Description
The dress version of a working shape
Copper Crescent takes the karambit out of the field and puts it on a desk. The blade is polished until it behaves like a mirror, the scales are figured rosewood in deep reds and blacks, and three brass pins run through the handle. It is still a fully capable cutting tool — the geometry has not been softened for looks — but this is the one you buy when the knife is going to be looked at as much as used.
Mirror polishing is slow, unglamorous work. The blade goes through progressively finer abrasives, then a series of buffing compounds, and every stage has to completely erase the scratches left by the one before it. Skip a grit and the failure shows up under a window at the end. Done properly, the surface reflects cleanly along the whole curve and the transition into the bevel is a single unbroken line.
| Overall Length | 8.7 inches |
|---|---|
| Blade Length | 3.6 inches (measured along the curve) |
| Blade Steel | D2 tool steel |
| Blade Finish | High mirror polished |
| Blade Style | Curved karambit hawkbill |
| Handle Material | Figured rosewood |
| Finger Ring | Polished steel finger ring, integral |
| Fittings | Brass pins |
| Tang | Full tang |
| Sheath | Handmade dark brown leather belt sheath with stud closure (included) |
D2 under the shine
The steel is D2, a chromium-rich tool steel with a high carbide volume. Those hard carbides are what let it hold a working edge far longer than a simple carbon steel, and they are also why it takes patience to polish and a slightly coarser stone to sharpen. It sits at roughly eleven or twelve percent chromium, which is enough to shrug off casual moisture and fingerprints but not enough to call it stainless. In practice: wipe it, do not baby it. There is more on where D2 sits among the alternatives in our knife steel chart.
Rosewood
The scales are figured rosewood, cut so the flame in the grain runs across the palm rather than along it. Colour ranges from burnt orange through to near-black in the darker streaks, and the surface is sanded and hand buffed to a soft sheen rather than sealed under film finish, so it feels like wood and not like varnish. Brass pins hold the scales to the tang and the polished steel finger ring is machined as part of the tang itself. Over time the wood will darken and the brass will pick up a warm patina; both improve it.
How it feels in the fist
Slip your index finger through the ring and the knife locks to your hand. The curve of the handle drops naturally into the palm and the balance sits right where the wood meets the steel, so the point of the hook feels responsive rather than heavy. Reverse grip, forward grip and the roll between them all happen without conscious thought after an afternoon.
Cutting with the concave edge
Pull, do not push. The inward-facing edge hooks whatever you are cutting and draws it into the deep part of the belly, where leverage is highest. Cord, tape, banding, packaging and leather come apart with very little effort. Keep it away from bone and staples: a fine polished edge on a hard tool steel will chip if you treat it like a chisel.
Care that keeps the mirror
A mirror finish shows everything, so handle it with clean hands and wipe it down before it goes away. Warm water, mild soap, a soft cloth, then dry thoroughly and put a trace of oil on the blade. Never use scouring pads or metal polish with grit in it. The rosewood is happier for a smear of food-safe oil about once a year. Store it out of the leather, since damp veg-tan is the fastest route to spotting on any blade.
Built in Memphis
Ground, hardened, polished, fitted and stitched in our Tennessee shop; the sheath is dark brown veg-tan formed around this exact blade and closed with a brass stud. If you like the wood but want the pattern of forged Damascus instead of a mirror, the buffalo horn Onyx Fang is the collector’s companion to this one. If it is going to someone else, say so when you order and we will box it accordingly. A permanent guarantee covers material and making faults, and the shop’s rating rests on more than 2,000 verified five-star reviews.
Model: BMK-1186
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