The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Thank you sir! But if you had to choose just one?Great work as always Dave! Reckon the Bocote on the Mestano is verah niceElk and Ram Horn are favorites. When it comes to wood Desert Ironwood, Mesquite and Bocote are favorites.
I love bocote with some nice grain to it.At the same time that I did the sheaths for this last batch:
I also did this holster order. The construction techniques are very similar so I did them at the same time. This was for a 6" Colt Python:
This particular Mestano has some extraordinary grain. What do ya think?
Do you have a favorite Horsewright handle material?
Yeah, that's the best handle combo. Just plain pertty.
The liners gives it an almost otherworldly appearence.
Love that rough out Oak...At the same time that I did the sheaths for this last batch:
I also did this holster order. The construction techniques are very similar so I did them at the same time. This was for a 6" Colt Python:
This particular Mestano has some extraordinary grain. What do ya think?
Do you have a favorite Horsewright handle material?
Yeah the Ramshorn is certainly a favorite. Like the sheephorn and to some extent the elk ya just never know how its gonna come out.The short sweet answer is Ram Horn. I prefer rough Ram Horn better than the smooth. Smooth truculent Ram Horn can have some awesome color displays. I really love the Ram Horn on this Cowboy Toothpick
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I use to use a lot of stag but got tired of the up and down availability and quality. I've never used Ringed Gidgee or Koa but lots and lots of elk and bocote.
I've always found it interesting how much the green liners can influence the color of the sheephorn. Black liners intensifies the natural color and depth. Blue seldom affects the color except slightly at the edges sometimes. Red liners can create a rose, almost pinkish tinge that I don't find particularly attractive. Over the years I've basically come down to just using the green and the black. Something that has also always intrigued me about this is the difference in how a set of scales may finish out. Not uncommon to see considerable difference from side to the other. In fact a Paisano in the current batch is an excellent example of that, This side lots of black, green a few hints of red in the horn.
Thanks! I've got a pretty good supply of Osage and use it often. Probably not as much as I should:
For those that don't know we use to make clothing too. Specifically wool vests and silk wild rags (scarves that cow folks wear):
Yes indeed they do. Can have almost a glow to it.
Thank you. I'd done roughout oak carving on a pair of leggings about 40 years ago. I can't recall doing it again until that sheath. It went to AK by the way.Love that rough out Oak...
On the flower carved ones they are called bar backgrounders. We have a set of four from Barry King. On the oak I use two ancient Tandy backgrounders.
Really like the looks of the Osage OrangeThanks! I've got a pretty good supply of Osage and use it often. Probably not as much as I should:
Lots of it grows around here. Used for fence post back in the day. Hard and last almost forever and makes great firewood 
Beautiful knives in elk, my one Sonoran belt knife is in rams horn which I like with the unique texture and color. I also like mesquite amd Osage orange.Elk is always a good choice. Was my favorite for a long time till Sheep Horn snuck in. Dave has good Elk and I have more of his knives in Elk than anything else
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