Brasslatch Hand Forged Damascus Butterfly Knife | 9 Inch Open Length | Skeletonised Brass Handles and Triquetra Mark with Tan Leather Pouch | Everyday Carry Gift | RK-1940

The Brasslatch is a butterfly knife with a pattern welded blade in 1095 and 15N20 and a pair of skeletonised brass handles that swing on brass pivot pins. The blade is a clip point with a long swage, the Damascus pattern runs in tight rings and swirls the full length, and a small triquetra is cut into the face of one handle near the latch. It comes with a soft tan leather pouch rather than a rigid sheath, because a folded knife does not need a hard sheath and a pouch keeps the brass from marking.

The design is Filipino. The balisong takes its name from a barangay in Batangas province where the pattern was made in quantity from the late nineteenth century onward, and it was a working farmer and fisherman knife long before it was anything else. The whole appeal is that a blade longer than either handle can be carried folded and brought into use with one hand. This one is forged, ground, heat treated and assembled in the Czech Republic.

Balisongs are treated differently from one state to the next, so read the knife laws by state before you carry one. The triquetra is the three cornered knot, and it sits with the rest in the Norse symbols guide. For something plainer that lives in a pocket, look at the folding knives.

Specifications

Safe handle, bite handle and the latch

Everything about using a balisong comes down to knowing which handle is which. When the knife is closed, one handle sits against the sharpened edge and one sits against the spine. The handle on the spine side is the safe handle, and it is the one you hold. The handle on the edge side is the bite handle, and it is the one that will find your fingers if you hold the wrong one and let it swing.

The latch tells you which is which without looking, and that is its real job. Yes, it holds the knife shut, but on a well made balisong the latch is fitted to the bite handle so that the moment your thumb finds it you know how the knife is oriented in your hand. On this one the latch is sprung brass and the triquetra is cut into the same handle, so there are two tactile references rather than one.

The pivots are the other thing worth understanding. A butterfly knife has two independent pivot pins, one through each handle, and the smoothness of the action depends entirely on how those pins are fitted and how the tang is shaped where it meets them. Too tight and the handles bind, too loose and the blade rattles and the handles do not close square. Ours are set with a small amount of deliberate free play, because a balisong that is set dead tight is unpleasant to open and will loosen anyway with use.

One thing we will not pretend about. Butterfly knives are restricted or prohibited in a number of states, counties and cities in the United States and in many countries. It is your responsibility to know the law where you live before you order, and we would rather tell you that here than have a package turned back.

1095 and 15N20 Damascus and solid brass

The blade is welded from alternating layers of 1095 and 15N20. Both harden, and the only meaningful difference between them is nickel content. Nickel resists the acid used to develop the pattern, so when the finished blade is etched the 1095 layers go dark and the 15N20 layers stay bright. What you see is the actual internal layering of the billet, cut through by the grind and revealed by the etch. It is not a print, a laser mark or a stencil, and grinding into the blade would show the same pattern continuing.

Hardness is 58 to 60 HRC, which is where a short blade should sit. There is no length to flex, so the steel can be taken properly hard and the edge holds accordingly. It is not stainless, so it wants oiling.

The handles are solid brass, skeletonised with long slots to bring the weight down and to let the two halves balance against the blade. Brass is the traditional choice for balisong handles for good reasons. It is dense enough to give the handles authority in the swing, it is soft enough that it dents rather than cracking when the knife is dropped, and it takes a beautiful warm patina that most owners stop polishing off after the first year.

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, the leather or the wood. 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, so runes on the handle face take the place of the triquetra. Brass cuts cleanly and holds fine detail better than steel does, so this is one of the better pieces we make for a name or a short date. See the engraving page.

Handling and balance

The knife balances close to the pivots when open, which is what you want. A balisong that is blade heavy fights you on the closing swing and one that is handle heavy will not open cleanly. The skeletonising in the brass is where that balance is tuned.

If you have never used one, start closed and slow, with the safe handle in your palm and the knife over a soft surface. Learn to open and close it deliberately before you try anything else. Everything spectacular you have seen done with a butterfly knife is built on that one movement being automatic, and every injury comes from grabbing the bite handle by mistake.

This is a sharp working knife, not a trainer. If you want to learn flipping, buy a blunt trainer first and come back to this one when the movement is second nature.

Care

Put a drop of light oil on each pivot every few weeks if you use the knife regularly. That is the whole maintenance routine for the action, and neglecting it is the reason most old balisongs feel gritty.

Wipe the Damascus blade after handling and keep a thin film of mineral oil or camellia oil on it. An etched pattern is slightly porous in its dark layers and holds moisture, so a blade put away damp will spot faster than a plain polished one. The brass will darken over time, which is a patina rather than damage. If you want it bright, a little metal polish on a cloth brings it back, but be aware that polishing repeatedly will soften the crisp edges of the triquetra. Leave the pouch to dry naturally if it gets wet. Our steel care page has the full routine.

Damascus wants oil more than plain steel does, because the etch that shows the pattern also opens the surface, and caring for a Damascus pattern covers what to use.

Made in the Czech Republic

The work behind this piece happens in a Czech Republic workshop that has kept to the old methods. Steel is forged and heat treated by hand, the grind is taken down by eye rather than by machine, and the handle, fittings and sheath are cut and finished one at a time. Because of that, every piece carries small marks of the hand that made it.

Ransack Viking is a United States company. We import direct, check each piece when it reaches us, and ship from our Chicago, Illinois warehouse. Engraving is added here in the United States after arrival, so the piece you receive is finished to your order.

A note on handmade variation

This knife is hand made rather than machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Pattern welded steel is the least repeatable material in the shop and the rings and swirls on your blade will run their own course. The brass is cut and filed by hand so the skeleton slots vary a fraction, and the tone of the brass shifts from batch to batch. The dimensions, the steel, the heat treat and the build are the same every time. The pattern is never the same twice.

Frequently asked questions

Is this legal where I live?

That depends entirely on your state, county or country, and butterfly knives are restricted in several of them. Please check your local law before ordering, because we cannot advise on it and we cannot ship into a prohibition.

Which handle do I hold?

The safe handle, which is the one sitting against the spine of the blade when the knife is closed. The latch and the triquetra are both on the bite handle, so you can find the right one by touch.

Is the Damascus pattern real?

Yes. It is a welded billet of 1095 and 15N20 and the pattern goes through the blade rather than sitting on the surface.

Can I tighten the pivots?

They are set with a deliberate small amount of free play so the action stays smooth. If the knife develops real slop with heavy use, send it back to us under the warranty rather than trying to re peen the pins.

Is it sharp out of the box?

Yes, and quite sharp. Ask in the order notes if you would prefer it shipped with the edge left unsharpened.

Why a pouch instead of a sheath?

Because a folded balisong is already protected by its own handles. A soft leather pouch keeps the brass from rubbing against keys and coins without adding bulk.

What is in the box

• One Brasslatch butterfly knife in 1095 and 15N20 pattern welded Damascus
• One tan leather pouch
• A protective film of oil on the blade for transit
• Care notes for Damascus steel, brass and leather
• Lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings
• Forged and finished in the Czech Republic

Explore the range

Other knives from the same bench: Viking knives, daggers, karambits and engraved and personalised pieces. Background reading lives in the guides.

If this one is not it

Another in the same line is the Runechain dagger knife, forged from 1095. Next along the rack is the Twinfork dagger knife, 19 inches overall. For a straight comparison, see the Trenchknot dagger knife, 15 inches overall.

The Mosaicfold folding pocket knife covers the other half of the same kit. Pick the steel, the length and the fittings yourself on the custom Damascus knife page.