Trad Gang
Main Boards => Hunting Knives and Crafters => Topic started by: Doug Campbell on January 29, 2015, 10:16:00 AM
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Back in November I was at a neighbors place visiting and we got to talking knives. He starts telling me about a knife he had inherited many year ago from a local character name of Happy Jack Aldrich and asked me about refurbishing it.
I know you guys get the same thing but not often they hand you something like this. It about blew my mind when he pulled this Will&Fink of old San Fransisco fame out of the beat up sheath and then blew it again when he told the story. This guy is 71 years old and says he got the knife off an old Mountain Man 50 odd years ago who was living out his years on their property. Happy Jack was in MT in the 1800s back when they were still fighting the Indians. Supposedly he snuck up on a Blackfoot down on the river and after a struggle cut his throat with this very knife. He then liberated the 66 Winchester the Blackfoot had and went on his way. My neighbor still has the Winchester which he inherited also. Maybe yes, maybe no, but makes quite a story anyway...
After some research we figured out in the condition it was in the actual value of the knife was minimal, so I agreed to take on the project and try to restore it to some semblance of it's original look. It had a pretty tough looking elk horn scale on one side hanging by one pin that I took off and no sign of the guard. The “new” owner hadn't used it, so it is "original" from Happy Jack. Worn as it is, surprisingly the blade bevel is very good and it's even still sharp.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/photo_zpsowob6liu.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/photo%201_zpsgcvn4ir0.jpg)
Due to the pin hole configuration and bevels on the tang it was obvious there were multiple pieces of scale material. I talked to Mark Zalesky of Knife World Magazine and picked his brain. We found a picture in the “Knife Makers of Old San Francisco” book of what we figured it looked like originally. It showed the typical oval guard, a metal bolster behind that and elk horn scales. One thing that intrigued me was the step down in the handle behind the guard and how they had gotten the guard over the wider parts of the tang. Mark's theory was they had fit the guard prior to forging the tang to finished width and taper. Looking at the forging marks in the tang, I'm certain he was right on that. Mark also told me many of these older knives had iron fittings which probably accounted for them being broken off and gone.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/061558A6-1842-42BB-A59E-B0FB4D9490ED_zpsdsvwtizx.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/7098CDB9-8EA7-41FE-9963-F537FCFCC281_zpssar133ss.jpg)
Forward to me working on the knife... I scratched my head a bit over how to get the new guard over the tang. I decided to cut a wedge out of the tang, forge the remaining material together and then fit the guard.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/A03B80B5-2099-4198-B53A-75A7302DA658_zpsktyjkwgh.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/D2BA6B9A-58C6-4583-8157-11922FD9DFA5_zpssrbuffeh.jpg)
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I missed a photo or two in the sequence, but here is the guard after fitting, JBed into place and the tang after reforging to shape with wedge welded back in. I've been Tig welding for nearly 30 years and was amazed at the way this steel welded. There was so much “junk” in the steel it would barely weld, fizzing and spitting all the way. I guess high quality steel was a little different ball game back in the 1800s.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/48F2B2BE-1106-4DDB-863B-983E6FAC51A8_zpse1et0lxp.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/photo%2012_zps4md3cg9a.jpg)
After cleaning up the tapers I then fitted the bolsters and scales.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/photo%2013_zpsmk5deg1o.jpg)
I did a little aging on the fittings and tang. Here are the parts all ready for glue up.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/2B7FE854-FC63-4B5A-B82D-F290DE376191_zpsdigikqsp.jpg)
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The finished knife along with a picture of a similar original in the Old San Francisco book...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/E7701191-E656-48A6-9EC0-DFC4CFF7AF4B_zpsxjmpayxr.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v82/gotahunt/1AB17491-6A97-4604-941F-CE027B56A0F0_zpswsxbn95j.jpg)
Hope you enjoyed following along as much as I did doing this refurbish of an old timer...
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Wow!!! Now thats some cool stuff. Reminds me a whole lot of a USMC Kabar.
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Cool story and knife.
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That was very nice. Good Job!
Gilbert
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Very Nice. What an interesting project and step back in time. I'm Very Impressed!
You need to make another trip east...Redfish & new lease that surpasses the Bacon Strip!
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Fascinating story and knife Doug! Love it. :campfire:
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Neat Project Doug!
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Thanks guys, it was a fun project. I was visiting with my neighbor today when I took the knife to him. The numbers weren't adding up for me on the dates. He straightened me out that he'd gotten the knife and rifle from his Aunt who got them from Happy Jack probably back in the 30's. He figured Jack was terrorizing the Blackfeet in the 1870-80s. That would put the time line on this knife more in line for sure...
Never know about me Jeff, I might show up on your doorstep any time... ;)
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Great story!!
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Very Nice Doug, you did yourself and the knife proud.
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That's pretty cool for sure. I like the forging marks where they flared the tang wider.......looks like they used a cross peen or maybe some type of hardie tool. Now, shouldn't you have forged the tang narrow, fit the guard in place and re-flared the tang to original specs.... :smileystooges:
You did a great job restoring that piece.......good to go for another 130
years :thumbsup:
Darcy
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Great story and great knife. Awesome job.
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Great job on that one Doug, pretty cool knowing the story. :campfire: Hope you and Karen are having a good winter.
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Very interesting story and knife.
Nice work.