David Bradshaw Photos - Vol. XXII

[Lee Martin]

As always I'll let David do the talking on these.....

Jerry Busse Battle Mistress with bear skin.



WW II Navy MK 1 by PAL.



Navy MK 1





From top: Forschner skinner, Hendrix custom hollow ground with full tapered tang, Cold Steel Carbon V Hunter.





Sheffield.









Sheffield with Solingen Bowie



Forschner (top) 5" Lamb Skinner, and 5" Skinner (1960's).



Leroy Thompson Cold Steel Twist Lock folder; Carbon V Hunter.



-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[snappy]

That's a very interesting assortment of knives Mr. Bradshaw. I'd bet there are not many Battle Mistresses that have found themselves in the midst of a bear skinning session before! Have any more pictures from that event that you'd be willing to share sometime?

Can't get used to handles with a pry bar/windshield basher/palm crusher for a pommel myself. Your PAL and Hendrix in particular look like they would be really comfortable in hand, (the Sheffield looks a little stingy haha). I'm sure that all have their story to tell.

There is something about old user knives that, like thier firearm counterparts, just exude a sort of wisdom. Not sure that the Battle Mistress has wisdom, but I'd bet she sure has an opinion! Thanks for yet another interesting bunch of stuff to ponder.

[bradshaw]

snappy.... I'm headed back to camp. Just checking in, so this is bare bones. Above knives, except for the Sheffield, have cut a lot of meat. Jerry Busse uses what he calls "Infi" steel, a corrosion resistant carbon. Whatever the steel and its heat treatment, the Busse Battle Mistress is the only blade with which I have chopped clean through whitetail femur bones, and there is no flat spot on the edge! I only tried it because I was challenged to try. The Busse takes an incredible edge----and holds it. Every bit as important, it is easy to sharpen.

The Navy MK I is typical of military blades, relatively soft and readily sharpened by any means. With flat ground blade, an excellent hunting knife.

The German skinning knives predate plastic handles. Although stainless, readily sharpened on everything from carborundum to diamond. The lamb skinner is a super shape for general purpose, and cuts so well I use it for boning; it really shines at separating meat from sinew.

The Hendrix custom with hollow ground blade cuts like a razor, but requires diamond impregnated steel or a fine grinding belt and buffing wheel to dress. An India or carborundum stone doesn't touch it. This is a serious drawback if one doesn't have his own sharpening gear. Against that, balance and feel exemplify what a custom knife should be about.

The Cold Steel Carbon V Hunter is a sleeper. $35 when new, its flat ground blade needed more flattening. Once a tunable edge was achieved it became a workhorse, holding up to moose skin, which is tough stuff.

The Sheffield I found as a kid. It had beautiful bone scales----carved to look like stage----with brass pins. With the wisdom of a kid, I used it as a throwing knife. which splintered the scales. Had the thrown knife always struck the tree, or plank, point forward, I reckon the scales might be intact. I made the sheath those many moons ago, as the original was rotten.

The Edge Brand Solingen Bowie has appeared on this forum before. It represents a high point in carbon steel cutlery, taking a great edge and cutting with fury. I can see what knife fighters saw in this blade----the combining of slashing & stabbing in a miniature sword. In more pedestrian guise, the Bowie is right to home opening a big animal or whittling a sapling into a wunderstab (alpine stalker) on the side of a mountain.

The Cold Steel Twist Lock is copied from a great French, and possible German, pocket folder, with flat ground Carbon V blade. I have two of these Leroy Thompson blades, the other one larger. Believe the Twist Locks were discontinued years ago, probably lack of sales. A great shame.

The Sheffiled and Solingen Bowie and Hendrix custom each features a full tapered tang, imparting great balance and strength.
David Bradshaw
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[cj3a]

David, whats the story about the bear and this years hunt.

[bradshaw]

cj3a.... photo at top of me fleshing a bear hide with the Busse Battle Mistress is from a few years ago. Bear shot by the son of a friend. I've had the sights of my Ruger 03, a nickel 8-3/8" Model 29, and the Leupold scope of a M70 .338 mag on black bear in the past two years----without firing a shot. I was waiting to answer you until I got photos of a bear I watched for twenty minutes a few weeks ago. A neighbor took photos of the bear the next day. Hopefully I'll get pictures (so Lee can post). I haven't shot a bear in years; that doesn't stop me from taking aim and "counting coup." I love black bear meat, roasted or smoked and roasted. Turns out I hold my fire more often than I squeeze. For that I have watched in amazement the incredible strength and smoothness of these beings.

Of the knives pictured above, the Solingen Edge Brand Bowie and Navy Mark I, and both Forschner skinners, have worked on bear I shot.
David Bradshaw

[oregon45]

Dec 1, 2013 12:22:18 GMT -5 bradshaw said:

cj3a.... photo at top of me fleshing a bear hide with the Busse Battle Mistress is from a few years ago. Bear shot by the son of a friend. I've had the sights of my Ruger 03, a nickel 8-3/8" Model 29, and the Leupold scope of a M70 .338 mag on black bear in the past two years----without firing a shot. I was waiting to answer you until I got photos of a bear I watched for twenty minutes a few weeks ago. A neighbor took photos of the bear the next day. Hopefully I'll get pictures (so Lee can post). I haven't shot a bear in years; that doesn't stop me from taking aim and "counting coup." I love black bear meat, roasted or smoked and roasted. Turns out I hold my fire more often than I squeeze. For that I have watched in amazement the incredible strength and smoothness of these beings.

Of the knives pictured above, the Solingen Edge Brand Bowie and Navy Mark I, and both Forschner skinners, have worked on bear I shot.
David Bradshaw

Great post Mr. Bradshaw. I've done the same many times with Black Bear here in Oregon: make the stalk, get the shot set up, and then just watch them and admire the way they move. I've seen bears move silently over dead-dry pine needles in southern Oregon. Just amazing animals.

[cmh]

Enjoyed the post My ccw.is.a.couple of folding knives and a kabar that drag my stone every night....... while I would appreciate a firearm my training has shown me that a good blade in a knowlegeable user is just as safe Hard to conceal a 10-22 or a.winnie model 67

[squawberryman]

You can get those Cold steel Carbon V's as seconds for dirt cheap. They cut bait like nothing I've ever seen. Gorgeous knives sir.

[Lee Martin]

Looking forward to the stories behind these three from David:

Schrade Old Timer, one of the great folders.



Schrade flat ground carbon steel, simple strong lock & handle



Schrade Old Timer carbon (top) with Pump Game Warden stainless.





-Lee
www.singleactions.com
"Building carpal tunnel one round at a time"

[bradshaw]

Thanks, Lee.... somehow, I manage to mispell PUMA as p-u-m-p.

Schrade, I think once Schrade Walden Knife Company, made excellent blue collar folding and sheath knives. My impression that Schrade fell into the cheapness campaign embraced by so many companies addicted to endless growth. Might be worth it to remember cancer also is a product of endless growth. Case once made great cutlery. Anyone on Singleactions have a Case Bowie, a superior piece of steel with a true fighting handguard and a heavy brass rib on the spine. The Case Bowie looks a lot like an American trench knife of World War One; perhaps they are related. Case fell into making folders, the blades of which wobbled, and allowed ill-fit parts to become knives. Seems the once fine steel fell victem to the cheapness campaign, as well.

A look at the internet shows the above Schrade model 1250T readily available. Schrade for a much shorter period made a hunting sheath knife with forged blade, full tang, and brass handguard, which was eventually replaced by a blade seemingly cut from flat stock, exaggerated upturned point, and no brass handguard; still plenty strong, but ugly. The 1250T folders pictured have been through many animals, from raccoon to deer to bear to beef to moose, as well as performing very well later during the butchering. The flat ground blade sharpens easily on an India or even a carborundum stone, and thanks to blade conformation is an excellent slicer as well as cutter.

Nowadays folk may believe carbon steel passe, but good carbon, properly heat treated, makes for as honest a cutting instrument as is made. Blood, of course, will make it rust. Dynamite will attack it before the day is out. (These Schrades were exposed to the corrosion and grit of blasting for one day, then removed to their traditional chores. Corrosion aside, the thumb-lock is a chore to clean of sand and rock grit.)

Just a couple more working blades which, like a sound single action, have never found obsolescence.
David Bradshaw

[cmh]

I find good knives as valuable and interesting as good firearms.... as always I thoroughly enjoy your post Mr. Bradshaw

[Snyd]

Thanks for sharing. I have one of the Cold Steel twist locks. Yours is the only other I've seen. I've skinned/deboned several moose with mine. Holds an edge pretty darn good and sharpens up quick.

[jayhawker]

Cold Steel produces excellent knives for the money.