- Joined
- Oct 2, 1998
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- 45,152
Over the past year or more I've been reading a lot of books about the American wilderness, specifically by authors from the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Two of the more prominent figures of that time were Horace Kephart and George Washington Sears aka "Nessmuk".
Last year I was fortunate enough to pick up in the secondary market a very nice "Woodcraft" style knife (preferred by Kephart) made by master smith Rick Dunkerley. The knife featured a blade of forged 52100 and a mortised handle of ironwood.
While reading Nessmuk's "Woodcraft and Camping" I thought it might be fun to have a knife made which would pay homage to Nessmuk's idea of what an outdoorsman's knife should be.
To accomplish this I turned to my good friend Ray Kirk of Tahlequah, OK. Ray's pretty well known on this website by now and I'm proud to say that I was the one to introduce him here initially. For those that don't know, Ray's an American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith, but that will probably change in the next year or so when Ray prepares to seek master smith status.
In any case, I forwarded Ray the following picture which is from the aforementioned book by Nessmuk.
Ray and I decided to substitute scorched Bois D'Arc scales for the stag in the illustration.
The knife features a hand forged blade of differentially heat treated 52100 steel, approximately 4.5" long. The spine is 3/32" and the blade is about 1.25" wide at its widest point. The overall length is 9 3/8".
What you don't see in this picture, and what would make old Nessmuk smile is just how sharp and light this knife is. Sharp because Ray knows how to put a mean edge on a knife, and light because Ray employed a tapered (and drilled) half tang under scales secured by epoxy and two 1/8" nickel silver pins. Ray tells me that he's seen old Sheffield knives constructed similarly and decided to utilize that method on this piece.
Total weight: 3.8 ounces. It feels like a feather in the hand.
But more impressive than the weight of the knife is just how well contoured and ergonomic the grip is. I don't think I've ever held a knife that is more comfortable in the hand. The scales are radiused everywhere and narrow near the butt for incredible grip and comfort.
This knife was made to be used but Ray included a sheath which harkens back to the types of sheathes worn by Native Americans in days gone by. The leather pouch style sheath is secured by the tip of a white tail deer antler and is lined with kydex and leather to prevent penetration by the blade.
Well, enough talking...Let's have a look at this little workhorse:
Well, there it is. I hope that those of you with a feeling for the way things were can appreciate this little beauty. This knife is already calling for some quality time in the woods.
To reach Ray, you can email him at:
raker@tah-usa.net
or you can visit his website at:
www.tah-usa.net/raker
Last year I was fortunate enough to pick up in the secondary market a very nice "Woodcraft" style knife (preferred by Kephart) made by master smith Rick Dunkerley. The knife featured a blade of forged 52100 and a mortised handle of ironwood.
While reading Nessmuk's "Woodcraft and Camping" I thought it might be fun to have a knife made which would pay homage to Nessmuk's idea of what an outdoorsman's knife should be.
To accomplish this I turned to my good friend Ray Kirk of Tahlequah, OK. Ray's pretty well known on this website by now and I'm proud to say that I was the one to introduce him here initially. For those that don't know, Ray's an American Bladesmith Society journeyman smith, but that will probably change in the next year or so when Ray prepares to seek master smith status.
In any case, I forwarded Ray the following picture which is from the aforementioned book by Nessmuk.
Ray and I decided to substitute scorched Bois D'Arc scales for the stag in the illustration.
The knife features a hand forged blade of differentially heat treated 52100 steel, approximately 4.5" long. The spine is 3/32" and the blade is about 1.25" wide at its widest point. The overall length is 9 3/8".
What you don't see in this picture, and what would make old Nessmuk smile is just how sharp and light this knife is. Sharp because Ray knows how to put a mean edge on a knife, and light because Ray employed a tapered (and drilled) half tang under scales secured by epoxy and two 1/8" nickel silver pins. Ray tells me that he's seen old Sheffield knives constructed similarly and decided to utilize that method on this piece.
Total weight: 3.8 ounces. It feels like a feather in the hand.
But more impressive than the weight of the knife is just how well contoured and ergonomic the grip is. I don't think I've ever held a knife that is more comfortable in the hand. The scales are radiused everywhere and narrow near the butt for incredible grip and comfort.
This knife was made to be used but Ray included a sheath which harkens back to the types of sheathes worn by Native Americans in days gone by. The leather pouch style sheath is secured by the tip of a white tail deer antler and is lined with kydex and leather to prevent penetration by the blade.
Well, enough talking...Let's have a look at this little workhorse:
Well, there it is. I hope that those of you with a feeling for the way things were can appreciate this little beauty. This knife is already calling for some quality time in the woods.
To reach Ray, you can email him at:
raker@tah-usa.net
or you can visit his website at:
www.tah-usa.net/raker
