Custom Bowie Knife

One of the greatest things about the hobby of knife collecting is the opportunity it gives the collector to learn a little bit (or even a lot) about history. Not just the history of the knife itself, but knowing how the knife in question fits into the broader picture of the times in which it was first made gives a fascinating insight into history. There is far more to be gleaned than just the details of the knife itself; as interesting as many knives can be.


Which brings us to the Bowie knife. The name alone conjures up scenes from American history, especially the drama of the Mexican-American war of the 1800’s. Remember the Alamo? You will each and every time you think about the Bowie Knife.

This knife refers to a type of knife which was designed by Col. James (better known as Jim) Bowie and was first manufactured by James Black, the Arkansas blacksmith also generally considered to be the inventor of the “Arkansas toothpick”. The design evolved somewhat from the original design by Jim Bowie (something akin to a butcher’s knife) until it ended up in the familiar design we know today as a Bowie knife.

What we commonly think of when thinking of the Bowie knife is a broad bladed knife (up to two inches in width) with a blade length between six and twelve inches. These knives are made of steel, sometimes with an inlay of softer metal (usually copper or bronze) on the back of the blade – which, depending who you ask is either intended to catch the blades of opponents during a knife fight or to act as assort of shock absorber for the knife to protect it from breakage.

An upwards curving guard (called an S-guard) is generally present as well – this is specifically designed to catch an opponent’s blade. There will also usually be a small notch near the handle of the blade, known as the “Spanish notch”, which is useful in hunting (for stripping sinew from a kill) and for repairs of tents and canoes. In fact, hunting was firmly in Bowie’s mind when designing this blade, which is very useful for field dressing game – of course, hunting was generally closer to the forefront of most people’s consciousness during pioneer days.

As legend has it, Jim Bowie walked in to the blacksmith shop of James Black and gave him a wooden model of the knife he wanted made - this would be the “final” design Bowie developed for the Bowie knife. Before long, the Bowie knife as it soon came to be known was a must-have item which was in great demand throughout the region - and before long, the world!

The Bowie knife achieved its greatest fame by the story of Jim Bowie heroically defending the Alamo, the battle at which he perished. The story of Jim Bowie and his knife were far from forgotten though and this knife holds great appeal to knife collectors and the general public alike to this day.