Crazy Crow knife

So I am using this new knife in spite of any flaws with the assumption that originals back in the fur trade may have had imperfections too. So maybe I’m more period correct than not.
It holds an edge good. Starting to patina nice too.

Omahkapi'si said:

So I am using this new knife in spite of any flaws with the assumption that originals back in the fur trade may have had imperfections too. So maybe I’m more period correct than not.
It holds an edge good. Starting to patina nice too.

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Nice!

I don't know much about them but Id think they treated there knifes well back then.

I been looking at some Japanese knifes now..

That's a problem because that's a problem. Id say they have some nice mountain man knifes too.

I recently got a Higo Nokami Japanese pocketknife when it ended up as a suggestion from Amazon for under $20. Sharp as a razor and makes a good path knife.

Not exactly historically correct for a muzzleloading patch knife, but historical in its own right and interestingly constructed.

Mine is like the black one shown in this video. The brass one I think costs a bit more.

Got a great knife from Townsend. It’s too thick for historical accuracy, but ‘looks right’
I’ve got nothing but praise for Townsend’s always been happy.
However I got a knife from crazy crow that’s almost the same. And a fine knife at half the price.
I have several crazy crow knifes and happy with them all.

TNGhost said:

I recently got a Higo Nokami Japanese pocketknife when it ended up as a suggestion from Amazon for under $20. Sharp as a razor and makes a good path knife.

Not exactly historically correct for a muzzleloading patch knife, but historical in its own right and interestingly constructed.

Mine is like the black one shown in this video. The brass one I think costs a bit more.

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Yea that's the second problem..

There pocket knifes are nice to lol

I don't know what I want... I noticed they sell out. I can pick something for Christmas you know..

I like the wood sheaths on some hunters I've seen.. that's cool.

In thinking trout and birds style blade.

But a nice pocket knife is cool too.

The not quite straight blade was bugging me but it’s so slight I am getting used to it. Most would never notice. Still cuts good and looks correct.

I used to be afraid to mark the blade with the stone you know..

After a while the marks start looking good i think..

I cut some tomatoes with it checking the edge; patina showed up almost immediately.

Looks like I've had it for years, not a week....

I don’t see a problem with it.

Yes, as a forum buddy told me, I am making a big deal out of nothing. There is nothing wrong with it and it's now my belt knife.

Your knife looks good. If it takes and holds a good edge I’d say it’s good to go. Here’s my old knife that I plowed up out of the garden. I cleaned it up, put handles on it and made a sheath for it. Rough as a cob but it’s my favorite and most carried knife. I’d say knives carried by mountain men were a lot like yours and mine.

Omahkapi'si said:

I cut some tomatoes with it checking the edge; patina showed up almost immediately.

Looks like I've had it for years, not a week....

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Yep. The acids in the maters I'm thinking. I got a Hudson's Bay Roach Belly from Knives of The North a while back. Brought it along on a camping trip to play with, mamma sliced a tomato with it, cut them as thin as the Hinkle's in the kitchen.

I was able to get an edge on this one that you could shave with.

Omahkapi'si said:

I was able to get an edge on this one that you could shave with.

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Is it 1095 steel? It takes a bit to get there, but holds an edge good.

Not sure?

Omahkapi'si said:

So I am using this new knife in spite of any flaws with the assumption that originals back in the fur trade may have had imperfections too. So maybe I’m more period correct than not.
It holds an edge good. Starting to patina nice too.

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I don't see anything wrong with it. If you like it, use it. I would and not blink an eye. Nice looking tool.

High carbon steel is all I can find on it. As mentioned in another thread these crazy crow knives are made in Pakistan, hence the $35 price tag.
But it will likely outlive me so all good.

Trigger said:

I don't know much about them but Id think they treated there knifes well back then.

I been looking at some Japanese knifes now..

That's a problem because that's a problem. Id say they have some nice mountain man knifes too.

Click to expand...

They definitely had some well made and very nice knives in the 1700's. However, trade knives were not among those. They were the "cheap" knives of the era and were first used to trade with the native Indians. However, they were still serviceable knives and a lot of folks ended up with them, not just the natives. The knives in Japan, especially in the Sakai region (around the city of Sakai) were far superior as they made a type of steel that is more commonly known of now as Damascus steel. They made it by hammering it thin; folding it over; forge hammer-welding the pieces together; and repeating the process multiple times. Every time they folded it, it doubled the layers of steel in the knife. It's the same method they used to make Katana swords. Those were not the type of knives coming out of Europe in the 1700's.

The Sakai region of Japan still makes some of the best knives in the world using Japanese traditional methods. Many (most) of those knifes are single bevel and are ungodly sharp. I have (and use) a Yanagiba knife with a 10½" blade from a maker in Sakai region that I use for making sushi. It's specifically designed for cutting delicate raw fish and meat. They have been making these knives for many hundreds of years. Although they were certainly being made in the 1700's, none of them are known to have made it to America back then. The knives found in America ran the gamut of cheap to expensive and tended to be more general-purpose knives than single-purpose knives. Or perhaps I should say they may have been designed for one thing, such as scalping knives, but used for many other cutting chores.

I've seen some bowie knifes and etc.. Japanese made.. American style knifes I thought have popularity there.

Granted our best blacksmith of the day probably not that good.