The Making of a Feather Pattern Damascus Bowie

[Bruce Bump]

I've had luck good and bad over the last couple years with this pattern but am now confident enough to post it here for all the world to see. This is live and day by day now so stay tuned and see the rewards and aggrivations as well. I give S. Dunn and H. Dean credit for my knowledge of this proceedure.

I've made this pattern in miniture size and medium size but this is the biggest billet for feathers yet. Its made of about 30 pieces of 1080 and 15N20. The 1080 is .125" thick and the 15N20 is only .063" thick so in order to make the two colored steels equal I had to put two 15N20's together. Each piece is 1.5" wide by 8" long and stacks up to about 3" tall.

I mig welded the stack together and heated, fluxed and forge welded it together. Next I used squaring dies to begin the "C" shapes that later close up to begin to form the feathers.

Here we go:
http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6579_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6580_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6582_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6584.jpg

Next I need to turn the billet 90 degrees and begin to draw it out. This will test the fresh welds believe me.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6586_edited.jpg


I drew the billet out long enough to cut it into 4 equal lengths and restack it. This is when I start counting the layers.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6590_edited.jpg



I ground the scale off of both sides and used my bandsaw to cut it into 4 pieces. I like to check progress by sanding one end to 400 grit and dipping in ferric cloride to etch the ends. You can see the "C" shapes starting on both ends of the billet.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6595_edited.jpg

Now simply re-stack and mig weld all the seams together. I like to squirt WD40 in the seams to burn any trapped oxygen that can cause any scale during the forge welding.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6597_edited.jpg

Now just forge weld the stack and draw it out again.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6599_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6601_edited.jpg

From now on I will just draw it out twice its length, cut it in two pieces and re-stack and weld. The layers build slower this way but I feel the pattern comes out better.
I do this until I achieve 32 layers.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6602_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6603_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6607_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6610_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6611_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6615_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6617_edited.jpg

Here is an end at 8 layers. 2x8=16 layers. Re-stack, mig weld, forge weld and draw it out twice its length again. One more time after this and we will be at 32 layers.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6624_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6627_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6628_edited.jpg

[Darren P. Reeves]

Very Cool Bruce!! I love seeing post like this. Great pictures. Looking forward to seeing more! and the finished blade. Darren

[Kevin Jones]

Our first work in progress thread and a feather pattern at that. :)

Can't wait to see this one develop.

[ChuckKerwin]

;)This is why I'm a proud "Bump Hump":eek::D

[Bruce Bump]

;)This is why I'm a proud "Bump Hump":eek::D

I'm one of the "Bose Ho's" so I'm honored to have a "Bump Hump" :D

[Bruce Bump]

Back at it,
OK, I took the 16 layer billet out to twice its length, cut it and mig welded the two pieces together, forge welded it and drew it out to almost 4 times its length. I ground off the scale on both sides, cut the handle off and put it into the annealing oven at 1325 deg f. for 2 hours. Annealed it will cut easier into 4 equal lengths to stack up tall and when I hot cut it down the middle there is less tendency to tear at the seams.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6631_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6632_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6633_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6634_edited.jpg

Oh yea, I grind the mig weld off the sides after forge welding so the pattern doesnt get pushed in on the edges. Forgot to show this step until now.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6635_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6636_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6638_edited.jpg

These are 1.5" spacer blocks so I can forge this billet as close to parralell as possible.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6640_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6641_edited.jpg

reduce the fire and wire brush off as much scale as possible so grinding is minimum.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6642_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6645_edited.jpg

Stay tuned for tomorrows episode,
Thanks for watching. :)

[Kevin Jones]

Looking good.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6632_edited.jpg

[Peter Elovich]

Awesome Bruce. I was wondering about the mig welds and then you explained it. I know very little about forging so watching a wip is fascinating.

Some of the colors in the forging process are fantastic in the pictures.

Thanks,
Peter

[Bruce Bump]

Awesome Bruce. I was wondering about the mig welds and then you explained it. I know very little about forging so watching a wip is fascinating.

Some of the colors in the forging process are fantastic in the pictures.

Thanks,
Peter

That lemon yellow color is welding temp at just over 2300 f degrees. I use a pyrometer in the forge so I dont have to judge it by color. On a bright day its really hard to tell without it. The old timers liked the room consistantly dim lighted.

[Peter Elovich]

Can't wait for the next phase Bruce.

One of these years I hope to attend a hammer-in. Watching all the WIP threads makes me want to see it in person.

Peter

[Bruce Bump]

Can't wait for the next phase Bruce.

One of these years I hope to attend a hammer-in. Watching all the WIP threads makes me want to see it in person.

Peter

Harvey Dean demonstrated this pattern at the Montana Hammer in last year. Its time consuming because of the drawing and folding but he finished it after hours there. The only trouble he had was cutting the billet in half. The first chisel they used collaped and bent over. I picked up a couple log splitting wedges that are plenty strong enough. That section is coming up today possibly. I'm making good time on this one.

[Roger Pinnock]

This is terrific.

Roger

[Bruce Bump]

Today I ground off both sides and cut it into 4 equal length sections and etched one end of each one so I can restack them in the same order they were cut. I pressed them down together tightly and tack welded the assembly in the press. Again the seams need to be airtight with mig welds. I put a handle on the correct side so I can hot cut it down the correct side. The wrong side and all ya get is straight lines, no feathers.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6677_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6679_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6681_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6689_edited.jpg

Here its in the fire and will get back up to 2300 degrees and forge welded.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6690_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6691_edited.jpg

After it cools off I mig weld all four corners to re-inforce them for the next step, the hot cutting down the center from one end to the other. This cutting is done with a dull chisel and will slice and at the same time drag the pattern downward at the cut. If the chisel it too sharp it will slice clean and not drag the pattern down, too dull and too much pattern will get dragged down and turn the feathers to just long lines. I had to re sharpen the chisel a couple times and cut this billet in about 4 or 5 heats. At welding heat the chisel will forge weld itself into the billet so I go slow and cool off the cutter and resharpen. Getting the cutter wet and dipping it in crushed charcoal also helps keep it from siezing in the billet.

Here is a "Dry run" to make sure everything looks right.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6696_edited.jpg

Now the cutting begins. Its good to try to keep the cutter in the center but hard to do after the cut gets deep.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6697_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6699.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6700_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6701_edited.jpg

All the way in half. I let the two parts cool and need to grind off all the mig welds. Next will be to re-heat and flatten the two parts just enough to close the gap between them, clean up the mating surfaces and mig weld them back together and forge weld them. Some smiths would simply flux and put these two back together right now and save the cool off and clean up time but the chances are too great to get flux trapped inside the joint. I like to use the "dry weld" flux free method whenever possible especially in these final stages after burning up about 15 gallons of propane and 2 or 3 days of pattern development.

Thanks for watching, more to come.

[Peter Elovich]

WOW! I'm really loving this Bruce. Great pictures and descriptions.

Peter

[Bruce Bump]

WOW! I'm really loving this Bruce. Great pictures and descriptions.

Peter

Thanks Pete, glad you like it. This could be a long thread but I plan to keep going with few interuptions until the bowie is finished.

[Kevin Jones]

Going to be a great thread.
Thanks for doing it.

[Bruce Bump]

Going to be a great thread.
Thanks for doing it.

You're welcome, its my pleasure. Besides I can always come back here when I forget how to do this each time.:D

[J R Reeves]

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to share this information with us. I really appreciate being able to visit you in your shop as you demonstrate the making of a feather damascus bowie. The photos and instruction are great! Thanks again for your effort. Regards Ron:D

[sohail roshni]

awesome awesome stuff Bruce.
thanks for showing this to us.
just love your feathered blades.
dont forget my pending order please.
:)

[Bob Betzner]

You're welcome, its my pleasure. Besides I can always come back here when I forget how to do this each time.:D

This has just gotta be a really enjoyable thread to watch develop, Bruce - love it! (watching, waiting and lurking in the background!)

Bob

[Bruce Bump]

Sorry about the small delay. I had some loose ends to tie up and also smoked my bandsaw cutting this billet into 3 pieces lengthwise and had to buy another. This time I bought a 7" x 12" Jet brand. Its pretty nice and much needed. I shouldnt complain my little 4" x 6" lasted for 8 years.

Anyway here is a shot of the two parts rejoined and mig welded, forge welded and drawn out with the squaring dies. Its a delicate process because the layers can delaminate from the stretching. I had to stop and mig weld the corners to stop a small tear that started.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6702_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6703_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6704_edited.jpg


I like to make the billet clean and square for the bandsawing so I scarfed off the scale and surfaced some on each side so it wont wobble when slicing it.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6746_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6749_edited.jpg

I gave it a quick etch to have a looksee at the pattern finially. I like it.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6750_edited.jpg

Heres my little bandsaw just before the smoke started from the gearbox and next is my new Jet 7x12". Its fast and accurate.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6755_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6756_edited.jpg

Next I took the center slice and drew it out longer and began forming the tang and tip with the press, anvil and grinder. Its easy to lose the feather pattern from too much compression by forging the tip so I combined forging and grinding. I have a crude big wheel grinder that works good to put the dropped edge and tang shoulders in too. Feather pattern is nice just doing the stock removal method but unfortunatly its really hard to get a piece long enough for that. This one was 8" long but I want a 9" blade and a forged tang too.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6761_edited.jpg

I made an aluminum pattern so I can shape the blade as close as possible. My blade is oversized so thats good. I can grind it to exact shape later.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6763_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6772_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6773_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6776_edited.jpg


I normallized the blade and put it into my Even Heat oven at 1325 deg. for 2 hours for the anneal and will just let it cool off in there all night. Tomorrow I get to grind it and check for problem areas. Keep your fingers crossed. I never fall in love with a blade until its ground and closely inspected because this pattern has kicked my arse many times in the past.

[Kevin Jones]

The patten is really looking good Bruce.

What is that you're using to shape the blade?
Looks almost like a bowling pin. ;)

[Bruce Bump]

The patten is really looking good Bruce.

What is that you're using to shape the blade?
Looks almost like a bowling pin. ;)

That's a #4 table leg. :D

[Kevin Jones]

That's a #4 table leg. :D

One of my favorite things about visiting maker's shops is seeing their tools and shop layout. Though most use basically the same tools/equipment, they are not as similar as one my think.

I especially like the specially tools that makers fabricate for certain tasks or sophisticated tools ;) (like table legs) they use. Pretty interesting, even fascinating.

[jerry fisk]

You are posting up a really good how to with this. I have enjoyed checking in on it.

[Bruce Bump]

You are posting up a really good how to with this. I have enjoyed checking in on it.

Thanks Jerry, You know you are partially responsible for my fasination with this pattern. I read and re-read your tutorital on making a feather. I cant help but remember it didnt come easy for you either. You sliced one down the wrong side and stamped your logo onto another and it cracked :( Aint this fun?

[jerry fisk]

Well, I never claimed to be smart, if I were smart I would be doing this for a living, but then again, no one else ever wanted to work with me so I had to learn to be self employed.
You know, it's an interesting thing to try to make a living out of this field, as you say, sometimes it all goes wrong, if as much goes wrong as it does sometimes here as does with other businesses some would just shut down but as a maker, you keep pushing pushing pushing.
Then when it all said and done you gotta sweep the floor too.
It is good to show what does wrong as well because folks ought to know how much effort and that a sometimes a lot of time is spent just to get to something simple. Your doing good.

[Joe Mandt]

Very cool, sir!!!:D Are the two outer slices usable for slightly smaller blades or are they destined to become fittings?

[Bruce Bump]

Very cool, sir!!!:D Are the two outer slices usable for slightly smaller blades or are they destined to become fittings?

Hi Joe,
They can be either. There is a ripped spot on one of them so it may become fittings, the other may be a smaller blade someday. Generally if all goes perfect I could get 3 or more blades from one of these billets.

[Bruce Bump]

Well, I never claimed to be smart, if I were smart I would be doing this for a living, but then again, no one else ever wanted to work with me so I had to learn to be self employed.
You know, it's an interesting thing to try to make a living out of this field, as you say, sometimes it all goes wrong, if as much goes wrong as it does sometimes here as does with other businesses some would just shut down but as a maker, you keep pushing pushing pushing.
Then when it all said and done you gotta sweep the floor too.
It is good to show what does wrong as well because folks ought to know how much effort and that a sometimes a lot of time is spent just to get to something simple. Your doing good.

I wholely agree that we makers push and push and its nice to know I'm not the only one that makes mistakes. Our knowledge comes from foulups that we cause solely from constantly striving to make a better knife. Many would think that mastersmiths just dont make mistakes but speaking for myself I still do especially on procedures that I'm not familiar with yet or when I am over confident and dont think. I have made several feather patterns but I pressed on the bowed half of this one before it was hot enough and it went POP. I just quickly fluxed and rewelded but it shows in the final blade after heat treating. I cant live with that.

This thread started as a live thread and I want to show what really goes into a feathered bowie. True to that theme I need to show my blade here. It has a problem and I cant use it. Yes this was hard to write.

Today I'll take some close ups and show what I mean.

BTW I have already bought 20 gallons of propane and began again. One a good note, I figured out a way to use the other two slices of this billet. Its very cool too. More on that later.

[Terry L. Vandeventer]

Bruce,

How true about making mistakes and generally screwing up. Trying out new (to me) damascus patterns often result in days of wasted work. Well, not wasted. You learn where you messed up and try not to repeat it. Orientation of billets can be very frustrating if you lose track of where you are. Occasional bad welds are almost a given...

Valued highly is the knife that goes smoothly start-to-finish without a hitch. I credid Steve Dunn with stating the profound fact that, "The making of a knife is a constant series of mistakes and corrections." No truer words!

Cheers,

TV


Terry L. Vandeventer
ABS MS

[Kevin Jones]

Bruce, I applaud your sharing this set-back with us as many of these work in progress threads make it look "too easy". You have demonstrated here that these beautiful knives which we love don't just "happen" even when being created by the most talented of makers.
You also demonstrate how your beautiful knives and knife-guns are not only a result of your skill and artistic ability but your high standards as well.

I'm so looking forward to seeing this Bowie progress from a slightly rocky start to an outstanding knife and work of art.

[Brian Thie]

Bruce

Thanks for taking the time to put this together it is greatly appreciated.

I have a question for you concerning the etching of the billet pieces so you can align them properly.

When you etch the ends, I am assuming that you are partially etching the sides of the billet pieces as well. Do you regrind the sides of the billet pieces to remove the etching so the mating surfaces of the billet pieces are clean again, or does the etching not interfer with the dry weld.

Thanks again
Brian

[Bruce Bump]

Bruce

Thanks for taking the time to put this together it is greatly appreciated.

I have a question for you concerning the etching of the billet pieces so you can align them properly.

When you etch the ends, I am assuming that you are partially etching the sides of the billet pieces as well. Do you regrind the sides of the billet pieces to remove the etching so the mating surfaces of the billet pieces are clean again, or does the etching not interfer with the dry weld.

Thanks again
Brian

Hi Brian,
I dont take any chances on including ferric cloride in the dry welds so naturally sand off the sides before restacking the pieces.
Thanks for the question.

[Bruce Bump]

Here is what I'm talking about. Ya see that straight line? Its a staight line crack from pressing it from the side to straighten that half when it was too cold. There are no straight lines in this blade anywhere so it sticks out like a sore thumb. This was taken after heat treating so I can tell better if there are problem areas. It has a pretty nice pattern too. It was practically finished. Just needed to be ground and polished. Oh well, the next one should be better and no flaws.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6797_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6799_edited.jpg

[Bob Betzner]

Wow, what a gorgeous feather pattern - bottom image. Love it, Bruce!

Best,

Bob

[Lin Rhea]

I hate to see all that hard work and you not get to complete it. I too have a lot of expensive scrap blades. Do you get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you hear it crack?

No kiddin, this thread has held my attention all the way. I admire your work and know just how much effort goes into it. Thank you so much. Lin

[Bruce Bump]

I hate to see all that hard work and you not get to complete it. I too have a lot of expensive scrap blades. Do you get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomach when you hear it crack?

No kiddin, this thread has held my attention all the way. I admire your work and know just how much effort goes into it. Thank you so much. Lin

Hi Lin,
It was the worst kind of sound to a smith. The feeling is about the same as when you hear that "ping" at times when quenching a blade.
The bad thing here is the crack ran across half the billet right in the center and all 3 have it.

Here is what happened so ya-all dont make the same mistake:
See the bow in the left half? I needed to straighten that bow out so both pieces can mate back together. I shimmed it up and pressed down to straighten it before it was hot enough. It was red hot but had a couple black areas. I thought nothing about pushing it a little but it went "pop" instead of straightening up. Just a couple more minutes it would have been hot but I couldnt wait and now its costing me about 3 days labor, steel and propane. Its a hard lesson to learn.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6701_edited.jpg

[David Darom]

Bruce,

This Thread was exciting and educational all the way, and then
towards the end unfolded quite dramatically into a small tragedy
that I suppose can happen even to the best.

To me this was the real stuff. The behind the scenes event that
we don't get to hear about. And it was displayed and documented
here in a sort of "real time".

Truly exciting and unexpected ending but a great lesson to all who watched...

Thanks for sharing these days at the forge with us!

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[Bruce Bump]

Dont worry, this thread is far from finished. Just a minor set-back thats all. I have the next billet practically done already. Stay tuned for next weeks episode.

[Bob Betzner]

Hi Bruce - You will notice, once I have posted to this, that I will be making an announcement about a newly started WIP collaboration knife from Curt Erickson and Devin Thomas that's on Blade Forums. They'd talked about it for some time but work just commenced. It certainly won't interrupt your thread here, which we have, obviously, all been following.

Because Devin is not a CKCA member, he won't be posting to this thread. And because Curt is still not very computer literate, he's simply asked that I post this message for all to see, referring members to the Blade Forum if they wish to monitor the WIP thread that just started last night.

Curt also mentioned that it was refreshing to see your WIP (he's been following it) because most people have no idea what a maker goes through, trial and error or just bad metal, to get a knife ready to set out on a table for sale and the true expense involved in doing so.

Best from both of us,

Bob

[Bruce Bump]

Hi Bruce - You will notice, once I have posted to this, that I will be making an announcement about a newly started WIP collaboration knife from Curt Erickson and Devin Thomas that's on Blade Forums. They'd talked about it for some time but work just commenced. It certainly won't interrupt your thread here, which we have, obviously, all been following.

Because Devin is not a CKCA member, he won't be posting to this thread. And because Curt is still not very computer literate, he's simply asked that I post this message for all to see, referring members to the Blade Forum if they wish to monitor the WIP thread that just started last night.

Curt also mentioned that it was refreshing to see your WIP (he's been following it) because most people have no idea what a maker goes through, trial and error or just bad metal, to get a knife ready to set out on a table for sale and the true expense involved in doing so.

Best from both of us,

Bob

Hi Bob,
I look up to Devin and Curt. I used Devin Thomas damascus before I was able to make my own and always marveled (still do) at his precise patterns and high production rate. This is hot, dirty, dangerous and expensive work and it doesnt always end with a bar of steel that anybody would be interested in buying. I'm glad you guys are mature enough to not give me too much crap about messing up. I did learn from my experience as usual and will show you something good that came from this blade.

I ground out the ugly spot and alternately ground similar half moons from both sides and reforged it into a dagger blade.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6831_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6834_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6835_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6843_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6841_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6837_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6844_edited.jpg

Its has a 10" -11" narrow thin blade but it has a cool pattern. I need to clean it up and inspect it for problems but it went well and I expect its good.

This is the pattern it will have. I did one of the other slices to check out what it will look like. I like it allot. What do you think?

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6814_edited.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

This is the new billet. Everything worked out like clockwork so far. Theres not much sense in repeating pictures so I'll post the new blade when we are caught up to where I left off. I'm anxious to see the pattern on this new one. It should be more consistant because I cut it into 6 instead of 4 sections on the stack just prior to splitting it in two. I also quickly cut the handle off and reheated the two and pressed them together so they matched. Live and learn.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6817_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6823_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6824_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6825_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6829_edited.jpg

[Bob Betzner]

Bruce, I am really glad you were able to salvage that blade. And you turned it into QUITE the piece! Dagger guys like Marcel and I will be awaiting the outcome of that one, it's a beauty - well, I guess the outcome of the blade pattern itself is already quite evident, as I said, it's great looking!

It will be quite something to see that final dagger product.

Best,

Bob

[Allen Newberry]

This is the pattern it will have. I did one of the other slices to check out what it will look like. I like it allot. What do you think?

Talk about taking lemons and making lemonade!

[David Darom]

Bruce, the "Winding Feather" pattern is amazing!!
What a winner!

Will I see you at BLADE?

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

[Peter Elovich]

COOL Bruce. I'm also looking forward to seeing the dagger progress.

Peter

[Kevin Jones]

Talk about taking lemons and making lemonade!

Same thing I was thinking.

Really looking forward to seeing this piece come together.
I have a feeling there's a lot of interesting stuff we are going to be exposed to before this piece is finished.

[Bruce Bump]

Bruce, the "Winding Feather" pattern is amazing!!
What a winner!

Will I see you at BLADE?

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)

Thanks David. You just named my new pattern. :cool: I cant wait to see what it looks like on the dagger. Its long and thin so this "Winding Feather" will be perfect for it.

[Bruce Bump]

Back at it again on this new billet. I used my brand new Jet band saw and cut this one lengthwise. I like this saw!

I forged the best slice out into a blade and did some quick grinding to see what I have as far as problems and pattern. Its hard to see the pattern until I do a deep etch but it looks pretty good so far. There were a couple hair-line cracks along the edge but they ground right out. We might have a good one this time but like I've said before "keep your fingers crossed".

I have this one and the dagger both in the annealing oven at 1325 deg. for 30 minutes.

Dont go too far away, I'm heat treating and grinding the blade next asap.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6845_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6846_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6852_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6853_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6855_edited.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

I heated both blades in my Even Heat electric digital oven to 700 degrees, removed them and sprinkled both with PBC anti-scale compound and put them back in, ramped up to 1500 deg. and let them soak for about 5 minutes. I took the bowie out first and quenched it point down into "Tough Quench" from Brownells. It gives consistant results and I've used it for years. Also quenched the dagger.

As usual the camera went off too late to see the austinizing color going into the quench. In a dark room its a thing of beauty. Anyway here it is still smoking from the quench.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6860_edited.jpg

And here is the blade in my rockwell tester. It will tell me if the hardening process went right. Heat treating is a mysterious thing to me and I've never claimed to be an expert. In fact I bought this tester so I can be sure each blade is hardened and tempered to a given hardness. I tested it within 5 minutes after quenching it and the hardness was only 49 so I tested it again and again and each time it read about 5 points harder. As you can see its at 62 right now. That tells me it is good. Steel hardens for several minutes after the quench. Maybe I'm just easily entertained but that is amazing to me. This should tell you that you can straighten a blade from the quench if you are fast. If its still smoking you can put some really heavy gloves on and straighten one out by hand in a vice. This one didnt need it though because I normalized it, stress relieved, and annealed it. I also left it fat and will grind after the heat treating is done. If there is any amount of warp or bend I can grind it out. More on that later.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6862_edited.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

I tempered the blade at 395 degrees for one hour twice and checked the hardness. It read 57-58 rockwell hardness. Thats good.

I hollow ground the primary bevels on the 14" wheel and the top clip on a 1.5" wheel. I have a 400 grit belt finish right now and will hand rub it out to 2000 grit before etching. This is a good blade after looking it over real well there are no cracks, voids, inclusions or any thing wrong. Whoo Hooo. :)
I wonder what the pattern looks like. I'm going to etch it tomorrow and we'll see.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6864_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6863_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6867_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6871_edited.jpg

[Kevin Jones]

Great looking blade profile and that's a heck of a belt sander! :eek:

[Lin Rhea]

Still enjoying seeing this Bruce. Keep up the great work. Lin

[Bruce Bump]

Thanks guys.

Kevin, I love this grinder. It is nice for big hollow grinds and takes 72" and 132" belts and some sizes in between because the 14" idler wheel slides up or down. It has a 1 hp DC motor w/electronic variable speed and uses a 2 to 1 ratio to slow down the 14" main wheel and doubles the horse power. I made it all myself except for the Burr King tracking wheel assembly. The pedestal has a hydraulic bottle jack inside and clamps tight for hieght adjustment for standing, sitting or slouching in my old age.:)

[Kevin Jones]

Thanks guys.

Kevin, I love this grinder. It is nice for big hollow grinds and takes 72" and 132" belts and some sizes in between because the 14" idler wheel slides up or down. It has a 1 hp DC motor w/electronic variable speed and uses a 2 to 1 ratio to slow down the 14" main wheel to double the horse power. I made it all myself except for the Burr King tracking wheel assembly. The pedestal has a hydraulic bottle jack inside and clamps tight for hieght adjustment for standing, sitting or slouching in my old age.:)

I was noticing your sleeved pedestal. I can see how that adjust-ability could really help with back fatigue.
Love seeing the different equipment and specialty tools in maker's shops.
Knifemaker's shops/setups/tools/equipment are not as similar as one may think.

[Roger Pinnock]

That blade looks terrific - looks like a longer version of mine.

Roger

[Bruce Bump]

That blade looks terrific - looks like a longer version of mine.

Roger

Its very much like yours Roger. I had to use a bigger billet to get this one to a 9" blade and still have enough material for the tang.

[Peter Elovich]

Can't wait to see the blade after etching:D

Glad the blade is without flaws this time. That Justice bowie was incredible and this one should be too!

Peter

[Bruce Bump]

I had company today but still finished hand sanding and polishing the blade. I took it to 2000 grit and quickly hit it on the buffer, degreased and etched it in a weak ferric cloride for about 90 minutes for an even deep etch. It needs to be deep enough to polish the proud 15n20 without rubbing touching the lower 1080 for the best contrast. I used two coats of cold blue to darken the 1080 and let it dry for an hour or so and hit the tops with new 2000 grit paper dry.
I like this pattern as its much the same but much different. It looks like ruffled feathers to me. Its a uniform pattern and goes one way and then the other way. The bigger billet and stacking it higher than before gave it a unique dramatic look. Its a good blade and I'm using it. :cool:

Next comes the hand drawn plan and guard construction. Whew, the worst is over.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6872.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6877.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6874.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6887.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6888.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6893_edited.jpg

[Peter Elovich]

WOW!!! Beautiful pattern Bruce. Looking forward to seeing it become another Bump masterpiece!

Thanks,
Peter

[Roger Pinnock]

That pattern in just stunning! I may have missed it earlier in the thread, but what handle material is planned for this one?

Roger

[Kevin Jones]

Dramatic pattern and wicked blade profile.

IMO, your maker's mark designs are in a league of their own in that usually a good maker's mark will identify a knife and will hopefully not distract from it.
IMO, yours actually add to the aesthetic appeal of your knives.

[Bruce Bump]

Dramatic pattern and wicked blade profile.

IMO, your maker's mark designs are in a league of their own in that usually a good maker's mark will identify a knife and will hopefully not distract from it.
IMO, yours actually add to the aesthetic appeal of your knives.

In the early days I etched my logo and etched the damascus blade afterward but I could barely read my name from all the etching. :eek: I finally figured out if I polish the blade and use a stencil with an oval around my logo I could put fingernail polish over the oval and etch the blade.

[Bruce Bump]

Today I worked on the guard, spacer and tang. I want this to be a framed handled "Take Down" bowie so the guard and spacer needs to slide on tightly but also slide back off again. I like to mill the slot in both and mill some of the spacer back off and leave a pair of tabs that engage in the backside of the guard. They lock the two together and no alignment pins are needed. The frame will also have tabs that engage into the back of the spacer. I rounded off the tang to match the rounded slots.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6896_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6898_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6902_edited.jpg

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http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6900_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6903_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6905_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6907_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6908_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6910_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6911_edited.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

I roughed out the guard on the bandsaw and grinder and heated and bent both ends to a lazy "S" shape. This is where its good to have the drawing for the shape and the length.
I have a 1/4 hp foredom that loves to make inside radious's on guards. It took a couple times of grinding and heating/bending before I got the correct shape.


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6912_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6917_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6919_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6921_edited.jpg

Next I cut the drawing up and glued it to the handle steel for the frame. Its a 3/4" 1018 steel bar and slow to cut out but very accurate. I traced the tang onto the paper and cut it also. Next I drilled and counter bored the pommel for the finial nut. This is a take down and the nut is the only thing holding this bowie together. I will thread the tang soon.


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6923_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6924_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6929_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6930_edited.jpg

I want to remove allot of steel next and leave the rear bolsters so the bandsaw is handy for roughing it off. The mill works good for removing the rest and surfacing the frame to the same thickness as the tang plus a couple thousands of an inch.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6934_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6935_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6936_edited.jpg

[burton harruff]

Bruce this is a fantastic thread! Thanks for taking the time to let us all take a peak into the life of a artist at work. -Burton

[Bruce Bump]

Bruce this is a fantastic thread! Thanks for taking the time to let us all take a peak into the life of a artist at work. -Burton

Thanks much Burton. This is a typical day at work. I love this job.
Come back again for tomorrows episode.

[Bob Betzner]

I'll be back tomorrow, too. Lovin' it.

Bob

[Kevin Jones]

I'm enjoying it as well. Like the one piece frame and rear bolster.
Added strength and the engraving will benefit from it too.

[Bruce Bump]

I'm enjoying it as well. Like the one piece frame and rear bolster.
Added strength and the engraving will benefit from it too.

Yes both good advantages. Separate bolsters would need to be screwed or pinned on which causes some compromise for the engravers artwork. I mostly like the fact that it is one piece and rigid. With the take down construction there needs to be a hole drilled in the pommel which drastically weakens a frame with separate bolsters. With this knife the hole is larger and the full thickness of the threaded tang can utilize a number 10 screw thread which is quite big. All this adds up to a rigid bowie.

Thanks for following guys!

[Bruce Bump]

Here is the one piece frame and bolsters hot off the mill.



http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6941_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6942_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6943_edited.jpg

[Jon Klein]

Bruce we really appreciate the time you are taking to do this WIP. I know they are very time consuming but what a treat for us all. :cool: This looks like another fantastic knife as has come to be expected. I cannot wait to see the finished product. Until then this is a great way to illustrate your hard work. I hope we see more WIP on the CKCA forum as I believe they enhance the whole experience. :)

Thank you for doing this, Jon

[Bruce Bump]

I worked most all day on the fit up on the guard/spacer and the frame. I milled a slot in the front liner too. This will have sterling silver front and side liners between the frame and the stag scales. There will also be a sterling oval shaped plate between the blade shoulders and the front side of the guard also.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6945_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6946_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6948_edited.jpg

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http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6951_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6953_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6954_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6957_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6960_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6961_edited.jpg

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http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6966_edited.jpg

[Roger Pinnock]

Great lines to this piece.

Roger

[Kevin Jones]

As much as I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread, I'm even going to enjoy it more when getting this baby in my hands. :eek: :)

[Buddy Thomason]

Very cool knife! Great thread.

[Bruce Bump]

Today I worked on the finial nut, threaded the tang and lightened the frame. I had to make 2 nuts because I broke the tap off in the first one and I'm not so sure the second one will work because the hole is drilled nearly too deep but those are easy problems to solve later. I also began to shape the pommel end and finished sanding and truing up the guard. Monday or Teusday this should be ready to send out for the engraving. I need to order more sterling silver plate for the liners and I'm still waiting for Culpeppers to send the amber dyed stag back but I can fit the liners and scales to it after it is engraved.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6968.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6969_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6971_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6972_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6973_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6976_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6977_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6980_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6982_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6983_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6985_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6986_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6987_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6988_edited.jpg

[Lorien Arnold]

That is SO AWESOME!!!

[Bruce Bump]

Thanks Gents for the views and nice comments.

As you may have noticed this one is for our fearless leader Kevin Jones. He is a pleasure to work with and has allowed me to make this one as if it I was making it for myself. To post it here on his forum was my idea as there wasnt a WIP here yet. This group of makers and collectors are among the nicest folks around, to use your real names here shows me you are serious and dedicated to make this one of finest forums on the web.

We plan to send the the frame and guard to Jere Davidson for his engraving artistry and then off to Doug Turnbull for color case hardening. Color Case Hardening is a tradional method for making low carbon steel very high carbon on the surface. The hardness is only about .004-.005" thick but very hard and pretty too. The process involves tightly packing all the parts in a mixture of bone (or secret mixture) charcoal and capping to prevent air from entering and heating to approx. 1400 degrees. The packed container is held at temp for a given amount of time (about 2 hours?) and poured out into a barrel of aerated water. The water and container may have secret additives to attain better colors but most of the old craftsmen wont say what. In fact if they told you they would have to kill ya. Turnbull and his employees are sworn to secrecy.

The color case hardening is a good step to take for good reasons. The high carbon formed on the outside is very wear resistant and will preserve the engraving forever. The colors can be left on for their sheer beauty or they can be removed (painstakingly) for the true "French Grey" color that most all engraved fine firearms enjoy. I'm thinking about doing a combination of both. Leave some color on especially if there is gold inlays as the coloring will show off the gold, and take some off such as around the outside borders. There is no better finish to show off ultra fine engraving details like the "True French Grey" finish. Good communication with Jere is key for this one. Still thinking.

[Peter Elovich]

This has been GREAT so far Bruce, and the BEST is yet to come! I will be anxiously waiting to see it after the engraving and case hardening.

Peter

[Kevin Jones]

We plan to send the the frame and guard to Jere Davidson for his engraving artistry and then off to Doug Turnbull for color case hardening. Color Case Hardening is a tradional method for making low carbon steel very high carbon on the surface. The hardness is only about .004-.005" thick but very hard and pretty too. The process involves tightly packing all the parts in a mixture of bone (or secret mixture) charcoal and capping to prevent air from entering and heating to approx. 1400 degrees. The packed container is held at temp for a given amount of time (about 2 hours?) and poured out into a barrel of aerated water. The water and container may have secret additives to attain better colors but most of the old craftsmen wont say what. In fact if they told you they would have to kill ya. Turnbull and his employees are sworn to secrecy.

The color case hardening is a good step to take for good reasons. The high carbon formed on the outside is very wear resistant and will preserve the engraving forever. The colors can be left on for their sheer beauty or they can be removed (painstakingly) for the true "French Grey" color that most all engraved fine firearms enjoy. I'm thinking about doing a combination of both. Leave some color on especially if there is gold inlays as the coloring will show off the gold, and take some off such as around the outside borders. There is no better finish to show off ultra fine engraving details like the "True French Grey" finish. Good communication with Jere is key for this one. Still thinking.

Here's an example of Jere Davidson's engraving/inlay and Doug Turnbull's "Color Case Hardening" process on Bruce's "Deadwood" pistol knife. Kind of gives the piece a nice antique look in my opinion.

http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc138/10456kja/Bump_Pistolknife02-www.jpg

[Roger Pinnock]

^^^ That looks fantastic and will really work well on this piece.

Roger

[Eli Gautreaux]

This knife is coming along wonderfully! I'm excited to see the engraving and color case hardening, it should be a fantastic piece Kevin.

[Kevin Jones]

Thanks Eli.
I'm excited too. Bruce is doing great job on the bowie and our first "WIP".

Still a ways to go!

[Brian Thie]

Thank you again for doing this WIP Bruce. The extra work involved is greatly appreciated.


Brian

[Bruce Bump]

I'm enjoying this WIP especially if it gets noticed. It looks like quite a few views. Thats exciting to me. It does take some time to post pictures but its getting easier and with Photobucket I can post allot of them. I finally had to buy a subscription there because last year I exceeded my "free" space but now I can store thousands of them there.

Here is our bowie assembled for the last time before the engraving. I've talked to Jere and he is camped by the mail box.

This is the 3rd finial nut but I like this one and it locks the frame down solid. The larger thread size was a good move.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6990_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6989_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6991_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6992_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6995_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_6998_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7000_edited.jpg

[Kevin Jones]

I spoke to Jere today and as Bruce said he's really anxious to get started.
Can't wait to see what he comes up with for this knife.

Here a photo of Jere working on one of Edmund Davidson's pieces.

From the David Darom Book "The Art of the Integral Knife".
http://www.fototime.com/{4B737AB8-5EC3-47E1-BFA9-B125925B752B}/picture.JPG

[Bruce Bump]

Nice picture of Jere. It looks like he's posing for the camera. There's no way he can do those fantastic scrolls without glasses or opti-visor. I think he must use a microscope too. He prides himself on the straighter than straight gold wire inlays. His work on Edmund Davidsons knives are magnificent, I expect nothing less on our bowie.

[Peter Elovich]

He IS wearing an opti-visor in the picture. I don't know much about his tools, but the results are IMPRESSIVE! He has done some great work on Edmunds knives and his style is very distinctive. He did some great engraving on some of your pistol/knives if I recall also Bruce.

Peter

[Doug Campbell]

It's getting noticed alright Bruce, awesome and all your hard work not only on the knife but for the WIP posting is really appreciated!!

[Kevin Jones]

Jere Davidson should have received the pieces to engrave by now.

Really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

We will share it when we have something.

[Bruce Bump]

Jere Davidson should have received the pieces to engrave by now.

Really looking forward to seeing what he comes up with.

We will share it when we have something.

I'm like a worried mother when my babies are out of town. All is so quiet. Also everybody is out in the shop working on Blade Show knives. You should call Jere so I dont have to worry so much.

[Bruce Bump]

Kevin and I have decided on a name for our bowie. This one will be known as"The Allan Pinkerton Bowie" rightly named after Allan Pinkerton of "The Pinkerton Detective Agency"
Here is some interesting reading about Pinkerton. Him and his men sometimes wrote their own rules when it came to tracking down outlaws. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/WE-Pinkertons.html

[Kevin Jones]

I'll be headed over to Jere Davidson's tomorrow morning to pick up the engraved pieces.
Really looking forward to seeing them. Then I will ship them back to Bruce and then he will send them on to Doug Turnbull for color case hardening.

I will try to post some photos of the engraving tomorrow.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7000_edited.jpg

[Kevin Jones]

No photos. :o
I went to Jere's today and was so impressed with his work that we decided
to take it further. I'll go back next week.

That man can handle a hammer and chisel. :)

[Bruce Bump]

The suspense is killing me. I'm sure it will be more than worth the wait though.

I wish I could just drive to Jere's house and tell him to take it to another level. :( It must be nice to work with him and see him working on it. There is so much communication lost between the maker and the engraver. I believe thats the best reason for me to learn to engrave my own work. I'm afraid the prices of my knives would go down for about 5 years. :( Jerry Fisk is turning out some great engraving now, we've all watched him go from beginner to professional. I remember he just kept it simple and seemed to add more and more year after year. Why couldnt I do that?

[Lorien Arnold]

Bruce, I think you'd make an excellent engraver. It's just a skill set, you already have so much talent, and patience.

[Bruce Bump]

Bruce, I think you'd make an excellent engraver. It's just a skill set, you already have so much talent, and patience.

Thanks for that Lorien. You want to loan me about $5,000? :)

[Paul Linfield]

Just joined at Blade so this is my first post here. Thanks to Bruce and Kevin for this very informative WIP. Feather damascus has been my favorite pattern. I have had at least three makers explain to me how it was done, but my visual faculties are such that the process remained a real mystery to me. Viewing this WIP has been a real treat for me as some of the fog has been lifted.

Paul

[Kevin Jones]

Feather pattern and the different variations of it are my favorite patterns as well Paul.

Great to see you here.

[Bruce Bump]

Just joined at Blade so this is my first post here. Thanks to Bruce and Kevin for this very informative WIP. Feather damascus has been my favorite pattern. I have had at least three makers explain to me how it was done, but my visual faculties are such that the process remained a real mystery to me. Viewing this WIP has been a real treat for me as some of the fog has been lifted.

Paul

Hello Paul,
Thanks for joining the group and also posting on my thread first. I too like this pattern when it works out but sometimes its a Love/Hate relationship.
Please stick around to the end.

[Bruce Bump]

Jere has the engraving finished and Kevin sent the finished parts to me. Today they arrived. My vocabulary cant do his work justice. He is a master engraver and he took our bowie just as serious as a Edmund Davidson knife. Thanks so much Jere, its beautiful!

The next step is to fit a set of Culpepper dyed stag scales to this frame and send all the engraved parts off to Doug Turnbulls for their magic. They will color case harden them and in a couple weeks when they get back a decision will be made as to whether to remove the color or to leave it as is. The idea of color case hardening is to make the shell of the steel very hard and wear resistant. Removing it will leave the dark colors in the low spots and highlight the tops to a high polished silver aka "French Grey". Either way, I'm excited to see how it looks when it comes back.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/swayback%20wharnie/100_7352_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/swayback%20wharnie/100_7348_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/swayback%20wharnie/100_7350_edited.jpg

[ChuckKerwin]

That looks awesome, can't wait to see it complete!

[Lorien Arnold]

ah man that is just unbelievable all around.
I'm really looking forward to my turn:)

[Kevin Jones]

Bruce, you did a much better job with the photos than I did.
I tried shooting photos the other evening after picking up the pieces however just couldn't do Jere's work any kind of justice.

Really looking forward to seeing this one finish up. The six tiny gold pins should really make the gold borders PoP! I have the perfect display spot just waiting for this one.

Thanks for the photos Bruce. :)

[Bruce Bump]

Bruce, you did a much better job with the photos than I did.
I tried shooting photos the other evening after picking up the pieces however just couldn't do Jere's work any kind of justice.

Really looking forward to seeing this one finish up. The six tiny gold pins should really make the gold borders PoP! I have the perfect display spot just waiting for this one.

Thanks for the photos Bruce. :)

Kevin, my pictures may be better than yours but they dont really show all the details but just good enough for the WIP. We'll all have to wait for the finished shots from Coop.

Coming soon is the stag cutting and shaping. I want to run it through a food dehydrater because its still wet from the amber dye process and may shrink later.

[Eli Gautreaux]

The engraving looks great guys! This certainly is a fun one to watch unfold, thanks for letting us tag along for the ride...

[Roger Pinnock]

Engraving looks terrific.

Roger

[Peter Elovich]

WOW! Looks like another masterpiece ready to emerge!

Great looking knife and the engraving looks super. Looking forward to seeing it after the metal treatment.

Peter

[Bob Betzner]

Still loving this thread!

Best,

Bob Betzner

[Bruce Bump]

Thanks Gents for clicking back here to check for progress. I did make a little more today. Culpeppers sent the stag back from their amber dying process. They must have been real busy because of the blade show because I think they've had it for almost a couple months. Anyway I set it out in the sun to dry for a couple days and sliced it up into 2 monster sized scales.

I'm going to remove nearly all the excess from the back side so I can keep as much natural bark texture/color as possible but under the surface is where I think the beauty is. I think the pommel end will be wide and pretty much untouched but the scales will taper towards the front and be contoured to match the guard/spacer. Why spend all that money on amber stag and not show it off? I have no idea what this looks like under the bark but I bet its pretty nice.

Because I already finished the frame, guard and spacer I cant touch them again with the grinder. I need to make liners that fit the frame and attach them to the stag. Its nice because everything is removeable and can be cut, sanded and polished and then mounted to the frame.

As soon as the liners and stag are finished I can send the parts off to Doug Turnbulls for the color case treatment.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7413_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7415_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7416_edited.jpg

[Lorien Arnold]

my goodness, but that is some nice antler.

[Kevin Jones]

Very good looking stag.
Nice bark yet not so radical that pin placement will be real difficult.

Bruce, do you always try to cut your own scales? I can see advantages in
doing it yourself. Especially here where the handle design requires a wide set.

[Bruce Bump]

Very good looking stag.
Nice bark yet not so radical that pin placement will be real difficult.

Bruce, do you always try to cut your own scales? I can see advantages in
doing it yourself. Especially here where the handle design requires a wide set.

One time I put scales on a nice little knife that didnt match. They looked perfect until I was nearly finished. The polishing always brings out their real colors and I realized they were from two different animals. Stag dealers try to match up individual scales based on the outside texture and not always for inside color. After that I cut my own from a round or taper. This round was sold as a XXLarge and was expensive because of the size, well worth the extra expense IMO.

[Bruce Bump]

I cut the liners today from 416 stainless plate and drilled them for the 1/16" gold pins. I left the liners about .015" oversized and rounded the edges that show. Jere is going to engrave them. They are only .040" thick so he doesnt have much room so I'm interested to see what he does. I could have file worked them but decided on engraved instead.



http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7423_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7425_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7424_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7427_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7426_edited.jpg

[Kevin Jones]

Now that's a stag scale. :eek:

[Peter Elovich]

It will be interesting to see how the stag is milled to fit and what treatment is done to the liners.

No doubt this is going to be another spectacular knife!

Peter

[Bob Betzner]

Great stag!

Bob B

[Roger Pinnock]

Great stag!

Bob B

Amen to that.

Roger

[Jerry Manuel]

Excellent set . Anxious to see them after the knife is done - Jerry

[Eli Gautreaux]

Oh man, this is turning out to be an even better thread than I had hoped for. Thanks Bruce!

[Jon Klein]

Not a whole lot more I can add, really good stuff. Thank you for taking the time to put up this thread. It has been very enjoyable watching the whole process.

Jon

[Bruce Bump]

Thanks for all the kind comments guys.

Tomorrow the frame and guard goes to Doug Turnbulls for the case hardening. The liners are at Jeres by now and I made some progress on the scales today.

I use a 24 grit belt to remove material so fast it doesnt get time to heat up the stag. Its easy to take too much off so just touch it and check it, touch it and check it. These scales are pretty nice because they seem to match front and back. Its rare to find that I think. The real difference in them is one is bowed out and the other is bowed in which only means one will have more bark than the other when they are the same thickness. Thats OK though as its only natural.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7457.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7458.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7459.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7461.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7463.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7464.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7465.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7466.jpg

[Bob Betzner]

Man, I am really lovin' this thread. Cain't read, love the pics.

I seem to recall another piece of that feather pattern that you were able to resurrect from the grave and re-shaped into a dagger blade? Will you be doing a WIP on it, too, or only on this one piece?

Best,

Bob

[Bruce Bump]

Man, I am really lovin' this thread. Cain't read, love the pics.

I seem to recall another piece of that feather pattern that you were able to resurrect from the grave and re-shaped into a dagger blade? Will you be doing a WIP on it, too, or only on this one piece?

Best,

Bob

Hi Bob,
I've played around alittle with the dagger to see if its worthy. It looks pretty good actually. I have it heat treated and profiled but stopped there. It has potential to be a nice blade and if you would like to see some progress pictures I could do that. Did you see the Winding Feather Fighter blade? Its from the same billet that cracked in this thread. Its almost finished now.

Here is a quickie shot of it:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7031_edited.jpg

[Peter Elovich]

AWESOME stuff Bruce. That "Winding Feather Fighter" (say that 3 times FAST) is another beauty!

A question on the stag scales: is the black some kind of coating that was sprayed on, or was it that way naturally?

You are knocking EVERY project 'out of the park' lately!

Thanks for posting it.
Peter

[Roger Pinnock]

A question on the stag scales: is the black some kind of coating that was sprayed on, or was it that way naturally?

I'm not Bruce, :p but I'm guessing that's an artifact of the amber dying process. You should see more amber highligts coming through once the scales are buffed.

Roger

[Bruce Bump]

The black is from the dyeing process Culpeppers uses like Roger says. Its only on the very surface and stays in the low spots if untouched with sanding. It polishes nicely and adds good contrast to the lighter colors underneath. I wish I knew how they do it. Its a family secret.

[Bob Betzner]

Hi Bob,
I've played around alittle with the dagger to see if its worthy. It looks pretty good actually. I have it heat treated and profiled but stopped there. It has potential to be a nice blade and if you would like to see some progress pictures I could do that. Did you see the Winding Feather Fighter blade? Its from the same billet that cracked in this thread. Its almost finished now.

Here is a quickie shot of it:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7031_edited.jpg

Well, this fighter is my favorite of all, even more than the dagger. Love to have one o' them babies!

Best,

Bob

[Kevin Jones]

All I can say Bruce is WOW!!!

Here's a shot of the stag in it's original state before being sent to Culpepper for dyeing.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r105/10456kaj/4180-s.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

I sure like that fine even pattern on this stag. I think we get caught up with the dramatic popcorn stag and forget that sometimes "less is more". Besides the gold pins will be easier to dome with this set. :D

[Kevin Jones]

I believe the 6 tiny gold pins will really set-off the gold inlay border in Jere's engraving.
Bruce, was there any prep or process that you had to perform on the frame and guard before sending it off for color-case hardening or is the complete process done by Doug Turnbull's shop?

[Bruce Bump]

I had them at 1500grit and Jere sent them back about the same so all I had to do was take the finish to 2500 grit and send them to Doug for the case hardening. Dougs crew will harden them in whatever polish the customer gives them. I prefer the glossy over satin myself.

I wish I could have caught the beauty of Jere's work and showed it here at the 2500 polish. The fine shading and details just popped out. He is such an artist! I cant wait to see it when Doug is finished with his artwork.

[Bruce Bump]

Forgot to mention I made the thin sterling silver spacer that goes between the two piece guard before sent the frame and parts to NY.

It has a milled slot and checkered edge aka "coined edge".

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7471_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7472_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7474_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7473_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7476_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/100_7475_edited.jpg

[Lorien Arnold]

holy crap, man.

[Kevin Jones]

I like the addition of the sterling coined spacer Bruce.
It should offer a real nice color contrast against the color-case hardened guard as will the other spacer and guard face-plate.

[Roger Pinnock]

It looks great as-is, and there's so much good stuff still to come.

Roger

[Bruce Barnett]

It certainly looked and felt pretty good 2 weeks ago when i had it in my hand:D And that piece of stag was massive!!!
Was certainly an education to watch this WIP and then spend time with Bruce at work on it and to see it in the flesh. Certainly has given me some confidence to try some new things or at least different methods of building a knife from scratch:cool:.
I guess thats what helps make the knife community so much fun to be part of.
Cheers Bruce

[Stuart Branson]

This piece just leaves me speechless. It's beyond any praise I can think of and am reduced to expletives, usually beginning with "holy...." :)

Just goes to show how much work goes into this, not just from labour but the ability to imagine this intricate puzzle... and to do so with so much grace..

[Bruce Bump]

This piece just leaves me speechless. It's beyond any praise I can think of and am reduced to expletives, usually beginning with "holy...." :)

Just goes to show how much work goes into this, not just from labour but the ability to imagine this intricate puzzle... and to do so with so much grace..

Stuart, This is the finest compliment I've ever gotten. Its very much appreciated.

[Bruce Bump]

Today the UPS truck pulled up and gave me the package we've been waiting for. The staff at Doug Turnbulls are very experienced and didnt fail us with these knife parts. Its funny they all know my name there because of the out of the ordinary gun and knife parts I sent them.

Here is what we all know as Color Case Hardening:

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7629.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7630.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7631.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7632.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7633.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7639.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7641.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7643.jpg

Kevin hasnt even seen these pictures yet. I wonder how long it will take him to chime in. hehe

[Lorien Arnold]

:eek::eek::eek:

[Peter Elovich]

Perhaps I am of a different preference than most, but to me, the coloring obscures the detail in the engraving?

Maybe it will look different when completed?

Peter

[Allen Newberry]

That is going to be a stunning knife!

[Kevin Jones]

Perhaps I am of a different preference than most, but to me, the coloring obscures the detail in the engraving?

Maybe it will look different when completed?

Peter

I agree Peter regarding the engraving detail and it will look much different when finished. The color will be polished out leaving a "French Gray" finish.
Color will remain in recessed areas which would normally be inked if using stainless.

This type of finish offers there choices:
Leaving the color for an antique look/finish as seen on many old firearms (I wasn't expecting quite this much color variation).

Leaving the color however polishing the scroll (engraving high spots) to achieve a nice contrast between the two finishes.

Polishing out all the color leaving a durable and classic "French Gray" finish.

As was stated in an earlier post, we were looking forward to this decision, however it wasn't as hard deciding as I thought it may be.
I would be interested in other's thoughts in regard to preference for final finish. While pretty common for fine firearms, this is a rare process for knives.

The piece is just about finished.

[Bruce Bump]

After some thought and email swaps with Kevin we decided to take off the colors back to silver gray on all the highs. The real reason we went this route was to make a hard carbon wear resistant shell on the otherwise soft 1018. One advantage of this CC is to have permanent dark colors in the bottoms that show off the engravings details that Jere so masterfully added.

edited: Ahh, Theres Kevin now, one step ahead of me as usual :)

[Peter Elovich]

The color will be polished out leaving a "French Gray" finish.

Color will remain in recessed areas which would normally be inked if using stainless.

The piece is just about finished.

That should look awesome. I'll be looking forward to seeing it:D

Peter

[Roger Pinnock]

After some thought and email swaps with Kevin we decided to take off the colors back to silver gray on all the highs. The real reason we went this route was to make a hard carbon wear resistant shell on the otherwise soft 1018. One advantage of this CC is to have permanent dark colors in the bottoms that show off the engravings details that Jere so masterfully added.

edited: Ahh, Theres Kevin now, one step ahead of me as usual :)

That would have been my choice as well.

Roger

[Bruce Bump]

I'm on a roll now. Back onto the scales for awhile. They are beginning to look like they belong on this bowie.

Also started removing color from the hardened parts. Wow, we defineatly made the right decision. The color comes off pretty easy with a piece of fine canvas and Puma brand metal polish finish off with Flitz brand and a buff on my official CKCA black T shirt I just happen to be wearing for inspiration purposes.

I started lathe turning the frog but had to throw it in the annealing oven as it was too hard still and kept roasting my cutter tools.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7649.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7648.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7651.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7652.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7653.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7655.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7654.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7657.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7658.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7664.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

Ok, its off there and polished to 4000 grit jewelers pink polishing cloth. The low spots had some blotches of dark and light that needed to be touched up with Oxpho Cold Blue to even the color out.

The frog is annealed again and cooled off so it back to work. Come back later my friends.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7666_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7665_edited.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

Back on the grips, I have them almost fitted now and need to polish around the edges first. I drilled and pinned the liners to the frame with stainless 6 stainless pins. I may not have a picture of that but you can see the peined and sanded flush pins if you look closely. The scales will be held onto the frame with gold pins. I dont think the gold pins are strong enough to hold the scales and the liners in place so the stainless pins are for rigidity of the handle frame.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7674.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7675.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7676.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7677.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7678.jpg

[Bruce Barnett]

Lookin' good pal
Cheers Bruce

[Kevin Jones]

Coming along nicely.
Good idea utilizing stainless pins and the gold.

[Eli Gautreaux]

Not sure this thread is healthy for me ----- it's creating serious knife envy :D

[Bruce Bump]

I finished the bowie today. I think its among my best bowies yet. I will try to get a decent picture of it when the light is right tomorrow but to enjoy the details of the engraving we will all have to wait for the professional photos.

Here is some catch up pictures of the final procedures. The handle scales needed to be sanded and fit over and over until they matched the liners. The scales were superglued one at a time onto the liners and drilled with a 1/16" drill for each pin. The special ream you see here is a 2 deg. tapered ream and made to be used by hand as the flutes are backward so it doesnt drill its way into the stag. The gold pins were cut and sanded to the right length and peened so the tapered hole is full with just a small domed head.

Paul Long and Kevin decided the sheath will need a custom frog for the strap so I turned one from some mosaic I made several years ago. The frog is small but hopefully big enough to see some nickel silver roses in the steel.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7680_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7681_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7682_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7683_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7684_edited.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7688_edited.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

Here is the last of the photos. This knife is officially finished unless Kevin sends it back. :eek:

Thanks guys for following this thread and all the kind comments. Its was a wild ride and ended with a nice little bowie.


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7693.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7695.jpg


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7696.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7697.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7700.jpg

[Kevin Jones]

Here is the last of the photos. This knife is officially finished unless Kevin sends it back. :eek:


I think it's a "Keeper" Bruce. ;) :)

Beautiful Bruce, thank you for all your effort.

[Barry Connell]

That is a Great looking knife Kevin. Some day I will progress from hunters to bowie's and a knife from Bruce is almost at the top of my list.

[Patrick M.]

Bruce, Kevin,

this is a gorgeous knife. I really love it. There is only one detail I'm not fond of.

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/New%20feather%20bowie/100_7697.jpg

I would suggest this shape for the ricasso :

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x37/moyknives/detail.jpg

Great job anyway and congratulations !

[Kevin Jones]

Bruce, Kevin,

this is a gorgeous knife. I really love it. There is only one detail I'm not fond of.

I would suggest this shape for the ricasso :

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x37/moyknives/detail.jpg

Great job anyway and congratulations !

Hi Patrick.
I like the ricasso/choil condition in your photo as well.
However for me, the condition is enhanced by the slight re-curve of the
blade. We didn't want any re-curve to our blade.

Thanks for the positive comments everyone.

[Jon Klein]

Bruce thanks again for taking the time putting up this great WIP thread. Kevin congratulations on a really special knife. First class all the way! Looking forward to seeing the professional photos and the Paul Long sheath.

Congratulations, Jon

[Kevin Jones]

I received the Bowie today and could not be more pleased.
Fit/finish/execution all to the highest degree. Jere Davidson's engraving
is as amazing under magnification as is to the naked eye. Bruce hit a home run with the ergonomics of this handle.
The combination of the swell of the stag towards the rear bolster and the slight index drop on the underside of the handle makes this one the most comfortable big knives I have held.

I took two poor straight on photos so as to capture the proportions of this piece.
Bruce is an absolute pleasure to work with and his skill and attention to detail is absolutely amazing. Next is the sheath and much better photos.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r105/10456kaj/041.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r105/10456kaj/051.jpg

[Patrick M.]

I took two poor straight on photos...

I like these photos : they also show the actual look of the knife. Not the same way Coop's pictures do, but an interesting way either.

[Kevin Jones]

I like these photos : they also show the actual look of the knife. Not the same way Coop's pictures do, but an interesting way either.

Yes, our photographers are highly skilled to say the least. Knives are extremely hard to capture especially when you get over 10-11 OAL. In my first photo I was able to capture the handle OK, but not the damascus.
I never do well with damascus.

The sun came out while shooting the second photo, so the detail is washed by the glare.

I wanted a straight on shot, as Bruce came in on an angle in his final photo to capture the handle detail (which he did). But I thought his photo made the blade look small or un-proportional to the overall. In fact, he really nailed the proportions in the actual Bowie. I was a little worried that the knife may be handle heavy but it actually balances well at the guard/spacer.

What really impresses me is when a knife is made to be beautiful, however when held is obviously "ALL Business" from a performance perspective. I'm very fond of classic sportscars for the same reason.

[Jerry Manuel]

Great Bowie Kevin . IMHO a recurve was not the way to go on this one - Jerry

[Eli Gautreaux]

Oh man Kevin, that is a centerpiece quality knife. I'm in love with Bruce Bump bowies :)

[Bob Starkey]

Looks gorgeous, and it hasn't even been professionally photographed yet! Good score and I'm becoming a big fan of Bruce's work.
Bob

[Jon Klein]

Man Kevin it just does not get better than that. Your photo's do capture the knife just fine. In addition to a great WIP that Bruce put up, you have yourself one of the finest knives I have seen in some time. I know you are very pleased to have it. Congratulations on a superb addition.

Jon

[Jon Brand]

Congrats, that is so gorgeous looking.

[Roger Pinnock]

The thread was extremely enjoyable and the knife is nothing short of terrific. Thanks to Bruce for taking us along for the ride and congrats to both Bruce and Kevin on a superb piece.

Roger

[Kevin Jones]

Thanks for all the positive comments, it has been fun and exciting seeing this piece come together.

Bruce should be back on tomorrow. I'm sure he will be very pleased with your comments.

[Bruce Bump]

Hi guys. We're back. Went to the Oregon coast for our 35th anniversary for a few days of relaxing walking on the beach and eating seafood. We had a nice ocean side room with a fireplace and a whale watching view. Unfortuneatly it didnt last and we had to come home to 100 deg. heat.

Thanks so much for the great comments. This was an enjoyable wip for me. Its cool to see it got so many views and seemed to up the traffic on CKCA also. I want to do it again sometime soon. Cant understand why somebody hasnt beat me to it as a knifemaker there isnt any better advertisement. Its just abit nerve wracking doing this almost live but it tends to make me think hard before making a move during the construction. It was time consuming to post the pictures but I have a photbucket account which makes it way easier than trying to post from my hard drive.

Again, thanks everybody for tuning in and staying until the end. Thank You Kevin Jones for taking the chance on me and for the joy ride.

I cant wait to see what Paul Long does for a sheath and Coops magic.

[Bruce Barnett]

Hey mate,
Congrats to both you and Kaye on ya 35th.
Cheers Bruce

[Kevin Jones]

Just got the sheath back from Paul and am thrilled. I was hoping I would receive it before leaving for AG's Show early in the morning.
Bruce, Paul and I had originally discussed a Mexican style skirted and looped sheath, but at the last minute I decided to go with one Paul's more familiar styles.
In addition to Paul's superb craftsmanship he did an excellent job of capturing the sleekness of the blade in his sheath. He also blended the leather color shade from lighter to darker as is the stag. I love the high texture horn-back gator insert and of course Bruce's frog stud really added even more class.

All that's left now is the "REAL" photos.

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r105/10456kaj/0232.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r105/10456kaj/019.jpg

http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r105/10456kaj/242.jpg

[Bruce Bump]

One of the things I notice is the stitching, this one has allot of it with the rolled over liner, the gator insert, the throat and tip and of coarse the main stitches. Three different thread sizes and three different spacings for all that. Then I notice the texture of the leather is contrasting from super fine grain to the horn back gator. The colors he chose is spot on too. Goes well with the stag. Love it Kevin, Nice work Paul.

[Jon Klein]

Kevin,

That sheath really completes an outstanding package. As usual I really like the displays you make.

Congratulations again, Jon

[Peter Elovich]

One of the things I notice is the stitching, this one has allot of it with the rolled over liner, the gator insert, the throat and tip and of coarse the main stitches. Three different thread sizes and three different spacings for all that. Then I notice the texture of the leather is contrasting from super fine grain to the horn back gator. The colors he chose is spot on too. Goes well with the stag. Love it Kevin, Nice work Paul.

:D Yup...Bruce summed it up nicely!

Congrats to ALL...another stunning addition to your collection Kevin.

Peter

[Joe Paranee]

That is a fantastic pair to say the least

It does not get much better and I love the display

congrats

[Bruce Bump]

Jim sent me these fine images of our Bowie. He sure does nice work. This pretty much settles the dust on one of my favorite knives. Thanks everybody that came here to check on our progress. Its been a wonderful ride that I would like to do again sometime.

Presenting the completed "Allan Pinkerton Bowie"


http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/Bump_100904-web.jpg

http://i284.photobucket.com/albums/ll18/brucebump/Bump_100904B-web.jpg

[Eli Gautreaux]

Incredible Bruce, absolutely incredible.

[Bruce Bump]

Incredible Bruce, absolutely incredible.

Thanks Eli! Much appreciated.

[Darren P. Reeves]

Bruce, A truly fantastic knife!!! Thank you for documenting it's making, I am truly blown away. The addition of Jere Davidson's engraving and Paul's sheath are the perfect complement to an already amazing piece.
Darren

[Kevin Jones]

I just noticed in reading Darren's post that this thread received more than 20,000 views. That a tremendous amount of views even by large knife forum standards.

Goes to show that our forum is a good place for makers to do "work in progress" threads. Bruce got a heck of a lot of free exposure/advertisement for his business as a result of this thread. This exposure is not just CKCA members either as we have many visitors to our forum.