Bose Knives

[Mack]

Here’s a new pattern from Wilfred Works. Duck decoy carver George Strunk (Duckman here on BF) wanted a slimmer, lighter swayback. Kerry Hampton worked up the design and George has the first one from Kerry and then the first one by Tony. I’ll let George add in the details of the design and end result, and hopefully his pictures as well. (Hint: handle and blade from another Bose pattern.)

It’s 3 5/8s closed, and notably lighter and slimmer than the other swayback pattern. I was going to get mine in ivory with a bolster and no shield, but since I wanted to carry it Tony talked me into this shadow. The big benefit to me is that it has Don Hanson’s forged W2 steel. Truly the best of both worlds with Hanson steel on a Bose knife. Thanks Don and Tony. I first asked Don about doing this three years ago and he was game.

Tony cut out the blade and sent it to Don for heat-treating. The Old Dog said it was Rockwell 62.5 hardness.

Very sharp, thin blade and it really rides well in my pocket.

Mike, that might qualify as the perfect user/collector knife for me. What a fantastic collaboration.

 

[kai76]

That's a mighty fine user!

 

[ISKski]

is that a flipped around WT with the W blade?

 

[waynorth]

Looks very nice, Mike. Sure peels my apples!!

That oughta open your mail in style!!:thumbup:

 

[bakerg2g]

Mike, I know you'll enjoy that buddy! I like the slim profile it's a dandy, love those Bose
shadows.. I bet Don's W2 is fantastic... Congrats buddy. Rockwell @ 62.5 nice!

Jason

 

[Mike Robuck]

is that a flipped around WT with the W blade?

Ding, ding, ding! WT handle flipped around with the WT wharnie blade.

Thanks guys.

 

[Don Hanson III]

That's got to be close to the perfect pocket knife, Mike. Very Nice!

Thanks for the W2 / T.Bose idea. Tony is a lot of fun to work with.

Here's mine. After a fair bit of use...

 

[Mack]

That's got to be close to the perfect pocket knife, Mike. Very Nice!

Thanks for the W2 / T.Bose idea. Tony is a lot of fun to work with.

Here's mine. After a fair bit of use...

The knife world's version of a Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin song.
It's hard to imagine it getting better than that.

 

[J D Wijbenga]

Outstanding collaboration! Pure functional art.

 

[Mike Robuck]

Tony made himself a shadow swayback with W2 that does not suck at all.

 

[bakerg2g]

Stag shadow with W2... Hard to beat.


Jason

 

[kai76]

Man, that is sweet!

 

[waynorth]

Maybe someone who has used W2 can expound a bit on its attributes (and drawbacks if any)!?
I know nothing about that steel.
Nice shadow Stag Tony!!

 

[black mamba]

Charlie, because of its higher alloy content (chromium, nickel, vanadium, moly and tungsten) than 1095, it is tougher at higher hardness, takes a great edge and holds it longer, plus takes a wonderful hamon. Great stuff!

 

[Don Hanson III]

Maybe someone who has used W2 can expound a bit on its attributes (and drawbacks if any)!?
I know nothing about that steel.
Nice shadow Stag Tony!!

I started using W2 8 years ago for it's hamon potential, but after a bit of testing, found it to be a truly high performance tool steel. Basically a simple, high carbon steel with just enough vanadium to make a difference, very low manganese and very low chromium (The other alloys Jeff mentioned are Very low in the W2 I'm using, basically trace elements). The very low alloy makes a very fine grain structure possible and this is done with heat cycles, or multiple normalizing cycles. The vanadium also promotes very fine grain, adds toughness and wear resistance. Being a tool steel, it is cleaner and higher quality than 10XX steels.

Also have found this W2 to perform very well at high Rc hardness. I thought I was heat treating these W2 blades to 60-61 Rc, but Tony tested them at 62.5-63 and one blade at 64. That hardest one got another temper.

Lastly, I can get this W2 sharper than most steels and this is do to the very fine grain.

Only draw back that I've found with W2, is it's hard to get in thin bar stock. I'm forging this stuff from 2"-2.75" round stock. I had trouble getting any W2, 8 years ago and bought close to 30,000 lbs when I found this batch. I've sold over 20,000 lbs to other makers, but will keep the rest for my use.

 

[GigOne]

I had trouble getting any W2, 8 years ago and bought close to 30,000 lbs when I found this batch. I've sold over 20,000 lbs to other makers, but will keep the rest for my use.

Roughly 10,000 lbs. . . .equates to two or three knives, Don?

 

[Don Hanson III]

Roughly 10,000 lbs. . . .equates to two or three knives, Don?

Figure I wont run out...

How's it goin Gig man?

 

[wafarers]

Tony Bose,
That stag shadow swayback is perfect in every respect. Awesome knife.

 

[waynorth]

Thanks for the info, Don and Jeff! Sounds like a "super steel"!
Now I gotta have a knife in W2!!

 

[KnifeHead]

The Old Dog is still teaching us young pups a few things with this latest knife off of his bench. Tony hasn't made one of these for a while but, after we were able to make these match-striker pulls, he thought this pattern would be a good one to try it on. This is patterned after an old Ka-bar Texas Jack that has a match-striker pull and the pen blade is behind the clip. The old knife has cam-ended tangs but Tony's pattern has half-stops. Also unlike the original, Tony couldn't make this knife without an extension spring for the pen blade. After all this talk of the old knife, I will have to shoot it and post some pix for comparison.