First, sincere thanks to Roger, Lorian and all the makers and other BF members who made this review and evaluation of blade craftsmanship possible. It was as edcuational as it was enjoyable and a fantastic way to showcase a variety of knives and skills of makers that many of us would not see otherwise.
Second, I am the lucky owner of the winner. Working with John to bring this knife to life was an experience I'll cherish forever. Having commissioned an ivory handled Persian from John previously, I was scheduled for a second knife last spring. I originally intended to request a feather Damascus dagger using some nice blue mammoth bark I had. Then John kindly invited me as a guest to last February's Arkansas show, the first knife show I ever attended. Long story short, late the second day I was rummaging through a pile of raw ivory and found an uncommonly nice section of walrus tusk. I was surprised it was still there. Although expensive and unplanned for, I couldn't resist it. I figured right then and there the dagger was going to have to wait, that my unexpected purchase was perfect for a big Bowie.
Two months later I'd pretty much decided on the style and fittings I wanted but was uncertain regarding what pattern of Damascus. I sent my chunk of walrus to John and asked if he had any suggestions on how best to complement the handle. He emailed back very excited and said he had "a full blown idea" to share and asked me to call him. He had almost finished one of his personal exercises/experiments in forging - - a blade with a longitudinal pattern for sale at a future show. I was a little uncomfortable as he first started explaining it, but he was so enthusiastic I told him if he was that happy with it, I was sure I would be too. He sent an image of the test-etched blade a couple of days later to confirm. The rest is history.
A few words about the knife itself. The blade is a 5 bar composite of modified turkish twist and explosion Damascus. Shaping and pulling in the outer 4 bars to match perfectly with the center bar took a high degree of technical skill and a lot of hard work. Not to mention being extremely nerveracking. John said he would never do one like it again. Six bar yes, 5 bar no. As for the fittings, I wanted a browned lion's paw motif, but was overwhelmed by the detail and workmanship in the final product. John put his all into this knife, felt he couldn't do any better at that point in his career.
John would have been extremely proud of winning this year's BF Best Bowie contest. He was an active supporter of BF and it would have meant a lot to him. He won numerous other awards over the years, but I think to come out on top based on 255 votes of peers versus those of 3 judges at other venues would have pleased him tremendously. To rename the contest after John is a fitting tribute. He still had a lot to learn and give. I wish it could have come much later.
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