The Tirtha Bowie or the Himalayan Toothpick

[Steely_Gunz]

A few months back we got our first look at a radical yet simple bowie by Tirtha. I liked the shape so much, I had to ask Yangdu to keep an eye open for one. Of course, Yangdu being Yangdu, she said she would have one made for me and asked what kind of features I wanted.

So after thinking about it, I decided that what I really wanted was a sub 18" knife. I envisioned a camping/survival knife that could also do the "social work" that the bowies of old were known for I told here that I preferred a wood grip over a horn grip just out of personal preference. Finally, I requested a villager finish as I think I'm going to cold blue it for effect.

Lemme jump to the obvious conclusion: Tirtha knocked this request out of park Quick specs: 17.2" OAL, 10" blade on the nose, 1/4" at the spine, and I'm guessing around 22oz.

After carefully cutting the bowie out of the beloved triangular box and hefting it with a maniacal laugh, I couldn't help but feel that the shape and profile reminded me of another classic design...no, not the Arkansas Toothpick. I looked down at the knife I had used to free my treasure. OK terrible picture time. Sorry I was having a hard time with the lighting, and the flash kept bouncing off the hardwood. These are all I could get

I dunno if any of you see it, but the clipped blade, the quasi equal length of blade to grip, the fine wood grips, and....

a lil' brass
It's like a giant fixed blade Buck 110 It's a Yeti Double One Ought. Even the aggressive "hook" at the pommel reminds me of the notch where the lock engages on the 110.

The balance is fantastic. It's weight neutral thanks to the longer grip and pommel. It feels like a bowie version of the WWII khuk. I can't wait to give a test tomorrow. I'm really excited with the quality new designs coming out of the shop these days I'd like to give the wood a few coats of oil, blue the blade, and I'm envisioning a shoulder holster in its future.

I can't thank Yangdu enough for such a speedy special order. To Tirtha, based on this, you're my new guy Congrats. You've replaced Kumar as the kami that creates a blade that simply feels...made for me. I've been struggling since Kumar left to find a "favorite" of the new guys. Tirtha gets my stamp of approval

I'm hoping to have a performance review tomorrow along with the adorable knit-turtle Yangdu sent along with the Bowie for my little girl. She smiled, grabbed it, and shoved it in her mouth She conked out tonight before I could get a picture. But it's an impressive little gift.:thumbup:


Oh I have to edit to add that the shallow even fullers on this as some of the best I have ever seen. This is as closed to "machined" as I have seen come out of HI. Tirtha is an incredible craftsman.

 

[bennyb]

Sweet-looking knife! +1 on beer mug kami's (Tirthas) work. I have an Ang Khola of his and the fuller work on it is stunning.

 

[Howard Wallace]

Interesting looking knife. Does it have a "false edge"?

 

[Yangdu]

Glad to hear the Tirtha Bowie and turtle made it OK, thank you for the kind words

 

[Abaniko]

That is Wonderful:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Issun]

what a masterfully done knife!

if you want good pictures, take them outside, natural lighting makes everything better

 

[Andrew Colglazier]

That's very interesting, more pics pls, mate!

Andy

 

[cop911]

Very nice shape to that blade. I can see that being another 'need to have' on the shopping list. Nice to know some people still rely on the old 110's too.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Interesting looking knife. Does it have a "false edge"?

Nope....it has a fully sharpened clip I know in times past we have asked for a sharpened clip. Generally speaking they came...sorta sharp. I would chalk this up to a secondary or "beater" edge that could be used to do work and save your primary edge. Not so with this one The clip is every bit as sharp as the main edge.

They both came with a little more than field sharp edge. A little stone and chakma work had the clip shaving. I need to spend a little more time with primary edge, but I'll probably wait until I blue it...can you believe that Wal Mart of all places doesn't carry gun blue Oh well, I'll pick some up this weekend somewhere else.

I'm going to buff and seal the wood today with some poly-stain I have in the back. It'll match the wood's natural tone (maybe a bit darker) and really hydrate/protect it. I think I'll buff up the villager finish just a bit with some mag polish just for giggles until I can blue it next week.

Another nice thing, the scabbard frog has a very LONG loop. This means that the Bowie rides low and balanced. The snap is positioned in such a way that when it is fastened, it really keeps the grip from flopping outward and holds it high and tight. Another nice thing about the loop is that it gives me plenty of room to modify it. I'm going to make a custom sheath for this when I pick up some supplies in a couple weeks. However, just monkeying around I have found that I might be able to stitch a line in the middle of the belt loop effectively giving me two carry options. One would let it ride low as it naturally does. One would keep the long grip way up high and the blade higher on the thigh. This would hide it better under a jacket or shirt and keep it from flapping.

The scabbard is really well done. It's a soft smooth black leather with a black frog. The chape is even and flush, although I will probably grind just a bit of of it off at the point so it doesn't stab my car seat so much when i get in and out:foot:

I'll try to get a few more pics today. It's rainy, but the lighting in office is a lot better than my house. i also found out part of the reason why the pics are blurry. My phone camera lens was covered in dried baby spit:barf: I'll get some pics of the doctored handle and the clip as well as a couple shots of the scabbard.

Oh and here is Evey this morning playing with her turtle after I changed her for "school"

She wouldn't stop moving! She was shaking that turtle and talking to it. I have to say, I'm really impressed with the quality of knitting on that little guy. My wife was getting tickled at me, because I was spending most of the night playing with it I think that they would really be a money maker in a gift shop.

Oh, and just for fun:

The Onesie Bomber. She sends anonymous dirty diapers in mail.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I got one coat of poly on the wood, and it drank it greedily. I'll probably hit it again this afternoon some time after lunch. I was able to get a couple of SLIGHTLY better pics with my phone.

Here I was trying to use the overhead lights to show exactly how far back the clip goes.

Here, while not as clear, you can really make out the fullers. I'm usually pretty take-em-or-leave-em when it comes to fullers on a knife, but these dress it up nicely. You still have a balanced, very business like look

 

[JOE68]

That is truly a work of art.
It has that "all business" look that makes you ant to use it at every opportunity.

 

[Howard Wallace]

Nope....it has a fully sharpened clip ...

One of the strong points of traditional bowie design I learned about from James Keating is the back cut.

Do a Roman emperor "thumbs up" sign, and then change it to a "thumbs down" sign. Then do it with knife in hand. That's the basic back cut. It is very fast and very effective.

How does this knife fare with the back cut? If you have a more standard Bowie to compare it to that is great. I am particularly interested in your thoughts about how the forward cant of the blade on this knife affects the effectiveness of a back cut.

 

[Cpl Punishment]

Wow, now there's a Bowie ol' Jim would be proud of!

Howard, I'd be guessing, but I think the forward rake of the blade would enhance the back cut, as the clip would hit at an angle, and "run" the blade, rather than pierce and gouge like a straighter blade would. So the hole might not be as nasty, but would be deeper and longer.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

I would say that in regards to martial use, this bowie would dance circles around something more modern/traditional as say the the Cold Steel Trailmaster.

The neutral balance yields a blade that is not only devastating with its forward cleave, but the back cut would be fierce. While a stiff wristed back cut would certainly do damage, allowing the momentum of the knife to rock the forward in your grip would both slice and drive the point a good 2.5" deep into any soft parts.

Like all weapons, the Tirtha bowie leans toward an intuitive use. It's a cleaving (yet quick) swinging blade. You could perry and thrust, you could get a wicked back cut, but it appears to have an aggressive build to it. In other words, if you needed to use it, it's not going to be a sit-back-and-administer-death-by-1000-cuts sort of blade. It's weight would seem to indicate that the battle would probably be over at first contact. However, it is balanced enough that unlike a full size khuk or axe, you're not a sitting duck should you miss

 

[shortwinger]

I would say that in regards to martial use, this bowie would dance circles around something more modern/traditional as say the the Cold Steel Trailmaster.

Oh now you've done it! Lynn will be doing a video soon...

Bill
Virginia

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Oh now you've done it! Lynn will be doing a video soon...

Bill
Virginia

I have to give CS props. A Carbon V Trailmaster was my first "good and expensive" knife. I still have it kicking around somewhere. However, the TB would eat it's lunch. Even LT would have to agree to that much

 

[shortwinger]

I'm sure that old clunky outdated CS Trailmaster is just taking up closet space, if you want me to get it out of the way to make room for that TB just let me know.

Bill
Virginia

 

[Steely_Gunz]

lol Bill you wouldn't want it. The guard is bent and the grip is coming loose. My 19 year old self thought it would be a fine throwing knife:foot:

 

[MrMike]

that is ONE SWEET RIG. I must have one...

 

[Svashtar]

Beautiful knife Jake! I love the handle and fullers, and agree Tirtha is really gifted and does a super job. Like you said, this beast just cries out for some custom shoulder leather!

Thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

Norm