Forged once, in copper and steel
A San Mai chef knife with a 52100 high-carbon steel core, a copper jacket, and a live-edge burl handle. Five were made. Each one exists exactly once.
See the knives still in stockWhat the Forged Copper is
The Forged Copper is a chef knife, and it is the most involved thing Carved has ever put its name on. The blade is San Mai: a core of 52100 high-carbon steel, hardened to around 65 HRC, forge-welded inside an outer jacket of copper. The profile is a gyuto, the all-purpose Japanese chef's shape, built for slicing, chopping, and mincing through everyday kitchen prep.
The handle is the part only Carved makes. It is stabilized wood burl flooded with hand-poured resin and shaped to a live edge, so the grain and the pour land exactly once and never repeat. Wood grows a single time and resin sets a single time, which is why no two of these handles are alike.
Five were made, numbered one through five, at $599 each. They are sold out. Here is the whole run, and a door to the wood-and-resin knives the same shop still makes.
The five
Numbered one through five, $599 each, every one a one-of-a-kind chef knife. All five have sold. This is the run.
Specifications
Every Forged Copper shares the same blade build. Only the handle pour changes from one knife to the next.
- Type
- Chef knife, gyuto profile
- Blade
- Copper San Mai
- Core steel
- 52100 high-carbon, hardened to about 65 HRC
- Jacket
- Copper
- Handle
- Stabilized wood burl and hand-poured resin, live edge
- Edge retention
- Very good
- Best for
- Slicing, chopping, mincing, general kitchen prep
- Not ideal for
- Bones, frozen foods, prying
- The run
- One of five, numbered #0001 to #0005, $599 each. Sold out.
Care: hand wash only and dry the blade completely right after washing. Never leave it soaking. For long-term storage, wipe on a light coat of food-safe mineral oil. High-carbon steel develops a patina with use, which protects the steel and adds character.
What goes into one knife
Steel, copper, burl, and a lot of hand time.
San Mai blade
A 52100 high-carbon steel core is forge-welded inside an outer jacket of copper, then etched so the line between the two metals reads as light and shadow down the blade.
Live-edge handle
Stabilized wood burl is flooded with hand-poured resin and shaped to a live edge, so each handle is a one-time pour that no other knife can copy.
Finished by hand
Each knife is ground, balanced, and finished by hand at the Carved shop in Elkhart, Indiana, before it is photographed on its own.
One of five
Numbered one through five and presented on an engraved Forged walnut stand. When the five sold, the run was done for good.
A blade that keeps a record
Copper San Mai is not a coating and it is not a print. It is two metals forge-welded together, then etched so the boundary between the hard steel core and the soft copper jacket reads as a line of light and shadow down the blade. The pattern is structural. It is the steel itself.
High-carbon steel also changes as you use it. Carved's care notes are plain about it: hand wash only, dry the blade completely right after washing, and give it a light coat of food-safe mineral oil for long storage. Over time the steel takes on a patina, which protects it and adds character. A blade like this is not meant to stay frozen in a drawer. It is meant to be used, and to show it.
From Carved's knife reviews
The five Forged Copper knives sold out and were never reviewed publicly. These are verbatim from the wood-and-resin knives the same shop still makes, across more than 1,000 knife reviews.
I'm blown away by this knife. Obsessed with the quality. It's a masterpiece visually & physically.
The live edge Damascus knife is breathtaking! The attention to detail, the craftsmanship, the product feel and quality control are amazing. I can tell that this knife will last me for a decade easily
A beautiful, functional, piece of art and outstanding craftsmanship! Great job, and thanks!
The quality and workmanship of this knife is excellent. The blade alone is a work of art.
Carved produces the best, highest quality, one of a kind piece. This knife was another one for my collection because it was just such a beautiful work of art that has so much function! Love it!
Each item is a unique work of art. High quality knives which make a wonderful gift or just to treat yourself. And the customer service is the best I've encountered.
The everyday version, in stock now
The Forged Copper was a one-time run. The same wood-and-resin handwork goes onto the Carved EDC pocket knife, and these are in stock right now. The photo is the exact knife you receive.
Questions, answered
Can I still buy a Forged Copper knife?
No. Only five were made, numbered one through five, and all five have sold. Because each blade and handle is one of a kind, a sold piece cannot be remade. The in-stock relative is the Carved EDC pocket knife, which carries the same wood-and-resin handwork.
What is San Mai?
San Mai is a layered blade. A hard steel core does the cutting and a softer outer jacket supports it. On the Forged Copper the core is 52100 high-carbon steel hardened to around 65 HRC, and the jacket is copper. The blade is etched so the line between the two metals is visible.
Why copper?
Copper gives the jacket a warm color that steel cannot, and it tones and deepens as the knife ages. Paired with the burl and resin handle, it is what makes each of the five knives look like nothing else.
How do I care for a high-carbon blade?
Hand wash only, and dry the blade completely right after washing. Never leave it soaking. For long-term storage, wipe on a light coat of food-safe mineral oil. High-carbon steel develops a patina with use, which is normal and helps protect the steel.
What is it good for in the kitchen?
The gyuto profile is built for slicing, chopping, mincing, and general kitchen prep. It is not made for bones, frozen foods, or prying, which can chip a hard, thin edge.
Where is it made?
Carved has made one-of-a-kind wood and resin goods in Elkhart, Indiana since 2011. Every piece is finished by hand and backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
The five are gone. The handwork isn't.
The Forged Copper was a one-time run, and all five found owners. But the thing that made it, real wood, hand-poured resin, and a blade finished by hand, runs through everything the shop builds. The closest one you can still carry is the EDC pocket knife: the same one-of-a-kind handwork, in stock today.
More on how Carved is made lives on the Why Carved hub.
