Pommel Confusion

wmhammond

wmhammond

Well-Known Member
I'm working on my first Bowie and I want to use a threaded tang with a butt plate and a pommel. On many of the Bowies I see there is a small pommel of about 3/8" in diameter with a point on it or a hole in it or something other. When I look online at the knife maker supply cos, I see pommels that are advertised at 1" diameter and 3/4" diameters but I don't see the smaller ones - what am I missing here and where do I fine the smaller ones? Thanks,

Wallace
 
Hi

I think what you are most likely seeing are pommels that have been made (turned on a lathe) by the knifemaker, rather than purchased from a supplier.
 
Rick is correct. Those are all individually handmade by the makers. Or at least all of them that I have seen are. I know of know place to buy premade ones.
 
Why would the suppliers carry the big ones but not the smaller ones? Can't figure that out.

Wallace
 
Rick and John are right on. most of the smaller finnel nuts you see are produced on a lathe. I generally start with 3/8" round rod for turning mine. The hole you see in some is for tightening the "nut". Generally there are two types that knifemakers will make...an internal threaded one, that screws directly to the tang threads, or one with external theads that uses either a folder pivot (internally threaded barrel), or a clevis as the attchement mechainisim.

The reason the knife supply outfits carry the sizes they do, is the same reason production knife compainies do what they do.......ease of manufacturing, and trying to cover the widest audience they can. The thought pattern goes something like......an inexperieced knifemaker will buy whatever they can find, and use it, where as more seasoned knifemakers have the tooling and skill to produce the parts they want/need, therefore the more experienced makers won't buy XXXXX (whatever the item might be) anyway.
 
Well, Ed, that is quite a serious disappointment to an aspiring beginning knife maker with no metal lathe, no metal lathe skills and no 3/8" round rod for turning and too old to get any of that. What will I do, what will I do. Maybe, if I could make it worth your while, I could talk you into making one for me, or better yet, you look like an enterprising kinda guy, maybe you could make a lot of 'em and sell 'em to guys like me. I can't be the only guy who could use a couple of new "nuts" :).

Wallace
 
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Try your local big box store in the electrical dept. (Lowes, Home Depot)
Look for replacement lamp finial nuts. They're usually brass and they can be easily customized with a file or paper....assuming you find something close to your needs. Next, try the hardware dept in all those draws with replacement parts for this and that. If that doesn't work, get on E-bay and look at the millions of leatherwork studs that might fit the bill. Maybe a Sam Allen stud from tracy or any other supplier. 'Neccesity is the mother of invention'.

Good luck,
Rudy
 
ACE hardware stores usually have a good selection the lamp parts, and you go on the internet and find even more choices. I found a site that even has horse head finials similar to the English Bowies of the 19th c.
 
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