This one is going to a feller in Texas who packs a 14 lb Sharps......the blade alone is 12 1/4" x 2 1/2" - OAL is a hair under 19".
It's in the works - things still to do are: add a 1" or so wide buffalo rawhide wrap/ferrule just above the guard edged with brass nails, carve the end cap into a Texas star with a poured pewter center circle since I need to add just a bit of weight on the back end to bring it into balance, maybe add some checkering on the grip behind the ferrule, and then age everything. The guard has three wrought iron inserts on both sides - you can sort of see them, they'll show up better after I finish it out.
These pics show the progression so far......
Blade as received from my partner Tai Goo.......
Elk Antler crown.....
then comes the sheath - this is a working drawing - the sheath will be rawhide over a bark tan liner, with brass tacks (the brownish circles), and lots of
beadwork - some danglies too, but they're not shown - and yes I know the tip is missing - my scanner isn't big enough!
More knife pics.........
In the hand shot.....my hand is a little larger than normal........
Only thing left to do is sew the rawhide wrap on the grip....
The butt cap carved into a Texas star with poured lead/pewter inlays to bring it into balance.....
A closeup of the back side of the guard - I fluted it on both sides to reduce weight.....
Some might "question" the somewhat rough overall finish, but that's the aesthetic I'm going for - a piece built on the frontier by a blacksmith with minimal tools rather than by a trained cutler and then used but not abused for several years....and yes it is fully maker marked........
