My First Try at a Bowie - Sheath pics added

[tomsm44]

First off, I realize I started a thread a couple weeks back about my first forged knife and haven't updated it but I got that little knife heat treated last night along with two others and hope to finish it up soon.  I've been working on several and have a new addition to the family as of Nov 1st so that's why it isn't done yet.  I also forged two more last night and one of them will be my first attempt at a Bowie.  Been wanting to try it for a while and just now got around to it.  Anyway, here it is forged and profile ground.  Blade will be around 5 1/2".  May be a while finishing this one as well but I'll get more pics up eventually.

       

And here's the new huntin buddy, Eli.

       

[DANA HOLMAN]

Matt that's going to be a good one. keep posting pictures.
Dana

[Bladepeek]

I'd say they both look good. Congratulations.

[Lin Rhea]

It's exciting times around your house, I know! Congratulations!

Nice shape to the bowie too.

[tomsm44]

Thanks guys.  I'm pretty inexperienced with hidden tang knives so I'm not sure how this will turn out.  I've done a good bit of research on here and have four hidden tangs, counting this one, in the works right now so hopefully I'll have it figured out by the time I'm finished with all of them.  Here's one of the others, a little bird and trout, though after seeing Lin's, I may steal his idea and put a double gaurd on it and make it into compact fighter.  

 

[Steve Nuckels]

Young Eli looks to be perfectly profiled and the Bowie is nice too!  

Congrats  Matt

Steve
----------
Potomac Forge
Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation

[D.Ellis]

The small bowie looks great.
Congrats on the wee one. He'll be outshooting you before you know it.
Darcy  

[akaboomer]

Looks great. Congrats on the new addition to the family. Same birthday as my oldest daughter. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

[tomsm44]

Got a little more done this evening.  Got it ground and took it to 120 grit.  Need to grind the sides of the tang down a bit and file the gaurd shoulders then it'll be ready for heat treat.  

 

[Lin Rhea]

That really looks great. I look forward to seeing it finished.

[D.Ellis]

very nice.
Darcy

[Lamey]

good looking little Bowie

[Track]

Congratulations on the little one. Bowie looks real nice too.

[tomsm44]

So here's where I'm at on this one.  Blades finished and gaurd is fit but not permanently attached.  Ready for handle.  But first I want a little input from you bowie guys.  How does this long gaurd look on this knife?  Should I shorten the bottom spur to match the length of the top one?  Or maybe heat it and curve the bottom one back slightly?  This is my first bowie but it is going to a customer so I want to make sure the design is going to work.  Thanks.  

 

[kbaknife]

If it's any value to you, my formula for hi/lo guards are that I like as much lower guard BELOW THE CUTTING EDGE as sticks above the spine.
If you make them the same length, the top one always looks too long.

[tomsm44]

Thanks Karl.  By that formula mine should be about right.  Now to decide if I want to leave it straight or bend it into an s-guard.  I guess it's hard for you guys to comment on that without seeing the handle though.  This makes hidden tang #3 for me and one of the good things I see about it is that I can get my handle completely built and fit to the knife and then see if I want to modify the guard before final assembly.  Little harder to do that on a full tang, though a full tang is a little simpler to build.  At least it seems that way to me but I guess it could just be that I'm more experienced at them.

[D.Ellis]

I like "S" guards better, but they are harder for me to fit properly, as well as more work to polish.

I much prefer to make thru or hidden tangs because I don't like the fight of polishing the tang and keeping the scales clean at the same time. I have made a bunch of both full and narrow tang blades, and almost totally refuse to do full tangs anymore.......because of the finishing issues, as well as the handle material shrinkage problems associated with a full tang. Nothing like having someone bring back a stag slabbed hunter with shrunken scales and having to grind the tang down and polish it.......AGAIN!      
Looking forward to seing this one done Matt.
Darcy    

[tomsm44]

Got the handle cut out, dry fit, and pin holes drilled.  Time to get the files out.  Hopefully I'll get this one done by the end of the weekend.

 

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Looking Good!

[tomsm44]

Finally finished.  Snapped the best picture I could with my iPhone and the lighting in my living room.  I'll get some better pictures outside once I finish the sheath.  

1075 with bleach etched finish
6 1/8" Blade, 10 3/4" OAL
SS guard and pins
Walnut handle