- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Greetings all,
I thought you might enjoy a peek at Stuart’s latest knife.
I had long been a fan of Ed Fowler’s bowies, but cost a rarity have kept them at bay. I always figured that one day I’d have someone make me a knife in that general style, and when I saw some of Stuart’s Fowler-inspired hunters, I knew the day had come.
Stuart posted a very detailed WIP thread on Ed’s forum, which I followed closely and with much enjoyment. What a great example of the positive impact of the internet age on the craft of knifemaking, where, through photos, videos and forum posts, Stuart could virtually invite Ed into his shop and obtain advice, input and encouragement from the man himself. And invite us all along for the ride as well.
Anyway, for those who want to enjoy the full story, you may check it out here:
http://knifetalkonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=1297.0
What follows is a truncated summary that will still hopefully convey the transition from bearing to bowie.
And here’s where it all started.
That is one thick, SOLID sphere of 52100 and I did NOT envy Stuart the chore of pounding that into a blade – particularly doing so by hand, and particularly when using one hand to try to swing a 20 lb hammer:
Stuart ultimately enlisted spousal support in holding the bearing to he could swing that beast of a hammer with two hands. And he’s got a cool vid showing that very thing which hopefully he can add here.
After more pounding than I’m sure Stuart would like to recall, a knifelike object began to emerge:
Preliminary grinding done, ready for heat treating:
Further grinding:
Blade hand sanded:
Blade etched to reveal the activity in the steel:
Part 1 of 2
I thought you might enjoy a peek at Stuart’s latest knife.
I had long been a fan of Ed Fowler’s bowies, but cost a rarity have kept them at bay. I always figured that one day I’d have someone make me a knife in that general style, and when I saw some of Stuart’s Fowler-inspired hunters, I knew the day had come.
Stuart posted a very detailed WIP thread on Ed’s forum, which I followed closely and with much enjoyment. What a great example of the positive impact of the internet age on the craft of knifemaking, where, through photos, videos and forum posts, Stuart could virtually invite Ed into his shop and obtain advice, input and encouragement from the man himself. And invite us all along for the ride as well.
Anyway, for those who want to enjoy the full story, you may check it out here:
http://knifetalkonline.com/smf/index.php?topic=1297.0
What follows is a truncated summary that will still hopefully convey the transition from bearing to bowie.
And here’s where it all started.
That is one thick, SOLID sphere of 52100 and I did NOT envy Stuart the chore of pounding that into a blade – particularly doing so by hand, and particularly when using one hand to try to swing a 20 lb hammer:
Stuart ultimately enlisted spousal support in holding the bearing to he could swing that beast of a hammer with two hands. And he’s got a cool vid showing that very thing which hopefully he can add here.
After more pounding than I’m sure Stuart would like to recall, a knifelike object began to emerge:
Preliminary grinding done, ready for heat treating:
Further grinding:
Blade hand sanded:
Blade etched to reveal the activity in the steel:
Part 1 of 2
Last edited:
