plain. Each bolster is filed flush to its own handle, so the joint line ends up wherever the file left it. The forged spine darkens unevenly. No two come out alike.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eHand wash it and dry it straight away, brass included, since water in the joint between brass and horn is hard to spot. Food safe mineral oil goes on the steel, and the horn takes the same wipe now and then. Boards of wood or plastic. When the edge goes, a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side and a strop after brings it back. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e has more.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwenty dollars per blade puts lettering on it, chosen on this page. Around 30 characters, so a name and a date. Letters go on the flat behind the curve, clear of your pinch grip. A proof image reaches you first and nothing runs until you approve. That adds 3 to 5 business days. Ten blades or more and there is no charge. Look at the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does a bolster actually do?\u003c\/strong\u003e It moves weight back toward your hand and gives your fingers a solid stop when you pinch the blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy do so many knives skip it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Time and cost, mostly, and some cooks want nothing between fingers and steel. A knife without one is no lesser.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it get in the way of sharpening?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The bolster stops short of the edge, so the whole bevel still reaches the stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the flat heel and the curve for?\u003c\/strong\u003e The flat presses down through a hard root. The curve rocks forward through herbs. This shape rolls, it does not chop flat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes if you let it. Dry it after washing and keep oil on it. No dishwasher, ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow quickly does it ship?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor more reach in pattern welded steel there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-chef-knife-10-inch-black-micarta\"\u003e10 inch Damascus chef knife on black micarta\u003c\/a\u003e, and for a tight kitchen the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-chef-knife-6-inch-walnut\"\u003e6 inch chef knife in walnut\u003c\/a\u003e. They all live in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/chef-knives\"\u003echef knives\u003c\/a\u003e, plain steel under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003e1095 high carbon steel\u003c\/a\u003e, the board range in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/kitchen-knives\"\u003ekitchen knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145914642550,"sku":"VEF-KIT-HC-2108","price":149.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/chef-18-carbon-buffalo-horn_fd0be2bc-1705-4104-b1e8-9673a7c39d5d.jpg?v=1788857046","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-chef-knife-buffalo-horn-bolster","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}