Bowie Knives by Jerry Fisk

If you had a change to go back in time and meet Jim Bowie, you'd want to bring him a really nice gift, and you couldn't go wrong with one of Jerry Fisk's investment-grade Damascus-steel bowies. Fisk, an Arkansas Master Bladesmith who has been designated a National Living Treasure, has been making knives for more than three decades. His work has graced seven magazine covers and won him numerous awards. The following photos are taken from his website.

A midsize bowie knife with an antique ivory handle. 

A drop-point bowie with mother-of-pearl scales, and 24-karat gold borders and pins.

A "Southwest Bowie," Fisk's favorite large knife pattern.

Persian-influenced bowie with an 11-inch blade and scales of fossil walrus tusk.

Fisk was once asked why he made knives. He answered, "To show that I lived. My work will last hundreds of years longer than I will. But now they will know I was here."

That seems like a safe bet.

Fantasy Bowie Knife

 

I've been told this site needs more knife porn, so here's a fantasy bowie I came across on the web. It measures 15 inches overall, with a 9 ½-inch blade made from quarter-inch thick 440 steel. It has a brass crossguard, spacer, and pommel, and a handle made from woolly mammoth ivory. Yours for only $1995, here.

Remember General Patton's response when asked if his pistols were pearl-handled? He said, "They're ivory. Only a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whorehouse would carry a pearl-handled pistol."

I think the general would agree that the above knife, even with its genuine ivory handle, would be perfectly appropriate for a pimp from a cheap New Orleans whorehouse.

BTW, I don't like knives with ergonomic handles and finger grooves as you have to hold them a certain way or they're not going to feel good in the hand.