Chuck Hawes Custom Copperhead Ironwood Damascus

Chuck Hawes built this Copperhead from the ground up—148-layer damascus blade and bolster, hand-filed detail throughout, and an Ironwood handle with the kind of tight grain and rich color only nature can produce.

• Sole Authorship Build: This knife is fully handmade by Chuck Hawes, who forges and fits each component himself, ensuring one-of-a-kind quality from start to finish.
• 148-Layer Damascus Blade and Bolster — Both the blade and bolster are hand-forged from 148 layers of W1 and 15N20 steel. The layering creates a distinctive visual pattern while producing steel that takes a sharp edge and holds it through real use.
• Flat-Convex Grind: The blade features a razor-sharp edge with a subtle convex geometry behind the bevel, enhancing cutting performance and prolonging its lifespan.
• Ironwood Handle — Ironwood is one of the densest natural handle materials available, which means it holds up to real use without stabilization. Each piece has its own tight grain pattern and deep, rich color that only improves with time.
• Strong Backsprings with Half-Stop: Built with strong, reliable backsprings and a clean half-stop, this knife opens with authority and closes securely.
• Detailed Filework: The damascus backspacer and blade spine are both hand-filed, adding detail only found in custom made knives.

About Chuck Hawes

Chuck Hawes has over 30 years of experience crafting custom knives from his shop in Weldon, Illinois. While his work is admired by collectors, Chuck designs his knives to be used, aiming to create knives that will last a lifetime. He is well known for his damascus forging ability, and he still builds each knife the old way, one at a time.