"Shivs, shanks and pigstickers and things too fierce to mention"
Welcome to the new-and-improved, Blogger version of my old website, formerly found on .Mac.
If you've seen my work there then you should know what I'm about.
If I'm new to you, it's nice to make your acquaintence. What I make are high-quality, use able reproductions of historic fighting knives.
I started out making large Bowies from the period of "The War for Southern Independence" and since branched out into knives from the two world wars.
I avoid "Milspec" knives such as the M2 or M3 or either of the US, WW1 trench knives as I find them far less interesting than the stuff the boys made themselves or brought from home.
I don't make fakes. Each knife is dated. The year is stamped; ie "o9" on double-edged blades while those with a spine have the year filed into it in Roman numerals.
The ricasso of each is stamped with my mark, crossed monkey wrenches.
The way this is set up, you can either scroll down endlessly, covering all three periods consecutively.
Alternately, on the left is a list of everything in order.
Click on the image for the category or on the names of the individual knives listed beneath.
Good hunting and thanks for stopping by.
Dan Brock
26.7.09
23.7.09
"File Knives"
Being that this knife is the first in the list of "Custom Work", I'll line out my made-to-order protocol.
If we've never done business before, I ask for 50% up front. Otherwise, the total is paid on completion.
The 50% is refundable in case a decision is changed if it's a knife that will be saleable otherwise. Anything too oddball and that won't be the case.
You would be advised in advance if your request fits this category (they rarely do).
The money for custom work is similar to the prices posted for something comparable in size and/or complexity, plus 20% or so.
Ballpark: A big Bowie (14"+ blade) $175 to $200.
19thc
These two knives were commissioned by an old customer from my E-Bay days. He wrote that he had some of his Granddad's old files he wanted made into knives. He mailed me a Black Diamond, farrier's rasp and a beautiful 14" Kearney and Foot, coarse mill file that was 5/16" thick. Both files are visible in the background of the picture. The rasp became the spear-point at top along with the handle-with that bitchin' rectangular brass ferrule-from the other file. All it needed was a cross guard.
The K&F became the Lone Star, C-guard with the antler handle.
I'd like to add that I considered it quite a priveledge to work on these knives. I like the idea of things from the past being made into something meaningful.
That being said, If anyone were interested, I'd be happy to make a knife out of Grandpa's old hay rake tine, saw blade or one of the springs from his old Studebaker. Just let me know via the "Send Me a Message" button below and we'll work something out.
If we've never done business before, I ask for 50% up front. Otherwise, the total is paid on completion.
The 50% is refundable in case a decision is changed if it's a knife that will be saleable otherwise. Anything too oddball and that won't be the case.
You would be advised in advance if your request fits this category (they rarely do).
The money for custom work is similar to the prices posted for something comparable in size and/or complexity, plus 20% or so.
Ballpark: A big Bowie (14"+ blade) $175 to $200.
19thcThese two knives were commissioned by an old customer from my E-Bay days. He wrote that he had some of his Granddad's old files he wanted made into knives. He mailed me a Black Diamond, farrier's rasp and a beautiful 14" Kearney and Foot, coarse mill file that was 5/16" thick. Both files are visible in the background of the picture. The rasp became the spear-point at top along with the handle-with that bitchin' rectangular brass ferrule-from the other file. All it needed was a cross guard.
The K&F became the Lone Star, C-guard with the antler handle.
I'd like to add that I considered it quite a priveledge to work on these knives. I like the idea of things from the past being made into something meaningful.
That being said, If anyone were interested, I'd be happy to make a knife out of Grandpa's old hay rake tine, saw blade or one of the springs from his old Studebaker. Just let me know via the "Send Me a Message" button below and we'll work something out.
22.7.09
General Stand Watie, CSA Bowie
19thcThis knife is a revised version of one commissioned by a customer whose great, great grandfather had fought under General Stand Watie, CSA, a Cherokee chief. The Cherokee volunteers were formed in late 1861 after the Cherokee nation had been brought into the Confederacy,
They created their own battle flag by modifying the Rebel "Stars and Bars". In addition to the eleven white stars on the blue field, they added five red stars to represent the five civilized tribes. In the middle, white bar they added the words "Cherokee Braves".
Although Cherokees also fought for the Union, Watie was the only Native American to achieve the rank of Brigadier General. He was also the last Rebel General to surrender, two months after Appomattox.
Gen. Watie's personal knife resides in the Cherokee Museum in Tahlequah, Oklahoma and it is on that knife that this one is based.
It's a large heavy Bowie with an unusual blade shape, almost like a bolo and a cast brass cross guard and pommel cap. The handle scales, like the original are Osage Orange, held on with steel rivets.
$180 shipped
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
Rifleman's Knife
19thcI've got to admit, I kind of guesstimated on this one, but I think I got close. The customer wanted a French and Indian War, Rifleman's knife. After dilligent research and looking at what lots of other folks are selling as such, I came up with this: An overlarge, tricked out, butcher knife. I like it. The handle is Fiddleback Western Maple, the blade has been left with the tempering colors in place. There's filework on the spine (along with my date - the year in Roman Numerals MMVI) and one of those cute curlicue ricasso thingies. I should probably find out what that's called,and a brass guard and binding.
$175 shipped
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
Antler-Handled Bowie
19thc This was a recent commission for an old customer, one of my first customers as a matter of fact.
It's a reproduction of a Sheffield produced Bowie, circa 1840.
The short clip blade is 12" long and 2' wide, hand forged from spring steel. As requested by the client, the clip was left unsharpened.
The guard and pommel cap are forged from wrought iron. They were cut from an antique picket pin I picked up in Montana where my great, great grandfather and his brothers raised horses for the U. S. Cavalry.
The handle is deer antler, the sheath, cowhide.
To duplicate this knife would cost $150 shipping included.
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
Boarding Axe
19thcNow for something completely different... For the past two hundred years, right up to end of the days of "wooden ships and iron men", fire aboard ship was a dreaded occurrence.
Space on a wooden warship being at a premium, many artifacts of everyday life were downsized to fit the new reality. Swords became cutlasses, pikes became boarding pikes and axes became ... these.
First and foremost a tool; a firefighting tool, the boarding axe was invaluable in the heat of battle as well. Grappling lines could be chopped loose, downed spars and lines cut away and, if boarding rather than being boarded, hatches and bulkheads could be smashed in and, if it came to it, the axe was a fearsome weapon.
This oft-overlooked piece of our material heritage lives on in our world as the modern fire axe.
This is a design cobbled together from several sources. It is most like the boarding axes the USN issued from the war of 1812 up until the War of Secession.
Essentially an over-sized tomahawk, this axe has a turned hickory handle, 18" long with a ball at the end. The head, reinforced at the eye by steel langets, has an axe edge and a pick head opposite. Forged of high-carbon steel is tempered such that the pick point and cutting edge retain full harness while the body, especially around the eye, is annealed.
Includes a cowhide sheath.
$140 shipping included in US
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
Middle East Commando Knife
ww2These knives show other places as well but they're generally associated with the Middle East Commandos.
They were small, elite units raised locally and under the command of the British Army.
They formed up in mid'1940, then some months later, they were absorbed into a larger commando force, called Layforce" intended to help rein-in Rommel.
This knife, inexplicably named "The Fanny" has a blade of high-carbon tool steel, 6" long and sharpened along the curved edge.
Like the Clements, this knife has the blade mounted "up-side-down".
"Death's Head, knuckleduster grip of cast brass.
Overall length; 11 3/4"
Includes the sheath pictured.
$165 shipping included
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
Private Purchase Knuckle Knife, North Africa
ww2 This is a variation on an original knife, carried by a member of Rommel's DAK.
That knife had a shorter and more Bowie-shaped blade.
On this one, I've stretched the blade out (7 1/2") and given it a little more "sweep".
The single-loop, knuckle-duster handle is cast directly onto the blade and can also function - given the narrowness of the loop - as a conventional fixed-blade knife.
This makes this a truly useful (for other than killing) knuckle-knife.
Overall length is 12 1/2".
The blade is hand-forged from high-carbon steel and is differentially tempered.
Includes a hand-stitched cowhide sheath.
$140, shipping included
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
"The Spike"
ww2I know nothing about this wicked little tool.
It was described as an Everitt knife but I suspect it was just because the paint colors were similar.
Triangular stabbing blade, 5" long with a cast-on handle of aluminum with a finger loop for grip retention.
Includes cowhide sheath.
$90 shipping included
To order e-mail me
dbrock76@yahoo.com
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