I'm not going to ruin this for you...

A lot of trade knives circulated through the area of the Louisianna purchase. The chances are very high that it was not from L&C.
 
I wonder if people would take this a little more seriously if we were talking about The Original "IRON MISTRESS"? Certainly the Bowie knife is more famous, but I would say that this piece would be equal in Historical importance.

Jeff, I hope you're right, still how many survive from that period, and how many would have etched on it,
"To Charbonneau Touissiant"..."a fine son" ..."John Floyd, Feb. 11 1805"
How many even know that John Floyd was one of the L & C blacksmiths? Who, in their right mind would even take the chance? I'd love to hear what Bernard Levine would have to say about this?

[This message has been edited by PhilL (edited 03-29-2000).]
 
Please, we must remain calm...Calm.

Ed, unfortunately, is not here to explain his actions. But, Mr. Fowler is a very experienced knife enthusiats and, jaded or not, I doubt he would destroy a truely valuable knife. From a monetary point alone it would make no sense.

Although, the article may sound scandelous, the knife in question was probably a common trade knife. A period piece - yes probably -but a unique and valuable artifact - hardly. Remember this is the same Ed Fowler that has been pitching his soft/hard (differentially tempered) theory on a "confederate D-guard Bowie" which happens to look alot like a typical Malaysian bush knife.

I agree though; it would have been a truely unfortunate act of sheer recklessness to have destroyed a genuine artifact of the caliber alluded to in the article.
 
Rex said

As the guy who did the chemical and microscopic testing on Ed's blade,I feel like I can shed some light on this. Ed is a very serious student of the history and development of the ultimate using knife. He was seeking to learn all he could. Don't be "fooled" by what some may regard as an act of senseless vandalism.
Click to expand...

I'm still waiting for some light to be shed.



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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
I doubt that such an elaborate inscription would survive 200 years of use by native americans. If it was sitting in an attic somewhere, maybe. I think the inscription and/or the knife is a fake. It would be easy to make the handle slabs of old wood. As long as the knife is broken, it would be interesting to do a detailed analysis of the steel and the inscription.
 
I read all Ed's articles. He's a very knowledgeable knife-maker always searching for the truth. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything so "foolish".
 
Guys!
Has anyone considered that Lewis and Clark might have been proud to have their knives evaluated in such a manner after so much time has transpired? After all, wouldn't all of us like to have our knives tested several decades from now and have the future generations have a better understanding of how we lived and made the tools we use today?


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Craig Blankenship
Blankenship Knives
http://www.blankenship-knives.com

[This message has been edited by knifemaker3 (edited 03-29-2000).]
 
I've always wondered how strong the "puzzle" locks are on Ray Appleton's knives. Maybe someone can break an Appleton folder for us!
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Cerulean

"Just because some folks think you make great kydex sheaths doesn't make you into some sort of mind reading psychologist." -Paracelsus
 
Oops! Joke is on us! Phil, did you know this all along, and post this to get a laugh out of the poor suckers (like me) who don't have the magazine?
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I think some of you guys need to read the very end of the article again (it was very soothing to me, anyway)...
I have to say that Ed Fowler did a fine writing job on this article.
 
Phil, you were supposed to wait till Saturday to post this!
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For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23


 
TomW; the tang is one of the most important areas of a katana for identification and valuation. Smiths would sometimes put their names there. Even the rust pattern, and how it has progressed over the years is important. Thus, beating on the tang, and obliterating the smith's name would greatly lessen the value of the katana. Walt
 
I saw that after reading the thread- Paracelsus said that taking it apart destroyed the value without elaborating on the subject which made me curious.
Very interesting thread i remember reading the beginning of it but don't know how i missed the bulk of it.
 
I bet I know What Color Ed Fowler is. Tickled Pink.
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If winners never quit and quitters never win. What fool said quit while you're ahead?
 
Well, I thought it was kind of odd how this was posted in almost every single forum.But I don't get the magazine, so I couldn't see the article. I'm glad it was just a joke though
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Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
Actually, for Saturday we are planning to strip all the paint off the Mona Lisa and test the canvas for chemical composition.
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