Hand Forged Karambit Knife, 1095 Carbon Steel with Rosewood Handle

Plainest and least costly piece in this karambit batch, a working knife in 1095 carbon steel with a rosewood handle. The shape is old, hooked like a sickle, out of Southeast Asia, where it began on farms. It runs 4 inches round the curve, 8.5 inches overall, and the point turns back so it cuts on the pull. A steel ring at the butt takes the index finger. For people who cut packaging and cord.

Specification

The blade

1095 is plain high carbon steel with nothing layered into it, so there is no pattern to read and the interest sits in the finish. It goes keen quickly and comes back on a stone in minutes, and the price of that is rust if it is put away damp. The flats keep the dark gray they came out of the fire with, faint hammer marks still in them, and the bevel is polished bright along the hook for 4 inches.

The finger ring

A hooked edge cutting cord wants to travel out of the hand, and the ring answers that. It is forged from the same bar as the blade, not added afterward, and closes as a full circle. Your index finger sits inside it, so the knife hangs off the finger as it cuts. Set it down and the ring gives a finger something to hook through.

The handle

The scales are rosewood in a deep red brown, oiled rather than lacquered so the straight grain reads under your fingers instead of sitting behind a plastic shine. Two brass pins pass through the wood into the steel. The tang is full, one piece of 1095 the whole length of the handle, showing as a bright line all round the wood.

What it is for

Its work is household and yard. Parcels and delivery boxes open from the side, zip ties part in one pull, and garden hose, cord, bin bag necks, old carpet and underlay all sit in the hook. The curve catches the material and draws it in instead of skidding off like a straight blade. It is no slicer on a board and the point was never meant for prying.

The leather

The sheath leather is vegetable tanned, so it takes a stamp and holds a wet formed shape. It is built to the bend of this blade. A welt inside the seam holds the cream hand stitching off the sharp side. A snap strap closes the mouth. The face carries basket weave, the square woven stamp struck row on row inside a plain border.

Who it suits

A working shape for anyone whose day involves cutting things open, and an easy gift for someone who keeps a knife on them.

• People who cut cord and packaging every day
• Gardeners and growers
• Farm and yard work
• Collectors of the shape

What comes in the box

• The karambit
• The hand tooled leather sheath
• A care card

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. The hammer marks, the grain of the rosewood and the stamped leather vary from the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet or leave it in the sheath damp. Carbon steel darkens with use, and that gray patina is normal and protects the steel. A light coat of oil before it goes away, and never a dishwasher. Sharpen it a little at a time along the curve, keeping to the existing bevel. More in our knife care page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added here on the product page. Around 30 characters fits along the blade. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. More on the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a karambit? A short hooked knife from Southeast Asia, first used around a farm.

Why does the point face backward? The hawkbill curve pulls the blade into the work, so it cuts on the pull.

What does full tang mean? The steel runs in one piece the full length of the handle, with the scales pinned to it.

Is it legal to carry? Knife carry laws differ by state, city and country, so check the rules where you live before you carry it. We cannot advise on that.

Will 1095 steel rust? It can if left wet. Wipe it dry and oil it lightly.

How do I sharpen a curved blade? Work round the curve in short sections on a stone, following the existing bevel.

In Damascus there is the karambit in olive wood, and in carbon steel the karambit in black horn with brass. The rest sits in karambit knives, high carbon 1095 and rosewood handle knives.