- Joined
- Jul 26, 2011
- Messages
- 4,142
This Bowie knife was freehand ground from D2 steel. It has a 6" blade,sterling silver hilt,and micarta grips. I ought to change them to ivory. I must have been feeling stingy when I didn't do it in the first place. The Micarta is stacked paper laminated,and it resembles ivory. Even turns yellow over time. At the time I was enamored of it.
D2 steel is so wear resistant,I can only get a razor sharp edge with ceramic stones. It laughs at Arkansas stones,and just won't get quite razor sharp on anything but ceramics(which are WAY harder than Arkansas). I start out with a diamond stone,then use my black,then white Spyderco. stones.
Not that this is a hunting knife as it is too large for most game found around here (4" is about the limit),but the highly polished steel offers a real advantage: Highly polished steel doesn't get etched by blood as quickly as less finely polished steel. If wiped clean soon,it will stay bright as the elements in blood cannot get a foothold so quickly in a fine polished surface.
This is an English style Bowie. I was inspired by the shape of a 19th.C. English knife I own,except I ground the blade and the false edge differently. I think the English made some very nice looking Bowies.
D2 steel is so wear resistant,I can only get a razor sharp edge with ceramic stones. It laughs at Arkansas stones,and just won't get quite razor sharp on anything but ceramics(which are WAY harder than Arkansas). I start out with a diamond stone,then use my black,then white Spyderco. stones.
Not that this is a hunting knife as it is too large for most game found around here (4" is about the limit),but the highly polished steel offers a real advantage: Highly polished steel doesn't get etched by blood as quickly as less finely polished steel. If wiped clean soon,it will stay bright as the elements in blood cannot get a foothold so quickly in a fine polished surface.
This is an English style Bowie. I was inspired by the shape of a 19th.C. English knife I own,except I ground the blade and the false edge differently. I think the English made some very nice looking Bowies.
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