{"product_id":"hand-forged-karambit-rosewood","title":"Hand Forged Karambit Knife, 1095 Carbon Steel with Rosewood Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003ePlainest 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4 inches along the curve\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e8.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eDark gray hand forged finish with faint hammer marks, mirror bright bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHawkbill, point curving back toward the handle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eRosewood, two brass pins\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\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand tooled leather sheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEngraving\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e20 dollars per piece\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 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe finger ring\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat it is for\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIts 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA working shape for anyone whose day involves cutting things open, and an easy gift for someone who keeps a knife on them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who cut cord and packaging every day\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGardeners and growers\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFarm and yard work\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors of the shape\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe karambit\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand tooled leather sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser 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 \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a karambit?\u003c\/strong\u003e A short hooked knife from Southeast Asia, first used around a farm.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy does the point face backward?\u003c\/strong\u003e The hawkbill curve pulls the blade into the work, so it cuts on the pull.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat does full tang mean?\u003c\/strong\u003e The steel runs in one piece the full length of the handle, with the scales pinned to it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs it legal to carry?\u003c\/strong\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill 1095 steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can if left wet. Wipe it dry and oil it lightly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I sharpen a curved blade?\u003c\/strong\u003e Work round the curve in short sections on a stone, following the existing bevel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn Damascus there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/damascus-karambit-olive-wood\"\u003ekarambit in olive wood\u003c\/a\u003e, and in carbon steel the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-karambit-black-horn-brass\"\u003ekarambit in black horn with brass\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sits in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/karambit-knives\"\u003ekarambit knives\u003c\/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003ehigh carbon 1095\u003c\/a\u003e and \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":44141884440694,"sku":"VEF-KAR-HC-ROS-907","price":129.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hand-forged-karambit-rosewood_b44c2e66-ebe2-40de-bcc0-52c17e8f192b.jpg?v=1788816301","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/hand-forged-karambit-rosewood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}