Build a Custom Damascus Knife
This page is where you specify a knife and we have it made. You set the blade shape and length, the Damascus pattern, the steel, the handle and any engraving in the tool below, then you order. Nothing here is pulled off a shelf.
The spec goes to the workshop in the Czech Republic, where the blade is forged and the knife is put together by hand. That takes 4 to 6 weeks. The finished piece is then checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there. Engraving is done in the United States before it goes out.
Because a commission is built to your own spec it is not returnable, the same as an engraved piece. The lifetime warranty on defects still stands, with no end date.
How a commission runs
- You build the spec. Set the blade shape and length, the pattern, the steel, the handle material and any engraving in the tool above. Engraving is charged per piece: a name, a date or a single line $19, Elder Futhark runes $19, a Norse symbol $39, a family crest $49 with the artwork asked for at checkout.
- You order. The spec is attached to the order, so nothing gets retyped or guessed. If something you asked for is not workable, we contact you before any steel is cut.
- The workshop makes it. The order goes to the Czech Republic, where the billet is forged and welded, the blade ground and heat treated, and the handle fitted by hand. Allow 4 to 6 weeks.
- It is checked and shipped. The knife comes to North Babylon, New York, where we check the grind, the edge, the handle fit and the spec against your order. Engraving is done in the United States, then the knife ships from North Babylon.
Choosing the pattern
All six start as layers of two steels forge welded into a solid billet. What separates them is what happens to that billet next.
Random is the billet drawn out and folded with nothing further done to it, so the layers wander. Twist means the bar is heated and turned on its axis, pulling the layers into spirals. Ladder is grooved across the bar and flattened again, so the layers rise into rungs from edge to spine. Raindrop uses round dimples instead of grooves, so the layers come up as rings spreading from a center. Feather is the difficult one. The billet is split, folded back on itself and welded again so the layers mirror along a central spine, reading as a quill with barbs either side. Mosaic goes further again, building a repeating figure into the billet itself before it is drawn out, so the same shape shows along the whole blade. Feather scraps more often than any of the others and takes longest.
A forged pattern runs through the steel instead of sitting on the surface, so grinding the bevel cuts into it and changes what shows. Two knives built to the same spec will not match. You get the pattern you picked, but where the figure lands is decided by the bar and by the grind. The etch eats the 1095 faster than the 15N20, so contrast can dull with years of use and be brought back.
Choosing the steel and the handle
The Damascus here is 1095 and 15N20 forge welded together. 1095 is a plain high carbon steel that hardens well and takes a fine edge. 15N20 carries nickel, which keeps it bright in the etch, and that is where the light lines come from. Finished hardness is 58 to 60 HRC, hard enough to hold an edge and still workable on a stone.
Plain 1095 on its own runs 54 to 58 HRC, more forgiving and quicker to sharpen. Neither steel is stainless and both will spot if left wet. There is more on this in our guide to the steel we use and how hard it is.
Blade thickness is measured at the spine and it changes the knife more than the length does. At 2.5 and 3 mm the blade slices cleanly and has some give, which is what you want in the kitchen or on fish. At 5 and 6 mm there is no flex left, the edge sits behind more steel, and the knife will take abuse a thin blade will not. 4 mm is the middle and the safe answer if you are unsure.
Handle materials are natural, so they are not consistent. Rosewood, walnut and olive wood differ from board to board, and yours is cut from whatever is on the bench that week. Bone and horn carry their own marks, and stabilized wood is steadier but still varies. If a particular color or figure matters, put it in the notes and we will work to it where stock allows, without promising a match to a photo.
What we will not do
We will not call a piece something it is not. The knives are handmade in the Czech Republic, engraving is done in the United States, and orders ship from North Babylon, New York. No blade gets a steel name it does not carry.
We will not promise an exact pattern figure. You choose the pattern type and we build to it. Where the swirls sit on your blade is not something anyone can guarantee before the steel is ground.
We will not take a commission we cannot deliver. If a shape will not hold an edge, or a handle material is out, we say so and either offer something else or turn the job down. That beats a refund six weeks later.
Questions
How long does a commission take?
4 to 6 weeks in the workshop, then the knife is checked in North Babylon, New York and shipped from there. If you have a date to hit, tell us before you order.
Can I return it if I change my mind?
No. A piece made to your own spec is not returnable, the same as an engraved piece. The lifetime warranty still covers defects with no end date, so a fault in the weld, the heat treat or the fit is ours to put right.
What does engraving cost?
A name, a date or a single line is $19. Elder Futhark runes are $19. A Norse symbol is $39. A family crest is $49, and we ask for the artwork at checkout. Every rate is per piece.
Will my knife look like the photos?
It will be the pattern, steel, blade shape and handle material you chose. It will not be an identical copy of any photo, because forged Damascus moves as it is worked and handle material varies.
How do I look after it?
Dry it and oil it. Both steels are high carbon and will spot if stored wet or left in a damp sheath. A light coat of mineral oil after use is enough. Our Damascus steel care guide goes further.
Where to go next
If you would rather buy something already made, the Damascus knives collection is the place to start, and engraved and personalized covers pieces marked to order. For a bigger run, see wholesale and group orders. You can also build a custom hunting knife or a custom Viking axe.