Clawshade Hand Forged 1095 and 15N20 Damascus Karambit Knife with Ebony Handle & Knotwork Engraved Finger Ring | Everyday Carry Gift | RK-1496

The Clawshade is a karambit, a deeply curved blade with a finger ring at the butt, forged from a 1095 and 15N20 billet and hardened to 58 to 60 HRC. The pattern in the steel is genuine pattern welding rather than an etched surface print. Two steels of different nickel content are folded and welded together, and when the finished blade is etched the 15N20 stays bright while the 1095 darkens, which is where the flowing lines across the belly of this blade come from. Grind through the surface and the pattern is still there, because it goes all the way through the bar.

The shape is older than any European knife tradition it now sits beside. The karambit came out of the rice terraces of West Sumatra as an agricultural tool for raking and cutting root systems, and the Minangkabau who made it are usually credited with taking the shape from a tiger claw. Every Clawshade is forged, ground, heat treated, fitted and sheathed in our Memphis, Tennessee shop, and it ships in the fitted black leather sheath shown in the photograph.

Specifications

What the ring and the curve are for

The ring is the defining feature and it is widely misunderstood. Its first job is retention. Your index finger goes through it, and from that moment the knife cannot be dropped, cannot be knocked out of the hand and cannot slide forward onto your own fingers if the edge stops suddenly in something hard. On a wet rice terrace, on a boat deck or in a workshop with oily hands, that is worth more than any other feature.

The second job is indexing. With a finger through the ring you always know exactly which way the edge is pointing without looking at it, because the ring fixes the orientation of the knife against your hand. That is why karambits are used in reverse grip so naturally. The blade sweeps back along the line of your forearm and the point sits where your knuckles are.

The curve does the cutting. A deeply hooked edge pulls material into the belly of the blade instead of pushing it away, which is exactly what you want when you are cutting rope, cord, webbing, cardboard or agricultural stems. Draw it toward yourself and the work is trapped in the hook and cut in one motion rather than skating off the edge. The trade off is that a karambit is poor at anything requiring a straight edge or a fine point in line with the handle, so it is a superb utility cutter and a bad kitchen knife.

The steel and the fittings

1095 and 15N20 is the classic knifemaking Damascus pairing. 1095 brings the carbon that makes the blade hard, and 15N20 brings the nickel that makes the pattern visible after etching. Both are high carbon steels, both harden in the same quench, and the finished billet behaves like a good simple carbon steel rather than a compromise. At 58 to 60 HRC this blade takes a very keen edge and holds it well through fibrous material, and it sharpens on a stone without any special abrasive.

It is not stainless. A pattern welded blade will spot if it is left wet or stored against leather with a film of sweat on it, and the etch that makes the pattern visible is itself a controlled corrosion. Keep it wiped and oiled and it will darken slowly and handsomely instead.

The scales are ebony, a dense dark hardwood that takes a smooth polish and does not need a finish to feel good in the hand, pinned through a full tang so the handle cannot loosen. The retention ring is steel and carries an engraved interlace band around its face. That engraving is cut into the surface of the ring and is not a Damascus pattern, and we make the distinction because plenty of listings do not.

Engraving, runes and your own design

Use the rune converter on this page to turn a name, a date or a short phrase into Elder Futhark and we will cut it into the steel or the leather. If you would rather have a Viking pattern than a rune line, choose your own design in the engraving option above the add to cart button and tell us where it goes. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. On the Clawshade the ring already carries interlace, so a rune line there replaces it, and most buyers who want to keep the ring pattern ask for their line on the leather sheath instead. Full detail is on the engraving page.

Carrying it

The sheath is hand stitched leather, cut to the curve of the blade, and it carries on a belt with the ring standing proud so the knife can be drawn with a finger already through it. Draw it deliberately rather than snatching at it. The single most common way to cut yourself with a karambit is to grab at the handle instead of putting a finger through the ring first.

Check your local law before you carry it. A curved fixed blade with a finger ring is treated differently from a folding pocket knife in some cities and states, and rules on fixed blades, blade length and concealed carry vary widely across the United States. That is your responsibility rather than ours, and it is worth two minutes of reading.

Care

Wipe the blade dry after every use and put a light film of oil on it before it goes into the sheath for any length of time. Damascus is not stainless and leather holds moisture. If a spot of rust appears, a nylon pad and a little oil will lift it without hurting the etched pattern, and a proper re etch is available from us if a blade is ever cleaned back too far. Sharpen on a stone at the existing angle, working the inside curve with the edge of the stone or with a rod, because a flat bench stone will not follow a hooked blade. Feed the leather sheath with a neutral cream two or three times a year. Everything else we would say about looking after pattern welded steel is on the steel care page.

Forged in Memphis

This knife is made in Memphis, Tennessee. The billet is welded and drawn out here, the blade is ground and heat treated in our shop, the handle is fitted and shaped by hand and the sheath is cut and stitched on our bench. It is not drop shipped from an importer catalogue with a new label. The lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings is ours to honour directly, with no end date and no receipt needed.

A note on handmade variation

This knife is hand made, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. The Damascus figure is different on every single blade because it depends on how the billet moved under the hammer, and the grain of the ebony, the depth of the etch and the tone of the leather vary as well, because each piece is worked by hand from natural materials. The dimensions, the material and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real Damascus or an etched pattern

It is real pattern welded Damascus, forge welded from 1095 and 15N20 and then etched to bring up the contrast. The pattern runs through the bar rather than sitting on the surface.

What is the finger ring for

Retention and indexing. Your finger goes through it so the knife cannot be dropped or pushed back onto your hand, and it tells you where the edge is pointing without looking.

Does it arrive sharp

Yes, it leaves us shaving sharp along the full curve. Handle it carefully when you unbox it, because the hook geometry puts the point closer to your fingers than you expect.

Will it rust

It can. This is high carbon Damascus and not stainless. Wipe it, oil it and do not store it wet in the sheath and it will patina slowly rather than rust.

Is the sheath included

Yes. The hand stitched black leather sheath in the photograph ships with the knife. The gravel and the setting are photography and are not included.

How long until it ships

Processing is one to two weeks because each blade is forged and fitted to order, and shipping is free within the United States. Engraved orders take a few days more.

What is in the box

• One Clawshade karambit with a 1095 and 15N20 Damascus blade at 58 to 60 HRC
• Ebony scales over a full tang, twin pinned
• Engraved steel retention ring
• Hand stitched fitted black leather sheath
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in Memphis, Tennessee

Explore the range

See more in hunting knives, Viking weapons and engraved and personalized pieces, or read the guides before you choose a blade.