Green River Knife blank...

[Uncle Russ]

Rondo, I was a pretty good boy last year so Santa Claus brought me a new Green River knife blank, 10" Butcher Knife.
Found some handle material in the shop and was wondering which set would work best on this little project?

 :shock:
I know you've been a fan of the Green River Butcher Knife forever, and I've only had one, a smaller one that I carry in my haversack wrapped in a piece of soft leather.

This one I plan to make a sheath for so I can wear it on my belt....if I ever get a set of handles on it!

[attachment=0:89yuxvpt][/attachment]DSCN0595.JPG[/attachment:89yuxvpt]

Uncle Russ...

[rollingb]

Russ,.... I can't recall ever seeing where J. Russell and Co. made any of their Green River butchers with anything but wood slab handles.
I do have the book Chuck Burrows recommended to me, titled.... The Skinning Knife, by M.H. Cole, and it shows a custom Green River butcher re-handled with stag slabs, the back of the sheath is stamped, J.R. ALLEN -MAKER- FAYETTE CO GA., and judging from the blade's tapered tang, the knife is from the 1880's and is in the private collection of Bobby James.

So I don't think it would be a far fetched idea (or considered "flashy") to put some stag slabs on your butcher blade, if that's what you like, as I'm sure there were others done that way (other than just this one shown in the book).  

[amm1851]

You didn't ask me, but I have used curly maple and walnut handles on a number of butcher knives,  so that is what I would vote for, if I had a vote, which I don't.  

[Lonewolfe20]

Look at that clean workbench holy buckets
What kind of wood was originally used for their handles

[Uncle Russ]

You didn't ask me, but I have used curly maple and walnut handles on a number of butcher knives,  so that is what I would vote for, if I had a vote, which I don't

     John! Don't you make me come down there! 
Of course you have a vote, everybody that wants to chime in has a vote.
Until I hear from a few people I ain't going to do nothing....that's just the way old folks roll.

I asked Rondo because I've known that old potlicker forever, or so it seems.
Besides that, I already knew he is BIG fan of the Green River Butcher Knives.

As for myself, I have always been a fan of the Puma brand of knives.
In fact, in that picture, on the left side is "baby Puma" with 4.5" blade, that puppy has skinned a lot of game over the last 25 or so years.
My personal preference for a carry knife is a rather small "working" knife that I can go to town with. Heck! the way I hold a knife, only about two inches of the knife blade does all the work.

Still yet....I've had a strong hankering for a nice Russell Green River Butcher Knife for many years, just ain't had one of those "little round-to-it" yet....got me one of those today, so it's time to do it.

My oldest daughter knew all this!
She has heard me talk about this knife since she was a little girl.
Now that she's over 50 years old,  she suddenly decides since she can't find anything else for the old man for Christmas, she would just give the old fella a Knife Blank, make him work for the rest of it.
She's such a sweet kid....brat!

Uncle Russ...

[amm1851]

I think the originals had plain wood handles. They were tools made to be used until they were used up,  and then replaced. Nowadays we like pretty wood or antler handles, but the average fur trapper back in the day couldn't afford a fancy knife, and probably didn't want one.

[amm1851]

You didn't ask me, but I have used curly maple and walnut handles on a number of butcher knives,  so that is what I would vote for, if I had a vote, which I don't.     John! Don't you make me come down there!  
if I have some time tomorrow and I can remember how, I will try to post a picture or two of some of my knives.

[rollingb]

I think the originals had plain wood handles. They were tools made to be used until they were used up,  and then replaced. Nowadays we like pretty wood or antler handles, but the average fur trapper back in the day couldn't afford a fancy knife, and probably didn't want one.

Butchers with wood handles work for me.    

[Fletcher]

Uncle Russ, at our age I don't think we going out much to fight our way through
Wolf and Grizz to get to the Beaver and Buffer, so my vote is jest take some of that
purty stuff ya got on that clean bench and make one real nice that you would be happy
to pass on to a Grandkid.  Just keep us posted of yer progress.

[amm1851]

Here is a Russell Green River 8-inch butcher knife. The handle is walnut, with a teak oil finish. The blade was given a forced patina with vinegar to help retard rusting of the high-carbon blade, and I reshaped the handle prior to attaching the scales with rivets to make it more like a Kephart-style handle. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo. The sheath was hand-stitched by yours truly.

[amm1851]

Here is a Kephart-style knife I made from an Old Hickory butcher knife. The handle is curly maple stained with aquafortis and given a linseed oil finish. The blade was given a forced patina with a vinegar bath. Sheath was handmade by myself.

[amm1851]

Here is an Old Hickory skinner with a walnut handle. I removed the scales that came with the knife and used new rivets to attach the new scales. Old Hickory blades are inexpensive and made of good, high-carbon steel.

[Lonewolfe20]

I like that one with curly maple
Good looking loot

[Longhunter]

I like stag

[PetahW]

.

I'd use wood for a working knife, and stag/other for Bar-B-Q......  


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