{"product_id":"one-of-a-kind-damascus-bowie-stacked-leather","title":"One of a Kind Damascus Bowie, Stacked Leather Handle and Brass","description":"\u003cp\u003eOne knife, one page, and no second one behind it. What you see in the photograph is the piece that ships, and when it sells the listing comes down. The blade is 10 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core. The handle is stacked leather, dozens of washers threaded onto the tang and then turned down as one piece, dark brown against cream all the way along.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e15.5 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\u003eDamascus, high carbon core\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eEtched to the edge, no bare bevel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePattern\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eTwist\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\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStacked leather washers in alternating dark brown and cream\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFittings\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrass guard and a brass pommel, the tang running through the middle of the stack\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand carved thistle and scroll 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\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDamascus over a high carbon core, twist pattern. The billet is heated, wound like rope and drawn flat again, so the layers come up as spirals under the etch. The etch goes to the edge and leaves no bare bevel. The pattern is decoration and says nothing about how the knife cuts. The carbon core under it takes the edge and holds it. Ten inches of bowie carries its weight out ahead of the guard, which is the point of a blade this size. Carbon greys with use and spots if it is put away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeather washers, cut and punched one at a time, threaded onto the tang wet and packed tight against each other until the stack fills 5.5 inches. Brass at the guard, brass at the pommel, and the stack squeezed between them. Then it is turned and sanded as one lump of material rather than a pile of discs, which is the only way the joints disappear. Dark brown and cream alternate, so the sanding shows a band pattern that belongs to the order those washers went on. Nobody stacks the same order twice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather, cut to this blade's own outline rather than a rough size. The face is carved by hand, cut in with a swivel knife and shaped with punches, thistles and scroll work down the front, which is several times the work of stamping. A welt is sewn into the seam so the thread sits where the edge cannot reach it, and the stitching is done by hand. It comes off a belt dry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is for somebody who wants a grip that ends up shaped by one hand, theirs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who like leather over wood in the hand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants the actual knife photographed\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who carry a big blade and use it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors after a piece with no match\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThis exact bowie, sharpened by hand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved thistle and scroll sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree sharpening for life\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThere is only one of these\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe photograph is this knife on our bench, and nothing about it gets made again. Those washers went on in an order nobody wrote down, the twist in the steel landed where the billet moved under the hammer, and the thistles were cut into damp leather once. When somebody buys it the page comes down and there is no replacement to list.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDry the blade and leave a film of oil on the steel. The handle is leather, so treat it like a boot, an occasional wipe of conditioner and no soaking. Do not leave it standing in water or bake it dry by a fire, since that is what makes leather go hard. Keep it out of the sheath in storage. More is on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and around 30 characters fits, so a name and a date. We send a proof image before the laser runs and it adds 3 to 5 business days. On a one off piece we would rather talk it over and agree the wording and the spot first. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow long does shipping take?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAm I getting the knife in the photograph?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. That is this piece, and no other one exists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Carbon steel sits under the pattern, so dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes a leather handle wear out?\u003c\/strong\u003e It wears in. High spots polish where your hand sits and it darkens over the years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan it get wet?\u003c\/strong\u003e A soaking now and then is survivable. Living wet is not. Dry it away from heat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you build me an identical one?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. The banding depends on the order the washers stack, and the etch never lands twice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor a grown handle instead of a built one, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-bowie-stag-turquoise\"\u003eDamascus bowie with the stag and turquoise handle\u003c\/a\u003e is the other big piece here, and the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-kukri-ram-horn\"\u003eDamascus kukri in ram horn\u003c\/a\u003e puts the weight further out. The rest sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/custom-builds\"\u003ecustom builds\u003c\/a\u003e, pattern welded blades under \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all-knives\"\u003eevery knife we make\u003c\/a\u003e together.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145594335350,"sku":"VEF-CST-1810","price":469.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/custom-10-damascus-bowie-stacked-leather_1baf8a56-8798-4a3e-b740-d3b7aa9c5162.jpg?v=1788851755","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-bowie-stacked-leather","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}