Sea cow rib bone

Raymond Richard

Raymond Richard

Joined
Jun 17, 2001
Messages
5,705
Here's a good sized knife I've been working on for most this week. Its got a 10 1/2" Bruno 1095 blade, I think I used up the last of my small iron buggy wheel on this S guard and butt place. Stella the Sea Cow donated one of her ribs to be used as the handle. It has been dyed. Overall its 15 1/2".

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Ray, you were right. I have nothing else to add.
'cept this- :thumbup:
 
The sea cow bone look great dyed.

This knife has a different look than what you have been doing lately. The blade looks broader and more massive. Very nice.
 
Ray, I sure like it and I usually don't like dyed bone but it looks good on this one.
Very nice knife !
Did you color the furniture with heat ?

Doug
 
Doug C said:
Ray, I sure like it and I usually don't like dyed bone but it looks good on this one.
Very nice knife !
Did you color the furniture with heat ?

Doug
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Hey Doug, Actually the dye job came out darker than I had thought it would. After I do the dying I'll soak the bone in a linseed oil mixture and on some bone that I've done this way it usually comes out lighter but not this time. You've probably noticed I like the darker shades of brown. Your right about the fittings being colored with heat.
 
Love the look of the knife, but I must clear up a factor of awesomeness. Sea Cow = Manatee right?
 
Stella did right by you...

Lately I have been very much appreciating the clean lines of a simple design. This bowie nails that to perfection. I love it...

are you selling this piece or is it for a customer?

Ren
 
Ray,

This is a great example of why I love your blades --- just classic and elegantly simple. And I am VERY glad that you prefer the dark browns, the coloring is perfect.

I would have guessed this one to be 9" bladelength based on the proportions --- is the blade a bit wider that you normally make? If it's 10.5", it must be a handful. I'm guessing the wider blade balances the bone handle well.

It's another beautiful piece, somebody is going to be very proud to own that one...
 
The Stellars' sea cow is an extinct relative of the manatee and dugong. It was apparently much larger that its cousins and lived in colder water, which the manatee does not deal with very well. Down here, one of the largest concentrations of manatees you will see on the west coast of Florida is in the outflow of the Crystal River nuclear plant during the winter months. The like that warm, glowing water:D
 
xaman said:
Ray,

This is a great example of why I love your blades --- just classic and elegantly simple. And I am VERY glad that you prefer the dark browns, the coloring is perfect.

I would have guessed this one to be 9" bladelength based on the proportions --- is the blade a bit wider that you normally make? If it's 10.5", it must be a handful. I'm guessing the wider blade balances the bone handle well.
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Eli, This blade is at least 1/2" wider than most my knives and thats do to the 3/8" thick steel. After forging this blade I removed at least 1/4" in width to make it look better. Right now at the widest part of the blade its 2 3/16".
 
Raymond Richard said:
Eli, This blade is at least 1/2" wider than most my knives and thats do to the 3/8" thick steel. After forging this blade I removed at least 1/4" in width to make it look better. Right now at the widest part of the blade its 2 3/16".
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3/8" ???? Wow, that's thick.

I'm assuming a taper of the spine, but what is the spine thickness at it's thickest point?

I like it wide, it doesn't look out of balance at all --- it just looks a little different than your typical long and lean fighter bowie. I'm certainly no bowie expert, but have read many accounts of the "tool" aspect of the Bowie, in addition to being a fighting knife.

Being 1095 and wide, and assuming the spine is also fairly thick, this ought to be a real "beefy blade. Do you think it would hold up to some chopping if it were (unthinkable) to become a "user" :D


I'm still blown away everytime I pull that 11" fighter (the Prophet) out of it's case --- it is so fast, light and balanced. So I know you do an amazing fighter, it would be cool to feel your interpretation of a chopper sometime...
 
xaman said:
3/8" ???? Wow, that's thick.

I'm assuming a taper of the spine, but what is the spine thickness at it's thickest point?

I like it wide, it doesn't look out of balance at all --- it just looks a little different than your typical long and lean fighter bowie. I'm certainly no bowie expert, but have read many accounts of the "tool" aspect of the Bowie, in addition to being a fighting knife.

Being 1095 and wide, and assuming the spine is also fairly thick, this ought to be a real "beefy blade. Do you think it would hold up to some chopping if it were (unthinkable) to become a "user" :D
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The spine at the guard junction is 1/4" with a full distal tapper. This knife would most likely be a good chopper but 5160 I still think would make a tougher blade. Not sure if I mentioned Stella weighs 24oz. The bone itself is pretty heavy. Balance point is right at the guard.
 
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