bearpaw bowie knife

[Savage Shooter]

"] [/URL]I just went to a auction today and i picked up this sweet bowie knife. I'm a sucker for a antler handle knife and i couldn't pass it up. I thought it was just some knife that a guy had home made. i noticed something was electro penciled on the blade and i thought it said blorpaw which i thought was just gibberish or something. I got it home and googled it and it turns out it's bearpaw which makes more since lol. Are these knifes any good it looks to be of excellent quality.

 

[hso]

Are these knifes any good

I don't think anyone can tell you with an electropenciled name instead of a maker's mark. You should enjoy the knife and see how it performs.

There's a maker in Montana by the name of Moen and a Hannon in Oklahoma and I assume others elsewhere that use Bear Paw, but those two have a distinctive maker's mark.

 

[bldsmith]

Ground from an old file. Looks like the tang in pretty short based on where the teeth end, unless the maker welded a larger piece of steel onto the stub. A lot is going to depend on how the steel was heat treated. Did they leave it full hard?? Did they normalize/anneal then re heat treat? Then what was the recipe? How is the tang attached to the handle? From what I see it seems to have fair fit and finish. I like the advice given above, use it and enjoy. If that electro pen had said moran or scagel (or a few others) you would have a serious find.

 

[Savage Shooter]

I have found one other knife like this one it was on another forum that looks exactly like it. It is made out of a old file thats one thing i like about it, adds character. pretty sure its a old hoof file. heres the link he's got a lot more pictures than me i only have a cell phone camera to work with so his are a little better.http://www.primitivearcher.com/smf/index.php?topic=33855.0

I think it was made by this man http://www.bearpawknife.com/history.htm
In the history section he says he started out making them out of old files and other found metals so i'm thinking this may be it. i emailed this guy and sent him pictures so hopefully he gets back with me.

 

[Coyote3855]

Cool knife. The hoof rasps I've used have coarser teeth, but could be one. Should be okay even with a short tang if you don't go batoning or throwing it oak trees. Nice find. I would have been all over it at the right price.

 

[Savage Shooter]

The coarse side is on the other side it's in little triangles look through the pictures in the other thread he's got both sides.

 

[Savage Shooter]

well phil moen and i have been in contact and he says it's not his. he knows of six other guys that use the name bearpaw though so i may have hope yet. I emailed hannon even though his look nothing like mine and he has not responded yet so i don't think its his.