Horsewright Knives and Leather

[Horsewright]

Here’s a belt and sheath Dave made for my Bowie.

View attachment 2588412

I remember that outfit. Wasn’t that to celebrate bowies being legal in Texas again?

 

[echoscout]

I’ve got a silver horseshoe nail in the hat band of my black hat too!

 

[GB940Rookie]

I remember that outfit. Wasn’t that to celebrate bowies being legal in Texas again?

Hi Dave.
Yes, to celebrate the right to carry a Bowie or any other large blade in public. Also including auto knives and the like.
There was a celebration of the Bowie knife, and Jim Bowie, at the Alamo in San Antonio where my wife and I attended. Wore it the entire weekend. I received many compliments on the rig you made for me.
Still do.

 

[Horsewright]

Hi Dave.
Yes, to celebrate the right to carry a Bowie or any other large blade in public. Also including auto knives and the like.
There was a celebration of the Bowie knife, and Jim Bowie, at the Alamo in San Antonio where my wife and I attended. Wore it the entire weekend. I received many compliments on the rig you made for me.
Still do.

Good deal glad that rig is working out for ya well!


So that hunter and skinner combo is coming along. First two on the left.

The hamon on the skinner while not quite as distinct as the hunter is more distinct then the angle of this shot portrays. Happy with both of them. I didn't have any elk scales large enough for these two knives so needed to cut some up.

Then into scales:

The scales are then given a bath in a solution of potassium permanganate. This sanitizes them and dyes them at the same time. Interestingly, when they come out of the bath they are purple and dry to a dark brown:

After they are dry I give them a couple coats of a clear coat. This helps make them colorfast and protects them some.

They are now ready to be assigned a knife!

 

[Horsewright]

Got the bolsters on yesterday and the handles and pins glued on today. Will start shaping handles tomorrow.

Question. What kind of sheaths should I make for these guys?

 

[Viper84]

Well guys lets have a look see here. I think this pic might help a bit. While this is not all of my models, it does incorporate some of the most popular.

From the top:

1) Ranchero
2) Cowboy
3) Paisano
4) Cowboy Toothpick
5) Coyote
6) & 7) Vaquero
8) Mestano
9) Gordo
10) Poco

I would say in general that pretty much all these designs work very well as an EDC with the Ranchero leaning a little more towards being a hunter. But I do have quite a few customers that EDC it. A lot of it comes down to personal preference I think. How big a knife do you like to carry and where and how do you want to carry it. They all excel at chores around the ranch. Not just castration of calves at a branding but the day to day uses of cutting and slicing, feed sacks, hay twine, rope etc. Many ranchers, cowoboys, horsemen look at a small fixed blade as a safety device too. Horses, ropes cattle and people can become tangled sometimes with dire results. I can't tell ya ho many of my knives I've sold the day after a "wreck". Usually I'll hear the story and time after time I hear: "Had a folder in my pocket, didn't have time to get to it." I have personal cut three horses and one person out of bad deals. Heck I was in a deal my ownself, a calf had run around behind me that I had roped and then come forward on the other side of my horse. The rope was now pinning me to the saddle and bout cutting me in half. 1100 lb horse going this way and a 400 lb calf going that a way and me in the middle. I was reaching for my knife to cut the rope when I stuck my left spur in his left shoulder causing ol Sonny to spin to the right and unwrapping me. Many of these models I have EDC ed myself, some for years. I personally tend to prefer a smaller knife and have for the last couple of years carried a Mestano. I carried the first Vaquero in AEB-L for some years. I've carried a couple different Gordos and a Paisano. Most of these models crossover very well into hunters and bird and trout models. My daughter in law field dresses elk with her Poco and her dad uses a Coyote.

Each knife is totally hand made and no two are exactly the same. Thats why on the website the measurements are given for each individual knife. Those measurements are for that knife not that knife model. The only template I ever use is when I layout the knives on a sheet of steel. They are cut out with a bandsaw and then profiled on grinders. I think of cutting to the outside of the Sharpie line with the saw and to the inside of the Sharpie line with the grinders.

Over the years I've probably made and sold more Cowboys than any other model. I think of it as a mid size general purpose knife. While it works well in all my sheaths I think the Slotted and the Pancake are ideal for this knife. If I were to carry one it would be in a pancake behind my left hip.

The Paisano is also a mid sized knife. Its a very slicey knife and with a lil more belly then the Cowboy. If you like the idea of a Horizontal crossdraw sheath and are looking for a mid size knife this knife loves being carried in a Horizontal sheath. Its just right. This knife makes a good lil skinner too as well as a general purpose EDC.

The Vaquero is a great small knife. Its the lil knife you'll always have with you. Again just general purpose use and a good Bird and Trout. Works great in bout any sheath.

Some Cowboys:

Paisanos

And Vaqueros:

My wife Nichole currently EDCs a Vaquero.

Thank you sir, very helpful! This is my favorite thread on blade forums right now. So many great knives and info.

 

[Horsewright]

Thank you sir, very helpful! This is my favorite thread on blade forums right now. So many great knives and info.

You are very welcome and thank you! If you ever have a question don't heistate!

 

[Horsewright]

Making progress:

 

[Horsewright]

So yesterday at beer thirty when I was all done for the day, bout 1720 hrs in the shop:

This is what they looked like. Handles and bolsters shaped and sanded to 400 grit and the tangs to 600 grit. That's on my grinders. Then start over at 320 grit by hand and up to 600 grit. After the hand sanding they are ready to be buffed and polished which is on today's menu:

 

[waynorth]

So yesterday at beer thirty when I was all done for the day, bout 1720 hrs in the shop:

This is what they looked like. Handles and bolsters shaped and sanded to 400 grit and the tangs to 600 grit. That's on my grinders. Then start over at 320 grit by hand and up to 600 grit. After the hand sanding they are ready to be buffed and polished which is on today's menu:

Nice looking knives, Dave!!! Must be satisfying!!!
Can I ask; do you soak the stag in PPM ?? (potassium permanganate??)

 

[afishhunter]

Nice looking knives, Dave!!! Must be satisfying!!!
Can I ask; do you soak the stag in PPM ?? (potassium permanganate??)

Refer to post 144 above.

 

[waynorth]

Refer to post 144 above.

Duh!! Missed the WIP!! Thanks Steve!!

 

[JonMcD]

So yesterday at beer thirty when I was all done for the day, bout 1720 hrs in the shop:

This is what they looked like. Handles and bolsters shaped and sanded to 400 grit and the tangs to 600 grit. That's on my grinders. Then start over at 320 grit by hand and up to 600 grit. After the hand sanding they are ready to be buffed and polished which is on today's menu:

Wow Dave - both are brilliant but the hunter is . Thanks for sharing!

 

[echoscout]

This is what they looked like. Handles and bolsters shaped and sanded to 400 grit and the tangs to 600 grit. That's on my grinders. Then start over at 320 grit by hand and up to 600 grit. After the hand sanding they are ready to be buffed and polished which is on today's menu:

That pair sure turned out nice.

 

[Horsewright]

Nice looking knives, Dave!!! Must be satisfying!!!
Can I ask; do you soak the stag in PPM ?? (potassium permanganate??)

Yes sir I enjoy making knives for sure, it's fun! See ya found that answer on the PPM.

Wow Dave - both are brilliant but the hunter is . Thanks for sharing!

Wow Dave - both are brilliant but the hunter is . Thanks for sharing!

Thank you gentlemen!

Here's what they look like this morning. All buffed and polished. One more cleaning and polishing step and add their lanyard thongs. Then they'll be ready to start on their sheaths later today.

Finished sharpening them yesterday afternoon and they are slicers! The shop lights and the late afternoon sun kind of give the elk a bluish tint:

Thin stock, ground thin, yields stupid ugly sharp. Ya don't use an axe to slice a tomato! The skinner actually cut me pretty good, before it had an edge. Here's their cohorts too from this batch:

The numbered slots allow me to match up which knife to which sheath throughout the sheath building process. I'm still undecided on what sheaths to build for this pair, any ideas? I got a couple hours to decide.

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

Yes sir I enjoy making knives for sure, it's fun! See ya found that answer on the PPM.


Thank you gentlemen!

Here's what they look like this morning. All buffed and polished. One more cleaning and polishing step and add their lanyard thongs. Then they'll be ready to start on their sheaths later today.

Finished sharpening them yesterday afternoon and they are slicers! The shop lights and the late afternoon sun kind of give the elk a bluish tint:

Thin stock, ground thin, yields stupid ugly sharp. Ya don't use an axe to slice a tomato! The skinner actually cut me pretty good, before it had an edge. Here's their cohorts too from this batch:

The numbered slots allow me to match up which knife to which sheath throughout the sheath building process. I'm still undecided on what sheaths to build for this pair, any ideas? I got a couple hours to decide.

I'd love to see one unstamped and uncarved sheath myself. I think your simpler sheaths are the most beautiful but then again I've always been weird like that lol. I know people love your stamping

 

[afishhunter]

Since the scales are Elk, an carved or stamped Bull Elk head?
(mebby with a couple of the smaller tines cut off? )

 

[guy g]

What about 'buyers choice' of sheaths? If they are going as a set, the extra wait for sheaths would be worth it IMO.
My other thought is carved design. Again as a set it would complete the look.
That said.. I really like my plain slotted sheath. Slips in my pocket nice!

 

[mitch13]

Buffalo leather would compliment them well

 

[Horsewright]

I'd love to see one unstamped and uncarved sheath myself. I think your simpler sheaths are the most beautiful but then again I've always been weird like that lol. I know people love your stamping

Yeah sometimes a good chunk of leather all by itself ain't a bad thing.

Since the scales are Elk, an carved or stamped Bull Elk head?
(mebby with a couple of the smaller tines cut off? )

Not a bad idea, but I don't do any figure carving, out of my wheelhouse. There is a maker here on BF that does a really great job on figure carving John Cahoon . But not my deal, I did a mare and foal on a purse about 35 years ago and don't know if I'm over it yet.

What about 'buyers choice' of sheaths? If they are going as a set, the extra wait for sheaths would be worth it IMO.
My other thought is carved design. Again as a set it would complete the look.
That said.. I really like my plain slotted sheath. Slips in my pocket nice!

Ya know a buyer's choice deal is something I've struggled with all the time. I've thought about this quite a bit for my regular knives too not just this project. The biggest problem I see with it is I would almost always be making sheaths. Would always have some projects under construction. I try to do knife work and then leather work. Knife work is dirty, leather work needs to be clean. So having some leather projects almost always going would be impractical plus a drain on my time. Be tough to get other stuff done too. I get that folks might not want the sheath I pick for a particular knife. On the other hand I do put a lot of thought into what sheath for each individual knife. I've come up with opinions on what works best in a Horizontal what works best in a Slotted or Pancake etc.Some marketing enters the picture too as I try to have a well rounded selection for folks to choose from. Relatively plain to pretty fancy and the accompaning $$s. I do that as well with the knives.

Buffalo leather would compliment them well

Yes it would.

Thanks guys for the input!