{"product_id":"one-of-a-kind-damascus-hunting-knife-ironwood","title":"One of a Kind Damascus Hunting Knife, Desert Ironwood Burl","description":"\u003cp\u003eNobody else is getting this one. The photograph is the knife, not a stand in for a run of them, and when it sells the page comes down. The blade is 4.5 inches of Damascus over a high carbon core and the handle is desert ironwood burl, dark brown going to orange. Along the spine of the tang there is filework cut by hand. That is where the days went.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSpecification\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOverall length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e9.5 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\u003eLadder\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\u003eDesert ironwood burl, dark brown and orange with tight swirling figure\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFittings\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCopper spacers and hand cut filework along the exposed spine of the tang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSheath\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand carved sunflower 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\u003ch3\u003eThe blade\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDamascus with a high carbon core. Layers of steel are welded into a bar, then grooves are worked across it and the bar is forged level again, which leaves the ladder lying in rungs up the flat. Acid opens them out. The pattern is decoration and no more. The carbon core under it takes the edge and keeps it. The etch runs to the edge with no bare bevel, and 4.5 inches is enough blade for field work without being a chore to carry. Carbon steel darkens with use and spots if it goes away wet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDesert ironwood burl, dark brown running into orange, with figure so tight it moves as you turn it under a light. Burl is the knotted grain from a growth on the tree, so one block never matches the next. Copper spacers sit between the scales and the steel. The part worth looking at is the spine of the tang, left exposed between the scales and filed by hand into a repeating pattern. Small files, one cut at a time, working down a strip of hardened steel that gives no second chances.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe leather sheath\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eVegetable tanned leather cut to this blade's own outline so the knife seats without slop. The face carries a sunflower, cut into damp hide with a swivel knife and then punched so the petals stand clear of the ground. That is several times the work of running a basket weave stamp across it. A welt inside the seam keeps the thread off the edge, and the whole thing is stitched by hand.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFilework is the detail people notice last and then keep coming back to.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who turns a knife over looking at the spine\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHunters who want a working blade dressed up\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who would rather own one piece\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like wood with figure in it\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe 4.5 inch Damascus hunting knife shown\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved sunflower belt sheath\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn engraving proof if you order one\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThere is only one of these\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe knife you are looking at is the knife that gets packed. No batch sits behind it. The rungs fell where they fell, that block of ironwood is gone, and the filework was cut one notch at a time without a jig, so the spacing is mine rather than a machine's. When it sells the page closes and nothing here is repeated.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWipe the blade dry and leave a film of oil on it. Do not leave it sitting in the sheath, because damp leather against steel is where pitting begins. Ironwood is dense and wants very little, so a wipe is plenty. Run a soft brush through the filework now and then, since notches hold dirt. Sharpen on a stone, then finish on a strop. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003eknife care and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e covers the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaser engraving is 20 dollars per blade, added here on this page. Around 30 characters fits, enough for a name and a date. A proof image comes back to you first, and nothing is cut until you approve it. Allow it 3 to 5 business days. On a single piece we discuss placement before the laser runs. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e has the detail.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is filework?\u003c\/strong\u003e A pattern cut by hand into the exposed spine of the tang with small files. Slow work, and it cannot be undone.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes filework weaken the tang?\u003c\/strong\u003e It is cut shallow along the spine, away from the edge, and the tang still runs full through the handle.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAm I buying the exact knife pictured?\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes. That knife and no other, because a second was never made.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Carbon steel sits under the pattern, so dry it and oil it and keep it out of a wet sheath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes ironwood need oiling?\u003c\/strong\u003e Very little. It is dense already, so a wipe keeps it right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow quickly does it ship?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe same length with resin and colour is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-hunting-knife-blue-resin\"\u003ehunting knife in blue resin burl\u003c\/a\u003e, and with a brass guard there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-dagger-ebony\"\u003eDamascus dagger with a fluted ebony grip\u003c\/a\u003e. Pieces made once sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/custom-builds\"\u003ecustom builds\u003c\/a\u003e, etched blades in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/damascus-steel\"\u003eDamascus steel\u003c\/a\u003e, this size with the \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hunting-knives\"\u003ehunting knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44145584046198,"sku":"VEF-CST-1805","price":379.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/custom-05-damascus-hunting-ironwood-burl_e68cd0d0-9dfc-4645-a2c7-7bfdd8f84795.jpg?v=1788851538","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/one-of-a-kind-damascus-hunting-knife-ironwood","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}