Stagvane Hand Forged Damascus Kukri Knife with Stag Antler Handle | 15 Inch Overall and 10 Inch Blade | Steel Bolster and Leather Sheath Holding Karda and Chakmak | Outdoor Gift | RK-2123

The Stagvane is a full size kukri with a forge welded Damascus blade, a stag antler handle and a raven etched into the polished flat at the ricasso. The blade carries the deep forward sweep the pattern is known for, drops through a heavy belly and comes back up to a fine point, with a notched cho cut into the edge where the blade meets the bolster. Handle scales are natural stag antler pinned through a steel bolster and finished with a steel pommel cap and lanyard hole, so the crown texture of the antler sits under the palm exactly as it grew.

The kukri is often called a curved knife, which undersells what the shape is doing. The bend puts the edge ahead of the line of your wrist, so the mass of the blade arrives at the target before the handle has finished travelling. That is why a kukri chops far above its size and why a soldier could carry one in place of a hatchet. The design is old enough that examples predate the eighteenth century, and the geometry has barely changed since. This one is made by hand in the Czech Republic. Ransack Viking imports it, checks the grind, the pin fit and the sheath stitching, and ships it from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse. It comes with the leather sheath and the two companion knives shown.

A recurve and a drop point cut in completely different ways, and the guide to blade shapes covers how each behaves. For how a patterned blade compares with a plain one in use, Damascus against high carbon puts the two together. If you want a shorter belly for dressing game, the skinner knives cover that job.

Specifications

The cho notch, the karda and the chakmak

The small notch cut into the edge just ahead of the bolster is called the cho, and it is the detail most people ask about. Two explanations are usually given. The practical one is that it stops a cut running back into the handle and gives blood, sap or water somewhere to drip clear of your hand rather than tracking onto the grip. The symbolic one connects the shape to religious imagery in Nepal. Both may be true at once, and it has been cut into these blades for long enough that it is now simply part of what a kukri is.

The two small knives in the back of the sheath are the karda and the chakmak. The karda is a small utility knife for the fiddly jobs a ten inch blade is hopeless at. The chakmak is not really a knife at all, it is a blunt steel with a rounded edge used to true up the working edge between sharpenings and, historically, to strike sparks off flint. A full kukri set has always come as three pieces, and this one does.

The steel and the antler

The blade is forge welded from 1095 high carbon steel and 15N20 nickel steel, folded and drawn until the layers run fine, then forged to the kukri curve, ground, hardened and tempered to 58 to 60 HRC. The pattern runs through the full thickness of the blade rather than sitting on the surface, so sharpening will not remove it. The etched raven sits on a polished panel deliberately left free of pattern, because a fine cut line disappears against a busy Damascus grain.

The handle is real stag antler, not resin cast to look like it. Antler is dense, slightly porous and naturally grippy when your hands are wet, which is why it has been used for tool handles for thousands of years. It is also completely individual. The colour, the ridging, the pale channels and the exact shape of the crown differ from one set of scales to the next, and no two Stagvane handles will look the same.

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 on this kukri a chosen mark would take the place of the raven. The sheath face is a second option if you want to keep the raven. See the engraving page for what fits.

Handling and use

Hold a kukri toward the rear of the handle rather than choking up on the bolster. The whole point of the shape is the rotational leverage, and gripping it too far forward throws that away. Let the wrist stay relaxed and let the blade fall. For fine work, choke up behind the bolster and use the straighter section near the cho.

This is a working knife rather than a display piece, and it is sharp. Keep it in the sheath when it is not in your hand, keep your other hand out of the swing arc, and remember that a chopping blade that glances off a hard surface goes somewhere unpredictable. It is not a throwing knife and should not be thrown.

Care

Damascus is high carbon steel and it will rust if neglected. Wipe the blade after use, dry it completely and put a light film of mineral oil on it, especially after cutting anything acidic or wet. Do not store it long term inside the leather sheath in a damp place, because vegetable tanned leather holds moisture against steel. Wipe the antler with a barely damp cloth and let it dry naturally rather than soaking it. Feed the sheath with leather balm once or twice a year. Our steel care guide covers rust and edge maintenance in detail.

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

This kukri is made by hand in the Czech Republic and imported by Ransack Viking. It is not drop shipped from an importer catalogue. Every piece is unpacked, checked and photographed here before it is listed, then shipped from our warehouse in Memphis, Tennessee. Processing runs one to two weeks because these are made in small batches. US shipping is free, returns are accepted within seven days, and the lifetime warranty against defects in forging, grind, heat treat and fittings has no end date and needs no receipt.

A note on handmade variation

This kukri is made by hand, not machine made or bulk produced, so what arrives will not be a pixel for pixel copy of the photograph. Stag antler especially varies. Colour runs from near white to deep tan, the ridging and pitting is different on every piece, and the crown shape at the pommel is whatever that animal grew. The Damascus pattern is unique to its billet. The blade length, the steel, the heat treat and the build stay the same every time. The character does not.

Frequently asked questions

Is it sharp when it arrives

Yes. This is a working chopper and it ships with a proper cutting edge. Handle it accordingly when you unbox it.

Are the two little knives included

Yes. The karda and the chakmak sit in pockets on the back of the sheath and ship with the kukri as a set.

Is the handle real antler

It is real stag antler, cut and shaped by hand. That is why every handle looks different and why the colour on yours will not match the photograph exactly.

Can I use it for camp work

Yes. Kindling, brush clearing, batoning small rounds and general camp chopping are exactly what the shape is for. Keep it out of nails, stone and frozen knots.

Can I get runes engraved on it

Yes. Use the rune converter on this page, or send your own design through the engraving option. A chosen engraving replaces the etched raven, though the sheath is available if you want to keep both.

How quickly does it ship

Processing is one to two weeks, then free US shipping. Tracking goes out when it leaves Memphis.

What is in the box

• One Stagvane Damascus kukri with stag antler handle
• Fitted leather sheath
• Karda utility knife and chakmak steel
• Protective oil film on the blade for transit
• Hand made in the Czech Republic, shipped from our Memphis, Tennessee warehouse

Explore the range

Browse more in kukri knives, Viking knives and hunting knives, or read the guides on what a kukri is and how to sharpen a curved blade.