HUGE bowie- frame handle, shell guard and carved blackwood...

J. Doyle

J. Doyle

Dealer - Purveyor
This piece was quite a while in the works and is for a great collector and friend of mine/ours here on this forum. This was a LOT of fun to make and enjoyed working on it. It was definitely the most complicated build I've ever undertaken. It is also the largest knife I've ever made.

Specs:
Hand-forged from W2 steel
13" of blade, 18 3/4" overall, .240" thick at the ricasso
Full distal taper, with an *almost* sharp clip (could easily be sharpened if desired)
Twisted steel filework on spine
Rounded ricasso edge
My own damascus fittings for the collars, shell guard, spacers, butt cap segments and finial
Coined copper accent spacers
Carved African blackwood handle
1084 steel frame, twisted steel on top to match spine side of blade and rounded and proud fit bottom frame to match the bottom of the ricasso

My friend and sheath maker extraordinaire, Claude Scott did a beautiful job making a sheath for this knife.

And thank you to Coop for the clear crisp photos that capture the true look of this knife SO perfectly.

I did a partial WIP thread on the handle assembly that can be found here:

http://knifedogs.com/showthread.php?40344-A-quick-look-at-one-of-my-projects

Any comments and discussion welcome.

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John,
The only thing that keeps coming to my mind is,WOW!!!!
Over and over again, I look at every aspect of this knife
and I'm blown away! Absolutely BEAUTIFUL!!!!
Rex
 
Nice John, love it, for whatever reason the bowies knives are quickly moving to the top of my interest as far as knives go and pieces like that give me inspiration, great work.
I've finished up another "Rambo" style here and hope to get it posted soon, it's a it different than the first two I've done, and was a bit more challenging to build. Thanks again for those pics, that's a great knife.

Wayne
 
Wow John,
After studying this photo throughly and reading your description and considering all the work that you did on this knife,and that no imbelishments or parts were done by others,I do declare,this is the finest knife I have ever seen on this forum and you are the BEST KNIFEMAKER I know.
 
Incredible work John! You continue to out do yourself, time after time.

Amazing details!



Thanks for sharing,

Don
 
Some time ago I spoke with John about making a BIG Bowie for me, he said he would make one but it may take some time as he was going to do things that he hadn't done before, I said no problem as I wasn't in a rush. Well it was sure worth the wait and I think this one will be a strong contender in the Bowie of the year contest later this year.

This knife is a testament to his skill and to say that Im very happy with it is an understatement. :biggrin::biggrin: What is there not to like about it, the file work is absolutely awesome, the detailing and coining of the spacers etc is the same, and the clam shell guard is a work of art on its own. I just cannot wait to get this one in my hand.

Congratulations to Claude for the sheath and Coop for the photography. I would also like to add that I consider myself very lucky to be the owner of such a fine piece.
 
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Awesome work ! I was so busy looking at all the details I had to go back and actually look at the blade.
 
Really outstanding work John. Every detail is expertly done. Just flawless.

Well done Rick, this one will stand out even in your collection and should indeed be a strong contender later this year.
 
You guys are VERY kind to say such things. I am truly humbled by it. I sure do appreciate the encouragement and support though. Thank you guys!

Rick, Claude and Coop really made this whole project a joy to work on and they are all first class guys.
 
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