Description
Night Herder is the dress version. Seven and a half inches overall with a three and a half inch sheepsfoot blade and a notched choil, in D2 tool steel taken to a high mirror polish. The handle is ebony — genuinely black wood, close grained, with almost no visible figure — and the two together are about as formal as a working knife shape gets.
At the front is a stainless steel bolster with a thin brass spacer set between it and the wood, so a single warm line separates bright metal from black. A mosaic pin sits in the scale and there is a lanyard hole through the butt.
| Overall Length | 7.5 inches |
|---|---|
| Blade Length | 3.5 inches |
| Handle Length | 4 inches |
| Blade Steel | D2 tool steel, high mirror polished |
| Blade Style | Sheepsfoot bull cutter with notched choil |
| Bolster | Stainless steel with brass spacer |
| Handle Material | Ebony wood |
| Fittings | Mosaic pin inlay, lanyard hole |
| Tang | Full tang |
| Sheath | Handmade black leather belt sheath with contrast stitching (included) |
Bought by: people buying a gift, mostly. Black and bright silver with one brass line is a restrained combination that reads well in a box and photographs well on a desk, and the mirror flat is the natural surface for an engraving. It is the one here most likely to be given rather than bought for a job.
Ebony, and what it asks in return
Ebony is one of the densest woods used on knife handles. It sinks in water and takes a polish like stone. The cost of that density is movement: ebony is famously prone to checking — fine surface cracks — if taken through big swings in humidity or left somewhere very dry. Keep it out of hot cars and direct sun, wipe it with mineral oil once or twice a year, and it stays closed and black.
The brass spacer
That thin line of brass between the stainless bolster and the ebony does two jobs. Visually it separates two very smooth surfaces that would otherwise blur at the joint. Practically it is a softer material at a hard junction, taking up the small amount of movement the wood makes over the seasons rather than letting the joint open.
What a mirror finish means for the edge
Polishing a flat does nothing for cutting; the edge is a separate job. What it does mean is that the blade shows everything, so you notice a dull edge and a marked flat sooner and maintain it earlier.
Storage and care: wipe the blade dry after every use and keep a light oil film on it; D2 is not stainless. Hand wash only. Store the knife out of the leather sheath, which holds moisture against both steel and wood — how to store knives covers the sensible options.
FAQs
Is the ebony stained? No, the color is natural to the wood.
Is the bolster stainless? Yes, with a solid brass spacer behind it.
Can I engrave the blade? Yes — the mirror flat takes laser engraving well. Add it at checkout.
Does polishing the flat sharpen it? No, the edge is a separate job; honing versus sharpening sets out which one you need.
What is the hard-wearing alternative? The Sage Outrider in green Micarta is the same steel built to be knocked about.
Make it a gift
Tell us at checkout that this one is a gift and we will pack and ship it gift-ready. Every knife leaves our Memphis, Tennessee workshop with a lifetime warranty against defects in materials and workmanship, backed by over 2,000 verified customer reviews.
Model: BMK-1144
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