Honyaki Dog Bone Bowie with Ironwood
(Best Fighting Knife, Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa and Cape Knifemakers Guild)

Product Description for Honyaki Dog Bone Bowie with Ironwood
(Best Fighting Knife, Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa and Cape Knifemakers Guild)

Maker: Jean Wilke (click to see more by this maker)
Item num: 105253
** This is handmade and one-of-a-kind **
Blade length: 10.60 in.
Cutting edge length: 9.40 in.
Total length: 16.25 in.
Blade height (at heel): 1.49 in.
Blade thickness (near bolster): 0.31 in.
Blade thickness (at midpoint): 0.27 in.
Blade thickness (near tip): 0.13 in.
Item weight: 19.40 oz.
Shipment weight: 22.8 oz.
Blade: Honyaki forged 80CrV2 carbon steel with a hand rubbed satin finish
Bolster: Polished steel
Handle: Arizona desert ironwood set on an anodized titanium frame
Sheath: Hand tooled leather sheath
Description: I was very excited when I first got a look at Jean Wilke's knives. Jean is a young custom knifemaker from Pretoria, South Africa. His knives are exceptionally well designed and tested. His attention to detail is clearly evident in each of his creations. He is currently working with Mastersmiths Kevin and Heather Harvey, travelling back and forth every two weeks, alternating between working at Heavin Forge and home forge, Fire Goby Forge. It is very exciting to see such a young make with such tremendous talent.
Given the incredible level of work on this bowie, it is perhaps no surprise that it won Best Fighting Knife at the 2021 Knifemakers Guild of Southern Africa show AND the 2021 Cape Knifemakers Guild Show!
This Dog Bone Bowie is clearly influenced by Mastermsmith Kevin Harvey's exceptional bowie knives. The blade is forged from 80CrV2 carbon steel and features an antique finish. Wilke borrowed his heat treating technique from the world of Japanese swords. The blade was heat treated using a traditional clay zone heat treatment. The spine of the knife was coated in clay prior to heat treatment. This technique, known as honyaki, creates some of the longest lasting edges found anywhere. The ultra-hard edge steel is supported by the softer spine. The dramatic heat treatment line (called a hamon) shows the transition between the soft and hard steel. Jean's mark is on the left side of the blade.
The handle features a frame construction. A bronze anodized titanium frame is surrounded by vine fileworked and polished steel liners. Presentation grade Arizona desert ironwood scales are secured to the full tang using six hand domed pins. Fileworked steel spacers surround a large W's pattern damascus spacer. The polished steel guard and overlaid escutcheon completes the handle.
To keep the knife close at hand, a hand tooled leather sheath is included. The sheath includes a button snap for secure knife retention.


Availability: Not currently available