[RESERVED for J Saunders] Hand-forged Damascus Friction Folder / Pattern-welded blade with integral wrought iron bolsters & Ancient Bog Oak scales/ UK legal folding knife

Hand-forged Viking Friction Folder with Damascus GoMai blade and Ancient Bog Oak Handle with integral forged wrought iron bolsters & liners / UK Legal Carry

Blade Material:  Damascus Twist (1095/15n20) and 1084 GoMai
Handle Material: Stabilized Bog Oak with forged integral wrought iron bolsters & liners
Blade Length:  75mm (70mm cutting edge)
Tang Style: Extended folding tang
Blade Spine Thickness: 3mm
Handle Length: 95mm
Total knife length: 180mm

This knife is a UK legal folding knife that is inspired by Anglo-Saxon and Viking age folding knives found at various archaeological sites around Europe.

The hand-forged Damascus GoMai blade has been oil hardened and differentially tempered. The flat grind with a secondary microbevel makes for an excellent slicing blade, ideal for food prep and everyday tasks.

The bolsters and liners are forged from a single piece of 400 y/o Tudor period wrought iron, with scales made from ancient Bog Oak that has been radiocarbon dated to approximately 5000BC.  A relief has been carved into the spine of the handle to accept the serpentine scroll of the thumb tab when the blade is in the open position.

The knife is accompanied by a hand-sewn leather pocket slip that has been waterproofed & sealed with a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax from our own Staffordshire apiaries.

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All my knives are forged by hand using traditional bladesmithing 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 usually forge as close to finish as possible, creating the knife shape and setting the bevels on the anvil. For all of my historical work, my aim is to make my knives with minimal use of power tools, and I take a lot of inspiration from historical knifemaking and smithing techniques.

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.