Condese crystles will bring the colour back but in any case drilling for the stick tang is definately the way to go and dont forget to notch the tang for better epoxy adhesion if you are not going to use a pin
I figured boiling because I wouldn't need to worry about any sort of extra tools or fiddling about with the hole too much. Hadn't considered discoloration, or epoxy/resin either for that matter. I'd figured, at least for the first try, just going blade --> guard --> antler piece pushed on --> pommel threaded on and fixed with a nut.
So drill straight through, notch the tang some, apply the epoxy, and affix the pommel?
Having shown us the blade you will use makes it more clear and with the tang ground thinner than the ricasso it would easy and best to add a thin brass spacer to the front which will protect the softer pith of the antler from being pressure drawn past the shoulder when the pommel nut is tightenen or later in use. Simply drill the same size hole as the tang and there will be no gap seen when it is all assembled. Use a file and shape to the same as the antler even to following the little crevises of the antler to make a very attractive addition that adds visual as well as strength for a very little extra work and even do the same before you add the pommel nut hides the pith from view and adds another pleasing visual aspect to the knife.
Would I still want to do that with a guard fitted?
The guard you show is the spacer I was meaning with the only difference being that a spacer is the same shapeas the handle where the guard has the projections either one or both sides so you have that covered.Would I still want to do that with a guard fitted?
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A spacer at the pommel's something I'd already figured on adding to keep the back end of the grip a bit more protected. If I elected to try using a crowned piece of antler, I'd probably want to pin it, no?
Gotcha. Might still put an extra spacer behind the guard for aesthetics anyway. I'm looking to a couple of original 19th century knives for inspiration here (and Tom Selleck's bowie in Quigley Down Under), so I'm not gonna go with the crown but I was curious.
That is a nice touch with the wedding ring spacer and looking at the pommel cap you can see that with a little judicious filing there would not be the slight edge roung the handle as the brass would conform to the little dips in the antler for a very nice worked finish
I do like that spacer. It's part of what attracted me to the knife in the first place. The actual price of that one, however, was not so attractive, alas. Have you ever tried making your own cutler's resin/pitch for use instead of a modern epoxy, by the way?
A slab/scaled knife is on the table too but I'd need to find a blade I liked first (or just up and buy one; the leatherworkers I want to buy a sheath from have a nice one available). A drilled-through would match a couple other existing knives in my collection, too.IMO use a good epoxy in lieu of some kind of animal/vegetable based glue. If you were going all old school original, as in using the animal or vegetable based glue, then you would need to also forge your own blade and fittings from some traded ingot or raw material. Otherwise with the modern blade it simply won't matter, so use the epoxy.
I have some knives and swords over 300 years old. Most all antique handles or scabbards or other parts loosen or come apart if only a "natural" glue was used. The only knife handles that have stayed together are pinned or mechanically locked together in some way. Knife on the left is over 300 years old and the antler handle slabs are as tight as the day it was built- they are pinned to a full dimension tang. Same for the stag slabs on the 170 year old Sheffield Bowie in the middle. And speaking of slabs, another thought would be to get a blade with a full dimension tang and cut your antler into slabs. Then build the handle that way. All the knives in the pic have slab handles pinned on full dimensioned tangs. Not 100 % sure but I think Quigley's knife was more of a conventional Sheffield Bowie with slab handles.
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The Quigley knife was made by the late Chuck Stapel at M. Selleck's request. There were actually two sheathes, the beaded one and a plainer one used, I think, during the opening credits montage. Here's a copy of the latter made by the folks here in GA I want to commission for the sheath regardless of knife.@WebleyGreene455
Since I'm also kind of an antique knife nut, been doing a little follow up research on the Quigley knife/knives and poking around in some of my "Bowie knife" references. Yes, you are absolutely correct, the handle looks to me like a solid section of NA elk antler. What is curious about it is the overall design. Most movie props are a compilation of whatever is available and "close to period correct". But this may very well be a knife owned by Selleck at the time or provided him by a custom maker for use in the movie. Selleck has always been particular about his movie guns and accoutrements and has used much of his personal collection in some movies. His main knife looks to be a hybrid design... between maybe an1860 Sheffield "Bowie" and a much earlier late mountain man era (1820-40) "Bowie". Also note his boot knife has features resembling some of the early trade knives but in a much fancier form. The main knife's sheath is definitely earlier mountain man era -X- later Bowie with the designs and beadwork.
And as an aside, I too like the idea and looks of a "wedding band" spacer between handle and blade. Even some early rifle makers used that feature to dress up their guns, adding a decorative ring at the breech end of the barrel.
IMO, the Quigley knife blends an early design, the solid antler section handle, with a later blade design. The flat ricasso section, the hollow ground main edge and the fairly long false edge all point to a later blade design. But hey, the movie is set in 1880, so most earlier guns, knives would be correct.
Here's a couple of pics: one of the very old knife posted earlier with the antler slab handle and showing the detail of the faceted decorative band and the Quigley movie knives courtesy of, I believe, James Julia Auctions.
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Haha well it's not entrapment if it's voluntary? A Hartford Collar is indeed on my rifle's checklist but I meant a band something like this at the oct-to-round transition:Oh boy! The Sharps rifle entrapment!
That band around the breech end of the barrel is called a Hartford collar. It does add a nice, classy touch to the appearance. I’ve had three M1874 Sharps- a Shiloh in 45-70, a C Sharps in 45-110 and an original Sharps in 44-90. The C Sharps had one of the older Badger barrels and was the most accurate BPCR single shots I’ve ever been around.
