I just finished this Bowie (Donna in the pic's also)

Nice, Bruce! You should not have any problem cutting it at the show competition, no pun intended. I can see where you get your inspiration, by those pictures. You folks enjoy the Blade Show, I wish I could be there to see more of your work and meet.
 
Man you guys are to nice...Thanks for all the really great comments and well wishes for the show.
Edited to add that the knife on my banner is also one of my Judging knives.

Looking forward to seeing everybody I can in a few days.
Bruce
 
Bruce-
You have a good feel for the old Sheffield style. Especially in the way you shaped the clip and point. These days I see way too many knives that look good, until my eyes reach the point. Many guys today will try to make a Sheffield blade, but it ends up looking like they broke an inch off the point, and reground it too bluntly. They don't have the elegance in their curves that the old Sheffield knives did, and often the point is too high from the blade's centerline.

But yours looks great.

I did notice you left the ricasso the full width of the handle, rather than stepping it up narrower than the handle as on some origionals. It looks nice. If I can come up with any sort of criticism at all, I personally would have either made the end of the handle maybe 2 or 3mm longer, or made the "ears" of the dog bone about 1mm shorter, to make the "bone" look more proportioned. If that sounds like I'm nit picking, it's only because I'm jealous. :D

Great work man. It's plain to see how your sense of style has progressed even since you made the knife pictured in your signiture at the bottom of your posts. I can't wait to see what you do next!
 
Wow thanks Possum..I have wanted to do this knife ever since Tim Hancock did a version of it in 98 but I didn't feel my skills were up to it yet (I hope they are now).The Original Bowie had gold mounts and yes the ricasso was only half the size of the handle,I didn't care to much for this look and since I was going to use it for my judging knife they wanted everything in line plus when Tim did his he made it full sized on the handle also.This is my version of Tim's (with his permission of course)I change a few things to make it my own.If I was to make the bone end much smaller it might throw the weight off also,as it is now the balance point is on the ricasso just behind the plunge lines.
I have found out after learning how to make these type Bowies from Alex Daniels that to make them correctly you need to study all the pictures and as many authentic old Bowies as you can,I hope to some day get to see some of these in real life and not just pictures,They did some incredable work back then and did alot of things that we have forgotten about or how to do.This is a fun ride learning these old world Bowies and I can't wait for the next stop either.
Bruce
 
I am just too damn jealous. M.S., G.A. & P.A are just too damn far apart. I really would love to see this work in person but, unfortunately, I won't be to Blade 'till next year. Danny will be ready by then. ;) Give 'em hell!
 
Hey Bruce....

Beautiful knife...

Somethings not right though...

I see the knife in the first and second picture,, but i'll be damned if I can find it in the third and fourth picture... :)


ttyle

Eric...
 
Bruce, I'll see you in a couple of days. Looks like you've been working hard, time for a break.
 
Originally posted by beknives
If I was to make the bone end much smaller it might throw the weight off also,as it is now the balance point is on the ricasso just behind the plunge lines.
Click to expand...

Sounds like that knife ought to be pretty quick! Just thought I'd mention a trick to help fine tune balance, though you probably already know this. I'm making a big Sheffield inspired Bowie right now with a swell center coffin handle, and I want an impact 2 inches from the tip to have a corresponding center of rotation at the guard. It was too blade heavy as ground (even with as much distal taper as I dared), so I drilled several big holes through the middle of the full tang, but did not remove any steel from the rear of the tang. Wow, that really changed the balance, but it will still need some weight added to the butt. I don't want a big pommel for aesthetic reasons, so I plan to pin/solder some big lumps of brass to the rear of the tang, and then hollow out corresponding areas under the rear of the wooden handle scales, so that the brass weights are completely hidden. This way, I can preserve the classic Sheffield style while still putting the weight where it needs to be for performance.
 
Possum
if you're going to do it that way, try using lead
it will weigh up more then the brass will, and you can melt it into
the holes ( with the holes backed up with
something until it sets up,) it should make for a good trimmed
job in case it's ever taken a part. just an Idea :)
 
Graymaker- Yeah, I guess lead would work alright, too. I just had some pieces of brass on hand that are about the right size. Though I will need more weight that what I could get by just filling the holes with lead; at least a few ounces. If using lead I would make sure to seal it completely with epoxy when gluing on the handles. Otherwise it could corrode and split the wood over time. (I've seen this happen with lead weight in gunstocks) Also, this may not apply to you, but don't risk contaminating your tools/work area with lead if you ever do any work with gold. They do not get along well.
 
Possum,This is a framed handle and I cut almost all the steel from inside the frame to get the balance correct.Now you didn't mention the real trick to getting the balance correct..
The ferrule is not a solid piece it is actually only a .016" nickel silver shell formed in two halves and then silver brazed to snuggley fit over the handle material which has been carved down the thickness needed,you would be suprised at how much weight you loose when doing them this way and how much easier it is to hit your balance point.
Good luck with yours,I haven't ever added any weight except a little thicker buttcap if one was able to be used,so I have no ideas on that for you.
Bruce
 
Bruce
How true! I didn't mention it because I could already tell that's how you made the ferrule. My Bowie won't have a ferrule, but the guard will be fairly thick until the arms taper. I'm gonna hollow out the guard with a dremel tool to reduce weight there.
 
Very very well done. You should knock their footwear of choice off.
(Donna's your wife. Donna's your wife. Donna's your wife.) I mean the knife is phenominal. Um is the calendar coming out this year? ;)
Your Bowies look like they'd come with a Riverboat voucher. Class.
 
Hey Bruce,
After rereading this thread, I feel I should apologize to you. I hope I did not come across as a know-it-all or something. That was really not my intent, and I do LOVE that knife. And then I start giving you tips on technique that you already knew...:rolleyes:
I should have known better than to doubt you!

Keep up the good work!
 
Hey Possum,I didn't take no offence at nothing.Man if you have a idea I will listen to any and all.That is how I learn also...
Bruce
 
Here is a picture of the butt end of the Bowie after I had Billy Bates engrave it,After the judging that is:D :D :D
Bruce
Jun16_01.jpg
 
Congrats Bruce! That is fantastic. I guess it does all pay off in the end. You'll have it all not too long from now. Great work.
 
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