Hand Forged Skinning Knife, Water Buffalo Horn Handle

The shape is the plain skinner, a wide belly sweeping to a rounded tip, which keeps the edge in contact along a pulling stroke. The blade runs 4 inches, forged from 1095 high carbon. The handle is water buffalo horn, glossy black with faint grey streaks, and that gloss is buffed into it rather than sprayed on. There is no lacquer on this knife anywhere.

Specification

The blade

1095 has carbon in it and not much else, which is why it sharpens easily and why it will not sit in a damp sheath without complaining. The forge scale stays on the spine, dark and slightly uneven, and the bevel is ground wide and bright below it. The belly is the working part. Ground shallow through that curve, it holds the cut as your hand travels, where a straight edge would lose contact. Expect the bright side to go grey within a season, and expect orange spotting if it goes away wet.

The handle

Water buffalo horn is dense stuff. Sanded up through the grits and taken to a buffing wheel it comes out deep black, and nothing on the surface is doing that, no lacquer and no film to chip later. Faint grey streaks run through it, part of the material. The tang is full, three brass pins pass through the scales, and there is a lanyard hole at the butt. The 4.5 inch grip fills a wet hand without crowding your fingers.

The leather sheath

Vegetable tanned leather, stamped over the face in basket weave, then wet moulded to this blade so the knife drops in and holds. A welt sits between the panels along the stitch line so the edge never lies against thread, which is the difference between a sheath that lasts and one that opens up. All the stitching is hand done. The belt loop takes a working belt and sits flat.

Who it suits

Buyers who want shine without a coating. Horn does that on its own, if you treat it like the natural material it is.

• Anyone who likes black horn against a dark forged spine
• Owners who want a steel that touches up quickly
• Buyers after a working belt knife at a sensible price
• People who store gear indoors, not in a hot truck

What comes in the box

• The skinner, sharpened
• The basket weave belt sheath
• A care card
• Engraving details

Every piece is different

Horn is grown material, so one handle comes out nearly solid black and the next carries pale grey streaking through the middle. The forging leaves its own scale along each spine. We do not sort or match them, so the one in the photograph is not the one you get.

Looking after it

Wipe the steel dry, put a light oil on it, and never leave it in a wet sheath overnight. The horn wants a dry cloth, though a little oil once a year does no harm. The honest warning: horn does not enjoy heat, and a glovebox in July is the worst place to leave it. Stone the edge, strop it, and sharpening here is free for life. Longer version on the knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Engraving runs 20 dollars a blade, added to the order here. Around 30 characters is the practical limit, which covers most names and a year. We send a proof image and wait for your reply before the laser runs. Engraved orders ship 3 to 5 business days later. At 10 or more we stop charging. The engraving page covers the rest.

Questions buyers ask

Is the handle finished with anything? No. The shine comes off the buffing wheel. Nothing is sprayed on, so there is no coating to wear through.

What happens if I leave it in a hot car? Horn dries out in heat and can shrink or crack. Keep it out of hot cars and off sunny windowsills.

Is there a pattern in the steel? No. This is plain 1095, not Damascus, so nothing shows on the flat but forge finish and grind.

How do I stop it rusting? Dry it every time and oil it before storage. Left damp it will spot, like any carbon steel.

How long does shipping take? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Can I put it in a dishwasher? Please do not. It would take the shine off the horn and rust the blade in one go.

The same steel under wood is the hand forged skinning knife on walnut, and for a blade with some history the rasp steel skinner on rosewood was a farrier rasp first. More of the curve in skinner knives, the same steel in 1095 high carbon steel, and the whole range in every knife we make.