Musso Brass Back Bowie

[david boone]

Hi fellow knife nuts, I need your help with my knife re-production of Joseph Musso brass back Bowie. I acquired a copy of the working drawings, circa 1830 to 1840 a couple of years ago. I am having a problem with the color of the handle, it shows on my drawing that the handle is light oak, but my research on the net shows that all the reproductions are black our another dark color wood. Can anyone tell me the original material and color of the handle? Thanks

 

[Keith Montgomery]

David, the handle on the original knife is an ebonized (stained black) hardwood that has been listed as either oak or maple. The reference to ebonized hardwood came from Joseph Musso himself.

 

[straitshot]

Chapter One of The Gun Digest Book of Knives (1988) indicates the original handle and butt cap were likely replaced. The current handle is oak, and shows a very dark color oak in the bw photos. Lab tests confirmed the butt cap is not original to the knife, so if you mean the original handle first put on the knife, there may not be a definitive answer to the question. ss