Long hunter knife

[hawg]

My interpretation of a long hunter knife. I made it out of an old gang saw blade and it has some pitting but I like the look of it and it's sharp enough to cut paper thin tomato slices. The blade is 11 inches long and 1 3/4 wide. The handle is elk antler and it's a handful but it feels good in the hand. The bolster is poured pewter. A dude on another forum made the sheath and it's a perfect fit. It's not a nice knife by any means but it's typical of what a long hunter would have carried in the mid 18th century.

 

[J-Bar]

Nicely crafted. I envy your skill.

 

[hawg]

Nicely crafted. I envy your skill.

Thanks but not much skill to it.

 

[ms6852]

Do you have a propane or coal furnace? I like the design of the blade , simple yet very functional.

 

[Eutycus]

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is a "gang saw"? Nice blade , by the way

 

[hawg]

Do you have a propane or coal furnace? I like the design of the blade , simple yet very functional.

No. I used large cutoff wheels on a Dremel to cut it out while keeping it wet to keep the heat down. I'm not going to say how many cutoff wheels it took.

Excuse my ignorance, but what exactly is a "gang saw"? Nice blade , by the way

A set of reciprocating blades sawmills use to cut logs into boards.

 

[windini]

I'm not going to say how many cutoff wheels it took.

I'm guessing about 75% the cost of a coal or propane forge's worth!!

Nice work, and I think you captured the spirit of a vital longhunter's tool quite well.

 

[hawg]

I'm guessing about 75% the cost of a coal or propane forge's worth!!

Nice work, and I think you captured the spirit of a vital longhunter's tool quite well.

Thanks. Maybe half the price of a cheap one but that's not counting the propane. The blade isn't all that thick but it's sturdy. I've made a few this way and reshaped a couple but forging/tempering isn't anything I really want to pursue. I've probably made my last knife anyway. I may rehandle some. I've gotten pretty good at that even if I do say so myself.

 

[whisler]

Looking good, Hawg.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

Here's my long-hunter, but more like Long-Native-Hunter. I found this in a vegetable field near Yakima Washington. I cleaned it up, put the silver butt-cap on it, and put a better point on it. I left the original "forged from some piece of a farm implement" patina on the blade, but thinned down the cutting edge. This things holds a razor, and I mean straight-razor edge. Handle with care. I also added the tacks of course. The handle is oak, and those rivets holding the wood to the blade are as I found it. 14 inches long, blade is eight inches. She's not pretty either. Pure nasty I would say.

 

[Ugly Sauce]

I've made a few this way and reshaped a couple but forging/tempering isn't anything I really want to pursue.

You'll appreciate this Hawg. I use to play with making knives, I tempered them in used oil from my Knucklehead. That was a selling point with the Biker crowd. Tempering is pretty simple, and there's some interesting ways to harden the blade, but then just temper the back or spine of the blade. Best of both worlds, the blade has some bend to it, but the cutting edge is still really hard.