Happy New Year To All

[RWS]

I wish everyone here a truly happy New Year!

 

[Bruce Bump]

Thanks and the same wishes to You!

Happy New Year!!

damm thats a sweet bowie

 

[RogerP]

Happy New Year to you too!

Now tell us about that bowie already.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Keith Montgomery]

It would be a happier new year if that fighter was on my table instead of yours, but Happy New Year just the same.

 

[Ivan Campos]

I wish that 2004 brings us all lots of great knives - not unlike the one in the pic - besides all the usual stuff, of course.

 

[kcardwel]

yes, tell us about that bowie--very nice looking.

 

[RWS]

Thanks, Guys!

This Bowie has a 10" flat ground ATS 34 blade.
It's about 15" altogether with a carbon Damascus guard, ferrule, and buttcap.
The ferrule has Titanium spacers on both sides of it.
The handle is made from Oosic.

Made by Doug Timbs of Australia.

 

[spyken]

sorry, what's oosic?

 

[RogerP]

Originally posted by spyken
sorry, what's oosic?

You may indeed be sorry you asked. Oosic is the penile bone of a walrus. No, I'm not kidding.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[Danbo]

Eeeew! Penile bone.



Love the knife though.

 

[RWS]

What Roger said.

A lot of oosic is quite ugly, IMO. But, so is some ivory or some pieces of stag I have seen. It just depends on the piece.

This particular piece kind of looks like something a dog might leave in my yard. However, from what I've been told by a number of makers, oosic is extremely stable and durable. If you get the right piece, it can look nice on certain knives.

This knife really has excellent fit and finish and the Damascus fittings kind of help this oosic piece a little.
I bought this from Knifeart a long time ago.

The Daniel Winkler Bowie that is being made for me as I write this will have oosic, which I purposely ordered that way.
I wanted to add a certain look to the knife and thought oosic would do the trick on this frontier style knife without the instability and cracking that Mammoth ivory has at times. However, IMO, Mammoth ivory is a much prettier material overall.

Edited to add:
The above pictures were way too dark so I lightened them a little. This looks more like the real thing, not so dark.

 

[RWS]

Here's an example of a knife, made by Steve Schwartzer, where oosic and the knife go together rather well, IMO. I wish I owned this!

 

[RogerP]

I've seen any number of oosic-handled knives that I've liked, including the Timbs bowie and that wild Schwarzer Persian-looking fighter. One just has to overcome the initial shock value of the source of the material.

Cheers,

Roger

 

[spyken]

penile bone huh? is it strong and stable like stag or bone? is it a fossilized penile bone, or, something they harvest from walruses? do eskimoes use them to make their uluchets?

interesting....no, I'm not revolted by it, makes the knife a bit more 'manly' hahaha...

btw, how did the term 'oosic' come about? it's such a deceptively charming term...

 

[RWS]

Originally posted by spyken
penile bone huh? is it strong and stable like stag or bone? is it a fossilized penile bone, or, something they harvest from walruses? do eskimoes use them to make their uluchets?

It's real tough stuff and very stable from what I've been told. I know this piece on my knife has not moved or changed in size at all and I live near the beach where there is a lot of moisture in the air.

I believe this piece is fossilized, but that may have just been a description given to it to make it legal. I really don't know. The color of mine suggests it's older but, it could have been dyed.