{"product_id":"kukri-knife-stacked-leather-handle","title":"Kukri Knife, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Stacked Leather Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is a working kukri with a handle nobody else in this category offers. The blade is 12 inches of 5160 spring steel with 17.5 inches overall, and the grip is built from leather washers stacked on the tang and compressed into one piece. It goes to people who want a full size chopper for the woodpile or the camp and like a handle that warms in the hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e12 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e17.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e5160 spring 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, faint hammer marks, wide mirror bright bevel, cho notch\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStacked leather washers, sanded and polished, mid brown, brass collar and brass butt cap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHidden tang running through the stack\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTooled water buffalo leather scabbard, brass tip cap, belt frog\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eIncluded\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eKarda and chakmak companion knives\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\u003eThe steel is 5160 spring steel, the steel the traditional makers use and name. It takes a hard chop without chipping and comes back easily on a stone. The finish is left dark gray from the forge, with faint hammer marks and a wide mirror bright bevel. The blade leaves the handle narrow, sweeps forward and down and widens towards the tip, so the heaviest steel sits furthest from your hand and it chops above its size. The cho stops a cut running back into the handle. It is carbon steel, so it will patina and it wants drying after use.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe handle is built rather than shaped. Leather washers are threaded onto the tang and squeezed down hard until the stack behaves like a single block, then sanded and polished so every seam shows as a fine dark line around the grip. A brass collar sits at the front and a brass cap closes the butt, holding the stack under pressure. The tang runs hidden through the middle. Leather warms to the hand in cold weather.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe karda and the chakmak\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo small knives ride in pockets on the back of the scabbard, each about four inches long, with small stacked leather handles built the same way. The karda is the sharp one, for fine work the big blade is too heavy for. The chakmak is blunt, used to true up a rolled edge and traditionally struck to raise a spark. Serious Nepali makers name both and include both. Ours come with the knife.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe scabbard is water buffalo leather formed over a wooden core, with a brass cap at the tip, a leather belt frog and hand stitching down the seam. The face carries a carved oak leaf center panel on a stamped pebbled ground, cut and shaded in damp leather rather than printed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis one is bought to be used, and the handle is the reason people pick it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCampers splitting kindling and clearing brush\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who want a leather grip rather than wood\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who owns a wood handled kukri already\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe kukri\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe tooled water buffalo leather scabbard\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe karda and the chakmak\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach blade is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small. No two leather stacks sand out the same, so the grip on yours will 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. The gray patina that builds is normal and it protects the steel. Sharpen with a stone or a file following the existing bevel, working the belly of the curve. The handle is leather and has to be kept dry, so let it dry away from heat. 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 piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on a blade or a handle. 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 kukri?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is the forward curving Nepali knife, made so the heaviest steel sits out near the tip where the chopping happens.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is a stacked leather handle?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is a grip built from leather washers threaded onto the tang and compressed, then sanded and polished into one solid piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes the leather handle need looking after?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes, keep it dry and give it a little leather dressing once or twice a year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the notch at the base of the edge?\u003c\/strong\u003e That is the cho, and it stops a cut running back into the handle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the two small knives for?\u003c\/strong\u003e The karda is a small sharp knife for fine work and the chakmak is blunt, used to true up an edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill this steel rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can, so dry it after use and oil it before storage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the same steel in a longer blade, see the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/15-inch-kukri-rosewood-handle\"\u003e15 inch kukri with a rosewood handle\u003c\/a\u003e, and for a wood grip the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/kukri-knife-olive-wood-handle\"\u003ekukri with an olive wood handle\u003c\/a\u003e. More sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/kukri-knives\"\u003ekukri knives\u003c\/a\u003e, in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/bushcraft-survival\"\u003ebushcraft and survival\u003c\/a\u003e, and in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-knives\"\u003eall knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44140383404150,"sku":"VEF-KUK-HC-STL-514","price":159.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/hand-forged-kukri-stacked-leather-handle_04fdd4c1-2334-48e1-b083-5afcdedb911a.jpg?v=1788793798","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/kukri-knife-stacked-leather-handle","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}