Nessmuk Knife, Hand Forged Carbon Steel with Rosewood Handle

Most of the cutting in a camp gets done with the belly of the blade and not the tip. Long draw strokes through hide and rope, where the edge does the moving and your arm only guides it. That is the job this shape was drawn for. The blade is 4.5 inches of 1095 high carbon and the handle is rosewood. Nessmuk was a real outdoorsman and the pattern still carries his name.

Specification

The blade

1095 is plain high carbon steel and it takes an edge without argument. The finish is a satin, rubbed back until the forge marks at the ricasso are all that is left. The grind is flat and taken high up the blade, so the steel is thin behind the edge and slices instead of wedging. The spine dips low over the middle and the belly swells out under it, a long curve where a straight knife has a line. Carbon steel darkens into a grey patina with use and will spot if it goes away wet.

The handle

Rosewood is dense and oily in the grain, so it takes sweat and handling better than an open wood. The tang is full and runs the whole outline of the handle, with three brass pins through the scales. A lanyard hole sits at the back, lined in brass so the cord does not wear the wood. Five inches of handle against a 4.5 inch blade is what makes this read as a woods knife rather than a hunting knife, and it leaves room to slide your hand back for a long stroke.

The leather sheath

The sheath is vegetable tanned leather, cut and stitched by hand, with a welt between the two faces so the seam never meets the edge. It is cut to this blade's own outline, since the humped belly is wider than a normal sheath pocket. The face is stamped, pressed in one strike at a time, and it rides on a belt loop. Leather is a hide, so the stamp lands differently every time.

Who it suits

This is for somebody who has used straight edged blades for years and keeps running out of curve at the end of the stroke.

• Anyone who slices more than they carve
• Campers cooking and skinning with one blade
• People who like old patterns left alone
• Anyone who wants a woods knife that is not a drop point

What comes in the box

• The 4.5 inch Nessmuk knife
• The stamped leather belt sheath
• A care card
• A lifetime warranty against defects

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged and ground by hand, so runs stay small and no two are identical. The forge marks at the ricasso land where the hammer put them. Rosewood is cut from a board, so the colour in your handle will not match the photograph. The belly is filed by eye and settles differently each time.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use, and do not let it sit wet in the sheath. Before it goes away for a while, give it a thin coat of oil. A grey patina is not a fault, so leave it alone once it comes. When the edge starts to slip, take it back on a stone at the angle already there, then strop it. More sits on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits, enough for a name and a date. The wide flat gives the letters room. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and that adds 3 to 5 business days. Engraving is free on orders of 10 or more. The engraving page shows what fits.

Questions buyers ask

What is the hump on the blade for? More edge on the same length of blade, and your knuckles stay off the board.

Why does the spine dip in the middle? It brings the point down closer to your hand, so the tip goes where you aim it.

What does the squared spine do? The corner is left sharp at ninety degrees so it scrapes a ferrocerium rod and shaves tinder. No rod is included.

Will it rust? It can. The steel darkens with use and spots if left wet. Dry it and oil it.

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

Is a low tip a problem for fine work? No, only different. You roll the knife onto the point instead of dropping your hand.

If the curve is not for you, the Kephart knife in oak runs the same steel and length with a straighter edge. For a scandi ground blade, look at the bushcraft knife with a buffalo horn handle. The rest are in bushcraft knives, 1095 high carbon steel and every knife we make.