1917 Frontier Bowie?

[Chris_Texas]

What an incredible thread. Thank you to everyone who contributed.

 

[y53p]

My one Cold Steel 1917 Frontier Bowie specimen that I removed the bluing from the blade, satin finished, and convexed the edge on, turned out to be quite a rewarding project for me. I think it came out pretty darned good!
The one thing I would had loved to have done to it, would have been to replace it's rosewood handle with a quality made polymer ivory one, (just to have added a bit more uniqueness to it). I don't have the proper tools or skill to make my own, but had hoped that this model's popularity would have caused some creative entrepreneur to make and offer different material handles for them. If someone ever does so, the replacement handles would likely have to be made in an ever so slightly oversized fashion so that one could judiciously sand the inletting and such down a little to make it fit just right to one's own specimen, (because these Bowie knives involve some hand made factors that cause some deviations in their dimensions)
There was, (maybe still is), a handgun grip company, (Ajax), that used to offer that polymer ivory stuff in their products, and the material did not look "plasticky" or "mickey mousey" at all! I think it would be a great alternative look for these knives, (with the blued or for the in the white blade).

Just looked online for that grip company, and they are still in business.
Here is what their polymer ivory looks like....



I most definitely agree that this Cold Steel Bowie knife lends itself very well to performing modifications in order to make them unique items suiting your own wants and/or needs

Beautiful results, good job, that finish looks super clean. Care to share the exact stripping/polish process for the finish?

 

[DDDYLN]

I am interested in buying one, but I have read conflicting reviews regarding the quality control and out of the box sharpness of these knives. The idea that they are made in India also has me wondering. I have also read about sheath issues.

Does anyone have any opinions after actually purchasing one? Thanks.

I've got one. It's a great knives for the price, but I'm not a huge fan. Mine has never been used. If you're interested in buying it, let me know.

The Bad: 1) It doesn't come hair shaving sharp. I ace a Work Sharp Ken Onion, so it's not a problem. But still, it's a pain if you're buying it for home defense. 2) It barely has any belly to the edge. It's almost straight until it curves to the clip point. The long edge has some belly. IMO, a slashing knife should have more belly. That's why I prefer the traditional Western Bowie shape. 3) The handle is garbage, especially if you have XXL hands. My palms are 11" in circumference. The handle is slippery, uncomfortable, and the wood is weak. Even if I was to wrap the handle in hockey tape, it would still be hard to grip for me. 4) It's about 3" too long to be a functional fighting knife. It's more like a short Cutlass sword. 5) The sheath has nothing on it for strapping it to your leg.

The Good: 1) It's one of the toughest large knives you can buy. You may break the rosewood handle, but you'd be hard pressed to break the blade. Joe X did one of his over-the-top destruction tests on it. He could barely break it. It's 0.25" think 1090 carbon steel, and it must have an excellent heat treat. It's up there with the Ontario SP10 Marine Raider Bowie, when it comes to toughness. 2) The sheath alone is probably worth $70+. The blade draws silently from the sheath (after some oiling). 3) You'd be hard pressed to find a better large carbon steel blade for the price, especially now that Ontario is out of business, and the SP10 Marine Raider Bowies are going for $200+ on eBay.