Sheaths and a Gifted Bowie Maker

I hate making knife sheaths and so do some knife makers I guess. Here is a trio of knives that need sheaths and I suppose if I want them I’ll have to make them.  Yes I could mail the knives off to a sheath maker and hope they don’t get lost or stolen. Then wait many months for them to return, hopefully. I just don’t like the odds. Perhaps in a later post I’ll show the finished sheaths.

The smallest knife is by my good friend Matt Lamey and was featured in another post I did about cutting tests and a new definition of sharp. The mid-sized one is by a favorite maker of mine, Kent Hicks.

The largest knife just arrived this weekend. It was hand crafted by Justin Carnecchia of Wrenco Forge. Prior to seeing this knife on Ebay I had never heard of this talented maker. The letter that came with the knife says that Justin specializes in Bowie, Hunting, and Japanese Kitchen knives. My kind of maker! It also said he specializes in clay hardened blades and Japanese style hamon. No joke! This hamon is shear artistry. The polish on the blade would please any connoisseur of Japanaese swords.

 The ten inch plus blade is forged from W-2 steel. The billowing clouds hamon is absolutely stunning. Overall the knife is delicate in its proportions. It epitomizes what I refer to as a fencer’s Bowie, one that would emphasize thrusting over hacking. But the blade is anything but delicate, being a stout ¼ inch thick. A graceful blued Damascus steel guard is backed by a nicely-executed damascus ferrule with two seppa-style brass spacers.  Made from figured mesquite burl, the handle is elegantly contoured to fit your hand and finish off an altogether exquisite Bowie knife. I suggest you contact this man and see what he can build for you. I might just have to contact him about a Japanese style Osoraku Zukuri fighting knife myself.

His contact info is wrencoforge@hotmail.com or call him at 208 263-9425 to discuss the knife of your dreams. I am positive Justin can make it happen.