Knife for a Vet.

sharpeknives

sharpeknives

Joined
Jan 13, 2006
Messages
1,655
Hi everyone.
Don't post alot here but do read alot.
I am working on a project in memory of my Uncle Herb.He passed away last year.and was a WWII vet wounded on Attu island.(only battle fought on american soil in WWII.)
I am making a knife forged from what looks like a 105 round (exploded) from Attu island.The shell was aquired legally,with permission from the National Historic Preservation Society,and Alaska Wildlife Federation.and the US Coast Guard. All documented. The knife will be sold at auction or raffeled with 100% of the sale amount going to the WWII Veterans Memorial
Anyway.i'm thinking a large bowie with walrus ivory handles.All spacers will be made from 30cal. caseings also from Attu. I was leaning towards the style of a Collins #18.
I now have the 105 shell in my hands.So any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated.
 
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A lot of guys in WWII made thier own fighting knives they are commonly called "theater knives". The handles on a lot of them were stacked with all kinds of stuff like plexi, micarta,brass,aluminum...etc. Might be cool to do something like that.
Post some pics when you can and good luck with your project.
Mace
 
sharpeknives said:
Hi everyone.
Don't post alot here but do read alot.
I am working on a project in memory of my Uncle Herb.He passed away last year.and was a WWII vet wounded on Attu island.(only battle fought on american soil in WWII.)
I am making a knife forged from what looks like a 105 round (exploded) from Attu island.The shell was aquired legally,with permission from the National Historic Preservation Society,and Alaska Wildlife Federation.and the US Coast Guard. All documented. The knife will be sold at auction with 100% of the sale amount going to the WWII Veterans Memorial
Anyway.i'm thinking a large bowie with walrus ivory handles.All spacers will be made from 30cal. caseings also from Attu. I was leaning towards the style of a Collins #18.
I now have the 105 shell in my hands.So any ideas or input would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hmmmmm
I was gonna suggest any type of wood/tree that is on Attu for a handle!!===>
As of 1982, the only trees on the island were those planted by U.S. soldiers at a chapel constructed after the 1943 battle
Click to expand...
:eek:

Welcome to BF!!!
And keep us posted on Project Attu :thumbup:
 
I thought about wood from Attu.Not a tree on the island! I do have a piece of redwood that was used on a structure there in WWII.Was going to use it as spacers at each end of the Ivory
 
Update;
Got the shell from Attu,along with pieces of a WWII truck spring that was abandoned there. Chuck Richards has agreed to do a colaberation with me on this. The blade will be a 575 layer damascus patteren, handle walrus Ivory. Brass spacers from recovered 30.06 caseings.pommel nut will be a casting of the same brass of the island of Attu,
Pics of work in progress

Ready for the welding
 
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I like it so far! Keep progress posted and of course, finished pics!
 
Thanks for posting Andy. The project is coming along and the blade will be doe by the end of August. I will continue to send updates.
 
Very cool project guys. Do you know what kind of steel those 105 projos were made from? Being a careful kinda guy, I would probably shade the mix more heavily to the truck spring steel side just in case the steel from the 105 was a bit low in carbon. Can't wait to see the end result:thumbup:
 
The best I can find out is 1080 to 1095. Remember these were made when "Made in America" meant something. I'm still trying to get an actual make-up. Guess I should send a piece out and get it anilized. But then again Chuck says it'll make a good blade and thats all I need.
 
Been a while since an update. so here it is.
Chuck has truely outdone all my expectations. A little longer than we planned but , life gets in the way sometimes. But as always some things are worth the waite. 575 layers ladder pattern damascus.

Man do I have a hard act to follow.
 
Trees, Ah we had 52 of them on Adak. Well that was the Adak National "Forest". Yes they were pretty stunted, all about 10' tall clumped together in one big bunch. Soldiers planted them through the years. Every once in a while I would come across one planted out in the tundra. If I looked hard enough I could usually find remnants of an old quanset hut close by.
 
I finally got started on this here's where we're at now. The inserts in the guard are the bases from 2 m1 shell cases marked 42 (for 1942 date of manufacture.) This is the first assembly Mach-up
attachment.php
 
Very nice.
I really like the 30-06 casings in the gaurd.

Im still looking for that small piece of twist.
 
Very Cool! I've often thought of using spent cases for handle pins. never thought of using them for gaurd decoration though... Great Job!

Jason
 
Man that is sweeet I can't wait to see the dozen pics :eek: you are going to post when totally finished!!!!!!!!!! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
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