Bear Bone Knife Handle...Scraped the Entire Knife & Reground with New Handle

[tippit]

I just couldn't stay away from the forge very long.  Already had a small Bear bone handled knife finished so decided to forge a big brother blade with a small bear's femur handle.  It's all forged and ground but still needs quench, temper, final hand sanding, and assembly.  Trying to decide if I want to leave bone as is or tea stain...tippit

[tippit]

I spent part of the day searching the internet for examples of period knives.  Then looked at my knife and scraped it!  Completely reground the blade, making it narrower with a dip in the edge and added a smaller bear bone.  What a learning journey compared to my normal style of knives...but I am having fun.  Blade isn't quenched or assemble and I'm still trying to figure out if the handle should be stained.

[Black Hand]

I spent part of the day searching the internet for examples of period knives.  Then looked at my knife and scraped it!  Completely reground the blade, making it narrower with a dip in the edge and added a smaller bear bone.  What a learning journey compared to my normal style of knives...but I am having fun.  Blade isn't quenched or assemble and I'm still trying to figure out if the handle should be stained.

There is quite a difference in construction and appearance between actual period knives and what is sold by many vendors today. I'm glad you are finding the differences and adjusting your style - you make nice knives and your skills are valuable.

[jcmcclure]

You have a knife that is now much more realistic to the period.

I am not ignoring your request for info on antler dye...I am going to be dying several knives tonight and may do a bit of tutorial process since I get a good deal of questions about my knife handles.

[jrb]

What "period" are these found ?

[jcmcclure]

What "period" are these found ?

I would say the basic lines and shapes of the knife being done here is similar stylistically to that of trade knives of the period.

While antler handle knives were no where near the norm, I have seen surviving originals. Folks say that original knives were never made from files, but still yet I see originals at shows that are new and have not been documented before.

Notice I said a knife that could be realistic to the period, not 100% historically accurate with provenance to a documented and catalogued original.

It is no different from the gun builder who may choose to create a composition gun, the fabled "Virginia", or the even more illusive pre rev war " transitional rifle.

The hobby is full of conjecture when it comes to rifles, fowlers, bags, horns, hawks and especially knives.

[tippit]

Thanks JC,
I look forward to learning more about making these style of knives.  Next I need to try doing pewter bolsters.  Do you use a certain type of pewter?

[jrb]

Tippit, for what it's worth, there was a knife excavated a just few years ago at the Wyandot Half King's village (1782-1790s) near Upper Sandusky Ohio, that has a very similar blade side profile as your upper photo ones.
it has a tang like yours except its squared and tapers to a point, no bolster, has a bone handle covered with chevron style engraving but sawed off at both ends and is now missing the probable iron endcap. because it's handle is typical of 18th century British style trade and table knives I think it's British and not locally made but the blade  seems unusual.
I'm always watching for locally made blades 18th century and haven't found anything yet. The same fellow did excavate several blacksmith tools including a tomahawk drift and iron bars at a late 18th century Shawnee village site south of here so that seems to suggest, at least to me, that someone was producing tapered eye style tomahawks besides the ones imported from France and England. if local smiths were forging tomahawk heads perhaps some local knives are yet to be found. 

[jrb]

Jim M, thanks for  your  response , just curious if there was some new info out there that I hadn't read yet.