{"product_id":"one-of-a-kind-damascus-dagger-ebony","title":"One of a Kind Damascus Dagger, Fluted Ebony Grip and Brass","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is one of these and no second. The photograph is this actual knife rather than a sample of the model, so when it sells the listing comes down. The blade is 8 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core. The grip is black ebony with flutes cut down its length, and those flutes are why it sat on the bench as long as it did.\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\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\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\u003eRaindrop\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\u003eBlack ebony with a fluted grip\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFittings\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrass guard and a brass pommel cap\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand carved vine and leaf 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. Layers are forge welded and etched until the raindrop rings lift out of the flat, dark against bright. The etch carries down the bevel to the edge, so no bare band is left. The pattern is decoration. The carbon underneath is what takes an edge and holds it. It is ground on both sides and sits symmetrical about a centre line, which is fussier than it sounds, since any wobble in one bevel reads against the other. Carbon steel darkens with use and spots if you put it away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlack ebony, dense and heavy for its size, sitting the balance back into your palm. The flutes are the work. Every groove is cut and shaped along the whole length of the grip, and ebony fights each pass, blunting tools and scorching if you hurry. Cut properly the grooves land under your fingers in the same place every time you pick the knife up. A brass guard closes the front and a brass pommel cap closes the butt. Dark wood shows every slip, and the spacing of these flutes belongs to this handle alone.\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 to a size that roughly fits. The face is carved by hand, cut in with a swivel knife and then shaped with punches, which takes several times as long as stamping damp leather. The motif is vine and leaf. A welt is sewn into the seam so the stitching sits clear of the steel, and that stitching is done by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis one is for the buyer who cares how a grip feels in the hand rather than how it photographs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors who want the actual knife in the picture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who likes a shaped grip over flat scales\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople buying one good thing instead of several\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers happy that nothing here gets repeated\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 knife, sharpened by hand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved vine and leaf 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 the piece. Not a knife like it, not the same model in another ebony blank. When somebody buys it the page comes down. The raindrop etch landed where the steel moved that day, the flutes were cut by eye and the carving was cut once. None of it repeats, which is the honest reason a piece like this costs what it does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe the blade dry when you finish and leave a thin film of oil on the steel. The etched pattern stays visible under a patina, so a little darkening is nothing to worry about. Ebony likes an occasional rub of oil and dislikes dry heat, so keep it off a radiator. Do not store it in the sheath for months, because leather holds damp against steel. 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, which covers 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 through first and agree where it goes before anything is cut. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs this the knife in the photograph?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. That picture is this piece on our bench, with no second one behind it.\u003c\/p\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\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. There is carbon steel under the pattern, so dry it and oil it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat are the flutes for?\u003c\/strong\u003e They give your fingers somewhere to land, so the hand finds the same hold without looking.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCan you make me the same one?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. We can flute ebony again, but the spacing and the etch come out different.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIs the Damascus only for looks?\u003c\/strong\u003e The pattern is. The high carbon core under it does the cutting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor shell set into black wood there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-fillet-mother-of-pearl\"\u003eDamascus fillet knife in mother of pearl and ebony\u003c\/a\u003e, and for more weight the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-bowie-stag-turquoise\"\u003eDamascus bowie with the stag and turquoise handle\u003c\/a\u003e. 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 in one place.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145585881206,"sku":"VEF-CST-1806","price":399.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/custom-06-damascus-dagger-ebony_01d60d7d-27a5-47fe-82fe-b7c6f699d4a2.jpg?v=1788851583","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-dagger-ebony","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}