bushcraft bowie knife

Hello. as my screen name suggests i am a bladesmith ( some one who makes knives and swords ). I saw this section and figured it might be cool to post something. So here is one of my earlier knives that i made about a year ago. Its a 13 inch survival bowie knife design to withstand immense use and abuse. (forged from 5160 springsteel with a spring temper to yellow brown)

Unfortunately, if there is supposed to be a picture, it's not visible. I would have been interested in seeing the knife, though. Oh well.

there we go. i had to adjust the size (it showed up huge o_O)

That's awesome that you do that! Honestly, I can't really say any praises or criticisms about it, because I'm not a bladesmith and know nothing on bladesmithing, but that's really cool-- I really like the knife sheath as well. That's awesome!

-Coral-

Ah, there we are. Pretty impressive It's cool that you're into making knives and stuff like that. These days you'd think that these things are all just built by machines in large factories full of computers or something. It's enjoyable to see something made by the hands of an actual person (or at least designed by one). Thanks for sharing this.

Hey Blade,
Big knives are always cool and this is no exception. It seems sturdy enough to handle extreme abuse as you said, and the shape is great, curvy yet straight. The handle looks comfortable and the knife seems to be a nice hefty weight. Did you also make the sheath yourself? Because it's really well made. All in all, I like it. ^^
One can really admire a bladesmith nowadays, as mass productions of swords in factories are so common that it's disgusting really. It's good to know that there are people out there who still stick to the good old days. I'd like to see more of your craft here, keep posting!

Your's truly,
|Life|

Yep, made the sheath too though a friend painted the dragon. Thanks everyone! right now im making a messer (a single edged one handed sword that is really just a machete like weapon used by german peasants in times of war). actually i just came inside from bladesmithing. its so cold out that the propane tank lost pressure as it grew colder from sending propane down the line o_O.

>_> as for those factory made swords. We bladesmiths call them sword like objects. the vast majority of them are simply cut and stamped stainless steel. while stainless steel is great for holding an edge it sucks for making a sword. stainless steel is not very flexible and if clamped in a vice and bent it will shatter like glass around 20-25 degrees where as a real high carbon steel sword if made properly will flex at least to ninety degrees and still wont break. thats not counting the horrible design flaws such as shoddy construction, square joints between the blade and tang, and typically a rat tail tang u can bend with your bare hands. yes i agree, sad really.

I will see what i can do about doing a step by step photo album for you guys.

Cool knifes i must say...
Its really very impressive that you made this lethal thing...
AWESOME....

Thanks. Actually i didnt put an edge on it because i was displaying it at a fair with little kids XD. for any of you in CT i have been invited back this year as an exhibitor for bladesmithing at Scotland's farm day on may 21st! itll be a lot of fun!

Wow, these are awesome!
Very wicked looking and one can tell you put some considerable work into it,(not that I know anything about it!).
~day

That photo is amazing! I loved how the metal was starting to rust in some places to make it looked aged. And the wood handle is pretty neat too. And I loved how you didn't just set the knife on a table, you set it on animal fur. What kind of animal is it? (Off topic) But I really enjoyed this photo. Keep taking pictures, I would love to see more of your work.

thanks everyone. the back of the blade is left with a forge finish>> oxidized from the fire. the yellowish hint between it and the bare steel is actually from the temper. after quenching i tempered it back to straw yellow (by cooking it for 3 cycles at 315 degrees in an oven. and yes the steel literally changes color on the surface.) tempering takes the brittleness out of the blade while still keeping the steel hard enough to hold a good edge. that ghostly line along the length of it is from the edge quench>>> i only quenched the edge meaning that the spine is more flexible and capable of absorbing impacts. this is similar to the clay based quench that produces a hamon on japanese katana. what all this means is that as it is a bush craft knife if you needed to chop down a small tree with it it could take the punishment.

yeahh.. also me..
i love it that knife bow...
want it.. ^_^


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By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin-elk ridge knife