Wild Rose

Could try a PM please - my email's been whonky for a while now. And yep doing inlays would be a LOT easier than my normal file work it relief out of the parent material like this and yep I do miss Gib often althought it looks like I may be seeing him soonly.....

Here's pics of the original from the book; Tomahawks and Frontiersmen Axes by Hartzler and Knowles Thanks to my late compadre, Gib Guignard , for the scans PS Alan - I need to talk with you about something important - would you please send me your phone number and a good time to call I'm on Mtn Time - 2 hour difference chuck@wrtcleather.com

Since you're doing Rifleman's type knives you need to look at white tail deer antlers and not mule deer or other types to get a good match. The type of deer dictates the antlers with or without brow tines, etc. I know the well known modern makers of that style (aka the Woodbury School), like the House Brothers, Ian Pratt, Joe Seabolt, etc. all use white tail and Joe, a real master of the style, says he goes to shows to hand pick his pieces. If you haven't seen it yet check out the Contemporary Makers Blog, http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/ where all types of early American frontier gear including knives are featured. BTW - Ian Pratt just posted the following regarding a knife making class in Lodi, Ohio featuring three of the best makers in that style. Joe Seabolt, Joe McGee and I will be teaching another knife making class at the Log Cabin Shop up in Lodi, Ohio on May 14 and 15 2016. Here is a link to photos and information that we had posted for the last class . Please note that the dates shown on the flyer pictured in this link are not correct For the current class - americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=33831.0 Students will make a half tang antler handled knife starting by forging a blade. We will show you how to properly temper this blade and haft it to make a fine knife that will provide you with years of service. Cost of coal, gas, steel and some small parts are included in the class fee. Tool list is minimal. We currently have two spots left available . If you have any questions, ask away here or send me a pm. To register, contact Liza Kindig at the Log Cabin at. 330 - 948 - 1082

Since you have never brain tanned before I would HIGHLY recommend the book "Deerskins into Buckskins " by Matt Richards - it will not answer the questions you asked but also answer those you haven't. http://www.braintan.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=1&Product_Code=Richards2&Category_Code=Media BTW - I have a friend who tans full time and a few years ago she started using a pressure washer to clean off any meat or fat as well as de-hair the hide. Just stretch the green hide and holding the spry head at a 30-45° angle and sluice the crap off the hide. Be prepared - properly tanning and softening is hard on the back and arms especially - softening/working the hide is done through out the process.. PS you do not soak in salt water to de-hair it's counterproductive - its usually soaked in a mix of wood ashes and water or lye and water. After that you need to re-acidivize the leather. As noted get the book - IMNSHO in will make the job easier in the long run - only thing better is finding a good tanner to show you the ropes. (I say good tanner because there is a lot of crappy brain tan out there.)

Another vote for a crock pot - been using one for 30+ years for melting wax and rosin that I collect myself.....start with a smaller amount and once melted add more wax - it will melt faster than too large an amount to begin with...

Well FWIW I use and "age" a lot of Rawhide and have no problems getting it to dye using Fiebings Spirit Dyes. 1) Soak until properly tempered 2) while still damp apply the dye to BOTH sides - the flesh side takes dye quite well. Depending on what type rawhide you use (I prefer deer and elk (NA wapiti not the same as the elg aka moose - red deer is closest to what I use) over cow which has a much tighter grain and that makes it harder to work with) you may/will get differences in colors with splotches etc. 3) To finish (rawhide needs to be as water resistant as possible) I use what was a common finish here in the SW good ole spar varnish. 4) I don't; do a lot of distressing since rawhide when dried and finished general does not scratch easily - that's based on making them unaged and using them for years to see just what wear can occur. You can take a look at the sheaths I've made with rawhide at www.wrtcleather.com one caveat re: natural dyes such as coffee, tea, walnut, etc. is to be aware that they are high in tannins and if you soak rawhide in it too long it can and will tan the rawhide into leather - stiff but still leather not

You're welcome - did that work for you?

Try this: Business Name: Oak & Iron Publishing Contact Person: Gean Champman Address: 27449 Baywood Drive Ne Kingston, Washington 98346 Phone Number: (360) 297-2495

IIRC Kabars were originally Parkerized - again IIRc you can get the Parkerizing material from a gunsmith supply like Brownells. You can also get the black bake on finish from them as well.

Long board or short board?

You are welcome Alan - sitting on my butt recuperating from a week of chemo doesn't leave me much energy other than read the forums......

Beautifully done Scott! As for Euro crucible steel I will have to disagree with Alan about the dates: Huntsman first produced it in the late 1740's for his clock springs. The French began using it for knife blades in the 1750's although the English makers didn't start using much of the new steel until the late 1760's - one reason being it was too hard to work compared to blister and shear. By the late 1830's enough crucible steel was being produced that at least two Americans - Wesson and Remington - were using deep drilled cast steel for pistol and rifle barrels. As Alan noted there are various grades of shear steel based on various grades of WI. The few original pieces I have etched of double and triple wrought seldom show much of a pattern.

Don't know about the historic use of bog wood, but several earlier dirks (pre- 1800) I got to examine years ago had blackthorn wood for the handles. This is the same type wood often used for walking sticks back when

that should be www.idahoknifeworks.com

Nope that's one of Mike Mann's knives - his site is www.idahoknives.com - Mike's a nice guy although he's been dealing with some recent health issues. Drop him a line...

re: the Tlingit/NW Indian iron knives. While as noted there is evidence of iron work, pre-contact, the iron knives became very popular after the Russians introduced iron work to the various tribes in the early 1700's. One thing not often noted about these knives from photos is the side of the blade opposite the fullers is flat. The Museum of the Fur Trade's, "Fur Trade Cutlery Sketchbook" http://www.furtrade.org/store/books?product_id=126 has scaled line drawings of this style both single and double blade, as well as the unique handforged iron knives of the NW Territory and Yukon tribes with curled horns as a butt cap - makes them look almost Celtic - the blades again are flat on one side and shaped albeit not fullered on the other. For $8.00 IMO that is a required book for anyone interested in the knives of the North American fur trade. Jake I like this new one a lot and FWIW, I've got a pic of an old Plains Indian trade butcher re-handled with a similar piece of antler. As to dressing it up with feathers, hair, beads, etc. IMO simpler is generally better - too much and IMO they wind up looking like something for sale at the "Indian" trading post along old route 66 - there are originals that actually look like that but personally I never liked the overdone look,

I'm still alive and kicking but dealing with the big C takes up the vast majority of my time. I have an appointment in Denver at St Luke's next month for a bone marrow transplant that should cure this, but it takes about a month for the therapy. I still "lurk" on most forums I always have been a member and as noted try and answer when I'm up to it or the chemo brain fog isn't affecting me. If things go right I should be back on my feet by the fall and hope to get some work done. Any problems with email were probably due to my lack of having Internet at times - email try this: wrtcleather@gmail.com my regular email has a pretty aggressive SPAM blocker and I don't always keep up on checking it for wrong blocks.

As Alan noted above it is a trade blade. Style wise it is the type known as an English Scalper - first made around 1750 the type was popular until the 1840's or so when the hump backed butcher style (ala the Russell Green River butcher blades) became much more popular and the scalper became much less used based on period sales records. Due to the full tang - most were made with a half tang to save on precious/expensive steel - I would date this in the 1820's - 1830's and would rate it as being one of the upper grades of trade knives due to the full tang and the steel is most likely either shear or cast aka crucible steel via the Huntsman method. It's a nice relic piece and I would lightly rub it down with a soft Scotchbrite pad and a good oil to remove only the surface rust. Once done clean well and wax with something like Ren Wax to seal the surface and hopefully stop the oxidation.

no weld ferrule - forge out a disc of the appropriate size - leave a little thick. Use a punch to form a hole of the right diameter and then forge the disc down and around the body of the punch - it will take a bit of trial and error, but the method is an old one often used by white smiths as well as black smiths

Harry - generally a piece of brain tan buckskin or German tan is beaded on and then that is used to cover the heavy leather core. I have done beadwork on up to 8/9 oz leather but it is slow and very tough since it must be sewn all the way through and that means using an awl for every stitch, plus the stitches are then exposed on the back side. You'll also see originals beaded directly on heavy rawhide (most commonly buffalo/bison) but the rawhide is worked wet and the needle/thread only has to go part way through just like on buckskin. It's slow though and than can cause problems since the rawhide tends to dry out faster than I can bead anyway.

FYI - the coal from Hesperus , Colorado is no longer available to the little guy and hasn't been for quite a while unless something has happened in the last month or so - they have a contract with one of the coal fired power plants so sell all they mine for that purpose only...besides the last stuff I know that came out of there is way too sulphury for good forging - it's a real pain to use... PS I live in Durango only an hour away and IMO what they've been mining for the last few years wouldn't be worth the trip even if they did sell it in small amounts....

This may help - info on Dirks from John Wallace's book on Scottish dirks and swords http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/dirk-book/dirks-page1.html

RJF Leather is what I have been using now for the last 5+ years and it is great leather http://rjfleather.com/content/index.php/products/#vegtan - I use the natural full-grain shoulders or backs IMO some of the best leather I've used in the last 50+ years crafting leather..

IMO the cold brown's give a much better and longer lasting finish when done right

You can also use a cold browning solution like Laurel Mountain Forge or Wahkon Bay...no heating necessary...both are sold by Track of the Wolf as well as other muzzle loading suppliers..