A knife for a friend

[melsdad]

This knife is for a good friend of mine that I shoot muzzleloaders with. He has been patiently waiting  for almost 2 years for this knife. I made this knife to his specifications right down to the patina.
Specs:
10" o.a.l.
5" blade with fileworked spine
O1 steel hardened to 59 Rc.
handle is stabilized box elder burl held with 2, 1/8" brass pins
dovetailed bolsters are 1018 cold roll held with 2, 1/8" 1018 pins
All the steel has a lemon juice, and mustard mix patina applied
The sheath is 8/9 oz. leather with a dear hide inlay.

[AtlLaw]

Now that is just pure class!   

[spruce]

A real work of art!

[powderman]

MELSDAD. Beautiful job. I love the shape of the blade, ideal for opening up the belly of a deer or skinning. Too many blades are pretty but not really functional. Most are designed to appeal to the eye, instead of being a real working knife. My ideal knife would be basicly the same design as yours but have about a 7 in blade and also a handguard of some kind. I like a large blade when I go to the woods in case I find a nice walking stick to chop off.My hand did slip on a slick handle ONCE without much damage, and after that  I actually dreamed of slicing my hand on a knife when my hand slipped with blood  on the handle, whew, I woke up quick, since then I rarely use a knife without at least a small guard. Beautiful sheath too. What is the cut out spot next to the handle for?? Your friend is a very lucky man. POWDERMAN. 

[gcrank1]

Nice work!
Im liking the Box Elder burls Ive been seeing; does it really need to be stabilized and/or do you buy slabs already done ?

[melsdad]

Yes, burl's are very fragile, and need to be stabilized to become durable. I buy my blocks and scales already stabilized. You can however cut your own, and send them out yourself to be stabilized.

[Joel]

Nice looking traditional style of knife(and sheath).