{"product_id":"one-of-a-kind-damascus-fillet-mother-of-pearl","title":"One of a Kind Damascus Fillet Knife, Mother of Pearl and Ebony","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is one of these and nothing behind it on the rack. The photograph is this knife rather than a sample of the model, so when it sells the page comes down. The blade is 8 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core, narrow and thin. The handle is mother of pearl let into dark ebony, with brass wire laid in the joint so the line between them is deliberate rather than a gap.\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\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\u003eMother of pearl inlaid into dark ebony with fine brass wire between them\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFittings\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBrass wire inlay and brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand carved acanthus 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, made by heating the billet, winding it and flattening it back down so the layers come up as spirals under the etch. The etch runs to the edge with no bare bevel left. The pattern is decoration. The carbon core beneath it takes the edge, and on a blade this narrow that edge is what the whole knife is about. Eight inches of thin steel follows a rib line and comes back for another pass. Carbon darkens with use and spots if it is put away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe inlay is the slow part. A recess is cut into the ebony to fit one piece of shell exactly, since shell will not bend into a gap and ebony will not fill one. The shell is seated, then fine brass wire is laid into the joint around it so the line reads as a line instead of a seam. Everything is sanded flush together and brass pins hold the scales. The shell caught the light the way it did in that piece, and the next never sits the same.\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 size that roughly fits, which matters on a narrow blade that rattles in anything wider than itself. The face is carved by hand, cut in with a swivel knife and shaped with punches, acanthus scroll along its length. That is several times the work of stamping. A welt sits in the seam so the stitching stays clear of the steel, and it is stitched by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is for the buyer who looks closely at where two materials meet and wants the piece in the picture.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who reads a handle before a blade\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCollectors who want no twin of it anywhere\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who like shell and dark wood together\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who will keep a thin blade dry\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 acanthus 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 the piece. When somebody buys it the listing comes down and nothing takes its place. That recess was cut to fit one piece of shell and no other, and the brass wire was bent around that shape by hand. The twist landed where the billet moved and the carving was cut once. None of it is repeated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe the blade dry the moment you finish and put a thin film of oil on it. The etch stays readable under a patina, so darkening is no fault. Shell and ebony both want an occasional rub of oil and neither likes dry heat, so keep it off a radiator. Do not leave it in the sheath for months, since 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. Around 30 characters fits, a name and a date rather than a sentence. A proof image comes before the laser runs and it adds 3 to 5 business days. On a one off we will talk it through and agree the placement first, since nothing here can be redone. See the \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\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\u003eIs this the knife in the photograph?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. That is this piece on the bench, and no second exists.\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\u003eWhat is the brass wire for?\u003c\/strong\u003e It fills the joint, so the edge of the shell reads as a drawn line.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill the shell lift out?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. It sits in a recess cut to its shape, bedded and sanded flush.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCould you inlay the same shape again?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. Shell varies and every recess is cut to the piece going into it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the same care over a bigger handle, look at the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-chef-knife-buffalo-horn\"\u003eDamascus chef knife in buffalo horn and brass\u003c\/a\u003e, and for ebony on its own there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-dagger-ebony\"\u003eDamascus dagger with the fluted ebony grip\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 together.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145590304886,"sku":"VEF-CST-1809","price":339.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/custom-09-damascus-fillet-mother-of-pearl_e435fda3-3743-4903-ba09-bf756ac18603.jpg?v=1788851714","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-fillet-mother-of-pearl","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}