Description
Reserving a matched pair
This listing is the opening payment on a two-knife commission, not a knife held in stock. Placing it puts your project on the bench schedule and starts the work; the remaining balance falls due only when both pieces are finished, photographed and ready to leave the shop. Nothing ships before you have seen images of the finished pair and told us you are happy.
What is being built
Two blades, cut from one billet so they carry the same pattern: a full-tang fighter with a seven-inch blade and a full-tang karambit with its curved edge and finger ring. Drawing both from a single billet of feather Damascus is the whole point of the commission. The feather is created by splitting a stacked billet down its length, folding it open and forge-welding it back together so the layers mirror each other around a central spine. Because both knives come out of that one piece of steel, the plume on the fighter and the plume on the karambit are halves of the same pattern rather than two separate attempts at a similar look. It cannot be replicated later and it cannot be ordered again in the same form. If the process is new to you, our walkthrough of forge welding explains what happens at the anvil.
Materials and fittings
Both handles are dark earth canvas Micarta over copper liners, secured with custom mosaic pins made for this order. Micarta is chosen here because a matched pair will be handled a great deal, and it takes decades of that without moving, cracking or losing its texture. Copper liners give a warm line where the scales meet the tang, and they will darken over the years into something closer to bronze.
The pair is delivered with hand-stitched leather sheaths, a rolled leather case that holds both together, and a walnut presentation box built to fit them.
How the commission runs
Once this deposit clears we confirm the specification with you in writing: exact blade lengths, edge geometry, handle thickness, pin layout and finish. Forging begins after that. We send progress photographs at the billet stage, after grinding and again once the handles are fitted, so nothing about the finished pair is a surprise. Lead times depend on the queue and we will give you an honest date rather than an optimistic one.
Everything happens in our own shop in Memphis, Tennessee. The same person forges the billet, grinds the bevels, fits the scales and sets the final edge, which is the only way a matched pair actually stays matched.
Payment
The total for the commission is sixteen hundred and fifty dollars. This listing covers half of that. The remaining balance is invoiced separately and must be settled before the knives are dispatched. If you would like a sense of what hand-forged pattern-welded work costs generally, and why the range is so wide, we set it out in our guide to Damascus knife pricing. For a stock example of the same feather pattern you can see and buy today, look at the Pathfinder feather Damascus bowie.
Care once they arrive
Pattern-welded steel is high in carbon and will spot if it is left damp. Dry both blades after any handling, keep a thin protective film on the flats between outings, and store the knives out of their sheaths so nothing is held against the steel. Micarta asks for soap and water and no more.
Model: BMK-COMM-MH-DEP
Sergio White –
I collect knives and this one is seriously nice. Fit and finish is museum quality. You can tell real craftsmen made this by hand. Beyond happy with how this turned out.
Joseph Morales –
My brother was speechless when I showed them this knife.
Jason Adams –
Been eyeing this knife for a long time and it did not disappoint. This is my new favorite in the collection. I keep coming back to Black Mamba Knives because it’s always this good.
Chloe Bennett –
Ended up ordering a second one after how happy I was with the first. Great buy overall. Not my first order from Black Mamba Knives and it won’t be my last.
Brian Miller –
This is one of those purchases that just makes you smile. Leather sheath is thick and well stitched. Not the cheap stuff you usually get. Came in a nice gift box which made it feel even more special. Pommel and guard are solid, no wobble anywhere on the knife. Worth every penny.
Christine Cole –
Kept picking this knife up just to admire it after it arrived. Can’t wait to see what else this maker has to offer. Nice to support a Memphis based knife maker, shipping was fast even internationally.
Patricia Jackson –
Not worth the money in my opinion. Arrived with visible damage and a dull edge that needed real work. Handle was loose right out of the box. Doubt I’ll be ordering from here again.
Logan Myers –
Ordering again from this store the second I finish writing this review. Came in a nice gift box which made it feel even more special. If you’re on the fence just get it. You won’t regret it.
Barbara Clark –
My husband couldn’t stop talking about this after I unboxed it. Edge retention has been great even after regular use in the field. This has quickly replaced my old go to knife for field dressing. So worth it.
Susan Reed –
This turned out to be way better than I thought it would be. This one’s a keeper for sure.
Nicole Coleman –
Absolutely super impressed by this knife. Fit and finish is museum quality. You can tell real craftsmen made this by hand. Can’t recommend this enough.