I did quite a bit of sanding on the blade to remove the majority of the grind marks. I felt if I sanded too much more I would remove a great deal of the knife’s history but also too much blade!
The new handles were white camel bone that I put through an experimental dying process. I was going for an Appaloosa bone look, more like what you see on the rear handle. The bone on the front handle was much denser than the bone on the rear. One of the unique characteristics of bone is that two scales cut from the same bone can have different densities and therefore absorb the dye differently giving each a look and even color. The fact that each handle is different adds to the character of the knife in my opinion, though I realize many people may not share my view.
The sheath I made from a pattern based on another Western sheath that was in tatters. The style is what Western calls a flat sheath. It is hand punched, double stitched (by hand) and riveted at the three corners where Western had riveted the old sheath I was using is a pattern. It is heavy-duty and I expect it will last the new owner a lifetime. I did add a couple touches to the strap that were not on the pattern sheath; the longer tag end to make it easier for someone like me with arthritis in their fingers to open the snap and I also covered the back of the snap with leather so that it would not scratch the bone handle.
Well, that’s what I did. I will post some pictures here, as I will be quite interested in your reaction to the bone handles in particular.
Thank you for your feedback!
