Philippine Visayan Damascus Steel Blade Butterfly Balisong Knife USA Made Gift For Him With Beautiful Handle BF-125
Original price was: $249.95.$187.46Current price is: $187.46.
Folded steel leaves a pattern that runs the length of whatever you forge it into, and on this long Visayan frame those lines have room to stretch out.
Blade Materials – Damascus, layers of high carbon steel forge-welded and folded
Handle Materials – Brass with black micarta
Overall Length – 29cm
Blade Length -14cm
Weight – 220g
Handmade in Austin, TX. Ships Worldwide.
Every knife is built by hand in our workshop in Austin, Texas, by Filipino makers trained in the Batangas tradition. We ship to any country we are allowed to send a knife to. Free shipping inside the United States, 49 USD flat everywhere else. Shipping and delivery times
The BF-125 is a Philippine Visayan balisong with a Damascus blade: 29cm open, a 14cm blade, 220g, brass with black micarta. The pattern on this blade is not a finish and it is not permanent. It is an etch, and knowing how that works is the difference between a blade that looks good in ten years and one that does not.
The pattern is acid, not polish
Pattern-welded steel is layers of different steels forge-welded together. Polished flat, the surface looks like plain steel and you can barely see anything at all. The pattern only appears when the blade is etched, because the steels in the mix resist acid at different rates and one is left standing very slightly proud of the other.
What you are actually seeing is a relief map a few microns deep, with the recessed steel darkened by oxide. Run a fingernail across it and you can feel it. That texture is the surest sign a Damascus blade is real rather than printed.
What makes it fade
| Cause | Effect | Reversible? |
|---|---|---|
| Normal handling over years | Contrast softens gradually | Yes |
| Polishing the blade | Contrast disappears fast | Yes, but do not do it |
| Aggressive metal polish or abrasive | Pattern gone entirely | Yes, with a re-etch |
| A heavy patina forming over it | Pattern obscured under grey | Yes |
| Rust pitting | Steel is gone. So is the pattern there | No |
| Sharpening | Pattern retreats from the bevel. Entirely normal | Not needed. This is just what a bevel is |
Only one row on that list is permanent, and it is the one caused by neglect rather than by use.
Re-etching, which is easier than it sounds
If the contrast has gone flat after some years, the pattern is still there in the steel and can be brought back. It is a straightforward job for anyone comfortable with a bit of care, and any competent knifemaker will do it for a small fee.
- Degrease the blade completely. Any fingerprint will etch as a fingerprint.
- Mask off the handle and everything that is not blade.
- Ferric chloride, diluted, is the usual etchant. Short immersion, checked frequently, rather than one long soak.
- Neutralise thoroughly, rinse, dry completely.
- Oil it at once, because you have just exposed fresh steel and this blade has no chromium in it.
If any of that sounds like a project you would rather not take on, do not. Send it to somebody who does it regularly. Etching is unforgiving of half measures and a rushed job looks worse than a faded pattern.
What we would actually recommend
Leave it. A Damascus blade that has been carried and used for five years has a softened pattern and a light patina, and it looks like a knife somebody owned rather than a knife somebody photographed. Most owners who re-etch do it once, conclude they preferred it before, and never do it again.
The steel under the Damascus balisong pattern
Layers of high carbon steel, heat treated to 58-60 HRC. It takes a very keen edge and comes back on an ordinary stone in minutes with no diamond plate involved. It also rusts if left wet, because there is no chromium anywhere in this blade. Wipe it dry when you put it down and oil it lightly once a month. That is the deal, and it is the same deal every carbon steel blade has offered for two thousand years.
The frame and the micarta balisong handle
Twenty-nine centimetres open, the traditional Visayan and Batangas full size, at 220g. The rotation is slow and deliberate, which is forgiving while you learn and slower when you want to snap between moves.
Black micarta on brass: cloth or paper in cured resin, dimensionally stable, immune to damp, and grippier than polished horn in a warm hand. On a knife with a blade that needs attention, a handle that needs none is a sensible pairing even if it is not a traditional one.
Ordering this Damascus balisong
Unsharpened trainer, chosen above Add to Cart. Everything on this page applies to it, since a blunt Damascus blade etches, patinas and rusts exactly like a sharp one.
A fitted leather sheath is in the box, cut for the 29cm frame. Free US shipping, flat $49 to anywhere else for the whole order.
Every knife is checked for lockup, pivot action and edge before it goes in the box. Nothing ships that we would not keep for ourselves.
Processing
Most orders leave the bench in 1 to 3 business days. If the knife you picked is not in stock we forge it for you, which takes roughly 2 to 3 weeks. Engraving adds a little time on top of that.
What shipping costs
- United States: free on every order.
- Everywhere else: a flat 49 dollars for the whole order, however many knives are in it, so two at once ship for the same as one.
How long it takes
- USA: 4 to 8 business days
- International: 8 to 14 business days, longer if customs takes an interest
Those are carrier estimates, not promises we can enforce.
Tracking
A tracking number reaches you by email as soon as the parcel is collected. Carriers often take 24 to 48 hours to start showing movement, so a quiet first day is normal.
Customs and local law
Import duty, VAT and customs fees are set by your own country and are yours to pay. Balisong law varies by country and by US state, so it is worth checking yours before you order.
The full detail lives on Order and Shipping and Return or Exchange.
Hand-forged in the Batangas tradition
The balisong was born in Batangas, Philippines. Every knife in this catalogue is made by Filipino artisans and metalworkers, many from families with generations of experience, now working in the United States. Blades are ground from 440C stainless, D2 tool steel, VG10, high carbon and Damascus, and fitted to handles of kamagong ebony, carabao horn, Philippine deer horn and bone.
Checked four times
Detailed hand inspection, smoothness and pivot testing, blade alignment checks, and durability and finish quality control. If a knife doesn't meet our standards, it never reaches our customers.
Engraving available
Initials or short text $19 in the font you choose, a custom logo $29. Select it above Add to Cart and upload the logo file at checkout.
A sheath with every knife
Every knife includes a fitted leather sheath. Both live blades and trainers are offered, and every order ships worldwide with tracking.
Buying more than one?
Trade pricing starts at ten pieces and reaches 45% under retail at volume, with your logo on the bolster. See wholesale and bulk, or design one from scratch.
Owner reviews
What owners say
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Shipping and returns
Processing
Most orders ship in 1 to 3 business days.
USA delivery
4 to 8 business days, tracked door to door.
International
8 to 14 business days. Customs times vary by country.
Made to order
Out of stock pieces are handcrafted for you in 2 to 3 weeks.
We ship worldwide. The customer is responsible for customs, VAT and local legality.
Returns and exchanges Read the warranty
Blade Materials – 440c Stainless Steel
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