Captain's "Bowie Buildin'" 101: A Pair of Bears!

[kimon]

Ironwood and Ironwood

[michianaman]

Stag on both

Thanks, Jeff

[The "Captain"]

O.K., everyone: The results of your voting show a clear winner for Ironwood handles on these 2 bowies! Ironwood 8: Stag 5. Let's move on!
I am in Bama having the slowest hunting week ya'll can imagine. I will check back in a day or so. Let's vote for our "options", i.e. nickel-silver verses brass, etc. Spacers: Handle shapes: Butt caps, or plates...You know: The usual. I will tell you that both brass and nickel silver look good against ironwood, with brass looking a little more "traditional", if you will. Let's hear from ya! Best, Captain Chris Stanaback

[Raindog]

Bear
fwd curved brass hilt
brass scalloped collar
brass scalloped flanged butt cap


Little Bear
brass single hilt
thumb grooves
brass rounded cap


Shared
SS blade
concave handle
brass/black spacers
brown, no hone sheath

[BradV.]

Bear:
Forward curved brass hilt
Brass scalloped collar
Brass scalloped flanged butt cap
Commando-shaped handle

Little Bear:
Brass double hilt
Brass butt cap
Straight handle with finger grooves


Shared:
SS blades
Brass and black spacers
Style A sheaths-either brown or black

Brad

[BP682]

Bear:
Forward curved brass hilt
Brass smooth collar
Brass smooth flanged butt cap
Commando-shaped handle

Little Bear:
Brass single hilt
Brass butt cap
Straight handle with finger grooves


Shared:
SS blades
Brass and black spacers
Style A sheaths-either brown or black


Barry Perdue
RKS 4451
NRA Life Member

[panhead]

BEAR

Foreward curved brass hilt
Brass scalloped collar
brass scalloped butt cap
Commando shape handle
Red and Black spacers
Stainless
Style A Black

LITTLE BEAR

Brass double hilt
Brass scalloped collar
brass scalloped butt cap
straight handle
red and black spacers
carbon steel
Style A black

Panhead
RKS #4109

[kimon]

Both matching

Finger grooves or Border Patrol
Brass butt
Brass double hilt
Scalloped collar

And we've already established that they'll have stainless blades

[The "Captain"]

Greetings from a rain-soaked Alabama. Huntin's slow, although 2 extremely nice whitetail bucks were taken this week! I thought that I would get "caught-up" on this Bowie project. It did not take long. I am dissapointed with the responses to our hardware options. Perhaps this is my fault, being so un-attentive during hunting season. I will not make the same mistale next year! O.K.: How about an overview so far.
Both Randall Bowies will be "Bears": A 12-8" "Bear Bowie" with a stainless steel blade, and a 12-6" "Little Bear Bowie", with a stainless steel blade. Other common ground has revealed brass hardware and ironwood handles. Majority votes for brass spacers or collars and butt caps, verses plates or "no cap". O.K. So much for common ground. Now let's look at the bumps in the road.
Handle "shaping" has been requested from "straight", to "finger gripped", to "concaved", to "commando", to "border patrol", in other words...all over the place!!
Folks: Let me suggest something to you that some of you may be missing. "Standard or straight" handles do "not" show off the natural ironwood handle material as well as a "shaped" handle. Somethig to think about. Also: What kind of brass collar or spacers needs to be decided upon. Butt caps? Smooth, scalloped, flanged, regular of rounded? Let's hear from you. I am going to ask for everyone to come together on this, and the "lurkers" to join in. I am winding this building down....3 days!! Go ahead and plead your cases. Come Thursday, I will make the final decision. Good luck and remember: Either way: It's gonna be a cool pair of Randalls!! Best, Captain Chris Stanaback
P.S. Bonus: Randall insulated mug to the winner!! CCS

[azgator]

Commando-shaped handles and fluted collars on both. Fluted coolie caps in lieu of a normal butt cap.

I'll forego the wrist thong on these.

[Raindog]

Originally Posted by Raindog

Bear
fwd curved brass hilt
brass scalloped collar
brass scalloped flanged butt cap

Little Bear
brass single hilt
thumb grooves
brass rounded cap

Shared
SS blade
concave handle
brass/black spacers
brown, no hone sheath

OK, here goes. I went with the Bear set-up because I think that particular combination just looks good. The flanged butt cap helps offset the weight of the large heavy blade and the scalloping, to me, looks right.

On the Little Bear, I went with the rounded brass cap for ease of carry. I looked at this one as being the "worker" of the two knives and built it as so.

As far as the handle shape is concerned, I chose concave because A) I have small hands and concave fits me well, B) Concave, to my eyes, looks better on the larger knives, and C) As the Randall catalog states "... the original Bowie knives may have had a smaller handle of concave shape." I am a bit of a traditionalist.

Finally, on the no hone sheath, blame the Captain and this forum for that one. I joined the "no-hone" crowd here. But it does make a lot of sense to me that, if you aren't taking this knife into the field for an extended time, then why carry a hone? And just picture in your mind how nice a long Bowie sheath would look, uncluttered with a hone pocket.

OK, there are my opinions and reasons. Let's hear yours.

[kimon]

Ok....
Scalloped brass collar and butt-cap

I still think the regular sized one and the "little" one should look the same, with the only difference being the size.

The border patrol handle would look nice on the knife.

I also like Raindog's suggestion for thumbgrooves, if we go with a single hilt.

[BradV.]

Bear:
Forward curved brass hilt
Brass scalloped collar
Scalloped brass butt cap
Concave handle

Little Bear:
Brass double hilt
Brass scalloped collar
Scalloped brass butt cap
Concave handle


Shared:
SS blades
Brass and black spacers
Black or brown no-hone sheaths

Brad

[tomthbomb]

Bear:
forward curved brass hilt
brass flanged butt cap

Little Bear:
brass double hilt
brass butt cap

Shared:
cabon blade
commando handle
brass/black spacers
brown model A sheath

[DUH120]

I think they should look alike I would like Brass forward curved hilts Brass and Black Spacers Rounded Brass Caps and either Single Finger Grip or Finger Grips
Thanks Capt