Inlayspire Hand Forged Damascus Dagger Knife with Rosewood Handle & Leather Sheath | Collector and Display Gift | RK-1069

Eight inches of double edged blade is a different object from a four inch one. At this length a dagger stops being a knife with two edges and becomes what medieval inventories would have called a long dagger or a hanger, the sort of piece carried at the belt as a companion to a sword rather than as a tool. The proportions here follow that tradition: 13.5 inches overall, an 8 inch blade and a 5.5 inch rosewood handle, with a raised centre ridge running the length of the blade.

The Inlayspire is hand forged from Damascus, 1095 and 15N20 forge welded into one billet, hardened and tempered to 58 to 60 HRC, and finished throughout by hand. The pattern runs right through the steel, so every blade carries its own flow of light and dark bands.

It is forged and finished in the Czech Republic, and it ships with a handcrafted leather sheath and protective packaging.

Specifications

The symmetry of a double edged blade

A dagger is defined by symmetry. It tapers evenly from the guard to the point in both plan and profile, both edges are ground live, and the point lands exactly on the centreline. That is far harder to do by hand than a single bevel, and immediately obvious when it is done badly, which is why smiths have used the dagger as a proving piece for centuries. Sight down the flat of a well made one and the two bevels mirror each other the whole way to the tip.

The centre ridge is what holds that symmetry together. Both bevels rise to meet it, which keeps a long blade stiff and gives the Damascus pattern a full face to show on either side. At this size it is a collector and display dagger rather than a blade for prying or heavy work. Other profiles are compared in blade shapes explained.

Why Damascus and not stainless

The blade is Damascus, made by forge welding 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20 nickel steel into one billet, then folding and drawing it out until the layers show as a pattern. The two steels harden together and etch differently, which is where the light and dark bands come from. The pattern goes through the blade, so sharpening never removes it.

Stainless would resist rust without any effort on your part, and that is a genuine advantage on a knife you carry every day in a pocket. On a large display dagger it matters far less, because the piece lives indoors and is handled rather than soaked. What matters instead is the edge, the toughness and the way carbon steel darkens with age into a patina that a stainless blade will never develop. How it compares with a plain blade is set out in high carbon steel versus Damascus, and the case for and against stainless is in Damascus versus stainless.

The rosewood handle

The handle is rosewood, shaped and sanded to sit in the palm rather than in a catalogue photograph. At 5.5 inches it is long enough to take a full grip with room to spare, which is what a blade this size needs if it is going to feel balanced rather than nose heavy. Rosewood is dense, which puts weight back behind the guard, and the natural oil content keeps it from turning slippery in the hand.

Wood moves with temperature and moisture, so a light coat of oil once or twice a year keeps it tight, stops it drying out around the pins, and deepens the colour rather than sitting on the surface as a film that can flake. On a piece that is likely to spend most of its life on a wall or in a case, that annual five minutes is the whole of the maintenance. The method is shown in wooden handle care.

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 handle. 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 whether it goes on the blade or the handle. Where a piece already carries an engraved design, your chosen engraving replaces it rather than sitting alongside it. This is the piece in the range with the most room for a long line, since an 8 inch flat will take a full phrase in Elder Futhark without crowding. Everything is cut in house. Details on the engraving page.

Care and sharpening

Keep it dry, keep it lightly oiled, and let the patina form rather than scrubbing it off. Carbon steel darkens with age and handling into a grey blue film, and that film is protection rather than damage. What you do want to avoid is standing water and fingerprints left overnight, since the salts in a fingerprint will etch a bright blade. Wipe it down after handling and put a thin film of mineral oil on it before it goes back on the wall. The routine is in steel care, and looking after the sheath is in leather sheath care.

Sharpening a dagger means maintaining two edges evenly, or the point will drift off the centreline over the years. Set your angle, raise a burr along the full length of one bevel, match it exactly on the opposite side, then repeat on the second edge. Go carefully at the tip, which is the thinnest part of the blade and the easiest to round. The method is in sharpening with a whetstone.

Made in the Czech Republic

Every piece we sell is made by hand in the Czech Republic. The smiths there work the way the trade has been worked for a long time, heating and hammering the steel, taking the bevels down by eye, and fitting the handle and the leather one at a time. There is no automated line anywhere in it, so small differences from one piece to the next are normal and expected.

Ransack Viking is a United States company based in Chicago, Illinois. We bring the pieces in ourselves, inspect them on arrival and ship them from our own warehouse. If you add engraving, that is carried out here in the United States before your order goes out.

A note on handmade variation

This dagger is hand forged, not machine made and not bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph on this page. The Damascus pattern is unrepeatable, so your blade will carry its own flow of bands. The rosewood handle comes off a different board every time. Hammer and grinder marks, the way the ridge catches the light, the depth of the finish, all of it carries the hand that did the work. The dimensions, the steel, the hardness and the build are the same every time. The character is not.

Frequently asked questions

What is the ridge down the middle of the blade?

It is the centre ridge, where the two bevels meet. It keeps a long double edged blade stiff and straight. This is still a collector and display dagger rather than a blade for prying or batoning.

Is Damascus better than plain high carbon steel?

Neither is better, they are different. Plain 1095 is simpler, tougher under abuse and easier to regrind. Damascus, as on this dagger, is forge welded from two steels, carries a pattern through the blade and is tempered to 58 to 60 HRC.

Are both edges sharpened?

Yes. Both bevels are ground and stoned to the same standard, which is what makes a dagger a dagger and what makes it slower to make than a single edged knife of the same size.

Will the blade change colour over time?

It will. Carbon steel takes on a grey blue patina with handling and age, which protects the surface underneath. If you prefer it bright, keep it oiled and wipe fingerprints off promptly.

Is 13.5 inches too large to carry?

For most people, yes. A blade this size is bought as a display and collector piece. Carrying a fixed double edged blade of this length in public is restricted in many states and countries, so check your local law.

Can I have a full rune line cut into it?

This is the best piece in the range for that. An 8 inch flat takes a long phrase in Elder Futhark comfortably. Allow the longer end of the one to two week processing window for engraved orders.

What is in the box

• One Inlayspire Damascus dagger knife with rosewood handle
• Handcrafted leather sheath
• Protective packaging for storage or gifting
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

See what else sits alongside it in Dagger Knives, Hunting Knives, Viking Seax and New Arrivals. The material detail is in the guides.

Others in the same line

Sitting beside it in the catalogue is the Wasptooth dagger knife, 15 inches overall. Another in the same line is the Runechain dagger knife, forged from 1095. Next along the rack is the Wingcrest dagger knife, 17 inches overall.

Fitting out further, the Bonecarry folding pocket knife belongs with it. You can have this made your way instead on the custom hunting knife page.