Hack N Slash — Damascus & Royal ebony

A one-off piece built on a familiar foundation

The Hack N Slash exists as a production model: it is my folding knife with taut lines and a broken spine that settles into the palm. This piece keeps the silhouette and mechanism, but not the production process. Here, the blade does not follow the rationalised preparation of a series: I shaped, ground, heat-treated and finished it in the workshop in Courpière, in the Thiers basin. That is what justifies a product page of its own — and a single example that exists only once.

Slipjoint and stop

The mechanism remains that of the Hack N Slash: a slipjoint, where the spring presses on the blade and engages its notches to retain it in both the open and closed positions. A stop catches the blade on closing before the cutting edge can touch the spring: the knife can be folded in one motion without damaging its sharpening.

• Z20 stainless-steel spring, polished on its inner face.
• Recessed liners: the blade pivots on reduced bearing surfaces, keeping the movement regular.
• Softened inner edges of the liners, pleasant under the fingers when the knife is open.

The VG10 Suminagashi blade

The blade is 2.5 mm thick, with a flat grind and satin finish. VG10 Suminagashi is a layered steel: a VG10 core — a cobalt-alloyed Japanese stainless steel — forms the cutting edge, surrounded by layers of stainless steel that create the pattern on the sides. Grinding cuts through these layers and reveals a pattern unique to this blade, impossible to reproduce identically.

In use, VG10 holds its edge well and is straightforward to touch up on a stone. The whole blade remains stainless: there is no patina or everyday oxidation to monitor.

The royal-ebony handle

The scales are shaped by hand and then buffed. Laotian royal ebony combines pale areas, almost ivory in colour, with dark veins tending toward brown and black. On this knife, that contrast directly echoes the layered blade: two striped materials, one through its steel layers and the other through its grain.

• Scales mounted over black fibreglass spacers, highlighting the junction between wood and liners.
• Stainless-steel hardware.

In the hand

• Open length: 210 mm
• Closed length: 115 mm
• Thickness: 15 mm

It is a genuine pocket format: enough blade for a snack and the table, with a handle that fills the hand without filling the pocket. The broken spine provides a natural support point for the thumb and palm.

Supplied with

• A leather sheath sewn by a leatherworker, protecting the knife from impacts and rubbing.
• A certificate of authenticity.
• The workshop’s manufacturing warranty, subject to its terms.