I have taken a break from my bow attempts to finish this. The blade is an old lumber mill blade; a big band saw. The handles are diamond willow, with a bone bead that I cut in half and glued in place. I had brass rivets but did not like the looks of them, so I remove the one I put in. I used the rawhide wrap to cover this minor mistake. I will fix it later with small pins. I use an epoxy to hold it together for now.
The blade and the wood for the handles were given to me by a friend I had in Alaska, 6 years ago. As I worked on this knife I thought of a dear friend that has long been lost. One who went on a bear hunt and is still hunting. I guess this is one of the small reasons it took me so long to finish. I would always pull out the pieces and sand and shape them but never finished it. Although there is one or two thing I need to do it is done, and memories of a great friend, hunting partner and of a great lose recounted.
Al I hope you like it!