Hand-Forged Spear Point Dagger

We cannot answer that for you, but we can tell you what to look for, because this is the question that matters most on this listing. Double-edged blades attract more restrictions than any other feature we build. Several US states prohibit them outright rather than merely restricting carry, and many others treat them separately from ordinary knives. The UK controls them. Australian import law names them specifically. Crucially, the statutory test in most of these places is simply whether a second edge is sharpened at all — not how long it is, not what the knife is for, and not what a listing calls it. So the same blade single-edged is legal in a great many places where the double-edged version is not, which is why we build it either way at the same price. Look up your own state, province or country before you order, and if the answer is not clearly yes, order it single-edged.

Yes, at no extra cost, and for most buyers it is the better choice. The blade is ground before it is heat-treated and finished, so this has to be specified at the point of order — we cannot take an edge off a finished blade without regrinding the whole flat, which changes the geometry and the appearance. What you lose by choosing one edge is very little in practical terms: the second edge contributes nothing to cutting, slicing or piercing that the first does not, and a single-edged spear point still has a strong centreline tip and a flat spine you can put a thumb on. What you gain is a piece you can own and carry in far more of the world. We would rather sell you the version you can keep.

A blade shape where the point sits on the centreline rather than being pushed toward the spine or the edge, with both sides tapering to it symmetrically. It is the strongest point geometry available, because the steel behind the tip is supported from both directions equally rather than being thinned from one side, which is why spear points survive boring and piercing that would snap a fine upswept tip. The trade-off is that a symmetrical blade has no belly — no long curved section for a draw cut — so it slices poorly compared to a knife shape. That is a real limitation rather than a quibble: this is a piercing and detail tool, not a camp knife, and if you want something that cuts well our EDC chopper or bushcraft kukri will do far more for you.

No. A push dagger has a transverse grip, held crosswise in a closed fist with the blade projecting between the fingers, and this is a conventional in-line grip held the way you hold any knife. We are answering the question directly because it comes up and because the distinction matters legally as well as practically: push daggers are named separately in a number of statutes and import schedules, and are prohibited in places where an ordinary dagger is not. This is not one, we do not describe it as one, and it should not be listed or resold as one. If a push dagger is specifically what you are after, we are not the right forge for it.

Diamond panels and incised rings, cut by hand into black horn. Horn is a good material for this kind of work and better than most timbers: it is dense and consistent with no grain direction to fight, so a cut holds its edge crisply instead of fraying, and it takes a polish that makes the cut lines read as dark against the shine. The pattern here is our standard, and like all hand carving it varies between pieces — yours will not be identical to the photographs, which is the nature of the work rather than a defect. If you want a different pattern we will cut it, and if you want the grip smooth and uncarved that is quicker and costs less. The one practical note: carved recesses hold dirt and want cleaning properly rather than wiping.

Forge finish — the surface as it came off the anvil, with the scale and hammer marks left in place down the centre of each face while the bevels either side are ground bright. On a symmetrical blade that contrast does something useful beyond looking good: it draws the line where the grind starts on both sides, so you can see at a glance whether the two bevels are even and whether the centre panel runs true down the middle. A crooked grind is very hard to hide on a blade finished this way, which is part of why we do it. What it is not is protection. Forge scale is iron oxide, not a coating, and this blade needs oiling exactly like a polished one.

Cut notches where the spine meets the grip, and on this piece they do a real job. A dagger has no guard, so there is nothing but friction stopping your hand sliding forward — and unlike a single-edged knife there is no safe flat spine to put a thumb on, because on the double-edged build both sides are sharp along most of their length. The filed section sits at the ricasso, ahead of the grip and behind where the edges begin, which is the one place a thumb can safely rest. It gives you a positive index point and a bit of grip for pushing. On the single-edged build it does the same job with the added option of running a thumb further along the unsharpened spine.

5160 high-carbon spring steel, oil-quenched and tempered, the same as every blade we forge. It is the family of steel used for vehicle leaf springs, which is the origin of the Nepali practice of forging blades from them, and it is chosen for toughness rather than for maximum hardness. That matters particularly on a spear point: a fine centreline tip in a very hard, brittle steel is the classic way to snap a point, whereas 5160 at a working temper will flex slightly and come back. It is worth saying plainly that most decorative daggers on the market are cast in soft stainless and never hardened at all. This one is forged, hardened and sharpened. It is not stainless and it will rust if neglected.

Honestly, more display than work, and the shape is the reason rather than the quality. The steel, the heat treatment and the edges are all genuine, so it will cut. But a symmetrical double-edged blade with no belly is poor at almost everything a knife normally does: it will not slice, it is awkward on a board, and you cannot put a hand or a baton on the spine because on the standard build there is no unsharpened spine to use. What it is good at is piercing and boring, where the strong centreline point is genuinely better than a knife tip. Buy it as a piece of forged and carved work you want to own. If you want something to use, the single-edged build is considerably more practical, and our working blades more so again.

Carefully, and twice. Each edge is sharpened exactly as you would sharpen a single-edged blade — lay the bevel on a stone, keep the angle, work along the length — but you have to do the whole thing again on the other side and there is nowhere safe to put your supporting fingers while you do it. On an ordinary knife you can steady the blade with a thumb on the spine; here there is no spine, only a second edge. Use a stone large enough that you can hold the handle only, or clamp the blade. Take particular care at the point, where the two bevels converge and it is easy to round the tip off by rushing. The single-edged build removes all of this, which is another quiet argument for it.

Two materials, two routines. The steel is standard carbon care: wipe it dry after handling rather than only after use, because fingerprints are mildly acidic and will etch bright bevels over months, and keep it lightly oiled. Work the oil into the filework on the spine and the cut lines of the grip carving, both of which a cloth drawn across the surface simply bridges. The horn wants less attention but different attention: a little oil once or twice a year to stop it drying, and keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators, because heat and dry air are what cause horn to crack along its natural grain. Do not store the piece sheathed for long periods in a damp climate.

Both. On size, we forge this profile shorter and longer, and it is worth knowing that blade length interacts with the legal question — many jurisdictions set a length threshold as well as an edge test, so a shorter blade can be legal where this one is not, quite apart from the single-edged option. On the grip, carved black horn is standard but rosewood, micarta and stacked leather are all available: horn takes fine carving best, micarta ignores humidity entirely, and leather is the one that will change shape with use. Tell us what you want the piece for and where you are, and we will tell you what we would build rather than simply taking the order.