Wild Rose

Best thing I have found for nickle silver is Birchwood-Casey's Super Blue gun blue - NOT the regular Perma Blue - Super Blue was formulated for darkening nickle steel and it works.......

Most use some kind of veg oil - time in oil is counted in seconds and there should be no residual left to ooze - I can point you to a site to ask that's frequented by horners if you're interested? here's pics of a fancy flattened hron just because http://contemporarymakers.blogspot.com/200...ruce-horne.html

Instead of boiling water try oil at 325-350° F - it's what the master horners (the guys that make those fantasticpowder horns use) - it works quick so use caution.

I've still got a few of my late compadres, Gib Guignard's hand forged blade so I handled up this 4 1/2" dag style blade using a pair of coyote jawbones with buffalo rawhide wrap. The neck sheath is braintan over a bark tan liner and the neck piece is braintan with red trade wool liner. The sheath is decorated with denatalium shells, glass, copper, and brass beads, fringe, tin cone and buffalo hair dangles.

Mink oil is not a petroleum product - it either comes from minks or more commonly today it is processed from lard. Your probably thinking of Neatsfoot Compound which contains mineral oil and other additives....... While the arm span is traditional I just measure off about 4 times the length of the seam dependent on how thick the piece is - if somewhat thicker than normal I use 5 times - in the long run thread is cheap so I don't fret about thread waste too much - I buy my linen thread by the pound and a pound will last me several years and I'm betting I sew much more in a year than anybody here As an example - this set was completely handsewn - including the lined belt which at 6 SPI took about 600 stitches just for it.....the whole outfit about 1,000 stitches total - in comparison the sheath for an 8" blade will take about 120 stitches....as Will Sonnet used to say - No Brag just Fact! My current best source for linen thread Campbell-Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advan...?keywords=linen - I have not used the less expensive Hungarian thread myself yet (I bought a bunch of Barbour's just before C-B started carrying the Hungarian), but reports that I've received from others whose judgment I trust have used it and state that it is fine and since it costs half as much as the Barbours............

A beautiful east meets west knife by ABS mastersmith Bill Burke gets an east meets west sheath by yours truly...... The lower section carving was inspired by the carving on an original Japanses sword - the upper section is a rayskin overlay wrapped with black silk cord ala a Katana. The belt loop has a rayskin inlay....... Anyone note the "surprise".......

Just in time for Christmas......... This is a custom built SW style trade knife and sheath - the entire package was made by me. This style knife and sheath can be documented as early as circa 1800 so would be appropriate for the 1807-1840's fur trade era or the later 1860-1880's Indian Wars period or any period in between. Knife has a 7 3/4" hand made blade. The blade is thin like the originals and was converted to this style from a circa 1900 extra large Old Hickory blade. The grips are Osage Orange with a cast pewter bolster and a buffalo rawhide wrap - all with an aged finish. OAL is 12 1/2". The aged sheath, inspired by a couple of originals, is made of harness leather with a brain/smoke tan beaded cuff and fringe. Decoration includes period glass beads, brass tacks and beads, and tin cone tinklers. The sheath is built so that it can be worn in several positions including left or right hand crossdraw. Total Price: $400.00 USD + Shipping & Insurance call 970-259-8396 email: wrtc@wrtcleather.com I can accept all major credit cards as well as PayPal, Cashiers Checks, and Money Orders.... Chuck Burrows

Glad ya'll enjoyed the look see - here it is all finished up.........

Some Dirk pics with info......... www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/dirk-book/dirks-page1.html

I use Fiebings regular leather dye. In this case it was thinned dark brown (I only buy dark brown and then thin to lighten for everything I use it for). Each piece of antler is different and will take the dye at different rates and the color will vary. On some pieces I will use black first to get down into the crevices let sit for a few minutes and then apply brown or brown mixed with British tan over that. Let dry and rub back with a cloth. To finish I use a homemade version of a period linseed oil and rosin based violin varnish widely used on firearms. A commercial option that is close is Tried and True Oil Varnish. Here's some more 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....

Prior to the mid 19th century when the Bessemer process for steel came into being, steel production was pretty well limited to blister steel, shear steel, and cast aka crucible steel. Blister steel was made by "cooking" wrought iron for many days in a bath of charcoal from which it absorbed carbon at a rate of about .008 per inch thickness Shear steel, made by cutting, folding, and forging blister steel into a billet and crucibile aka cast steel was made by re-melting blister steel in a crucible and then pouring it into ingots. Both of the latter processes "homogenized" the blister steel giving it a more uniform carbon content steel, which normally gave the refined steel a .50-.80% (sometimes higher) carbon content range. Both wrought iron and blister steel were labor intensive and the end product was heavily affected by the raw materials, both making quality control of blister steel an issue. Most knives of that era and prior weren't normally hardened above 52-55 Rockwell (RC), below file hardness and is of a plain unalloyed steel (different alloys are used to make modern steels more wear resistance even when at a lower RC). Most period knives were in the 45-52 RC range, unlike most modern made custom as well as higher end commercial knives that approach or exceed 60 RC. Outside of making your own or buying from some one here who makes these steels such as Rick Furrer, the "closest" modern equivalent based on testing is the 10XX series - something on the order of 1070 would be a pretty good choice.... IIRC Some of the L & C knives though were made in America at Harper's Ferry as were the sheaths. Sheath most likely were simple veg/bark tan probably with a center seam. A good resource for styling of the period is "The Fur Trade Cutlery Sketchbook" available from several sources such as Track of the Wolf.

or birth of the Frambo (frontier + Rambo) aka WildGoo 17....... This one is going to a customer in Texas - the blade 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...... 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! I'll update as I go along........

Here are the sources for supplies and tools and also some on-line tutorials that I have written that can be helpful... http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials...therstitch.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_stitchpony.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html more tutorials can be found at http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html Below are suppliers: Veg/Bark Tan Leather - I order the 8/10 oz Tooling-Holster Wickett & Craig - my favorite www.wickett-craig.com Dyes, all types of leather including some exotics, hardware, etc.: Siegel of Ca - www.siegelofca.com Leather Factory/Tandy Mid-Continent Leather Sales Company (800) 926-2061 http://www.midcontinentleather.com/ Linen Thread - 5 cord left or right hand twist is a good all purpose thread: Campbell- Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advan...?keywords=linen - I have not used the less expensive Hungarian thread myself but reports that I have received from others who have state that it just fine and costs half as much as the Barbour's. Tools: Cheap but OK: Leather Factory/Tandy - the Craftsman brand Tools: Better - Osborne and other better quality tools: Mid-Continent Leather Sales Company (800) 926-2061 http://www.midcontinentleather.com/ Campbell- Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advan...?keywords=linen Leather Factory/Tandy and Siegel also sell Osborne tools Tools: Best: Jeremiah Watt - www.ranch2arena.com Expensive but worth it - made by a master saddle maker and a heck of a nice guy! Sheath making DVD: http://www.ccinstructionalvideos.com/burrows_sheaths.htm I can recommend all of the above having used them for several years (some several decades) - There are many other suppliers including Hidecrafters. Montana Leather, Oregon Leather, and others including some suppliers on EBay - as always with any unfamiliar suppliers it's caveat emptor..... FWIW - all this month Wickett & Craig have their 8/9 oz holster/tooling sides on sale for $90.00 - I just bought some and they averaged out at $3.25 a square foot for very excellent leather. Sides ran 25-27 sq feet and usually cost $2.00 more per square foot........

Alan - that is jut tooooo cool! Can't wait to get my hands on it - right now I have no solid ideas about what way to go other than a silver cap and band or two and maybe some quillwork along with the beadwork - as always the the rest is in flux...... two years tain't bad but I promise I'll be quicker - hopefully before Xmas.......(won't say what year though LOL!) FWIW - here's one of the last ones I did - head was forged by the late Gib Guignard........the drop aka banner was beaded differntly on the opposite side - it represent a three generation hawk 1) The main hawk - eastern made circa 1780-90. Brass fittings and curly maple handle with antler end plug and mouthpiece 2) Went west circa 1830 - the handle was covered with braintan and the two beaded flags were added at either end using pund beads - the flags were inspired by a painting of tha Mandan warrior Mato tope by Karl Bodmer circa 1834 3) The drop was added circa 1850's - it was inspired by work done by the Red River Metis

hmmm... "the other guy" - always a bridesmaid and never the bride LOL! Wondered what you were up to - can't wait............

Jim - do/can you get mule deer as well as elk?

Check out cold/rust bluing - when done right it is BEAUTIFUL, very tough (unlike bottled cold blue), and there is no high heat involved - Brownell's sells kits with instructions but it is basically turning the red oxide form of rust into the black by by boiling in water...High end firearms such as Holland and Holland use it only on their best guns. Only the parts that are "rusted" (sounds bad I know ) will go blue......

Here are the sources for supplies and tools and also some on-line tutorials that I have written that can be helpful... http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials...eather-zurl.jpg http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_baseball.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials...therstitch.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_stitchpony.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html Below are suppliers: Veg/Bark Tan Leather - I order the 8/10 oz Tooling-Holster both in sides 920-24 sq ft) and shoulders (10-14 sq ft) Wickett & Craig - my favorite www.wickett-craig.com Dyes, all types of leather including some exotics, hardware, etc.: Siegel of Ca - www.siegelofca.com Leather Factory/Tandy Mid-Continent Leather Sales Company (800) 926-2061 http://www.midcontinentleather.com/ Linen Thread - 5 cord left or right hand twist is a good all purpose thread: Campbell- Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advan...?keywords=linen - I have not used the less expensive Hungarian thread myself but reports that I have received from others who have state that it just fine and costs half as much as the Barbour's. Tools: Cheap but OK: Leather Factory/Tandy - the Craftsman brand Tools: Better - Osborne and other better quality tools: Mid-Continent Leather Sales Company (800) 926-2061 http://www.midcontinentleather.com/ Campbell- Bosworth: http://campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/advan...?keywords=linen Leather Factory/Tandy and Siegel also sell Osborne tools Tools: Best: Jeremiah Watt - www.ranch2arena.com Expensive but worth it - made by a master saddle maker and a heck of a nice guy! I can recommend all of the above having used them for several years (some several decades) - There are many other suppliers including Hidecrafters. Montana Leather, Oregon Leather, and others including some suppliers on EBay - as always with any unfamiliar suppliers it's caveat emptor

Welcome to my world A plethora of French trade knives.......the English styles were basically the same...... http://www.lanouvelle-france.com/ "Fur Trade Cutlery Sketch Book" - this one is highly recommended - available from Track of the Wolf as is the other book mentioned.......... One of my favorites too, but not all belduques have integral bolsters - most I've examined are basic blades with simple handles. Here's some of my period knives - all are based on original styles (mostly from the FT Cutlery Sketchbook) with my own "twist" added.... A SW style based on the English knives imported to new Mexico in the 1820's and later.. A basic butcher (aka boucheron) blade rehandled A SW Dagger A long, narrow dag style...

Robert - Think of it as more like elk antler than Sambar since the core can be porous, still I like it and have used it quite a bit....

1) Over wetting leather can not only be damaging to the leather but can be counterproductive to good work 2) Maybe so but you can also read what others with more experience have to offer (including myself) - there's no need to re-invent the wheel - and there are also several good instructional books and videos http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials...therstitch.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/tutorials/_stitchpony.html http://www.wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html http://www.knivesby.com/dan-sheath-tutor-1.html http://www.knivesby.com/adj-welt.html as noted by others belly leather is gawd awful stuff for sheaths......

1) Use AF, DON'T neutralize, leave it in the sun for a few days until black, neutralize, finish 2) Black leather dye works good and faster, just be sure and wipe off the surface powder before finishing....

If you ordered the TOTW Af than you are set to go as it includes muriatic/HCL. When mixing my own I mix it 2-1 - two parts nitric acid to 1 part HCL - add iron until it won't take anymore......once all the iron is gone I add water at 3 or 4 to 1.

Edgar - Suzie at Muzzleloader Builder Supply has GOOD kits for pistols in the era you like see - http://www.muzzleloaderbuilderssupply.com/...pistolsets.html GOOD kits can be a joy to build and can be a good learning experience along with books and or DVD's - BAD kits on the other hand (and unfortunately most of the cheap ones are bad!) are a nightmare and really take more of an expert to get them "right"........ Regarding adding Muriatic/Hyrdrochloric to the mix - I find that it helps bring out the red tones more, something I like. The Wahkon Bay AF is a combo of both nitric and hydrochloric along with iron, which adds color........

That little curve is what distinguishes the early J & S Hawkens from the late ones and all others. I'lle send drawings via email ASAP - are you up for two sets.......... Spontoon hawk eh? What's the problem.............maybe call me this weekend???