Whale Tooth

[hammerdownnow]

I like unusual knives. This one, identified as a bowie struck my fancy. A Bowie Rope gutting knife. I find the transition between the ferrel and the tooth an interesting way to solve the problem.

ebay item

[INDIAN GEORGE]

Whale's teeth are one of my favorite handle materials. Maybe because I live in the Old Whaling Capital of the World. This is knife that I made with one.

[hammerdownnow]

Nice one. Thanks for the pic

[Buddy Thomason]

Roc,
Wow! What an interesting and curious looking blade. Are you going to bid on that knife Roc?
Whale tooth is apparently very hard. I had this one scrimmed with an Inuit fisherman and symbols. The lady who scrimmed it told me my original idea of having her carve the tooth was wacko because it is such hard stuff.



George,
That is a very handsome knife you made. Have you got a little bigger picture with more detail? What can you tell us about it? Did you also make the sheath?

[hammerdownnow]

Wow, she did a beautiful job on that Buddy. The design under the guard is a nice adition also. No, I will not be bidding on the knife. Seems there are quite a few American Bowies comming out of England lately.

[INDIAN GEORGE]

Buddy: I have pic's on my website of other whale's tooth knives . I am in the process of making 3 more. One of them will be my Sunday go to meeting knife. The women that did your scrim does she have a site? The one that I am making for myself I am going to have scrimed. I do make the majority of my sheaths.Blade 4- 1/4" 1084 and 15N20 , SS guard and handle ebony , red spacer and tooth.




The above: Handle tooth , ebony & copper spacer. Guard and blade are ladder pattern damascus 1084, 15N20 and nickel. Both are hot blued.

[Buddy Thomason]

George,
Thanks for the pics - also enjoyed looking at your web-site. The artist that scrimmed my knife above is:

Mary Ann Bernardin
34 Ray Road
Pottsboro, TX 75076 (no web-site)

Mary Ann also carved this Warthog tusk: http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=24812

She is the sister of RD Nolen, maker of the whale tooth knife and the carved eagle head knife. She used images from Alaska, High Roads To Adventure . She charged $300 for the job. I was very pleased because rendering the human face is not easy and can ruin any artwork. IMO, she nailed it.

Best wishes,
Buddy

PS: Roc - hope you'll come back and tell us if and for how much that whale tooth knife above sold for. You suggest it isn't what it's represented to be - not a surprise there - but it's always good to get a feel for what these kinds of things sell for.
Thanks,
BT

[INDIAN GEORGE]

Thanks Buddy !! She is a really good artist.

[hammerdownnow]

Buddy, I am sometimes too quick to take a man at his word. I am all about the romance of knives and can be pursueded to believe a knife story as easily as I can be lead down the garden path by a pretty woman. The things I see in this knife are, The checking in the tooth seems to note some age. The mammel teeth that I have had do not seem very stable. The old style clip seems to fit the period. I have read most rope or ship carried knives were required to be square tipped to prevent death in shipboard fights. This may or may not be legend. Real or contrived, the way in which it was designed and put together appeals to my romantic notions of a working mans idea to transform his EDC into "a knife like Bowies" It could use a little scrim to complete the package...lol The English referrance was to mean that I thought that a lot of U.S. bowies were, or are, highly prized and collected there. Some of them may be making the return trip.
George, I would like to have a whale tooth for a project. Are they available? Are they expensive?

[INDIAN GEORGE]

Originally Posted by hammerdownnow

Buddy, I am sometimes too quick to take a man at his word. I am all about the romance of knives and can be pursueded to believe a knife story as easily as I can be lead down the garden path by a pretty woman. The things I see in this knife are, The checking in the tooth seems to note some age. The mammel teeth that I have had do not seem very stable. The old style clip seems to fit the period. I have read most rope or ship carried knives were required to be square tipped to prevent death in shipboard fights. This may or may not be legend. Real or contrived, the way in which it was designed and put together appeals to my romantic notions of a working mans idea to transform his EDC into "a knife like Bowies" It could use a little scrim to complete the package...lol The English referrance was to mean that I thought that a lot of U.S. bowies were, or are, highly prized and collected there. Some of them may be making the return trip.
George, I would like to have a whale tooth for a project. Are they available? Are they expensive?

The dude that I get them from gets $275 @ pound for ivory or $17.19 @ OZ. I just got 3 last week and one was 9 oz. or $156. This one is big enough for 7" blade. He had over 150 teeth in stock. To bad you did live close because I would swap you one for some ink.

[hammerdownnow]

If everything goes right, this comming year, I could be up in your n.e.c.k.a. da' woods in June if I get to go do Laconia again.

[INDIAN GEORGE]

HEHEHE!!! Nice play on words. Dude you have a open invite to stop by the shop. So what do you ride???? Do you have pic's of your kinves??? If so I would like to see them. Did you go to the NECKA site??? :evil

[hammerdownnow]

My main bike I prefer to ride is my 1969 R69S BMW. It has served me well in the many miles it has taken me since 1989. Currently I am looking for a new generator for it. For Sat. noise making if I only have to ride only from bar to bar I bust out my 65 BSA hardtail chopper. I am restoring a 60 BSA Rocket. Needs front forks. When none of them will start, my 79 'oldwing never fails me. Water cooled, shaft drive, two wheeled convertable. I have a 60 VW convertable bug and BMW R60 Frame to make my all German oldman retirement trike. All black with white pinstripe. thanks for asking.

Here are some albums with some of the knives I have made and some that I like. I have more in the works than I have ever finished.
My albums

[INDIAN GEORGE]

I learned how to ride on a 66 BSA that was my brother-in law's. It sucks working with the Whitworth tools on them suckers. Is the Rocket the twin carb 650cc???? My first scoot was a 67 Triumph Bonney. I alway wanted to build a VW Trike. One of my Bro's had one and when he got fired up he always flipped it around a corner.
I can't open your album . I keep getting mine.

[hammerdownnow]

Try this pic and back track.

Bodkin