Any one like bowies here

Here is a portion of an article from the J.R. Edmondson website, one of the foremost experts on the bowie knife.

An investigative two-part article by Edmondson appeared in successive issues (January & February, 1993) of Knife World magazine. Reading almost like a Stephen King thriller, the article is totally riveting and assumes edge-of-your-chair "Twilight Zone" characteristics with nearly cinematic, Hitchcock-like overtones. Titled "The Brass-Backed Bowie," it discusses the extraordinarily shaped and massive Bowie knife owned by California artist, blade collector and fellow Bowie historian Joseph Musso. The weapon is pictured in the article with the studio prop knife used in the Alan Ladd film, "The Iron Mistress" (based on the book by Paul Wellman). Though the handsome prop knife is unusually large, Musso's brass-backed Bowie is even larger: the blade itself is almost 14 inches long, making the weapon effectively a small sword - which is precisely how Bowie's knife is described in some accounts.

The Knife World article offers if not "absolute proof" then certainly some very convincing evidence that Musso's knife was made ca.1830, possibly by James Black in Washington, Arkansas. The initials JB appear on part of the quillon. While the letters could represent the maker's initials, some feel that the knife may have been made for and owned by Bowie. Conjecture may be fruitless but it's still fascinating.

Though we'll never know for certain if Musso's weapon is literally a Bowie knife, there are those who share a common view about it - a common feeling. Rather singular and historically almost unique of shape, positively frightening of configuration and monstrous in its size, there's an undefinable mood about it which is almost disturbing, as though it has some hidden story to tell, if only it could speak. Inanimate, the weapon has no life of its own - but it seems to have a very distinctive and almost palpable presence. This cannot be explained. It can only be felt - and it can be sensed even in its photographs.
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My father is a child hood friend of Joe Musso. my father told me some about the knife before I became a knifenut. I have researched it and even saw Joe on the history channel with the knife. My father is trying to get in contact with him. If any one knows his e-mail or webpage. you can e-mail it to me. if you want to know my fathers name I'll tell you by e-mail. after some things that have went on here recently, I would rather not say on a public forum any of my families name or addresses. I would realy appreciate any info yall have. Thanx! :)
 
This is a photo of a reproduction of the Musso bowie.

IP-201.JPG
 
Oh, and thanks for the article! and where can i get a repro like that? I have a scaled down SMKW's version (10" blade) but i would like to get a full size version.
 
It sure looks accurate and functional ,too. :) shame it costs so much :(
Are there any less expensive ones?
 
the possum said:
I'm seeing some nifty knives here.

Ebbtide-
I'm curious about that knife you posted. What is the idea behind that upswept clip point? Did the maker have a lot of hooking in mind or something?
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That is Livesay's Sand Bar Bowie. He patterned it after a Cival War relic/antique.

The clip (IMHO) is there to concentrate force on the point. If you're holding the knife in a saber grip, the edge down, all of your muscles are aligned for pushing that edge down. Lifting up, without changing grip, is much less powerful. The clip makes up for this.

;)
Have your wife step on your foot while she is barefoot.
Then let her try again with her high heels.
Same principle.
;)


One more without the clip.
I sketched this out and Bruce Evans did the real work :D
ebivory.jpg
 
Ebbtide said:
The clip (IMHO) is there to concentrate force on the point. If you're holding the knife in a saber grip, the edge down, all of your muscles are aligned for pushing that edge down. Lifting up, without changing grip, is much less powerful. The clip makes up for this.

;)
Have your wife step on your foot while she is barefoot.
Then let her try again with her high heels.
Same principle.
;)
Click to expand...

Well, yeah, I understand all that. I guess what I was getting at, is the fighting style the origional owner used must have involved a lot of those underhanded hooking type thrusts, or back cuts, or whatever. I just mean the clip is turned upward more than I'm used to seeing. The same shape that helps it with those underhanded thrusts also hinders it in straight thrusts.

That's another nice lookin' blade ya posted there.
 
The back cut usualy starts with the knife pointed up and then twisted so that the clip rotates 180 degrees and the point then faces down. A little hard to explain, but thats the basic idea, according to bagwell.
 
atlanta cutlery's isnt too bad...Eric on Axeforum (the owner) got one recently :) gave it a good review, nice and sharp out of the box!
 
the possum said:
Well, yeah, I understand all that. I guess what I was getting at, is the fighting style the origional owner used must have involved a lot of those underhanded hooking type thrusts, or back cuts, or whatever. I just mean the clip is turned upward more than I'm used to seeing. The same shape that helps it with those underhanded thrusts also hinders it in straight thrusts.

That's another nice lookin' blade ya posted there.
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Thank you. What doesn't show is how thin the blade is. This is a knife, not a SPB.

I wanted to post the link to Livesay's page but the page won't open :(
He had a little history on the original that this knife was modeled after.

I'm thinking the design was from a particular 'style'. Duelling was on the wane but the knife/sword (duelling) knowlege was still common.
So maybe it is a product of a particular school (back then salon) of the knife?

I saw this on TV so it must be true:
History Channel had a descendant of Bowie on a Wild West show. He described the use of the bowie with the edge up / clip down.
The big guard was used to catch/trap the BG's blade. A cut down to the wrist with the clip should make the BG retract his arm opening the abdomen up for attack.
Like I said...I saw it on TV so it must be true ;)


Keith!
Great find
:cool:
I think one of the bowie guys gave that a 'good enough' kind of review a couple of years ago.
 
Thanx. :) I have one of there Great Western Bowies. Not the best fit and finish, but nothings loosened up yet. when i have a little more money I'll buy one.
 
The bottom knife is a huge Ken Richardson Bowie, 10 3/4" blade, 16 1/2" OAL. The Zebra Damascus Bowie is my own design with a 8 7/8" blade, 13 13/16" OAL, forged spine (with two 'blade catch' notches), and now sporting 'cog teeth' filework on the bottom of the guard (inset). Pictured next to it's smaller damascus cousin , a skinner with a 3 3/8" blade, 8 3/16" OAL.
bowies4.jpg
 
My favorite Bowie is the Fallkniven NL2 Odin. It has an 8" laminated blade and a leather handle. It has a scary sharp convex edge, and is light and well balanced for its size.
 
Wunderbar: I've always like the Cold Steel Bush Ranger - I got one for a friend of mine for Christmas some years back in Carbon V & alwaysregretted not getting one for myself as well :eek:

Will P: I like that UWK design alot too and I'm partial to CS brand knives. If they made it in Carbon V or AUS8 I would get one but I'm not sure about the whole 420 thing... I still may eventually get one though.

Keith M: That is one awesome knife!!! :) Maybe someday... :D

Some of you have some really expensive knives - Bigbore45's has got to be in the $500 - $1,500 range methinks... Whoa!

Unfortunately none of mine are quite so pricey :( yet I've got a few good ones nonetheless. As for Bowies, I currently have 1) an original CS Trailmaster, 2) CS SRK, 3) Ontario SP6 Fighter, 4) Windlass Steelcrafts Mariner Bowie (from Atlanta Cutlery), 5) a 12" blade D-guard Ontario machete / Bowie hybrid, 6) a Bark River proto-type Bowie (in 52100) 7) a small K-bar, a 8) Spyderco Perrin fixed blade utility and 9) a Black Jack Grunt (if these last few really qualify as "Bowies").

I have other knives but none would qualify as Bowies IMO and the Bark River EK Night Fighter I purchased tonight, while definately a Bowie, has not arrived yet so I'm not counting it ;)
 
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