Hand Forged Kitchen Knife, Carbon Steel Utility Blade with Rosewood Handle

This is the knife that fills the gap between a paring knife and a chef knife. A 6 inch blade is what you pick up for tomatoes, cheese or one onion, without pulling out something bigger. It is hand forged from 1095 high carbon steel with the hammer marks left on the flats, full tang under a rosewood handle, and it ships with a stamped leather sheath cut for that blade.

Specification

The blade

1095 is plain high carbon steel, and it takes the sharpest edge of anything in the shop. It is also the easiest to bring back, so a few minutes on a stone puts it right. It is forged under the hammer with the marks left on the flats, and the bevel is polished mirror bright. At 6 inches it stays easy to steer close to the board and still covers most prep. There is no stainless in it, so it will darken with use and it wants drying after every job.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and close grained, dark brown with deeper streaks, and it takes a smooth finish that still holds in a damp hand. The scales sit on a full tang, steel unbroken from tip to butt, held by brass pins through both sides. At 5 inches the handle takes a whole grip, and the balance sits near the front of the scales where a short blade is easiest to steer. No two sets of scales match, because the tree decides the grain.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather cut for this exact blade, with a welt along the stitch line so the edge never rides on the thread. It is stitched by hand, and the face on this one is stamped with a carved sunburst inside a scalloped border. It covers the blade only and leaves the handle standing free, so it is a cover for storage and for carrying rather than a belt sheath. That suits a drawer where a bare edge is a problem, a knife roll, or a run out to a job.

Who it suits

A 6 inch blade is the one most cooks reach for without thinking. It is small enough for a cut held in the hand and big enough for real work on the board.

• Cooks who want a knife between paring and chef sizes
• Anyone who sharpens on a stone at home
• Buyers who like the look of a forged finish

What comes in the box

• The hand forged kitchen knife
• The stamped leather sheath
• A care card
• A free laser engraving quote on request

Every piece is different

Every knife here is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two are alike. The hammer marks fall where they fall, the rosewood grain and color shift piece to piece, and the stamping sits differently each time.

Looking after it

Hand wash it and dry it straight away. Never the dishwasher, never left soaking, and dishwasher damage voids the warranty. Carbon steel takes on a gray patina with use, which is normal and protects the steel underneath. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. Cut on wood or plastic, never glass or stone. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, longer messages sit better on the sheath. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. Clean line art comes out well, photographs do not. Free on orders of 10 pieces or more. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a 6 inch blade best at? Everyday prep, from tomatoes to a chicken breast.

Why are the hammer marks left on? They show the blade was forged, not ground from flat stock.

What is the stamped sheath for? Covering the blade in a drawer or a knife roll. It leaves the handle out.

How sharp is it out of the box? Sharpened by hand and ready to cut.

Is it dishwasher safe? No. Hand wash, dry at once. Dishwasher damage voids the warranty.

Will my knife look like the photo? No. Size and steel match, the forging marks and grain are their own.

The same steel comes in a bigger blade on the hand forged chef knife with a rosewood handle, and for vegetables the Damascus nakiri with a rosewood handle is quicker. More sits in kitchen knives, the steel runs on through high carbon 1095, and the wood carries on in rosewood handle knives.