Harpoon Bowie dressed in Desert Ironwood

Erin Burke

Erin Burke

KnifeMaker...ish
Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
1,330
Good morning gentlemen. I just wrapped up this knife over the weekend. I'm calling it a Harpoon Bowie (because it feels like a Bowie)... though I suppose a more appropriate terminology would be a Harpoon Recurve Fighter. This knife has quite a presence, with a thickness of ~0.215" directly in front of the guard... but due to a thin grind and aggressive distal-taper, feels quite manageable. The blade balances out ~0.44" in front of the copper seppa.

The guard, spacer and pin are mild steel with a bit of a gun-blue/bleach/vinegar finish to them up. Inspiration for the deep fluting came thanks to some of the Lurquins I've seen around these parts lately. :thumbup:

Some Stats:
Length: 16-3/8"
Blade: 10-3/16" (Tip to choil), 0.215" thick at the guard
Weight: 459g (1.01lbs)
Steel: Differentially Heat-Treated W2
Handle: Desert Ironwood Burl w/ domed Mild Steel pin
Fittings: Mild Steel with copper Seppa

9705287745_8b4ef04b06_b.jpg


9705287889_9b59f7b10c_b.jpg


9708522324_8311cfe49f_b.jpg



This next photo is not so great... I had a terrible time getting a good shot of the hamon on the finished knife. It is very active, but I did not etch it super-deep. I wanted to keep the hamon subtle, which means it takes very specific lighting conditions to photograph it.
9705288123_053cf9a063_b.jpg


My original intent was to produce a WIP thread for this knife over in ShopTalk... but I realized that I hadn't really done anything that hadn't already been explained better in a Wheeler thread somewhere. ;)
If you're interested though, you can explore photos of this build (from sketch to completion) HERE. I tried to include relevant info in the photo descriptions.

Thanks for looking.

Erin
 
Very nice. I like the lines of the cutting edge.
 
A very unique and interesting piece....!
 
Very nice harpoon bowie fighter. I like that from tip to handle butt!
Hamon looks real good, and the copper really sets of the Ironwood.
Cheers Keith
 
Nice one, Erin...lots of cool stuff going on here,:thumbup:
 
Love the finished product! Enjoyed the WIP photos too!

Steve
-----------
Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation
 
hey Erin, you into critical feedback? No probs either way :)
 
Thanks for the kind words guys.

Lorien said:
hey Erin, you into critical feedback? No probs either way :)
Click to expand...

Go for it Lorien. I'd love to hear your feedback. I may cry just a bit... but over the internet, you'll never know.
Erin
 
A real collectors knife Erin. I love ironwood and the blade design looks great. That would be on my top shelf.+++ Kevin
 
Erin Burke said:
Go for it Lorien.
Erin
Click to expand...

I apologize in advance for the textbookiness of the following, but it's helpful to have a little background. In fact, just answering questions in one's own mind that might otherwise not be thought, is often critique enough :)

can you describe the process starting from sketch to final piece?
you pointed out where some of your inspiration came from, where did the inspiration for some of your other choices come from?
did decisions evolve during the building process, or was everything preplanned?
what would you say was the most challenging part to work through, from the beginning to finished piece?
what would you say is the best success of this piece and why?
what would you say is the part that you are least satisfied with and why?
 
Erin,
Nice work. The side shot photos dont tell the whole story on this blades beautiful heat treatment. WoW!
 
Cool :thumbup:
BTW, is the butt end of the handle fluted or is it just a lighting effect?
Thanks for showing :)

mohd
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top