You know I like to use old and weird stuff, but you may not know I did quite a bit of trapping back in my younger days. I've wanted to do a trapping themed historical knife for a while. This one has quite a few interesting elements. The damascus includes the spring from a vintage Newhouse #4 trap that came to me from the famous cowboy photographer Wyman Meinzer. I put trap spring parts in a canister with 1084+nickel powder and some strips of 1095 shim stock, then clad that billet over a random damascus core. Having seen John Cohea's work, I wanted to incorporate a set of coyote jaws into the handle. Coyote jaws are long and thin, so I decided to inlay them into a wood handle. I chose some bodark/bois d'arc fence post from a 1912 railroad fence. I acquired a 1941-42 trapping tag that I wanted to include as well. The guard is damascus from the blade billet. I wanted the blade shape to hint at or echo the Green River upswept butchering knives of the "mountain men."
I made some similar damascus out of original Schrade trapper blades. That billet went to Bubba Crouch, who is also making a historical themed knife in a trapper pattern. The set will go to Vegas for a cowboy art show.
I made some similar damascus out of original Schrade trapper blades. That billet went to Bubba Crouch, who is also making a historical themed knife in a trapper pattern. The set will go to Vegas for a cowboy art show.
