Western Bowie

In 1911, H. N. Platts, was able to draw on his extensive friendships and family connections in the cutlery world to start Western States Cutlery and Manufacturing of Boulder Colorado. At first only a jobbing business, by 1920 construction and machinery purchases were underway to begin manufacture of knives. Through name changes--to Western States Cutlery Co. in 1953, then Western Cutlery Co. in 1956--and moves first across town and later to Longmont Colorado, the company stayed under the leadership of the Platt family until 1984. In that year, the company was sold to Coleman, becoming Coleman-Western. Eventually purchased by Camillus in 1991, Western continued until Camillus expired in 2007.
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edge213
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Re: Western Bowie

Post by edge213 »

zzyzzogeton wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:23 am KW means Korean War. My post was intended to mean that the IB version (Inverted Bowie) was the first Bowie made by Western after WW2 and also after the Korean War.

Western's WW2 Bowie was the Bx54, it's authorized clone of the Collins No. 18 Pequeno Machete, improperly called the "V44", and was most likely the predecessor for the Bowie/W49.

I said/implied/hinted with the reference to post-WW2/KW that they were made after the KW ceasefire had been implemented. That's because I've seen a lot of folks say that the early "BOWIE" stamped bowies were Korean War vintage or 1950s vintage, which is bogus male bovine defecatory material.

Now when I say "BOWIE" here, I'm referring to the W49/brass S-guard knives. An argument could be made for the "Big 8", the L46-8, as being the first post-Wars (2 and KW) Bowie, since it is actually closer to the original Sandbar Fight Bowie than any of the later "wanna-bee" since it was first "re-introduced in the mid-1950s.

But that's a line of thought that needs it's own thread. :mrgreen:
What does "inverted Bowie" mean?
David
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife" Meat Loaf
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zzyzzogeton
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Re: Western Bowie

Post by zzyzzogeton »

edge213 wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 8:49 pm
zzyzzogeton wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:23 am KW means Korean War. My post was intended to mean that the IB version (Inverted Bowie) was the first Bowie made by Western after WW2 and also after the Korean War.

Western's WW2 Bowie was the Bx54, it's authorized clone of the Collins No. 18 Pequeno Machete, improperly called the "V44", and was most likely the predecessor for the Bowie/W49.

I said/implied/hinted with the reference to post-WW2/KW that they were made after the KW ceasefire had been implemented. That's because I've seen a lot of folks say that the early "BOWIE" stamped bowies were Korean War vintage or 1950s vintage, which is bogus male bovine defecatory material.

Now when I say "BOWIE" here, I'm referring to the W49/brass S-guard knives. An argument could be made for the "Big 8", the L46-8, as being the first post-Wars (2 and KW) Bowie, since it is actually closer to the original Sandbar Fight Bowie than any of the later "wanna-bee" since it was first "re-introduced in the mid-1950s.

But that's a line of thought that needs it's own thread. :mrgreen:
What does "inverted Bowie" mean?
The word "BOWIE" is upside down compared to convention. By convention, I mean that the stamp is typically read with the knife in the right hand with the point pointing up. That puts the left side of the knife, the "mark" side, facing the observer. The term "mark side" comes from the convention of putting the "maker's mark" stamp on the left side ricasso so that a right handed person (vast majority of all users) can read the stamp when the knife is held.

The "pile side" is the other side, i.e., right side of the knife. A knife's right side is called the "pile side" because the "anvil" or "assembly support" used by cutlers to assemble folding knives is called a "pile" dso the "pile side" of a knife is the side sitting on the pile while being assembled.

While not used for the assembly of fixed blades, the side nomenclature extends to fixed blades in description.

If you go back to the first picture in the original post, you can see that the orientation of the word "BOWIE" on the pile side would be upside down if the knife were held with the point up.

The second version had all 3 stamp lines on the mark side and none of them were inverted.

Why was "BOWIE" inverted and on the pile side for the first iteration? No one knows - it is just another one of the many mysteries surrounding Western Knife mythology.
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edge213
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Re: Western Bowie

Post by edge213 »

zzyzzogeton wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 10:26 pm
edge213 wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 8:49 pm
zzyzzogeton wrote: Thu Dec 19, 2019 5:23 am KW means Korean War. My post was intended to mean that the IB version (Inverted Bowie) was the first Bowie made by Western after WW2 and also after the Korean War.

Western's WW2 Bowie was the Bx54, it's authorized clone of the Collins No. 18 Pequeno Machete, improperly called the "V44", and was most likely the predecessor for the Bowie/W49.

I said/implied/hinted with the reference to post-WW2/KW that they were made after the KW ceasefire had been implemented. That's because I've seen a lot of folks say that the early "BOWIE" stamped bowies were Korean War vintage or 1950s vintage, which is bogus male bovine defecatory material.

Now when I say "BOWIE" here, I'm referring to the W49/brass S-guard knives. An argument could be made for the "Big 8", the L46-8, as being the first post-Wars (2 and KW) Bowie, since it is actually closer to the original Sandbar Fight Bowie than any of the later "wanna-bee" since it was first "re-introduced in the mid-1950s.

But that's a line of thought that needs it's own thread. :mrgreen:
What does "inverted Bowie" mean?
The word "BOWIE" is upside down compared to convention. By convention, I mean that the stamp is typically read with the knife in the right hand with the point pointing up. That puts the left side of the knife, the "mark" side, facing the observer. The term "mark side" comes from the convention of putting the "maker's mark" stamp on the left side ricasso so that a right handed person (vast majority of all users) can read the stamp when the knife is held.

The "pile side" is the other side, i.e., right side of the knife. A knife's right side is called the "pile side" because the "anvil" or "assembly support" used by cutlers to assemble folding knives is called a "pile" dso the "pile side" of a knife is the side sitting on the pile while being assembled.

While not used for the assembly of fixed blades, the side nomenclature extends to fixed blades in description.

If you go back to the first picture in the original post, you can see that the orientation of the word "BOWIE" on the pile side would be upside down if the knife were held with the point up.

The second version had all 3 stamp lines on the mark side and none of them were inverted.

Why was "BOWIE" inverted and on the pile side for the first iteration? No one knows - it is just another one of the many mysteries surrounding Western Knife mythology.
Thank you sir, for the lesson.
David
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife" Meat Loaf
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