Description
Stacked leather is one of those constructions that sounds crude until you hold one. Dozens of leather washers are punched, threaded onto the tang, compressed hard, then turned and sanded as a single solid piece and burnished until the surface goes smooth and slightly waxy. The layer lines stay visible as fine dark stripes running around the grip. It is the handle material of the American military knife, of the classic hunting knife, of a hundred years of field carry, and it is still the most comfortable thing you can wrap a hand around when the weather is cold or your palms are wet.
Brass at both ends
The Brass Sentinel bookends that leather with solid brass: a substantial guard where the grip meets the blade, and brass caps closing the ends of the crossbar. Brass is soft, heavy and warm-colored, and it takes a knock without cracking. It also shifts color as it ages, going from bright yellow to a deeper honey, and against the reddish-brown of the washers that is a pairing that only improves.
| Overall Length | 7 inches |
|---|---|
| Blade Length | 4 inches |
| Handle Width | 3.5 inches (T-grip) |
| Blade Steel | D2 tool steel |
| Blade Finish | High mirror polished |
| Blade Style | Double-edged spear point, center fuller |
| Handle Material | Stacked leather washers, hand sanded and burnished |
| Bolster | Solid brass guard and brass end caps |
| Fittings | Brass pin |
| Tang | Full tang |
| Sheath | Handmade tan leather sheath with brass stud and belt loop (included) |
Polished D2
Under all that traditional dress is a thoroughly modern steel. D2 is a high carbon, high chromium tool steel developed for industrial dies — the same properties that let a die punch sheet metal for months without regrinding make it hold a knife edge stubbornly well. Roughly twelve percent chromium puts it on the edge of stainless without quite arriving, so it resists corrosion far better than a simple carbon blade but is not immune to it. Taken to a mirror polish, as here, the surface shows the steel off properly. Where D2 sits relative to everything else we use is laid out in our knife steel chart.
Blade and grind
Symmetrical double edge with a pronounced fuller down each flat, both edges hand finished. The brass guard gives your fingers a hard stop, which changes the feel of the knife quite a bit compared with the guardless models in this group — there is a definite front to it. If terms like ricasso, fuller and guard are not second nature yet, our breakdown of the parts of a knife is a five minute read.
The sheath
Tan leather, wet-formed over the blade, stitched in pale thread, with a wide belt loop and a brass snap on the retaining strap. It is cut long and generous so the guard seats properly.
Living with stacked leather
Leather handles want the opposite of neglect and the opposite of soaking. Do not put it through a dishwasher, do not leave it standing in water, and do not dry it fast next to a heater if it does get wet — that is what makes leather shrink and the stack loosen. A little leather conditioner or plain paste wax worked in once a year keeps the washers supple and the burnish alive. Handled normally it darkens and polishes with use, which is the whole appeal. The blade wants a wipe and an occasional light oil; a mirror finish shows fingerprints, so a soft cloth lives near mine.
Please check the law first
Push daggers are restricted under a range of US state and city ordinances and banned in numerous countries outside the US. They are regulated more tightly than most fixed blades of comparable size. Confirm what applies where you live before you place an order — that check belongs to the buyer, and the rules are revised more often than people expect.
Questions
Will the leather come loose over time? Not if it is kept dry. The stack is compressed under real pressure and capped at both ends; the failure mode is repeated soaking, not normal use.
Does the brass need polishing? Only if you want it bright. Left alone it ages to a warm dull gold, which most owners prefer.
Is D2 hard to sharpen? Harder than plain carbon steel, yes, because of the chromium carbides. Use a diamond or good ceramic stone and be patient; the payoff is an edge that lasts.
Something brighter? The Snowburl in stabilized burl pairs the same polished steel with a pale figured handle.
Made in Tennessee
Ground, hardened, assembled, burnished and sharpened in our Memphis shop, sheath included and stitched on site. Our guarantee runs for the life of the knife, on materials and workmanship alike. Gift wrapping is available if you ask for it when you order.
Model: BMK-1202
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