Southwest Bowie Progression Thread

[C-Camerer]

I hope that everyone enjoys this. It will be picture intensive so beware. Last year I was commisioned to make a southwest style bowie. I have been gettting photos along the way and thought that I would share them with you.

Unfortunately I forgot to get pics of me actually forging the blade. Here is the bar of W2 that the knife was forged from.

This pics shows the knife being cleaned of scale with my little side grinder.

Here I gettting ready to set up the initial rough grinds.

In this pic I am setting the flats on the ricasso.

 

[C-Camerer]

I like to do the heat treating in batches. Here is the blade in a group of knive, they are being cleaned prior to applying the clay.

Here is the group with the clay applied.

Here is a shot of the whole group.

Th fittings will be twist damascus. Here I am getting ready to start cutting the 15N20 into stackable strips. By the way someone elses knife will be coming out of this batch of damascus.....maybe yours Danbo.

 

[C-Camerer]

Sparks are flying now!

Here is the 1084 and 15N20 all cut up and ready to be stacked into two 19 layer billets.

Here are the two billets prior to going into the forge.

Things are heating up and going together here. The intial weld has taken place and the billet is being drawn out.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

Thanks for putting out the effort to show us all the work that goes into one of your knives.

 

[C-Camerer]

Here is a pic of my forge running at welding temp. In the background you can see my shop elf warming his hands from the heat coming off the forge. Back to work shop Elf!

Here the two intial billets are cut and being restacked to form a 114 layer billet.

This is the 114 layer billet. It will be cut into 3 pieces, cleaned and restacked into a final billet consisting of 342 layers.

At this point the billet was squared up and the twisting is being done. The key here is keeping it hot and the twist even. In this photo I have heated the end closest to my wrench more so that I can even out the twist.

 

[ckerwin]

That is one cute shop elf! I'm sure he knows about daggers needed to be fluted in the handles.

 

[C-Camerer]

Here is the completed twisted bar. From here the ends were cut from the bar and it was forged flat. I forgot to get pics. I have enough to do a nice blade and I also forged down the various sizes for the fittings on the knife.

Now it is back to working on the blade after it has been finished ground. This is the blade, the damscus fittings in barstock form and the nice piece of amber stag that will go on this knife. Basically this is the complete knife in rough from.

I always start off by working the clips and gettitng them sanded.

From there I start cleaning up the flats and getting rid of all the grinder marks.

 

[C-Camerer]

Here I am getting ready to clean the blade in the shop sink prior to etching it in the ferric cloride. The sink has seen its share of wood stain, leather dye and ferric chloride.

this is after the knife has come from the etch. I am polishing it with a mixture of WD-40 and Mothers Mag Polish.

Here is a shot trying to show some of the detail in the hamon. It has a lot of subtle activity between the peaks and valleys that I can't capture in my pics.

That is the last pic for a couple of days. I will be working on it more this week and will have soem pics as I proceed.

 

[RogerP]

Great stuff Craig - thanks for the detailed look. I love the shot of all those blades lying there. I'm thinking "I'll take THAT one, and THAT one and...." The southwest looks great so for. Probably my favorite bowie style.

Roger

 

[Kevin Jones]

Thank you.

 

[ptgdvc]

Craig,

Great thread with even better knives!

The Southwest hog body on steriods is sizzling, imho.

You might want to send me a pic of that one when it is finished.

P

 

[peterinct]

Great thread and much appreciated. I am anxious to see the rest.

Peter

 

[Doug C]

Craig,
Thanks for this thread.
I think that Southwest is gonna' be a beaut'.

Doug

 

[JParanee]

These type threads are some of my favorite love the knives also. thanks

 

[xaman]

wow, thanks for the pics, i feel like i've been to school and learned something :thumbup: :thumbup:

 

[nikoknife48]

Nice to see a blade come to life!

 

[jaislandboy]

thanks for the pix :thumbup:

 

[MVF]

Thank you for taking the time and trouble to post this- much appreciated!

 

[D lisch]

very cool that will help as I am about to try some clay on W2.

 

[Ken Williams]

The arrangement of clay on steel needed for a fancy hamon prior to heat treatment is a first for me. Thanks for the extra toil to help me understand.

Ken