The Gambler/Vest Bowie Knife (Coffin Handles!)

[Pàdruig]

Definitely.

Just thinking out loud but I've got some Blackwood blocks that would work well for a hidden tang. Maybe Nickel Silver furniture and a 5ish inch blade.

That would just be too sweet. Here are a couple of Harvey Dean pieces for continued inspiration - I believe these are reproductions of actual pieces. That Blackwood is particularly striking.

(Not a Coffin Handle but that Ivory is an interesting touch)

 

[Mack]

That would just be too sweet. Here are a couple of Harvey Dean pieces for continued inspiration - I believe these are reproductions of actual pieces. That Blackwood is particularly striking.

(Not a Coffin Handle but that Ivory is an interesting touch)

Gorgeous!
If the blackwood he is talking about is some of @Dopic1 's, it is indeed amazing stuff. It will be incredible on something like those.

 

[Redmeadow Knives]

Gorgeous!
If the blackwood he is talking about is some of @Dopic1 's, it is indeed amazing stuff. It will be incredible on something like those.

Though Scott be the wood master, I think I'm his Blackwood pusher.

I rough sketched a little coffin handle and it turned out to be a 5 5/8" blade and 10" overall. I usually use thin steel but this would be nice with thick steel and an aggressive distal taper. A thick ricasso should help balance it out since the blade is so short.

Maybe a good idea now would be to talk about small, individual details. Guard styles, blade shapes, ricasso lengths, swedges, pin size, spacers, carry style, things like that. Then I'll throw my two cents in and we'll see what we can come up with.

 

[pease]

I think small even number of silver pins in black wood. I like the shorter swedge.

 

[Pinemoon]

Reading with interest.
However will likely pass...My wallet's waiting for another D-guard run.

 

[jlauffer]

Reading with interest.
However will likely pass...My wallet's waiting for another D-guard run.

Very interested as well, and may not be able to resist. And also now talking with Scott Hanson about one of his knives. Damn you BF!

 

[Pàdruig]

Alright, back at it after the weekend...

On the topic of guards - I am a big fan of keeping it simple. I like the classic simplicity of a thin, straight guard and am rather fond of the somewhat oval shape that can be found on some originals. I am not opposed to some embellishments (i.e. file work, unique shapes, etc) but I do think that "less is more" is applicable here - I'll leave that to the artist though.

Here are some pics of some of the simple styles that I dig:

(An original of sorts...)

(Maker unknown (to me, anyway))

(A Sheffield made Bowie (maker unknown))

(Alex Daniels)

(Adam Vigil (A BF Maker here))

(Note the guard being longer on one side than the other (not sure what the technical term for that is but I dig it, you see if on a fair number of knives))

(Mike McClure)

 

[jlauffer]

"less is more"

Hmmm...those words seem familiar for some reason, like an echo from the past

 

[Pàdruig]

Here are some guards with a more artistic flair that I have found to be rather interesting and pleasing.

(Knife and photo credits captioned in the photo)

(Knife and photo credits captioned in the photo)

(Matthew Berry from Hopkins Forge)

(Dufilho, circa 1856-early1860's)

(This Bowie is awesome. Less artistic of design but a different take on a simple guard.)

(Jess Horn)

(Dale Huckabee)

(Antique (unsure of maker))

 

[Mack]

Very interested as well, and may not be able to resist. And also now talking with Scott Hanson about one of his knives. Damn you BF!

Hey, don't look at me like that. I didn't do nothin'!

 

[Pàdruig]

I am going through some old threads and discovering mentions, references, ideas, etc. with regards to coffin handles, vest Bowies and such... Makes me feel a bit lame, being the new guy and barging in with all of this stuff.

Ah well, if it helps move the idea along, I guess I'm good with that.


Continuing with the topic with regards to features:

Ricasso length, like with anything, is largely a matter of personal taste. I am not too keen on an exaggerated or long ricasso, I think it takes away from the aesthetic and leaves a lot of unusable steel. I also do not like when there are abrupt or squared off heels.

I think the best example of something that represents what I do not like in this regard is the Spyderco Respect Bowie.

I think the ricasso should certainly be proportionate to the size of the guard, yet still have some subtlety, and that the heel, (if any) should be far more graceful.

In regards to some other features, if Blackwood is the used handle material, then a small spacer, paired with two rows of small pins, in either nickel silver or stainless, would look particularly striking.

 

[jlauffer]

I am going through some old threads and discovering mentions, references, ideas, etc. with regards to coffin handles, vest Bowies and such... Makes me feel a bit lame, being the new guy and barging in with all of this stuff.

Ah well, if it helps move the idea along, I guess I'm good with that.


Continuing with the topic with regards to features:

Ricasso length, like with anything, is largely a matter of personal taste. I am not too keen on an exaggerated or long ricasso, I think it takes away from the aesthetic and leaves a lot of unusable steel. I also do not like when there are abrupt or squared off heels.

I think the best example of something that represents what I do not like in this regard is the Spyderco Respect Bowie.

I think the ricasso should certainly be proportionate to the size of the guard, yet still have some subtlety, and that the heel, (if any) should be far more graceful.

In regards to some other features, if Blackwood is the used handle material, then a small spacer, paired with two rows of small pins, in either nickel silver or stainless, would look particularly striking.

Yeah never really liked the look of the Respect

 

[Redmeadow Knives]

I am going through some old threads and discovering mentions, references, ideas, etc. with regards to coffin handles, vest Bowies and such... Makes me feel a bit lame, being the new guy and barging in with all of this stuff.

Ah well, if it helps move the idea along, I guess I'm good with that.


Continuing with the topic with regards to features:

Ricasso length, like with anything, is largely a matter of personal taste. I am not too keen on an exaggerated or long ricasso, I think it takes away from the aesthetic and leaves a lot of unusable steel. I also do not like when there are abrupt or squared off heels.

I think the best example of something that represents what I do not like in this regard is the Spyderco Respect Bowie.

I think the ricasso should certainly be proportionate to the size of the guard, yet still have some subtlety, and that the heel, (if any) should be far more graceful.

In regards to some other features, if Blackwood is the used handle material, then a small spacer, paired with two rows of small pins, in either nickel silver or stainless, would look particularly striking.

My advice is to drive this conversation and don't look back. Coffin handles are something that I've been wanting to do for a while.

I'm gonna think aloud here for a bit.....

This might call for a mortise tang. That would allow for two functional rows of pins without a heavy frame handle. With the short blade, I'm not sure I could pull off a frame handle light enough to balance things out. A mortise tang should work well.

I agree on the ricasso, a lot of folks say they should be close to square but I don't think that applies here especially with a Gambler/Vest length blade. I agree with you guys, that Spyderco lacks flow in the ricasso/heel area.

Speaking of which, how much of a heel do we want below the ricasso? My thought is minimal if any.

By the way, the coffin handle sketch I was working on evolved into a hidden tang with more of a fishtail end instead of a coffin. It turned out to be a pretty nice design on it's own.

 

[Pàdruig]

My advice is to drive this conversation and don't look back. Coffin handles are something that I've been wanting to do for a while.

I'm gonna think aloud here for a bit.....

This might call for a mortise tang. That would allow for two functional rows of pins without a heavy frame handle. With the short blade, I'm not sure I could pull off a frame handle light enough to balance things out. A mortise tang should work well.

I agree on the ricasso, a lot of folks say they should be close to square but I don't think that applies here especially with a Gambler/Vest length blade. I agree with you guys, that Spyderco lacks flow in the ricasso/heel area.

Speaking of which, how much of a heel do we want below the ricasso? My thought is minimal if any.

By the way, the coffin handle sketch I was working on evolved into a hidden tang with more of a fishtail end instead of a coffin. It turned out to be a pretty nice design on it's own.

Admittedly, I had to look into what a mortise tang actually was. I've spent a long time paying little mind to knives that aren't full tang. As my knife use philosophies evolve and my knowledge grows, I am discovering the merits and such of different construction methods.

Since the topic knife is going to be on the smaller side, I don't know that much of a heel is warranted, to be honest. I think a heel looks better on a larger knife than it does on a smaller one. It also kind of depends on how the guard will be styled - a bit of a heel could look really nice with the right guard but I largely think it isn't needed.

 

[Redmeadow Knives]

With pocket sheaths cooking I'm sketching up coffin handles watching this thread on my phone, so anything you guys can throw at me will help.

I agree about the heel, the more I sketch this, the more it feels like a dagger. In the sense that you're not gonna have a battle at the Sandbar with it, but you might stick it in the card table in front of you to let the dealer know you're watching him (yes, I watch too many westerns).

 

[Pàdruig]

With pocket sheaths cooking I'm sketching up coffin handles watching this thread on my phone, so anything you guys can throw at me will help.

I agree about the heel, the more I sketch this, the more it feels like a dagger. In the sense that you're not gonna have a battle at the Sandbar with it, but you might stick it in the card table in front of you to let the dealer know you're watching him (yes, I watch too many westerns).

In some of my pic hunts, I've come across some really cool looking daggers. I am still partial to a Bowie style but I have to admit, a dagger would certainly be cool too. One reason that I am a bit hesitant is that this is a knife I would consider carrying regularly - areas of legality become far grayer when it's a dagger.

A couple of pics I found quickly.

 

[jlauffer]

In some of my pic hunts, I've come across some really cool looking daggers. I am still partial to a Bowie style but I have to admit, a dagger would certainly be cool too. One reason that I am a bit hesitant is that this is a knife I would consider carrying regularly - areas of legality become far grayer when it's a dagger.

A couple of pics I found quickly.

Oh man, don't get me going on daggers! A matched set would be phenomenal! Did I mention I need a bigger wallet?

 

[Redmeadow Knives]

I meant dagger in the sense of it's purpose (quick self defense), not a double edge. Kind of like the old saying that "The only purpose of a handgun is to get to your rifle".

 

[Pàdruig]

This thing is a beauty. A tad long for a vest though....

 

[Pàdruig]

I meant dagger in the sense of it's purpose (quick self defense), not a double edge. Kind of like the old saying that "The only purpose of a handgun is to get to your rifle".

You thinking more "toothpicky"?