{"product_id":"trapper-pocket-knife-stag-antler","title":"Trapper Pocket Knife, Hand Forged with Stag Antler Handle","description":"\u003cp\u003eStag antler in a pocket does not feel like anything else. Cool at first, then warm, and the ridges keep it from turning in the hand. Open, you have 3.25 inches of 1095 high carbon steel in a clip point. The trapper pattern was drawn up for people who worked outdoors, and it has outlived most of what sold beside it.\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\u003e3.25 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eClosed length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e4.25 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOpen length\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e7.5 inches\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade steel\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e1095 high carbon\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade finish\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand rubbed satin\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBlade shape\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eClip point\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eLock\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSlip joint, no lock\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eOpening\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eCrescent nail nick\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHandle\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eStag antler, nickel silver bolsters, brass pins\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003ePouch\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHand carved oak leaf and acorn leather slip pouch\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\u003e1095 has been the plain choice for a long time and asks nothing clever of you. The finish is hand rubbed satin, worked along the length with abrasive until the scratches run one way and the steel reads soft grey. The shape is a clip point, the back of the blade cut away in a shallow sweep toward the tip, which leaves a fine point that gets into a knot or under a staple. Carbon steel takes a grey patina as it works, and water left sitting on it leaves spots.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe lock and the opening\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNo lock. A trapper never had one. A flat spring lies in the back of the handle and bears on the tang, so it holds the blade out when it is open and pulls it shut when it is closed, and a firm push moves it either way. You feel the spring load up as the blade passes the middle. The nail nick is a crescent cut into the flat of the blade, deep enough that a thumbnail catches without hunting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe handle\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eStag is antler, dropped by a deer and picked up off the ground. The outside is ridged and ripples under a thumb. Underneath the material is porous, so it takes work to fit and it will not sand flat like a sheet of anything man made. Nickel silver bolsters close both ends and stay bright against the antler. Brass pins run through the scales. Closed the knife is 4.25 inches and sits upright in a pocket rather than lying flat.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThe leather pouch\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe pouch is vegetable tanned leather, stitched by hand, and the face is carved rather than stamped. Oak leaves and acorns go into damp hide with a swivel knife, then shaped with punches until they stand off the ground. That is hours of work. A stamp takes minutes. It is a flat sleeve, open at one end, and the folded knife drops in. No belt loop anywhere, so it is a pouch and not a sheath.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWho it suits\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor somebody buying a pattern rather than a novelty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePeople who like a shape older than the brand\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone who wants a handle from an animal\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuyers who accept two scales never matching\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOwners happy to carry without a lock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat comes in the box\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe trapper on stag antler\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe hand carved oak leaf and acorn pouch\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA care leaflet\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFree resharpening, always\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eEvery piece is different\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAntler is not made, it is grown, so one set of scales is pale and the next dark in the grooves. The two sides of one knife rarely match, since they come off different parts of a beam. The carving is cut freehand, so the leaves fall where the knife took them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eLooking after it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDry the blade after it gets wet and put a thin film of oil over it before it goes in a drawer. The joint takes one drop on the pivot now and then. Antler likes nothing in particular, though a rub of oil on the scales stops them looking chalky after a few years. Sharpen on a stone, strop it after. There is more on our \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/knife-care-sharpening\"\u003ecare and sharpening page\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003ePut a name on it\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEngraving is 20 dollars per blade, laser cut, chosen on this page. Roughly 30 characters is the practical limit. On a satin blade the letters read clearly without competing with a pattern. Nothing is cut until a proof image comes back approved, and that adds 3 to 5 business days. Ten or more and it costs nothing. The \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/engraving\"\u003eengraving page\u003c\/a\u003e covers it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eQuestions buyers ask\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat makes a trapper a trapper?\u003c\/strong\u003e The clip point blade and the long slim frame.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes stag wear out?\u003c\/strong\u003e No. It darkens where your hand sits and the ridges polish down.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDoes it lock?\u003c\/strong\u003e It does not. A back spring holds it at both ends of the swing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWill it rust?\u003c\/strong\u003e It can. Wipe it dry and keep oil on the steel.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAm I allowed to carry it?\u003c\/strong\u003e Laws differ by state, city and country, so check your local rules, and we cannot advise on that.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow fast does it ship?\u003c\/strong\u003e Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor the same spring in a smaller frame, the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/canoe-pocket-knife-camel-bone\"\u003ecanoe on camel bone\u003c\/a\u003e does it. For something flatter in a jacket, there is the \u003ca href=\"\/products\/gentlemans-folding-knife-buffalo-horn\"\u003egentlemans folder in buffalo horn\u003c\/a\u003e. Both sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/folding-knives\"\u003efolding knives\u003c\/a\u003e, older shapes in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/pocket-knives\"\u003epocket knives\u003c\/a\u003e, carried ones in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/edc-knives\"\u003eeveryday carry knives\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"Viper Edge USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44146080514166,"sku":"VEF-FLD-HC-2203","price":139.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0710\/2427\/9670\/files\/folding-12-carbon-trapper-stag-antler_bb61872e-fa9c-40c4-8429-5990638e1655.jpg?v=1788859578","url":"https:\/\/viperedgeforge.com\/products\/trapper-pocket-knife-stag-antler","provider":"Viper Edge USA","version":"1.0","type":"link"}