What is a Folding Bowie?

Bruce Bump

Bruce Bump

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
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When I think of a folding bowie I think of a clipped point with a double guard. The guard is pinned to the blade and folds nicely with the blade when closed. The blade is longer than the handle so a special sheath is needed to cover the exposed blade edge. How close am I in your opinions?

I cant imagine James Bowie weilding a liner lock folder with 3.5" clip point.
 
OH YEAH. Thats what Im talkin about although Jim may have taken the field grade one to the Alamo and left that one in his top drawer.
 
In France, there's a style of folding dagger called a la d'Estaing. Those were daggers meant to dispatch game in traditional mounted hunts.

I think this system could easily be used for a bowie style blade - those are big knives...

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http://www.fusil-calais.com/shop/ca...d=YES&ReqBrand=0&ReqFam=8&ReqCat=30&Submit=Go

http://patt.ifrance.com/profile1/profile.html

I believe the idea is that you can use them folded as a small utility knife too...
 
Here is one from Italy. Not a custom knife.

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I'm thinking that I would prefer a fixed rather than a swing guard, but I do like this style of knife.

I have seen many knives with under 4" blades called folding bowies because they have a clip point blade. I consider this to be a misnomer.
 
Here's a couple from Norm Flayderman's "The Bowie Knife, Unsheathing an American Legend" - there are several more included in there

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I think this one in particular would be right up Bruce's alley......
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looks like a bowie blade shape to me, more so than any of the knives posted in this thread thus far.
 
Actually, bowies come with clip points, spear points, straight and trailing points. A clip point doesn't a bowie make. I have a Buck 110, it isn't a folding bowie either.
 
Bruce Bump said:
So back to my question: What is a folding bowie?
Click to expand...

I think you pretty much got it right the first time Bruce. Something along the lines of an extendable fixed blade, with the handle "folding" to either cover a portion of the blade, or not. The term "bowie" does not lend itself to precise definition (Flayderman devotes several chapters to the attempt) much less "folding bowie". A lot of makers use the term to describe a large clip point folder. While this is probably a misnomer, I don't get too bent out of shape about it. Heck, some guys call 3 1/2" clip point fixed blades "bowies".

Like it or not, the term "bowie" today is much more a marketing term (like "tactical") than any precise historical reference to the man and his knife. Indeed, many of the so-called "authentic" antique bowies are nothing more than a cutler's individual interpretation of what a bowie should be.

Roger
 
I feel like I know a folding bowie when I see it, and evaluate each knife seperately to see if it meets most, or all of my criteria for a bowie-like folding knife.

I have several Bradshaw folding bowies and while they don't meet all of your criteria, they do have several bowie-like features, and sure do have that bowie look and feel, to me at least. I agree on one point though, it's a major stretch to call a liner lock a folding bowie. :)

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Here are pictures of a folding d-guard and a folding bowie That Harvey Dean made. They are both escutcheon released, and they lock in the open and
closed position. I played with the d-guard Bowie right after he finished it a few years back and it was flawless. Harvey's work is impeccable. I've had the pleasure of spending quite a bit of time with Harvey in the past at Hammer-ins and shows and have seen several pieces He has made and have never seen a spot or blemish in anything He's done. There was a post a couple of days ago about a Samuel Bell Bowie that Harvey made where it was said that the customer refused to pay for it, I'm with Steve Dunn, I can't believe there was anything wrong with it, but that his pockets were shallow, enjoy the pics, Dwayne

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Sorry, I thought I could remember how to do it. When I look at the thread I can see the pics, Let me try again. Dwayne

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