Birth Of A Helle's Belle

[tritiuminator]

Saw your coffin pic Mark in the thread. Looks great.

Was wondering though if yourself or Joe if you see this... the 4 studs on the coffin handle ( one near the guard and 3 back of handle or 2 studs with flower). Do they serve a purpose when it comes to handling the knife? Perhaps acting as indicators of where your grip is on the knife? Or perhaps it is just for looks?

 

[Mongo]

Joe, once again you astound me with your pics and words. I wish I had the wherewithall to live the life of JP! I love the stag, it's curvature and appearance are perfect. I absolutely love both sheaths. I do hope that you follow through with your threat/promise to post up some pics with you wearing the sheath. I am especially interested in how you can conceal such a large piece, yet have it accessible.

 

[JParanee]

Mongo much apreciated I will try and get some pics. I am at work and I have an over nine inch bowie on me right now in front of customers and just the other day one of the cops that hangs around one of my spots asked to use a knife and I smiled and handed him the stag HB in the obove pics. The group of cops just shook there head and could not believe for months I had been walking around them and they never noticed. Now that summer is coming and I cant wear a light cover item like a button down fishing shirt to really hide it I scale down the size of the blade plus I do not like to sweat up good leather. But as soon as I can wear a light cover garment or if I am not going in public it is back on. I will be carrying this knife at blade so if you are there I can show ya. Thanks again

 

[crossada]

Saw your coffin pic Mark in the thread. Looks great.

Was wondering though if yourself or Joe if you see this... the 4 studs on the coffin handle ( one near the guard and 3 back of handle or 2 studs with flower). Do they serve a purpose when it comes to handling the knife? Perhaps acting as indicators of where your grip is on the knife? Or perhaps it is just for looks?

my HB with the flower stud is a one of a kind is what Bill told me. i think the studs are more visual than anything. i grip the knife back on the end of the handle and my pinky finger naturally falls in at the flower so i could be wrong about that.

 

[JParanee]

Crossada yours is the only one I have seen like that and the only one like it that I know of.

I believe the echustrian plate is there to help index the blade in the dark the studs help a bit I guess but his coffin handles have a contour to them that you really don't need them all a matter of taste. I have an Ontario that I use for practice and I removed the pins and plate and sanded the handle to give it a more real Bagwell feel I can index that blade fine but it still does not feel like the real thing

 

[tritiuminator]

Thanks guys for giving me an idea of the feel of a HB.

But if I could inquire further... Mark, is the flower stud on both sides of the handle or is it a flower and stud on the other?

 

[OrlandoCook]

pretty sweet.

 

[Mike Sastre]

The plate does help you index blade orientation in the dark, and the four pins are also index points for different grips, depending on what you are doing. Forward pins more for backcuts, rearward more for committed thrusts.

 

[tritiuminator]

The plate does help you index blade orientation in the dark, and the four pins are also index points for different grips, depending on what you are doing. Forward pins more for backcuts, rearward more for committed thrusts.

Hi Mike, when you mean the forward pins for backcuts, do you mean cutting in the reverse grip or a reverse grip stabbing motion towards the back eg. if an opponent is behind you?

 

[Mike Sastre]

Dan, you misunderstand. A backcut is a strike delivered in forward grip, utilizing the sharpened false edge of a Bowie. Simplistic explanation: Hold your hand in front of you as if giving a "thumbs-up" sign. Quickly push your hand to the target (head for example), and as soon as your arm comes to extension, flick to the "thumbs-down" position, adding a little retracting arc, much like a "cats-paw" hit. Picture your thumb nail as the sharpened false edge. The path or arc it travels is the backcut. The point will always lead (piercing & penetrating) with the sharpened part following (cutting & ripping). Should always be delivered in at least pairs, or 3,5,7 or more part flows, with direction and elevation changes. Very devastating and hard to stop. Best information on the backcut and/or fighting with a Bowie comes from James A. Keating. http://www.jamesakeating.com/instructional1.html Best visual representation and & quick-study" is on the "Legacy of Steel" DVD from Paladin Press, also by JAK.

 

[tritiuminator]

Dan, you misunderstand. A backcut is a strike delivered in forward grip, utilizing the sharpened false edge of a Bowie. Simplistic explanation: Hold your hand in front of you as if giving a "thumbs-up" sign. Quickly push your hand to the target (head for example), and as soon as your arm comes to extension, flick to the "thumbs-down" position, adding a little retracting arc, much like a "cats-paw" hit. Picture your thumb nail as the sharpened false edge. The path or arc it travels is the backcut. The point will always lead (piercing & penetrating) with the sharpened part following (cutting & ripping). Should always be delivered in at least pairs, or 3,5,7 or more part flows, with direction and elevation changes. Very devastating and hard to stop.

Hi Mike, thanks for that. Was speaking to Bill yesterday and he enlightened me on the Backcut and that the studs at the front of the coffin handle helps guide and aline the clip as you execute a backcut.

Even more interesting - for me - was that he mentioned that in skilled hands the sharpened clip would see more action then the primary blade... with devastating effect as you have mentioned.

With Bill's, Joe's & your explanation, I got the gist of it.

 

[crossada]

Thanks guys for giving me an idea of the feel of a HB.

But if I could inquire further... Mark, is the flower stud on both sides of the handle or is it a flower and stud on the other?

i'm sorry i missed this the flower is on both sides of the handle while the plate is only on one side.

 

[Buffalohump]

Congrats on the awesome Bowie and sheath!

I was just wondering about that little circular cut out near the guard. I have seen similar on trad. kukris.

What is its purpose?

Thanks!

 

[JParanee]

Congrats on the awesome Bowie and sheath!

I was just wondering about that little circular cut out near the guard. I have seen similar on trad. kukris.

What is its purpose?

Thanks!

Thanks for the kind words. Do a search on spanish notch there are many theories for it's use .. I have read everything from a blade catcher to a cap remover for black powder. Bill puts them on his HB's as a blade catcher but more or less they harken back to times past and just look good on HB's

 

[Buffalohump]

Very interesting!

I would greatly like to see a pic of how you carry such a knife. I assume with the frog on the sheath it is not carried IWB? How does one conceal such a long piece?

 

[JParanee]

Very interesting!

I would greatly like to see a pic of how you carry such a knife. I assume with the frog on the sheath it is not carried IWB? How does one conceal such a long piece?

I will try and get some pics I apologize just been very busy lately. Mike Sastre has been promoteing this type of carry for a long time .. Mike if ya see this and ya have any pics please post them till I get a chance.

 

[chuckinohio]

I have an acute case of knife envy going here.

Phenomenal blade, exceptional sheath, legendary maker, man o man.

Chuck

 

[Mike Sastre]

Here ya go, Joe.

 

[MARSUS]

Great Mike!

 

[JParanee]

Thanks Mike I only go in waste band when I have to most the time I just go thru belt and with a light cover garment the knife disappears. Blade length is critical for this type of carry and the length needs to be tailored to your body dimensions to be comfortable. When the knife is just thru the belt you do not feel it at all and I carry on my left side because I carry a gun on my right. With the belt holding the blade tight to your body it does not slap around and makes for the fastest draw that I have found. When I draw the knife I use my left hand and draw in an ice pick grip edge forward. When men carried blades as a way of life they carried sash . look at old pics and drawings you always see blades shoved thru belts either cross draw which would be in front of your left hip for a right handed fellow or behind the right hip for a right hand draw. Like I said I draw with my left hand even though I am right handed so I carry behind my left hip or I use a conventional right hand crossdraw. Carrying IWB takes some getting used to but you can get used to it and because the knife is so easy on easy off it only takes a second to pull the knife out and lay it on the seat of your car or switch it's position to anothe area. Like all things it takes getting used to but now that I have carried this way for a number of years and it is the only way to carry a big knife. paul Long does my leather versions Bill's sheaths are excellent and Mike's Southern Comfort is a kydex version which I really like for summer so I do not sweat up good leather. Once the leather breaks in you can do lighting fast draws and Mike's stuff needs no break in and is fast as hell out of the box. Some great people doing great work.. Thanks Guys