One of a Kind Damascus Chef Knife, Buffalo Horn and Brass

Only one of these was made and the photograph is that knife, so when somebody buys it the page comes down. It is an 8 inch chef knife, Damascus over a high carbon core, with black buffalo horn on the handle. The question I get about pieces like this is whether anybody ever cooks with them. Some do, some hang them up, and both are fine by me.

Specification

The blade

Damascus, meaning layers of steel welded into one bar. A raindrop comes from pressing dimples into the surface and forging it flat again, so the layers ring around each mark like water landing. Acid brings the rings up. The pattern is decoration and does nothing for the cut. The high carbon core under it takes the edge and holds it, and the etch runs to the edge so no bright bevel breaks the pattern. Eight inches is a working chef length. Carbon steel darkens with use and spots if left wet, which matters more in a kitchen than anywhere.

The handle

Black buffalo horn, dense and cool in the hand, polished until it goes almost glassy. It is not a uniform black. Held to a window there are lighter streaks in it, and those belong to the piece of horn these scales came off. A brass bolster closes the front where the blade meets the grip. Three copper mosaic pins hold the scales to a full tang. Those pins are made from small rods bundled and fused, so the pattern goes right through and shows the same on both sides of the handle.

The leather sheath

A blade cover rather than a belt sheath, because a chef knife does not go on a belt. Vegetable tanned leather cut to this blade's own outline, hand stitched, with a welt in the seam keeping the thread off the edge. The face is carved, an acanthus scroll cut with a swivel knife into damp hide and then shaped with punches so the leaves lift. It lets the knife sit in a drawer without ruining the drawer.

Who it suits

Somebody always asks whether a knife like this is wasted on cooking.

• Cooks who want their best knife to look like it
• Anyone with an empty spot on a magnetic rail
• Buyers who want one piece rather than a set
• People who will use it and accept a patina

What comes in the box

• The 8 inch Damascus chef knife pictured
• The hand carved acanthus scroll blade cover
• A care card
• An engraving proof if you order one

There is only one of these

What you see is the knife, photographed on my bench, not a sample standing in for a batch. The raindrops fell where the press put them, the horn came from one piece with its own streaks, and the scroll on the cover was cut freehand. When it sells the listing goes and nothing here is repeated, not the pattern, not the handle and not the carving.

Looking after it

Wash it by hand and dry it straight away. Acidic food will grey carbon steel faster, so wipe as you go if that bothers you. A film of oil before it goes in a drawer keeps rust off. Do not store the blade inside the leather cover, since leather holds damp against steel. Hone it on a stone rather than a pull through. There is more on our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade and you add it here. Around 30 characters fits, which is a name and a date. A proof image comes before the laser runs and nothing is marked until you say so. It adds 3 to 5 business days. Since there is only one of these we agree the placement with you first. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

Does anybody actually cook with a knife like this? Plenty do. It is ground as a chef knife and the edge behaves like any other carbon steel edge.

Is this the exact knife photographed? It is. There is no second one in a drawer.

Will it rust? It can. Carbon steel and a wet sink do not get on. Dry it after washing, oil it before storage.

Dishwasher? No. Heat and detergent wreck the horn and mark the steel.

Does the pattern make it cut better? No. The core does the cutting. The pattern is there to look at.

How fast does it ship? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Something heavier for the board is the Damascus cleaver in spalted maple and amber resin, and for fish there is the fillet knife in mother of pearl and ebony. Single pieces are gathered in custom builds, etched blades in Damascus steel, the working range under every knife we make.