ITW - UBF3 - Cave Bear Hunter

Wild Rose

Wild Rose

Joined
Aug 23, 2002
Messages
1,398
Well sort of........if the Cro-Magnons had steel blades that is....
A customer in Germany wanted a bear jawbone knife and sheath similar to CactusRose #7 http://www.wrtcleather.com/Frontier-Knives-Sheaths-Showcase/slides/CactusRose07-Knife-Sheath.html - the problem is with CITES, shipping bear parts overseas is when not illegal a real hassle so what to do.......... :confused:
Use a legal cave bear jawbone for the handle! :D
This is a juvenile jawbone from the Ural Mtns in Russia - approximately 15,000 years old. (I'd hate to run into a full grown one!). Surprisingly, and welcomingly, it works just like new bone........
Anyway I got bladesmith Mark Williams aka Williams Forge to work up the blade. This sucker is BIG 10 3/4" x 2 14" wide and thin - right at .150" which it had to be in order to work with the handle material. Mark really got this one spot on.......... :thumbup:

Here's Stage one - the blade and the jawbone ready to go...
ubf3-001.jpg
 
That's awesome! Can't wait to see it with one of your outstanding sheaths.:)
Scott
 
Man, Thats cool Chuck. I too cant wait to see that one with one of your sheaths.

Shane
 
I was thinking about you cutting leather tonight friend! Good looking blade profile....Actually, that gives me ideas for some leg bones I have laying around...but I need a forge first :):D

Good job!
 
I'll bet once the filework and bolster is done, it will take on a whole new look.

Cant wait to see this evolve.

Your bladesmith sucks. Look at all the forgemarks :)

Actually , if anyone was interested. The texture is made on purpose with a special hammer with a textured face.
 
Stage three - the blade is file worked and aged. The pewter bolster poured and shaped. The knife is done, except for the doo dads....
ubf3-003.jpg


now onto the sheath - Linda is working on the beadwork now.......
 
You Both did a wonderful job Chuck and Linda.

One of these days I would love to be able to actually keep one of our collaborations.

I'd be stylin in the hills with that bad boy :D

What are the white pieces on the sheath? Those shells ?
 
Thankee..........from both of us..........

Keep something??? wouldn't that be nice.......

The white shells are dentalium - they come from the Pacific Northwest coast and were traded inland as far as the Great Lakes even before the white eyes showed up........
 
Sure did come out nice, Chuck! Very cool piece.....:thumbup: I really like the blade, Mark!
 
Chuck, that is a real dandy, the whole thing and the first I have seen of being of bear jaw. I, sometime back, got a big cave bear jaw from Chuck Leak and finally dumped it on Ebay. Mine was beautiful too but I thought rather punky and knew what ever I put it on it would be too fragile to use seriously. Looking at yours makes me wonder if I was correct in Ebaying it off. That is a great looking package Chuck and thanks for the super pictures.

RL
 
That is a really nice piece. The bone handle looks awesome, and the leatherwork and blade are amazingly incredible.:thumbup: :D

How much are you selling that for? (If you don't mind me asking)
 
Roger - I've done two others with regular bear jawbones - for real heavy duty use I wouldn't recommend them, even the originals were used strictly as fighting knives, not for camp chores, etc. Professionally stabilized they would be better, but even tehn they are quite hollow on the insdie so need to be filled with something like Acraglass - I used the traditional cutler's resin....

Mr Keeton - thank you - for the price please email me at chuck@wrtcleather.com
 
:thumbup: doo dads and all guys and gal :)

mas-sa Marks getting right up there :D :thumbup:

Chuck very nice work:thumbup:
 
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