What would Jeremiah Johnson do, survey.

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PCL

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I was watching my favorite movie the other day and was looking at my broken tang western bowie and I wondered what would the character or for that matter the real Johnson have done if during some accident the tang on his knife broke. My thought was he would use what he had around that he could use to repair the knife. So I looked around and tried to see what I could use for a crude repair or descent fix so the knife would be usable until I could get a new one. Basically I wanted to start with of course what I had, a broken tang bowie with no hilt. Don't know where I lost it but he may have to. So I didn't have any brass lying around suitable for the job and I don't think they had aluminum so I chose an antler tine to be my hilt. And an old hatchet handle to be my new handle. What do you think he would have done. Maybe this could also be a challenge to see what people come up with? Let me know what you think.
 
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He'd find a smooth river rock and sand the broken part-attached to the tang smooth then go about his business..........Otherwise He'd Be A Starvin' Pilgrim.
 
Probably make a make-shift toma-hawk attaching it in between a split piece of wood.
could've at-least killed some small game by throwing it.

that would be my thoughts and least amount of work. :):thumbup:
 
Not sure how he would remove metal down to handle size, since a file was not normally part of the kit. Dulling the blade near the tang with a river rock and possibly using a split stick or something as a handle, and wrapping with rawhide or sinew, with or without the wood handle, seems more likely, in my opinion.
 
Now I didn't say he was in an urgent situation, I meant he's out and something breaks his knife. He could have been using it as a hammer whatever, so while setting in his cabin or cave and using things he would and could have available, what would he do. The rendezvous isn't for a while, we all know he's been to a town, and he works on his own guns. So he has supplies, Bear Claw wrapped his Hawkin butt stock with a rag or wrap of some type, maybe for a cracked stock. The situation is not an emergency, he is just fixing his gear. Sorry if I was not clear. Anyway I made my repair, here it is.



 
Not sure what Jeremiah Johnson (or Liver-eating Johnson) would have done, but you look like you did a pretty good job with that one.
 
This has piqued my interest because I love to get old knives with no good handles and repair them with my very basic tools.
That wood you used-are the holes natural or did you put them there? I'm thinking natural. Nice job.
 
Not natural it was a grip pattern in the handle, but it adds character. Thanks for replies.
 
afishhunter said:
Not sure how he would remove metal down to handle size, since a file was not normally part of the kit. Dulling the blade near the tang with a river rock and possibly using a split stick or something as a handle, and wrapping with rawhide or sinew, with or without the wood handle, seems more likely, in my opinion.
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You are over thinking it. He would remove metal to the best of the abilities and tools he had available. With older steels that he would have had available, he probably could have done it with a hard rock..... If he couldn't do more than blunt the edge, that's what he would have done.
 
I would have just set the broken knife aside for the time being and just used my backup. A mountain man always has more than one.

Then with the broken knife I would have fashioned a hardwood long handle and made a spear.

Now of course you did a fine repair. Kudos to making that knife truly your own. Give that handle a nice dark rustic stain finish and I think you'll be all set for the hills!
 
I only had 3 inches of tang to work with, but I like it. I'd like to see what others have done, anyone else fixed a broken tang knife, show it please.
 
Looks like a nice repair..... my only thought is that the hatchet handle would have to be no longer useful as a hatchet handle before he'd sacrifice it.
 
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Right same with me, who ever had it before me had alot of misses and the portion under the head was badly chipped and split but the lower part was good.
 
Liver Eating Johnson might have fashioned a handle out of Crow skull.
Any man that escapes capture by cutting a captors leg off and uses it to fight his way out, makes it out of whatever he dern well pleases!
 
First, the knife would likely be carbon steel. Second, he likely had another little knife to cut patches when he reloaded. After that he had likely seen a blacksmith or two at work. I might heat the tang end in the fire and pound it with a rock or hatchet, shortening the knife a little but getting me enough tang to fix a handle. Then do the rawhide wrap. As you all likely know of that era, you made do or you made death.
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