What knife for post CW era?

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drobs

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I need a fixed blade knife that will fit into the post Civil War period.
This will be worn on my gun belt with either C&B revolvers or my pair of 1873 Uberti cartridge revolvers.

Any recommendations?
Anyone want to show off their knives and gun rigs?
 
I need a fixed blade knife that will fit into the post Civil War period.

You want a carbon steel butcher knife. Ontario knife company still makes them and their 7" Hop Knife is a very good knife, inexpensive, will patina, and can be kept sharp. You will need to make a sheath.... https://ontario-knife-store.com/ontario-2-7-hop-knife-5060/
Ontario Seven Inch Agriculture knife.jpg

OR you can spend a say around $30-$40 dollars and get one with the smaller pins in the knife handle, and an antique, and you can find them places like eBay. Just search under "antique butcher knife", and you will find some. Here's an example..., note the pins in the handle...
TRADE BUTCHER KNIFE 2.jpg

These would've been the knives the average joe from the Virginia Long Hunters of 1760-1770 all the way up through the Civil War would've carried....not a custom combat knife.

If you want a double bladed knife, you might want to look at the Ontario Knife Pig Sticker... https://ontario-knife-store.com/ontario-old-hickory-73-6-sticker-knife-7155tc/ Most of the folks that I know that carries these leave them plain and use them as boot knives OR they remove the handle, modify the tang to accept a finger guard, and put on more antique looking wooden handles..

Ontario Pig Sticker.jpg

LD
 
You want a carbon steel butcher knife. Ontario knife company still makes them and their 7" Hop Knife is a very good knife, inexpensive, will patina, and can be kept sharp. You will need to make a sheath.... https://ontario-knife-store.com/ontario-2-7-hop-knife-5060/
View attachment 837115

OR you can spend a say around $30-$40 dollars and get one with the smaller pins in the knife handle, and an antique, and you can find them places like eBay. Just search under "antique butcher knife", and you will find some. Here's an example..., note the pins in the handle...
View attachment 837112


These would've been the knives the average joe from the Virginia Long Hunters of 1760-1770 all the way up through the Civil War would've carried....not a custom combat knife.

If you want a double bladed knife, you might want to look at the Ontario Knife Pig Sticker... https://ontario-knife-store.com/ontario-old-hickory-73-6-sticker-knife-7155tc/ Most of the folks that I know that carries these leave them plain and use them as boot knives OR they remove the handle, modify the tang to accept a finger guard, and put on more antique looking wooden handles..

View attachment 837116

LD

Not ruling those out but, I "need" some a little fancier.
 

You may be hard pressed to find much documentation on a damascus blade like that for that time period. Especially etched where the damascus patterns show.

As a custom knifemaker and old west reenactor and enthusiast this topic has come up in my circles of discussion countless times.

I've had many people tell me there were no damascus blades at that time but I personally can not help but think some blacksmith somewhere pounded a damascus barrel from an old busted up shotgun into a knife blade. Still it would not have been etched as to show the damascus patterns.

Next that pattern of damascus was not the type used, back then it was a folded and twisted pattern, quite a bit different look than that one being offered.

Bottom line that is not a very authentic knife for the time period you are wanting. If you are wanting a fancy style knife for the period you need to look into the offerings that were being provided by makers in San Francisco and the real quality and fancy stuff of the time was mostly coming from Sheffield England.
 
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You may be hard pressed to find much documentation on a damascus blade like that for that time period. Especially etched where the damascus patterns show.

As a custom knifemaker and old west reenactor and enthusiast this topic has come up in my circles of discussion countless times.

I've had many people tell me there were no damascus blades at that time but I personally can not help but think some blacksmith somewhere pounded a damascus barrel from an old busted up shotgun into a knife blade. Still it would not have been etched as to show the damascus patterns.

Next that pattern of damascus was not the type used, back then it was a folded and twisted pattern, quite a bit different look than that one being offered.

Bottom line that is not a very authentic knife for the time period you are wanting. If you are wanting a fancy style knife for the period you need to look into the offerings that were being provided by makers in San Francisco and the real quality and fancy stuff of the time was mostly coming from Sheffield England.

It's not too far fetched to believe that some Damascus steel or a Damascus knife could have made it to the new world from where it was made in Damascus, Syria from
the 3rd century until about 1750 from wootz steel that was imported from India & Sri Lanka.
Even if it were a "different" looking Damascus steel, that's because to this day it cannot be exactly duplicated as it was made back then.

Damascus steel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel
 
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I once had exactly what you want.
We had a real, beloved "old-timer" here in our neighborhood when I was a boy. I could write paragraphs about his exploits. He was a knife maker among other things. The old man gave me a smallish bone handled Bowie style knife in a sheath.
I lost it while playing with a pup in a waist high wheat field about 45yrs ago.
 
It's not too far fetched to believe that some Damascus steel or a Damascus knife could have made it to the new world from where it was made in Damascus, Syria from
the 3rd century until about 1750 from wootz steel that was imported from India & Sri Lanka.
Even if it were a "different" looking Damascus steel, that's because to this day it cannot be exactly duplicated as it was made back then.

Damascus steel - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damascus_steel
I was talking about laminated damascus steel which similar twist patterns are commonly available today as in if someone made a knife from an old gun barrel. Steel that would have been readily available to a blacksmith if someone wanted a custom knife in the old west. The damascus you are referring to would have probably been prized even in the 19th century and not made it into the hands of a cowboy in the old west with limited funds and means. An old green river type knife most fits the bill for the OP in the time frame he is asking.
 
This is a knife I made a few years back with a twist pattern to replicate if a blacksmith were to have forged and twisted something like an old gun barrel into a knife and just did a muddy etch to resemble what a damascus blade of American origin would have probably looked like at the time. No documentation for such but something like this could have easily been done with mid 19th century means by a talented blacksmith. The handle is elk antler, the steels are spring steel and bearing steel of similar composition to 19th century materials.
DSCN2358.jpg
DSCN2346.jpg

And here with the gun rig for a Colt percussion pistol in 1870's styling. The holster is actually based on an original surviving example today that resides in a personal collection.
DSCN2351.jpg
 
Or the Searles Bowie, made for Rezin Bowie.

Cowhide Cliff is correct. Most belt knives for common folk were kitchen knives that had a sheath made for them.

Kevin
 
Always liked the vintage look of this Russell Green River boning knife I picked up years ago from some mail order place. Bought the sheath at the same time and felt it went well with my single action revolvers.

OHUggPJ.jpg
 
+1 on russell green river blades. I use them for most of my needs...i love how they patina but mostly how sharp i can get their 1095 steel and their thin blades are great for slicing....that and the fact that i cant sharpen stainless worth a hoot.
 
That green river Jbar posted is nice, but if you want a little flair without going gawdy then you could use a smallish coffin handled Bowie. Seems men learned in the CW that weight sucked and they gravitated more towards a lighter more nimble blade.
 
Id stay away from any of them cheaply made knives coming out of the uk thats imported from Pakistan. Ive purchased some and learned my lesson. Some of them look great but the quality isnt there if you want to get any type of performance out of them...they have a very qustionable heat treat and the steel ia said to be "carbon steel"....but they never specify what kind. Most that say full tang or even plainly look full tang arent...they weld them at the handle and hide the weld with the guard and the weld job they do isnt high quality or even all the way through. As long as it looks solid after sanding and buffing then it passes their so called inspection. I had a Damascus bowie similar to the one in the last link posted from amazon and it looked full tang and solid, i lent it to a buddy to carve a small notch in a branch and the welding holding the blade 1 inch tang into the handle came loose and out slipped the blade. It looked full tang and was advertised as such bcuz they know thats what the american consumer wants to buy. The guys who really know their stuff on the blade forums always warn about these imported blades flooding the market from pakistang/uk and lots of posts show the poor quality of their manufacturing. They work fine if its just for looks....but dont expect to get any real work out of them or depend on it as a tool to save your life. Atleast thats my experience and my opinion. For a lot less i/you can modify an old hickory butcher knife and end up with a knife made from a good american 1095 high carbon steel with a tested heat treatment. You can even shape it into a bowie knife...its a popular project
bowsheath2.jpg c15ac28cc02b4008b2a99518eae6a61e.jpg
 
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