Complete history of Bowie knife

[Doug C]

Anybody ?

DC

It was a movie, in 1952.
The Iron Mistress.

DC

 

[not2sharp]

...."Bowie No. 1" on the knife means nothing.

Ha, ha....I have one that is marked "Original Bowie Knife", right on the blade.

n2s

 

[not2sharp]

Total folk tale.
Rich

Probably taken from the movie "The Iron Mistress". Although meteor iron has been frequently used to make knives and swords, and why not, it is a ready source of iron.

n2s

 

[marcinek]

Anybody ?

DC

I was thinking about it, but figured why bother. We are 6 pages into this "history" of Bowie knives and there is still talk of clip points and back cuts.

So there might as well be meteorites, and blade quenching in the heaving bosom of savages, and bear killing, and single-handedly defending the Alamo, etc. etc etc.

 

[marcinek]

Fairytale maybe? Surelly:What quality could possibly reach "steels" from outer space would be very interesting topic in separate thread, especialy for steel junkies

Indeed! Space iron is entirely different than Earth iron!

 

[marcinek]

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.

Yes! Like the Searles Bowies!

 

[BladeScout]

CS cable tang Bowies are not made for batoning. Most everything can be broken and the cable tangs are not made for hammering on the handle with a length of cordwood .

The cable-tang process is actually more expensive than a standard full tang (or a push tang).
The cable makes the handle lighter, giving the blade more weight - actually making it a little more lively in the hand and adjusting the balance point.
It also distributes shock through the handle. This is particularly useful as the Natchez handle material is hard - It's easier on your hands as well as the handle material.
These design choices were made to make the Natchez a faster, more lively and more effective fighting knife.
It's a specialized tool.
However, as I said before, I've seen the Natchez take some tremendous abuse - we actually shot our new Proof videos a few weeks ago and I saw that knife go through hell.
We test everything to breaking point and that cable tang just didn't break. I have every confidence in it's durability.
CAN it be broken? For sure. I'm pretty sure anyone can eventually break anything
I just haven't seen it happen...

 

[Ebbtide]

Searles Bowie have a full tang or framed handle?

Framed handle like this was very
common back then.
http://beknivessite2.homestead.com/cokebottlehandle.html

 

[marcinek]

Searles Bowie have a full tang or framed handle?

Framed handle like this was very
common back then.
http://beknivessite2.homestead.com/cokebottlehandle.html

I don't know, but I doubt it has either...I'm thinking a "grotesquely nonsensical" stick tang. The Bowies couldn't have used those Searles knives in a knife fight! What were they thinking!

 

[kn4wd]

I researched the searles as best I could when I made mine, it was a straight tang and peened to the pommel almost width tapering as it went thru the pommel as best I could tell the tang was close to handle width at blade to length of handle and tapered where it was peened. I put it thru some serious chop testing and it has held up. the trick is leaving the tang soft so it wont break like it would if hardened. would I put it in a knife fight, most certainly.

 

[marcinek]

CS cable tang Bowies are not made for batoning. Most everything can be broken and the cable tangs are not made for hammering on the handle with a length of cordwood .

But then how did people at the time use their Natchez Bowies to chop down trees and make kindling when they were camping?

 

[Thomas Linton]

OMG! Batoning !!!

 

[marcinek]

OMG! Batoning !!!

James Black invented batonning.

 

[Spyder59]

It was a movie, in 1952.
The Iron Mistress.

DC

Loved that movie when I was a kid. I believe Alan Ladd played Jim Bowie. Over the years, I have often pondered what my strategy could be in a duel, with me armed with the "Bowie Knife," which occurs in a pitch black room, and with a man armed with a a rapier. I've never satisfactorily solved that tactical problem. This was the scenario of a scene in the movie that was not based on any fact I know of. However, an interesting thought exercise nonetheless.

 

[kn4wd]

if you have any proof of a james black made bowie I would like to see it. the experts cant confirm any that were made by him. I would like to add another piece to my collection if you have proof.

 

[Thomas Linton]

First called it "Bowieing," but that was hard to pronounce.

 

[Spyder59]

First called it "Bowieing," but that was hard to pronounce.

Lol. Good one!

 

[marcinek]

First called it "Bowieing," but that was hard to pronounce.

But, according to Thorpe, the sound that was made by the knife, during the process of Bowieing, was where the onomatopoeia "boing!" came from.

Something about the space iron resonating with the brass knife catcher/baton multiplier on the spine. You can look it up.

 

[marcinek]

First called it "Bowieing," but that was hard to pronounce.

There is another well documented theory that batonning was invented by Bowie knifemaker Daniel Searles.

Anybody want to venture a guess why?

 

[BladeScout]

Searles Bowie have a full tang or framed handle?

Framed handle like this was very
common back then.
http://beknivessite2.homestead.com/cokebottlehandle.html

Interesting. Good point.

I don't know, but I doubt it has either...I'm thinking a "grotesquely nonsensical" stick tang. The Bowies couldn't have used those Searles knives in a knife fight! What were they thinking!

Indeed. Poor guys and girls back then. And to think, that they used carbon steel knives. They would have been so knife impaired. They might as well have used 440!