how about a quick pic and tutorial on making one of your Backpocket lanyards -- a nice addition to a Bose knife IMO.

JT

Yep...I'm waiting on that too. I took a stab at it for this knife I just finished up last week. Is this the lanyard-thong-dealybop yur talking about? Always helps to have the expert show you how it's done. I turned the bead out of whitetail antler.

Ok guys…you asked and I will deliver, but first this is my opinion…never want to hurt new makers feelings so don’t take it that way.

The leather thong I make..I did not come up with, Bob Loveless did, so I need to give credit where it is deserved, and he deserves it. He said it was intended to find the knife in adverse conditions…like in the dark when you need to stab a bad guy. I saw my first on a Battle Knife he made, a life changing experience. I would not want to have this knife thrust’d in my gut.

Since that time I have figured out that these leather things really only work well…short, tight, and on a Back Pocket knife.

Kerry’s knife looks good in the picture (well done by the way), but I would not want to be running through the bush with that bouncing all over the place like my daughters pony tail. With the bead on the end the added weight would make it even worse. I also think with it that long it would get snagged on something and there goes your knife. What I found is that nylon rope (like what comes on a Randall) works much better. When you have the knife on your side you run the rope through your belt loop and the over the end of the knife. This will not let the knife leave you in any condition. More on the subject soon.

Makes sense to me. Thanks for all the info and tips.

I'm probably going to cry on my pillow tonight though

Ok, Thought I had some old ones that I had cut off, but the must have gotten tossed. I could have scanned those..oh well.

I hope JT you got some good “Ladigo” leather. Stuff that is tuff as nails and wont tear when you pull it…cuz you need to pull the hell out of it.

Cut a strip about ½ to 3/8” wide..and about twice as long as you think you want it. Cut points on each end. Really tapered points make it much easier. Then, get the leather wet…with HOT water. This breaks down the leather’s stiffness and the as it dries it tights up.

Take the point then run it through the hole of the knife…once it has come through grab it with a pair of pliers…I use lineman pliers.. And yes water will squeeze out of your leather and all over your knife…oh well, they should be able to get a little wet.

So now you have two equal ends sticking out of either side of your knife…I make sure the slick side is out…Get a hole punch, the kind that are like pliers. Depending on which side you want the braid to face punch a ¼” hole or smaller. I do it really close to the knife. Then on the other side move away, down ¼” or so and punch another hole..alternating back and forth. I only do 3 holes on each side. Pull the leather through, alternating through each hole. I pull them tight! Then cut the points off and cut the V’s. As it dries it will become stiff, which is ok. Put some lemon oil on the Bone or Stag and leather too..With the short leather thing on there you can easy find the knife in your back pocket…the more you use it the more patina it gets…here is one of mine up close and personal.

Great Post!
Thanks for the how to John..nice close up picture
Kerry..I am really impressed with that knife! Fine Work
let us know when you open the books!

Well since all us wannabe Knife Makers are posting our pics…. Trevor asked me to post the knife I made for him and the leather thing he has on his. No Patina..and that’s good…cuz he is 9 and his mom would freak if he had patina on it..



Notice the ends are un-even...kinda cool

Dang serious talent on this forum
John I wouldn't mind holding that knife till Trevor's of age

You may need to discuss that with him

If Trevor is carrying that, what are you carrying? That Killer stag Bose?

Nope & Nope…Trevor is not carrying that, or any other knife right now. You need to know what your dealing with before you let him take off in the woods with that..He can sharpen a knife better than most…kinda scary

I don’t carry a BP anymore….I love big knives, but don’t really need or like carrying them..too much hardware. I carry a Wharncliffe Trapper in D-2 that I made and that’s enough for me. In the past when I did try,…. I carried a few Bose, then I made my own, carried some of these (knives with tons of mistakes).

I think it’s a great hobby collecting knives, but a maker…even a wanna be like me should carry his own.

Good Lookin blades John..Trevor must gets his skills from his old man..
but its almost criminal not to cary that Stag BP..surrender that knife sir and you will not face charges

I have had people tell me it doesn't cost me anything to carry my own knives but it cost me as much as anyone, if I wasn't carrying it I would be selling it. I can't carry across the counter anymore, they just don't do it for me.

OK...guys, here is a quick and not so good pic of my effort yesterday. Not too excited about the color of this leather but it was the thinnest strongest stuff I could find. I needed it thin to fit in the smaller lanyard hole of this great 4inch RB stag Millenium I have been carrying.


Thanks JpN for the run through.

An thanks Tony for chiming in on the forums...I really like it when I see his name up (hope its really him ).

JT

Whatchu talking bout Willes…that looks Great!

JT, good first effort on the thong, but you need to send that knife back. The edges are all fuzzy.

JPN, I've also seen instructions for that thong in some old leathercraft books. What I haven't seen is the reason to use it...always thought it was just for decoration... or the idea of wetting the leather first. I'll have to give that a try. Tell Trevor I'll trade him an X-box for that BP if he wants.

Thanks Dwight for the kind words. You make a lot of sense.
My EDC may have a few (a lot) of mistakes…but I made them so I can’t complain. Making knives has given me a whole new appreciation for the small things that makers put into their work. Recently I saw a pearl scale with a Shield inlayed in it…totally blew me away. It truly was a work of art. Without trying to do that I would have never know how tuff it is/was….

Ed, you may get farther with a Wii...but I doubt it.

me like! Trevor has a nice knife and made by his dad...even better.

I don't currently have a leather thong on a bose knife, but here's one I made for a different knife. Forgive me for straying again.

Schweet! Great image too.

You didn’t stray Ed…its about the leather.
Here is the one that hooked me many years ago


He never cut the V's in. I saw the way the V's were cut in on some tabs sticking out of a Bolin Saddle...thought it was a little better

Looks Great JT!
Ed straying is welcome when the steel is that pretty awesome SH
Hey John I appreciate the detail shot but you gotta pull back and show us that knife

the V cut ends look way better imo. btw, when I reverse engineered the deal in my mind, I didn't punch holes, I just made parallel slits. Worked on the thin stuff ok.

Hey Ran...Had to get someone special to hold...she wasnt so sure about this



Kerry its what ever works for you..like I said I was just giving my opinion and what works for me. I have tried it many different ways, long and short...but no Bo Derek Beads and after 10 years...well...wysiwyg.

Wow...now that's a knife, JpN.

Thanks for the compliments guys on my try...it took about 4 go arounds to get it close to what I liked. I have really been enjoying carring the 4inch Reeese and thought it needed some leather. Thanks again, JpN.

JT

Showstopper!
oh ya and the knife is nice too
seriously though that knife is the stuff of LEGEND

Got my wife a leather thong once...Could never get her to wear it??

Yep...she is a showstopper..51% white and smart as a whip. (The Knife is ok too)