Cowbowie Cowabunga Copper Camp Cooker

The Cowbowie Copper Camp Cooker is truly a one-of-a-kind thing to behold. Make no mistake that this is a chef knife, but it is not for your every day meal prep. She is for the backcountry camp cook; the outfitter packing in elk camp on a mule train. She is a tool worthy of preparing day-fresh backstraps for a seasoned skillet on an open fire. 

 

The designer of this blade steel aptly nicknamed the alloy "Spicy White" (26C3), and after roughly 10 hours of free hand grinding I can respectfully understand why. With a razor sharp convex grind it measures 9 3/4" from tip to guard and is hardened between 63-64 on the Rockwell scale. Maker's note: I stepped out of the guidelines a bit and quenched the steel twice using the suggested Parks 50 for round one, and Texaco Type A for the second bath, where it only calls for the one single Park's dip. She hard!

 

The spine of the blade came to a thinner point than I would want to rest a finger and so-came the idea to forge out a copper thumb ramp for when you really want to get on top of the knife. I peened it for texture and then staked and soldered it all in place from the bottom side. My mentor, Ed Fowler, suggested the guard would make for a heck of a disarming device in the case of a knife fight by catching your opponent's blade between the guard and blade. With a flick of the wrist he has lost his knife and you have won the day... you're welcome!

 

The handle consists of black, white, gray, and vintage brick fiber spacers around beautiful mirrored Willow Bow Sheep horns and antique whitetail crown stag that I scored at a dusty old shop driving through west Texas. Overall length measures 15 1/4" and it comes with a leather sleeve. 

 

To purchase, please contact me at 406-561-6212