Ball starter with a folding patch knife

[nifeman]

Hey fellers, figured I start my first post with a little some Miss Tudy and I put together. It's our rendition of an old ball starter with a folding patch knife that was found in the mountains of NC. It was estimated to have been made in the early 19th century.
It has a walnut starter and a copper ferrule along with a blade made from an old cross cut saw to keep it authentic.
Miss Tudy made a nice buffalo sheath and put thongs on it so you can tie it onto a hunting pouch. After when got done with it we gave it a good coating of bear grease to protect it and add to the antique look. Hope y'all like...Bud & Miss Tudy

[D. Taylor Sapergia]

I'd like to see the ball starter part...?

[nifeman]

I'd like to see the ball starter part...?

1st photo, right side. the end will fit a .45 or larger...Bud

[T.C.Albert]

Welcome to the ALR Bud....
sorry to raise a question with your very first post here, but it looks to me like the original "ball starter" may have been the misidentified remains of a well used or broken rev war era folding razor?

https://www.google.com/search?client=gmail&rls=gm&q=rev+war+era+folding+razor&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=yqP2UaKNF-W4yAG2roAY&biw=1278&bih=636&sei=4KP2UfiCAoikyQGMnYDAAQ

Maybe its just me, but the images look very very similar, especially the handle end...
tca

[Hungry Horse]

 I think TCA may be right, that looks more like the remnants of an old razor, rather than a ball starter. Not to say it wasn't used for a ball starter.
 One other thing to remember is that few really old tools were multitask affairs. They usually did one task, and did it well. The Leatherman/Swiss Army knife of black powder tools rarely does anything they are supposed to do really well.


                Hungry Horse

[nifeman]

No problem and no offense taken gentlemen. I copied this knife from the book "Sketches of Hunting Pouches / Powder Horns and Accoutrements of Southern Appalachia" on page 163. Only quoting what I had previously read. I did however make the mistake of dating it to the early 1800's. Most of what is in the book is from that time frame. Nonetheless, it is old and it states that it had a broken ramrod for the handle...

[gizamo]

I didn't notice the ballstarter...so much.

Loved the leatherwork!!!