Joe Musso Bowie

[KenH]

Here's another Bowie I made a couple (3?) years ago.  It's a copy of what's known as the Joe Musso Bowie that really seems to be one of the many knives actually owned and carried by the famous (infamous?) Jim Bowie.  There does seem to be some disagreement if this actually was one of Jim Bowie's knives, but it's still a neat knife.  Here's the drawing made while knife was disassembled for lab analysis which I worked from.


This is blade after forging and grinding with brass nut for ferrule to show size of blade.


Chopping a tree


and still shaving leg


and displayed in case with flintlock pistol

[Jake MacReedy]

Really nice Bowie!  The provenance of the Musso Bowie is very much up for contention.  Mr. Musso even employed a clairvoyant to try and prove this was Jim Bowie's favorite knife.  Neat design, though!

[KenH]

Thank you for nice words on the Bowie - it was a lot of work with all the forging 'n grinding.  I'd not heard about the clairvoyant quest.  For folks like me that puts a whole new "feeling" on the laboratory research he had done.  The last I'd read Mr Musso said something along the lines of while he felt it was original, he could not say that for sure.  Seems like there's a photo of Jim Bowie with the handle of a knife extending outside his coat that really looks like this Bowie.  I figure it's like the Sandbar knife, we'll never know for sure what it was.

[Jake MacReedy]

Ken, you did an amazing job on that Bowie!!!  Whether the "original" is an old bowie or not, it is a neat design!  If you get an opportunity, find a copy of Norm Flayderman's "BOWIE" book.  You'll really like seeing all the photos of original Bowies from the 19th Century in it!
Regards,
Jake, aka Ron

[KenH]

Thank you for the nice words on the Bowie.  I looked for Norm Flayderman's "BOWIE" book, and found it's $185 for a used book, and $249 for a new copy.  I guess I'll have to pass on buying my own copy {g}.  Here's a site with some good info and photos of the original Bowies, and thumbnail history of each:
https://relentlessknives.com/newsletter0411.html

[1961MJS]

Thank you for the nice words on the Bowie.  I looked for Norm Flayderman's "BOWIE" book, and found it's $185 for a used book, and $249 for a new copy.  I guess I'll have to pass on buying my own copy {g}.  Here's a site with some good info and photos of the original Bowies, and thumbnail history of each:
https://relentlessknives.com/newsletter0411.html

Hi
Keep looking for a copy, I bought a copy a few years ago for under $50.00.  That was good.  My 30 year old daughter thought it was a catalog, which is a bad thing.
Later

[Robert Swartz]

Hi
Keep looking for a copy, I bought a copy a few years ago for under $50.00.  That was good.  My 30 year old daughter thought it was a catalog, which is a bad thing.

Gonna say, that sounds awful pricey. I let go of a bunch of BP books a couple years back that were supposed to be worth a lot. Had a buddy trying to learn gunsmithing so made him a couple trades. He got the better end of it. I had nothing in them. They were given to me. I've had my copy for close to 20 years. Keep your eyes out and don't forget Half Price books. you can still be stunned at what shows up on their shelves, still.

[Cliff Fendley]

Gil Hibben, my neighbor, teacher, and mentor for knifemaking, has been making Musso Bowie knives since the 1960s or 70s. The one he made for the Expendables movies is the same pattern just with Ivory Micarta handle because Stallone wanted it to show in the lighting. Thats when Gil mentioned to Stallone the Ivory Micarta scrims just like real Ivory so Stallone sent him the artwork they were using for the film to have scrimed on the handles.

Anyway didn't mean to get off track but Gil has an old tracing of the original Musso Bowie with notes. I've got a tracing of the pattern myself from him and there are a couple little things to do if you want it to be more like the Musso Bowie. One that stands out if you know what to look for is there is actually a short hollow grind at the starting of the recasso. I actually have one of those blades started in my shop, rough ground and heat treated I really should take time to finish.

[KenH]

Thank you - PM was sent.

Ken H>