Cowboy Bowie (pro photo on pg 3)

[Hopewell Tom]

Lin, the teenage lingo is: that is SICK!
And it is!
Beautiful, as usual.

[Lin Rhea]

I've started back on this knife again and here are a couple pics of the guard in progress.

The guard is a ball guard in the fashion of the old cowboy belt knives often seen in the old photographes. Some had plate guards but the ball guards were also done. I probably made this one the hard way. I have sometime soldered the balls onto the ends of a guard but this one was totally filed and sanded to shape. I started with 1/4 inch plate, got the slot in it and started playing around with the shape.
 

[Lin Rhea]

Then I started shaping the ball ends with a file. At this point I did not know if this was going to work at all. So, I just kept taking away material that was in the way. Edge view.
 

[Lin Rhea]

After some filing.
 

After most of the afternoon sanding and trying to keep it all even and straight.

 

[Ric O'Shay]

My oh my....

[akaboomer]

Looks great Lin.  The oval in front of the guard is A outstanding little detail that I hadn't envisioned. That's what separates wanna be's like my from guys like you.

Chris

[joekeith]

         
Another beauty, amazing.....

[Lin Rhea]

Thanks guys.

I've had a few hints (not from TG)that perhaps I messed up the slot in the guard prompting me to make the addition of the little oval. That is possible, I suppose, but I dont make my decisions (usually    :D   ) based on such things. I thought the openness of the guard's front needed something.

[Lin Rhea]

[Ray Hammond]

I just thought it would have looked less "finished" without the dress up

Beautiful Lin

[Lin Rhea]

[amar911]

Lin,

Not your fanciest knife ever, but maybe my favorite to look at. I keep thinking: "I can't live without that one." And I think that about almost every knife of yours I see!

Allan

[akaboomer]

I love this one. The combination of finish types on the ball end guard are so fitting for the knife. It gives just the right amount of refinement with the coined 416ss fittings. Well done on the images by Chuck they show the knife to be what it is great.

Chris

[Margly]

This is one of the nicest knifes I've seen!!

[Bladepeek]

Lin, could you explain how you produce the "folded W's"? I understand simple ladder, twist, raindrop, but this is obviously patterned, rewelded, repatterned...help! I'm going crazy trying to picture the process.
Thanks
Ron

[Lin Rhea]

Ron, I'm having issues with my phone pictures. I will try to add pics but I may have lost some of them.