The Making of a Feather Pattern Bowie over at the CKCA

Almost ready for engraving. I'm still waiting for the stag to come back from Culpeppers and I ran out of sterling silver but I can fit liners and stag to it after the engraving if I'm careful to not touch the frame when shaping the scales.

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Bruce Bump said:
Good question. My thinking here is to allow the guard and spacer to be engraved in two separate pieces. Engravers complain about my guards because they constantly have to grind the heel of the engraver tools to get to the bottom of the concave areas. With a two piece guard it will dissassemble and can be engraved separately with much less angle to reach the bottoms. Another reason is the tang is tapered and the milling machine is straight. Its possible to do but there would be allot hand file work to taper the inside of the slot.

Like Steven says, this is a "Take Down" design so tolerances need to be as close as possible. The two pieces are milled, pressed and lock together with minimum visible line and wont show worse as time goes on. If the engraver feels it will detract from his design, he can engrave them each with different patterns. I'll let him decide.

Thanks for the question. It tells me you are paying attention. 2thumbs
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Thanks for the reply Bruce, separating them for engraving is something that wouldn't have occurred to me.

I learn more from your WIP threads than some of the books and videos I have.
 
I see the balance point you have here.

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...and I see the material you have removed from inside the handle frame here.

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Will this change the balance point to be more forward ?
or is the weight removed from the frame just about the same as the handle material that will be put on?

What balance point do you aim for on a blade like this...
 
12345678910 said:
I see the balance point you have here.

100_6962_edited.jpg


...and I see the material you have removed from inside the handle frame here.

100_7000_edited.jpg


Will this change the balance point to be more forward ?
or is the weight removed from the frame just about the same as the handle material that will be put on?

What balance point do you aim for on a blade like this...
Click to expand...

I like the knife to sit on the index finger. This one has allot of steel in the frame and rear pommel so I'm sure it benefits from the lightening of the frame inside. I wont know for sure how it balances until after I get the liners and scales fitted and pinned.
 
I have the stag back from Culpeppers and made some progress cutting and fitting them. There is a link on the first page of this thread that shows my entire process on this bowie (if you didnt already know that already) over on the Custom Knife Collectors Association forum. Nice folks over there too.

Note:
If you guys are makers and need buyers for your work I'd suggest registering at the CKCA with your real name (required) and take part there.

Here is just a teaser from that thread

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Bruce you just amaze me with your grit my friend I would be terrified shaping that stag after all the engraving and the color case hardening, I know I would ruin it.

What an amazing and inspirational piece, thanks for taking the time to put these WIP's together.
 
Its finished. I hope you guys went over there and followed the entire thread. It had ups and downs, I laughed, I cried, but it came out good and I learned some valuable lessons along the way.

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I guess I can't use "came out good" anymore. Pretty sure I've never had something come out that good:D
That blade is really something Bruce2thumbs2thumbs
 
I received the Bowie today and could not be more pleased.
Fit/finish/execution all to the highest degree. Jere Davidson's engraving
is as amazing under magnification as is to the naked eye. Bruce hit a home run with the ergonomics of this handle.
The combination of the swell of the stag towards the rear bolster and the slight index drop on the underside of the handle makes this one the most comfortable big knives I have held.

I took two poor straight on photos so as to capture the proportions of this piece.
Bruce is an absolute pleasure to work with and his skill and attention to detail is absolutely amazing. Next is the sheath and much better photos.

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Nice bowie Bruce, but I liked it better with th colors kind of a waste to polish them off. I thought they would have looked great with the stag, that's just my opinon. I think I would have shaped the handle before I colored it, beautiful knife though and came out great.
 
K A Willey said:
Nice bowie Bruce, but I liked it better with th colors kind of a waste to polish them off. I thought they would have looked great with the stag, that's just my opinon. I think I would have shaped the handle before I colored it, beautiful knife though and came out great.
Click to expand...

Thanks KA,
I liked the colors too but I like it this way better. The colors are actually just temperary and will rub off with time. Under them is a permanant hard shell and a pretty one at that. I want to start doing my own color case and use it on the double guards of a more utility bowie.
 
Just got these from Coop. This means this bowie is officially finished. Whew! Hope you like it.

Ladies and Gentlemen, "The Pinkerton Bowie"

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