My Two Flint Knives

[2flints]

Hi,

Just wanted to show my two flint knives. I had them made for me after seeing a similar flint knife used in the movie, "Man in the Wilderness", to start a fire. I had a second one made by the same craftsman. Both have a buffalo bone handles.
The handle on one knife is 7 1/2" long, the other is 7 1/4" long with the width at their widest part being 2 3/4" on one and 2 1/2" on the other. The flint blades are very similar in size 2 1/2" and 3" wide and both being 7 1/2" long.

When showing the flint knives to a friend, he said, "Wow, two flints!" And that's how i picked up my alias. On this site it's 2flints and on the one I moderate it's Two Flints.

Sorry for the ramble!

2flints

 

[Coot]

Very good looking knives and impressive knapping skills on the part of the maker! You should be happy!

 

[chance]

Really Cool!!!

 

[Bearbait2]

Mr. 2flints,
Do you plan on using them in the field?
Best Wishes

 

Nice, but not in the muzzleloading time period.

 

[necchi]

Very nice job knapping, that top one's a real beaut'

Nice, but not in the muzzleloading time period.

Where'd that come from?
Do you have documentation of the cessation of the flint knife at the advent of a specific time period?
Or do they just look too olde for you?

 

Very nice job knapping, that top one's a real beaut'

Nice, but not in the muzzleloading time period.

Where'd that come from?
Do you have documentation of the cessation of the flint knife at the advent of a specific time period?
Or do they just look too olde for you?

Well, lets see. The forum says: The main focus of this site is "Traditional Muzzleloading"; The history of the people, the muzzleloading weapons and battles, up to and including the American Civil War. (From the inception of firearms through 1865)

I guess if you think that people with firearms were still carrying flint knives during this period, that's makes it okay. If that's the premise, then I guess we could justify them carrying and using anything that came before. Of course that would mean changing the forum mission to "Anything since time began, up through the Civil War". :rotf:

I am sure someone will say that the Indians were carrying flint knives when the Europeans landed. You got me there. :wink:

 

[2flints]

Gentlemen,

I don't want my thread and original post to start a belligerent back and forth discussion. As I stated in my original post, I got the idea from a movie I saw - "Man in the Wilderness" - which dealt with the fur trade in the American Northwest, circa mid-1820s. One of the mountain men in the movie used his flint knife to start a fire. From seeing a closeup of the flint knife, I drew a picture and sent it off to an Indian Craftsman in Arizona who made flint knives. I told him how big I wanted it and you see the result in my photo. I liked the first one he made so much, I had him make me a second one. I wear one or both knives with my mountain man outfit.

If you gentlement would rather, I'll just delete my post. I moderate a Civil War & Cowboy Discussion Forum and never allow such bickering to fester! Differences of opinion are OK until they become too personal.

2flints

 

[bingo1952]

I for one likem, don't delete. :thumbsup:

 

If you gentlement would rather, I'll just delete my post.

One, you can't deleted it after 30 minutes.

Two, it's not a big deal. Don't worry about it. :v

 

[rkmeyer]

Nice knives even if they are a bit different. :hatsoff:
Dusty :wink:

 

[oldude]

Nice blades 2flints.as to them not being HC/PC whats to say a m man would not have a flint blade?I meen if one of us found ourselves in the woods without our steel blade for whatever reason and figured we would be there for a while,I'm sure that some of us may knapp a blade, sure its not PC but it beats doing without.And I'm sure that a trapper that lost a steel blade may have done so as well. Bent

 

[Nifeman]

I for one also like them and know of a fellow who is a die hard "mountain man" who used a flint knife he made last year to gut, skin and cut up 2 deer.
BTW, you have two nice knives that are sure to become heirlooms. And as far as I know, with proper care...will out last some of todays steel knives that the purists are carrying...Nifeman

 

[hawk]

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

And as far as I know, with proper care...will out last some of todays steel knives that the purists are carrying.

Can you elaborate on that? How many times to you think you can sharpen a flint knife?

 

[LaBonte]

Nice, but not in the muzzleloading time period.

Well, lets see. The forum says: The main focus of this site is "Traditional Muzzleloading"; The history of the people, the muzzleloading weapons and battles, up to and including the American Civil War. (From the inception of firearms through 1865)
I guess if you think that people with firearms were still carrying flint knives during this period, that's makes it okay.
I am sure someone will say that the Indians were carrying flint knives when the Europeans landed. You got me there. :wink:

Well the fact is Mr. Wilson some western Indians (the Diggers and Paiutes in prticular) were still using flint knives and arrowheads at least as late as the 1830's. See Osborne Russell's Journal for one reference - as to were they "common" - nope but as always throughout history there are exceptions and in this case a Mtn Man with a stone kife is not necessarily so far fetched as you portray..IIRC there is even one reference to trading for a stone knife........

 

[2flints]

Thanks to all for responding. Necchi, I appreciate your PM, thank you.

I'm just returning to Muzzleloading after an absence of 5-6 years and have been trying to get re-acquainted with all of my mountain man persona gear. I have the traditional metal knives associated with the Fur Trade Era, and only posted the photos of my flint knives because I need to make sheaths for them and also thought some of you on this forum would find them interesting to see.

The link below will take you to my Spencer Shooting Society (SSS) Forum which I started up almost 6 years ago and my reason for neglecting my Muzzleloading roots. If you visit SSS, my alias is Two Flints.
http://www.cascity.com/forumhall/index.php?board=35.0

Best regards to all,

2flints

 

[Roy]

I like them :thumbsup: Thanks for posting :thumbsup:

 

[hoochiepapa]

Thanks for the post. I have one that was made by a knapper in Trinidad. I'd post a pic, but I don't want to offend the purists.

 

[Bill Hall]

Wow! Outstanding craftmanship! Those things hit me right in my prehistoric subconscious memory (if such a thing exists). If you were to ever get into a knife fight in a bar, just pull out one of those and watch everyone back off! Crocodile Dundee would wet his pants. "You call that a knife? Now this is a knife!". :shocked2:

Thanks for sharing, Bill