{"product_id":"handmade-bowie-knife-buffalo-horn","title":"Handmade Bowie Knife, Carbon Steel with Buffalo Horn Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eA bowie is a big knife that still has to point and slice. This is the carbon steel version. The blade is 8 inches of hand forged 1095 with a clip point, set behind a polished steel cross guard, and the handle is black buffalo horn pinned over a full tang. It runs 13 inches overall and suits people who want a full size outdoor knife they can sharpen at home.\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\u003eHand forged, mirror bright bevel\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 material\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBuffalo horn, brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGuard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePolished steel cross guard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled leather belt sheath\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\u003eThe steel is 1095 high carbon, forged with the hammer marks left on the flats and the bevel taken mirror bright. It takes the sharpest edge in the shop and comes back fastest on a stone. The clip is the concave cut taken out of the top of the blade from about a third of the way back to the tip, ground as a false edge. It drops the point lower and brings more of the tip in line with your hand. The trade is rust, so it wants drying after use.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuffalo horn polishes to a deep black and warms to your hand instead of staying cold like steel. Under the scales the tang runs unbroken from tip to butt, with brass pins through both sides. At 5 inches the handle has room to shift your grip back for heavier cuts. The steel cross guard in front of it keeps your hand off the edge if a cut runs out. Horn is natural, so the shade moves from knife to knife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sheath is cut for this exact knife, so the blade goes in snug. The leather is vegetable tanned. A wide belt loop is stitched to the back, a strap with a snap closes over the handle, and a welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching sits clear of the sharpened side. Every stitch is put in by hand. The face is hand tooled with a basket weave stamp inside a carved border, struck one impression at a time. Most sellers write the words leather sheath and stop there.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the size of knife people buy once a folder has stopped being enough, and carbon steel makes it the cheaper of the two ways to own one from this shop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers who want one large fixed blade in the truck\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who sharpen their own knives on a stone\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who prefer natural horn to a synthetic handle\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe carbon steel bowie knife\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tooled leather belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA free laser engraving quote on request\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach knife is forged, ground and finished by hand, so no two come out the same. The hammer texture, the color of the horn and the depth of the tooling differ from the photographs. Yours will be its own piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWash and dry it by hand. Never the dishwasher, since that voids the warranty, and never leave it wet inside the sheath. The gray patina that builds with use is normal and protects the steel. Oil it lightly before storage and let the leather dry away from heat. Sharpen on a whetstone at roughly 20 degrees per side, then strop. No pull through sharpeners. More in our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade, and a longer message sits better on the sheath. Clean line art marks well, photographs do not. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See 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 clip point?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is the concave cut taken from the top of the blade near the tip, which lowers the point so the knife slices better.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the cross guard for?\u003c\/strong\u003e It keeps your hand off the edge on a blade this long.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy buffalo horn?\u003c\/strong\u003e It polishes to a deep black and warms fast in the hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow sharp is it out of the box?\u003c\/strong\u003e Sharpened by hand and ready to cut on arrival.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you engrave it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, 20 dollars per blade, adding 3 to 5 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the same size in wood, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/hand-forged-bowie-knife-rosewood\"\u003ehand forged bowie in rosewood\u003c\/a\u003e, and for horn with a Damascus blade there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/handmade-bowie-knife-buffalo-horn-leather\"\u003ehandmade bowie in buffalo horn and stacked leather\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bowie-camp\"\u003ebowie and camp knives\u003c\/a\u003e, in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/high-carbon-1095\"\u003ehigh carbon 1095\u003c\/a\u003e, and in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gifts-for-him\"\u003egifts for him\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44134493913206,"sku":"VEF-BOW-HC-CP-507","price":159.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hand-forged-carbon-steel-bowie-knife-buffalo-horn_79f7afc1-9dd0-438f-93e0-dbf7baa5546b.jpg?v=1788736398","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/handmade-bowie-knife-buffalo-horn","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}