Complete history of Bowie knife

Mikael W said:
So, You like big Stag Crown Bowie's?
Two 19th century Masters in this dicipline was Henry Huber and Frederick Hassam!

A modern version of this style:
1295802876-NL1-Sambar-Crown-040.jpg



Regards
Mikael
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Thanks! Well,i was just curious to see, if anyone knows ID of that giant knife on picture, also yes I like stag handles too,I am sure many do too...Stag naturally bond and fits with the steel,same way as wood do I think
 
Seriousbladeno1 said:
Thanks! Well,i was just curious to see, if anyone knows ID of that giant knife on picture, also yes I like stag handles too,I am sure many do too...Stag naturally bond and fits with the steel,same way as wood do I think
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The Giant knife You linked to, is probably made as a custom displayknife.
No clue who made it.


Regards
Mikael
 
[video]https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.knife-depot.com/knife-information-73.html&ved=0ahUKEwjPuvHS_vbJAhUEhg8KHfPWAqUQFgh4MBc&usg=AFQjCNHEAGibu8qKjqVeVpwUSAwzPvwB4A[/video]

[video]https://www.google.ie/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://www.fieldandstream.com/node/1005010695&ved=0ahUKEwi8nsKQ__bJAhXE2Q4KHSE_AQMQFgh7MBg&usg=AFQjCNHTFB4DCIdxepeGE6huWas3WNyZDQ[/video]

Here are some interesting links too,mentioning Jim Bowie and Sandbar fight
 
[video]http://www.historicarkansas.org/collections/knife-bowie-no-1-guardless-bowie-type[/video]

The "Bowie no.1" attributed to J.Black through scientific research hold by Historical Arkansas Museum which acquired this knife from unnamed Texas knife collector...

It is very interesting to read that James Black had kept it's knifemaking process secret for so long, when he actually decide to share it,he has forgotten it himself... What supposed to be 10step process.
 
Seriousbladeno1 said:
[video]http://www.historicarkansas.org/collections/knife-bowie-no-1-guardless-bowie-type[/video]

The "Bowie no.1" attributed to J.Black through scientific research hold by Historical Arkansas Museum which acquired this knife from unnamed Texas knife collector...

It is very interesting to read that James Black had kept it's knifemaking process secret for so long, when he actually decide to share it,he has forgotten it himself... What supposed to be 10step process.
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Well, it is a Bowie-era Bowie. That's all that can be said conclusively about it. Most of the Black stuff is mixed up nonsense from a confused Arkansas governor and that fantacist Thorpe.

"Bowie No. 1" on the knife means nothing.
 
marcinek said:
Well, it is a Bowie-era Bowie. That's all that can be said conclusively about it. Most of the Black stuff is mixed up nonsense from a confused Arkansas governor and that fantacist Thorpe.

"Bowie No. 1" on the knife means nothing.
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If you know more about J.Black and can provide some facts,or links it would be interesting to know
 
Seriousbladeno1 said:
If you know more about J.Black and can provide some facts,or links it would be interesting to know
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In about 1840 Black told a newspaper that he made a knife for the Bowie brothers in the 1830s. There is no documentation that he did. In fact, there are no knives at all that are confirmed examples of Blacks work.

Around 1890 the governor of Arkansas (the state Black was from), whose family knew Black, mistakenly claims that Black made the first Bowie. Yay Arkansas! We are "Birthplace of the Bowie Knife." Based on a 50 year old muddled memory of a third party at best. Bowie descendants denied the "fact."

Enter Thorpe who runs with the cockamamie story of Black as the Bowie inventor. Thorp wrote the book Bowie Knife, containing Thorp's entirely made up history, and people eat it up.

Among them is King Faisal II of Iraq, who had Randall make a version of what Thorp believed Black made for the Bowie's when Black made the original Bowie.Which, remember, he didn't.

That one off custom becomes a standard Randall model, your beloved Randall Thorp Bowie.
 
I'm no expert on the subject, but didn't have Jim have more than one knife? If so, which knife are we talking about here?
 
The original Bowie knife was probably closest to the Forrest knife, if not it. Rezin Bowie should technically be the one credited with its development than Jim. Jim was more or less, a guy that got given it, and used it.

If you look at knives that have the strongest lineage to Rezin Bowie, they are more or less similar. Light, straight backed, relatively mid sized knives -

EdwinForrestBowieknife.jpg
.

RezinBowieKnife.jpg
.

Bowie.jpg
.
 
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Here's a nice look at what was available soon after Bowie got famous -

[video=youtube_share;OgDLPTAGw-k]http://youtu.be/OgDLPTAGw-k[/video].

[video]www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgDLPTAGw-k[/video].
 
kamagong said:
I'm no expert on the subject, but didn't have Jim have more than one knife? If so, which knife are we talking about here?
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Of course. They had many, and hasd many made to give as gifts to others.

I'm taking ng about the first one. Which, as I said earlier, and tltt agrees (smart guy!) is the Forrest Knife.

I suppose the Alamo knife would be of interest too, to some.
 
tltt said:
The original Bowie knife was probably closest to the Forrest knife, if not it. Rezin Bowie should technically be the one credited with its development than Jim. Jim was more or less, a guy that got given it, and used it.

If you look at knives that have the strongest lineage to Rezin Bowie, they are more or less similar. Light, straight backed, relatively mid sized knives -

EdwinForrestBowieknife.jpg
.

RezinBowieKnife.jpg
.

Bowie.jpg
.
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They do definitely reminiscent of butcher knives....I think that large butcher knife design is real predecessor and foundation for what was later called simply Bowie knife and it makes perfect sense....Butcher knives were always designed to cut large chunks of meat,to penetrate meat tissue....First sort of knife,that would be brought to fight. Maybe they were given somewhat thicker blade in order to not snap easily and it's tip was reinforced also given thicker middle segment of blade and for easier penetration or possibility of back cutting move - clip point tip was made and sharpened too, to create dagger effect on rigorous construction (only my speculation)
 
bdmicarta said:
FWIW, here is the authentic Bowie knife. I say it is totally authentic because it came from the town of Bowie, TX. Shouldn't they know what a real Bowie knife is? :D
(my dad got this over 40 years ago)

photo470b.jpg
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Beast:) large Musso blade,inspiring many knifemakers and productions up to date! Thank you bdmicarta - and congrats to you,your dad have really fascinating blade! Cold Steel remake of this design Natchez Bowie look very attractive, it's only very sad how they has completely botched up all handle and weak mounting on it with that cable rat tail tang grotesque nonsense....knife of that size deserves full flat tang or at least massive tang all the way to pommel....[video]http://coldsteelforums.com/Natchez-Bowie-It-is-broken-m181554-print.aspx[/video]
 
Seriousbladeno1 said:
Cold Steel remake of this design Natchez Bowie look very attractive, it's only very sad how they has completely botched up all handle and weak mounting on it with that cable rat tail tang grotesque nonsense....knife of that size deserves full flat tang or at least massive tang all the way to pommel....[video]http://coldsteelforums.com/Natchez-Bowie-It-is-broken-m181554-print.aspx[/video]
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There is a perfectly good reason for the cable tangs in Cold Steels knives.

No, it is not 'botched.'

No, it is not a 'weak' design, when used for its intended purpose - quite the contrary.

'Grotesque nonsense' would be starting a thread about Down Under Knives and callings DUK for 'beautiful and undeniable high quality knives' and 'each model of their knives they ever produced was up to date astonishing piece of art.'
 
BladeScout said:
There is a perfectly good reason for the cable tangs in Cold Steels knives.

No, it is not 'botched.'

No, it is not a 'weak' design, when used for its intended purpose - quite the contrary.

'Grotesque nonsense' would be starting a thread about Down Under Knives and callings DUK for 'beautiful and undeniable high quality knives' and 'each model of their knives they ever produced was up to date astonishing piece of art.'
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My apology for sounding rude, - not intended to be at all.To put it simply, I think the knife of that proportions deserves much easier and tougher tang,that's all.
 
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Cobalt said:
I think the British were the ones that really went to town making clip point bowies. Some good looking ones to.
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Many of those would have had a place in BudK's catalog, had BudK existed at the time. There were a lot of poorly made knives sold with hollow filled handles and leather veneer paper sheaths. "Bowie Knives" captured the public's imagination just as "tactical knives" would in our time. It is proof that mall ninjas predate the evolution of modern shopping malls.

n2s
 
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