Bowie knife - looking for input.

Scott Hanson

Scott Hanson

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Hello, some time back I was asked by a customer if I could build him a Bowie knife. He requested 5160 steel 1/4" to be used in his knife, and I said sure no problem. So, there will a small run of 5160 Bowie knives ( Both English and American ), some camp knives and a dagger or two I think. Anyhow I'm looking for ideas, what do you think and also what do you want to see as far as blade size, shape and handle styles.

I just finished grinding this blade to a 220 grit finish on my belt grinder last night, I haven done any hand sanding on it yet.

Like I say I'm looking for imputes here so feel free to chime in and post pics if you like.

Thank you, Scott

IMG_4666.jpegIMG_4667.jpegIMG_4668.jpeg
 
My 2 cents Scott, I really like the false edge and blade shape. Looks a little like a swept tip Bowie. I also like the longer Ricasso, my other thought is what really makes a Bowie standout is the guard and handle. Nothing real fancy like an S guard or D handle, maybe something like this?

ETA: I have a fighter in 5160 3/16 it holds an edge like a beast.
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Dopic1 said:
My 2 cents Scott, I really like the false edge and blade shape. Looks a little like a swept tip Bowie. I also like the longer Ricasso, my other thought is what really makes a Bowie standout is the guard and handle. Nothing real fancy like an S guard or D handle, maybe something like this?

ETA: I have a fighter in 5160 3/16 it holds an edge like a beast.
View attachment 1757098
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Wow! That J. Neilson knife you got there is incredible.

I agree with you on the handle also, this is going to have a flat nickel guard possibly with a wrought iron spacer behind it with a stag roll and a nickel butt cap. Right now the blade clip has a slight arc in it I am either going to make it perfectly flat or ever so slightly sweep it up a bit. The bottom pic gave me some ideas about reworking the clip a bit.

Oh I should have mentioned the blade I'm working on is 7 1/2" long and 1 3/8" wide and 1/4" thick. The main bevels are ground 5 degrees per side and clip is ground 15 degrees per side. It's actually lighter than I thought it would be, 9.6 oz even with the tang being beefy. So the finished knife should be around 12 oz.

Any thoughts on the red line for the clip modification, dead flat or slightly up swept?

IMG_4666.jpegScreen Shot 2022-03-03 at 10.20.26 AM.jpeg
 
Scott Hanson said:
Wow! That J. Neilson knife you got there is incredible.

I agree with you on the handle also, this is going to have a flat nickel guard possibly with a wrought iron spacer behind it with a stag roll and a nickel butt cap. Right now the blade clip has a slight arc in it I am either going to make it perfectly flat or ever so slightly sweep it up a bit. The bottom pic gave me some ideas about reworking the clip a bit.

Oh I should have mentioned the blade I'm working on is 7 1/2" long and 1 3/8" wide and 1/4" thick. The main bevels are ground 5 degrees per side and clip is ground 15 degrees per side. It's actually lighter than I thought it would be, 9.6 oz even with the tang being beefy. So the finished knife should be around 12 oz.

Any thoughts on the red line for the clip modification, dead flat or slightly up swept?

View attachment 1757123View attachment 1757124
Click to expand...
I wish that J Neilson was mine, was just using the pic for the guard and handle. On the other hand Jay's shop is only an hour and half away. ;) I like the guard on the Henry and swept clip, Bowie's gotta have that sexy curve..... Your blade being a little narrower (is that even a word?) than the bottom left would also look good with the straight clip. The nickel, wrought iron and stag will be a nice contrast and really set it off.
 
Dopic1 said:
I wish that J Neilson was mine, was just using the pic for the guard and handle. On the other hand Jay's shop is only an hour and half away. ;) I like the guard on the Henry and swept clip, Bowie's gotta have that sexy curve..... Your blade being a little narrower (is that even a word?) than the bottom left would also look good with the straight clip. The nickel, wrought iron and stag will be a nice contrast and really set it off.
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I was shopping tonight at Woodmans but now that I'm back I think I'm going to head back to the shop and straighten the clip out.
 
coolbreezy37 said:
That’s the perfect Bowie, especially in 5160. I would love to snag one from you. Are you taking orders?
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Yes, I can get one made for you, but I have a few other orders I have to fill first, PM me for more info when you get a chance. In the 5160 there should be more blades coming down the pipeline, so keep your eyes pealed.
 
Scott Hanson said:
Wow! That J. Neilson knife you got there is incredible.

I agree with you on the handle also, this is going to have a flat nickel guard possibly with a wrought iron spacer behind it with a stag roll and a nickel butt cap. Right now the blade clip has a slight arc in it I am either going to make it perfectly flat or ever so slightly sweep it up a bit. The bottom pic gave me some ideas about reworking the clip a bit.

Oh I should have mentioned the blade I'm working on is 7 1/2" long and 1 3/8" wide and 1/4" thick. The main bevels are ground 5 degrees per side and clip is ground 15 degrees per side. It's actually lighter than I thought it would be, 9.6 oz even with the tang being beefy. So the finished knife should be around 12 oz.

Any thoughts on the red line for the clip modification, dead flat or slightly up swept?

View attachment 1757123View attachment 1757124
Click to expand...
I like the blade shape on the top right best, but I'm not a huge fan of the coffin handle bowies. It is nice in that it's neutral for most grips and hand sizes I just prefer something more on the lines of the J Neilson bowie Dopic posted handle wise.

Looking forward to the finished bowie!
 
Ok, this is pretty much what has been rattling around in my head. For this blade this handle style with maybe a wrought iron and nickel silver spacers is most likely going to be a go.

What do you all think?

Screen Shot 2022-03-08 at 9.09.50 PM.jpeg
 
Scott Hanson said:
Ok, this is pretty much what has been rattling around in my head. For this blade this handle style with maybe a wrought iron and nickel silver spacers is most likely going to be a go.

What do you all think?

View attachment 1761785
Click to expand...
Overall looks great. One thing I don't care for though is when the spacer is smaller in diameter than the handle...just looks really weird to me. The one in the pic isn't too bad, but I have seen some that are much more extreme. Would rather not have the spacer at all in cases like that.
 
jlauffer said:
Overall looks great. One thing I don't care for though is when the spacer is smaller in diameter than the handle...just looks really weird to me. The one in the pic isn't too bad, but I have seen some that are much more extreme. Would rather not have the spacer at all in cases like that.
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I hear you, I have no intention of necking down the spacer. I have a Dan Graves knife I bought here years ago that's necked down like that, and it feels terrible in my hand. The knife wants to slip out of my hand butt first and drag the blade across my fingers when I use it. This knife necks down to about 5/8" at the Ebony spacer to about an 1 1/8" at the butt. This knife handle also cracked the entire length of the handle the first year I had it.

( Beware of buying a knife with a Taper or Carver handle. )

IMG_4674.jpeg
 
This is the plan right here, to transition the stag to the guard smoothly and being the same size.

My thought right now is the guard will be an 1/8" thick nickel silver and oval shaped, with two 1/4" thick pieces of wrought iron a three slightly thinner nickel silver spacers.

Or possibly a Scagel style with stacked leather and even a crown stag handle.

Screen Shot 2022-03-09 at 11.01.05 AM.jpeg
 
Scott Hanson said:
Wow! That J. Neilson knife you got there is incredible.

I agree with you on the handle also, this is going to have a flat nickel guard possibly with a wrought iron spacer behind it with a stag roll and a nickel butt cap. Right now the blade clip has a slight arc in it I am either going to make it perfectly flat or ever so slightly sweep it up a bit. The bottom pic gave me some ideas about reworking the clip a bit.

Oh I should have mentioned the blade I'm working on is 7 1/2" long and 1 3/8" wide and 1/4" thick. The main bevels are ground 5 degrees per side and clip is ground 15 degrees per side. It's actually lighter than I thought it would be, 9.6 oz even with the tang being beefy. So the finished knife should be around 12 oz.

Any thoughts on the red line for the clip modification, dead flat or slightly up swept?

View attachment 1757123View attachment 1757124
Click to expand...
The top right here really grabs my attention. My though? Length matters. I'd love a 9 incher with a gnarly stag handle
 
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