All About Pocket Knives

I think at some point in every knife makers career he/she considers making the famous "Bowie" knife, some people specialize in them. This 7" blade is hand forged from a 2"x3" billet of 52100 carbon steel, the guard is also 52100, it will have Sambar Stag scales with a full tang and perhaps a butt cap. I can't decide if it's going to be flat or convex ground. Thanks for looking.......

I'm not a big fan of Bowie knives, but, if I were commissioning that blade, I'd ask for a convex grind, and no pommel. That Sambar will dress her up nicely, you do fine work.

Yeah, convex seems to be the order of the day for bowies and big choppers. Thin enough to bite deep but thick enough to retain weight and strength.

I like the blade on that knife, though I think the guard (as it is now) is too big. Seven inches is a nice size, I can actually imagine using it to skin a buffalo or other tasks. As to the grind, if it were me and I thought it might actually be used, I would go with a flat grind, especially since I am guessing that blade is pretty thick. And a bit of pommel, just enough to (hopefully) protect the stag when it is dropped.

When you say it is hand forged from a 2"x3" billet, what do you mean? I have hammered out a few blades and that is one heck of an oversize billet to start hammering on!

Thanks for the compliment and the feedback Steel..........I ended doing a convex grind, I was kind leaning that way since I think it's the best all around grind if done properly. That stag is going to look awesome for sure!



Thanks Kaleb for the feedback, I think this one is going to turn out pretty good!



Dinadan, these 52100 billets I have started their lives as a 5" round. They were then sliced like bread and worked down by Ed Fowler into billets. I did type 2x3 but they are closer to 2x2 by 24 long, I work them down from there. This is the steel that Ed has been using for years and has had great results with it.



You can clearly see the hamon lines in the blade, one a bit higher than the other. I'm leaning toward not removing the carbon from the guard and leaving the dark enchant color on the blade.............
What do all ya'll think?

That is a very cool photo with the hamon lines. Thanks for the info. Sounds like a lot of metal removal to create that blade!

Mel, the larger 2x2 billet is cut off in sections and then welded to a handle and drawn out to a more manageable starting size normally about 1x1.5" or something like that. Although it started as a 5" round it is continually worked down to a manageable size for forging. The steel is then forged down to the approximate shape and length of your project. You cut that from the billet and then start grinding. This one didn't need a lot of work because I got down pretty close to finish dimensions. I hope I'm making sense.

Okay, that photo is what I visualize when I think of hand forged! My grandfather was a blacksmith, and my dad (born 1907) had a little forge where he repaired tools and tinkered. Looked about the same size as yours. When I was in my teens I was always hammering knives and spearheads out of scrap, old pieces of plow or such. Remembering that is why I was so surprised at the starting size of the billet.Thanks for the explanation and especially the photo. Do you have a bellows of some kind pumping air through the base into the fire? My dad used an old vacuum for a bellows and since his forge was an old tire rim, it had a hole just about right for the bellows pipe.

I have saw alot of your knives over the yrs Gary...but boy O boy..
I cannot wait to see this one finished
Always loved the Bowies, and I can tell ya from having a 7 inch
blade on a Marble's Trailmaker made of 52/100 steel that I bought in 1999,
it makes one heck of a camp knife !!! I have cut wood, tent stakes, deer legs,
branchs (big ones) off trees for shooting lanes, frozen meat, etc. and it has held up very well
Post up the pics when ya get her done

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

That looks promising Gary, I can't wait to see it finished!

Thank you Will! This is my first Bowie ever............and I'm diggin it! I can incorporate the Scagel influence, the Fowler forging and heat treat with a GMusic touch. I'm going to keep this one simple using no scale spacers or butt cap, a no frills to the point Bowie.

Thank you Dale!


I can hardly wait myself to see the finished knife............

Dinadan wrote:Do you have a bellows of some kind pumping air through the base into the fire? My dad used an old vacuum for a bellows and since his forge was an old tire rim, it had a hole just about right for the bellows pipe.

Mel, a bellows is cool............mine plugs in.

Clean ,efficient looking workplace Gary. Nice looking stag too.

You are so right wlf...it is great looking stag !!!
I am really excited that Gary is doing this Bowie...did you read
that article here on AAPK Gary about the Bowie pattern ???
That pattern knife played such a role in the settling of the American west
Its a knife that really evokes a fella day dreamin of the 1800's and what it
would have been like too live in that era, does me anyway...being fortunate
enough to travel around the west with a camper seeing alot of virgin land...
like Gus said in Lonesome Dove..ain't nother better than traveling thru new country on a good horse
I think that Stag is gonna give it the exact no frills look you are lookin for Gary

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

Thank you Lyle. When I fire up the forge (coke forge) I open up the door and roll it outside, there's a nice big slab in front of the shop. It's real easy to walk my anvil out there too.


Will, I have not seen that piece. I'm doing a search to find it here pretty quick.

The epoxy is setting up on the stag scales as we speak. I'll peen the pins, clean her up and put an edge on it tomorrow. Then I can work on a sheath for it.

Getting close to finishing the no frills Bowie. Peen some pins, clean her up and she's complete. In the not so good close up of the blade you can see the grain structure after etching.

Great thread! Wonderful work!

Thank you Glenn! I appreciate the feedback.



Here she is.........all dressed up and no where to go. It was a fun build, I learned a lot. I really like the knife it's just what I envisioned from the start. It would be an awesome knife for one of those guys in the SASS.

The knife ended up 11.25" overall with a 6 3/8" blade, it has a full distal taper, the spine is slightly relieved or rounded, convex ground with a full tang handle and presentation grade Sambar Stag scales. The slight recurve was intentional and just love the look. The guard I left with an oil quench finish which resembles case hardening. It balances just behind the guard on the index finger.

Thanks for all of the feedback guys, I appreciate your time.

Thats Gorgeous Gary !!! A real old no frills classic on a great American knife pattern...
I really like the flat hilt /guard....you know how on alot of bowies the
guard is bent one way then the other on the off side....
I have found using big blade knives that they are much more responsive
in the hand for different tasks with the flat guard the way your fingers hit it
It really came out good Gary...you should be proud...
thanks for the posts & pics............

Will
http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/clearcreekknives

Thank you Will!


This has been a fun project, this knife may be my all time favorite so far. It incorporates all of the aspects of a knife that got me started in this knife making venture. The Scagel influence, early Americana, hand forging, red hot steel hammers and sparks, Ed Fowler, Wootz, Stag............it's all there and the more I handle this knife the more I like it.

Gary that is a wonderful knife. Your skill is obvious and the end result is something anyone would be proud to own. Well done.

Thank you Phil, I appreciate the feedback. I enjoyed this built enough to perhaps do another one here shortly.

That is a beautiful knife! Looks just right for the great plains in the 1840s. Looking at it makes me think buffalo hunters, wagon trains, fur traders ...

How do people know it's your custom Gary,they should?