#143913 - 06/22/16 01:23 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: Lofty]
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Knife Enthusiast
Registered: 02/06/16
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Careful, boy! You'll put your eye out with that thing!! (seriously) Weight is only an ounce over a #14, less blade heavy than same, if you can believe that. But I never carry it anywhere and only use it for trenching in new waterlines, honest. For the shiny new knives forever crowd, do not expect perfection, less so than even Randall, a true one man shop each made to order from scratch not appreciably better as for machined perfection appearance than the handful of makers were doing in 1968. As an fyi, it is why he parted ways with organized knifemaking early on, and turned in his ABS Master stamp and resigned Secretary position. He was all about affordable as possible functional tools and weapons while the hi-zoot museum work of art only for incredibly wealthy crowd was chomping at the bit and seeing gold in them thar hills. If you think his price is high now, keep in mind this man makes how many knives a month? At his absolute peak he could make a normal bowie in one week and a Hell's Belle in two weeks, and self employed entire life including insurance and social security contributions all on him.   
Edited by Lofty (06/22/16 07:00 PM)
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#143914 - 06/22/16 02:17 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: Lofty]
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Knife Enthusiast
Registered: 09/25/13
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Here is a beauty!!  It is a beautiful tree on the handle - walnut? You do not know from what steel's made this Damascus? You have Randall #12-13 Raymond W. Thorp? interesting to compare them, if you put next to each other Unfortunately, I can not telephone call from Eastern Europe. Plus, I really do not speak in English, my call just have no one understands. Interesting, Bill Bagwell can made bowie without guard - as Tahchee bowie from lithograph from the History of the Indian Tribes of North America by Thomas L. McKenney and James Hall or as James Black Bowie?
------  ------  Description: James Black made this knife in Washington, Arkansas. Photo courtesy of Historic Arkansas Museum www.antiquebowies.com/antiqueBowies/historic/tahchee/tahchee.htm
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#143915 - 06/22/16 02:31 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: desert.snake]
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Bill forges his own damascus and calls this favorite pattern Satan's Lace. That little bowie would seem easy for him to make, his are also based on Louisiana fighting bowies of the knife fighting academies of the 1800s in New Orleans and are historic true bowies. Bill has always been a Louisiana boy and revelled in local history.
Sorry.....added in the wood is cocobolo
Sorry again....keep noticing questions. I know Bill told me what steel he was currently using at the time and when I pro-forma asked.
And then was too busy feeling stupid about asking, and his answer went in one ear and out the other. Bill is the second person in the 20th century to make damascus/wootz in what was a lost art until that time.
I actually do not care one bit what steel he uses as he knows far more about the subject than I and certainly knows best what holds up to actual use with his bowies which still are taken to forward combat areas by folk who actually use them.
And I felt rock stupid for asking, as if I had any true knowledge to insert or true knowledge to contest his choice when all I was looking for was a real bowie which would hold up, and this one has. Still looks good! After dredging her out, shined her up and put on the makeup for the photo spread.
Edited by Lofty (06/22/16 03:09 PM)
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#143917 - 06/22/16 03:05 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: Lofty]
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Registered: 09/25/13
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Many thanks! The love of history, that's fine! Well, yes, i agree with you completely, in the hands of the master steel grade not matter, if in the end it works perfectly. List of steel, included in this package Damascus, for me has only reference interest. It is interesting to compare with those steels, that utilize Damascus bladesmiths, that living near me. Steel composition is only the initial condition, an important but not the main. The end result will still be on the skill bladesmith Only the great masters made Damascus to be better mono-steel in propeties (for example, pure O-1 or 1095).
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#143918 - 06/22/16 03:39 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: desert.snake]
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one other late answer....Currently I do not have a Thorpe, but the blade on this particular knife is 11.5". I will not draw any comparisons between the two except that Bill makes his knives to be true fighters, and that the welded wootz and Bill's zone hardening and annealing gives the owner a no-fear basher, including tip.
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#143921 - 06/22/16 04:25 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: Lofty]
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Thank you! It was just interesting to look at proportion on live. I have no doubt in quality Bill knives
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#143923 - 06/22/16 05:14 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: desert.snake]
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I will put it this way as for comparison. The softer than blade ricasso and tang junction is a full 1/3 inch thick. Just really no comparison, a Thorpe is longer and thinner and O-1.
ADDENDUM: Length overall to the Thorpe is probably quite similar, while the Bagwell blade an inch and a half shorter. The handle on the Bagwell is LONG as comparison to the #14 above shows. With my hand against guard, over 2" sticks out. The mass of steel and wood in back makes a counterweight to blade while providing secure grip no matter how fast or how hard a hit.
Edited by Lofty (06/22/16 06:23 PM)
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#143953 - 06/23/16 12:46 AM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: Lofty]
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Registered: 02/06/16
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If anyone reading this thread about Bill Bagwell, and has not (unlikely) seen his shop talk video on knife making while he makes his standard class spiel/sales pitch while making a blade, the following gives a little insight into his little primitive shop and blade making. It does not show him forging the wootz billet prior to blade forging, but gives a good idea as to what hides inside the handle, as well as how sophisticated the heat treat. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FqUL6slhtA
Edited by Lofty (06/23/16 12:48 AM)
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#143978 - 06/23/16 02:03 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: Lofty]
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Yes, I saw a great video If anyone is interested, that is a good instructional video on Damascus smith: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BvN7F6LjoBEhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEvdLpi_F9YThat's his job - http://www.arhangelskie.com/galer_l.htmlOn site has a good article about the production of Damascus http://www.arhangelskie.com/stat_1.htmlIn the article there are such words: In this connection, will touch on another subject that is not accepted to talk a lot in professional environment - a fool would not understand, and do not ask intelligent. The key distinction piece damask knives from a crowd, no matter how high it sounds, some spiritual masters products. Patterned blade is forged and carefully processed within a few days, the metal in the process is under scrutiny focused masters, so to speak, as it were impregnated with damask fire, and on the blade, like an invisible stigma, printed manufacturer's soul. Anyway, the mood of the master at work affects the properties of the blade made it quite clearly. Even quite rational and "unenthusiastic" thinking, but any experienced and observant consumers note that the blades are "friendly" and there are "biting", willingly cutting its owner - and others. Not surprising, because laborious damask is the original energy of the battery, including the spiritual.
Definitely say that it is good, it is impossible, because people have different souls, clogged by passions, and therefore blades "impregnated" a very different spirit. Not every spiritual approvingly as demons and their leader - the same perfume. The true quality of the blade in the first place depends on the "quality" of a person - not only on the level of knowledge, but also on the state of the soul. Gunsmith need to improve in the first place itself, its soul, and only then the technology. However, it is highly ... With these words I fully agree. Holding in hands this small Skinner and use it, i can say, that him made a good man. Very good energy. So it happened is with those Randall, that I have. I had several knives, very old, due to some happened misfortune. Maybe they have someone killed once, i don't know. But when I got rid of them, then the soul has become easier, some relief... But all this mystic and offtopic
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#143987 - 06/23/16 06:33 PM
Re: Bill Bagwell Knives
[Re: desert.snake]
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Registered: 02/06/16
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Bill is simply one of the original masters and knows his metals as intimately as others know their children. He is very outspoken and would probably take blunt issue with mystic "stuff".
His knives are not only the result of intense study of manuscripts and drawings from old New Orleans knife fighting schools, medieval history and manuscripts etc, but also the result of input from modern knife fighting pros who get together for practice and clinics. He also knows how to be amusingly humble, such as the first time when he spoke to James Keating and told him what he proposed was impossible (in polite language), and James showed him verbally and by example that it was not (in polite language), while both learned a thing or three from each other and Bill freely admitting he learned a lot more than he taught.
Now, as for wild blue yonder spirit of the blade cosmology and guys doing near paranormal feats of mind over matter for crowds at a SOF convention, James Keating and the crowd he runs with would be your entree; simple stunts like jamming a steel rod through a forearm and then dragging a jeep using chains attached to rod...simple stuff.
But I am a meat and potatoes kind of guy, and Bill Bagwell straightforward country wisdom more my speed.
Edited by Lofty (06/23/16 06:36 PM)
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