Hand-Forged San Mai Damascus Slipjoint with Bog Oak & Stag Antler Scales / UK Legal Carry

Hand forged  Slipjoint Folding Knife / Bog Oak & Stag Handle / UK Legal Pocketknife / Unique

Blade Material: 1084 core, 200+ layer Damascus cladding
Handle Material: Stainless Steel Liners, Bog Oak Bolsters & Stag Scales
Mechanism: Forced Notch slipjoint - non-locking backspring
Blade Length:  75mm
Blade Thickness at spine: 2.5mm
Handle Length: 110mm
Total knife length: 185mm


This knife is a hand-forged UK legal slipjoint knife. I wanted to combine the traditional style of Sheffield pocketknives with some of the aspects of historical Viking folding knives. This slipjoint has a 'forced notch' style mechanism, meaning that it has a very solid 'snap' and requires more force to close - making it considerably safer in use.

This knife has a pattern-welded San-Mai blade forged from 1095/15n20 damascus with a fire-welded 1084 cutting edge. This was a common construction method (Tylecote Type 1) for Viking age and early medieval knives, creating a knife with a tough and flexible iron spine and hardened steel cutting edge.

The high flat grind makes this blade easy to keep razor sharp and ideal for whittling and woodworking. The pattern-welded blade has been etched to reveal the layers in the steel and the contrast with the Damascus and 1084 steel edge.

The handle is handmade from steel liners with stabilized bog oak bolsters and Stag scales. The pins are all made from stainless steel and hand-riveted to assemble the knife.

The knife is accompanied by a hand-sewn leather pocket slip that has a brass eyelet allowing you to attach the knife to a lanyard for belt or neck carry. Both the wood and the leather have been sealed and waterproofed with a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax from our own apiaries.

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All my knives are forged by hand using traditional blacksmithing methods at Willslock Forge in Staffordshire, England. Each knife has been forged from high carbon steel. I usually use either 1080, 01 or 1095, and sometimes antique historical steels such as crucible steel or shear steel. I forge as close to finish as possible, creating the knife shape and setting the bevels on the anvil. My aim is to make my knives with minimal use of power tools, and I take a lot of inspiration from historical knives and smithing techniques. After the initial forging, I use files to shape the bevels. Once the blade is about 80% sharpened, it goes back into the forge for the heat treatment, where it is hardened and tempered to give the steel maximum strength and durability.  The blades are then cleaned, given their final sharpen using whetstones, hand sanded and polished up.

The handles are all carved by hand and made from locally sourced wood, bone and antler - I avoid using any plastics, resins or synthetic materials.  Wherever I can, I try to repurpose salvaged and upcycled materials in order to create beautiful new knives and tools.  I usually leave a brut de forge, or forge finish, on most of my blades because I like that the hammer marks tell the story of the knife's creation on the anvil, and the forge finish differentiates the knife from all the mass-produced, factory made knives out there.