1BootinthePast
New Member
Hello all, thanks for accepting my request to join the forum. I'm a big fan of films/tv shows set pre WW2 and one of my new favorites is the show 1923. One of the main characters, Spencer Dutton is a WW1 Vet turned hunter of maneaters in Africa. He had, in the first season, a style of dress much in the spirit of Indiana Jones. Basically a signature outfit worn during his adventures. It consisted of a safari hat and khakis, canvas backpack with canteen and "lucky" rope as well as a pistol belt with ammo pouches, 1911 Colt in a WW1 Issue holster and, most importantly, a knife that had been given to the now dead sister he never met, by her Comanche lover.
So here is my attempt at assembling some of that gear and making a halfway decent copy of the knife and knife sheath. Right off the bat I want to state that the big difference between my sheath and the screen used item is that the blue and white decoration on the sheath was done with gorgesous beadwork, and mine with blue and white leather paint. I simply don't have the time or energy to lean a skill like that, so i went with paint. To be fair to myself however, there is a history of painting knife sheaths as well, called "parfleche." The hero knife sheath was no doubt beaded though.
I think its important to note that in both the show 1923 and its predecessor, 1883, you never actually get to see the full knife removed from the sheath. One can make a pretty good assumption of what it looked like though, using a bit of historic knowledge and comparison to actual artifacts of the mid to late 1800s.
Green River knives were first produced around 1833 to make butcher and kitchen knives and were very popular among pioneers headed west, buffalo skinners and for use as trade items. Close to 60,000 Russell Green River knives per year were shipped to the West for several years. You can still buy these knives today, either ready to use, or as in my case, waiting for you to put a handle on. Based off the size of the sheath to Spencers 1911 holster, I chose the 7-inch butcher.
Using epoxy and 1/8 brass rod, I added 3/8 inch walnut scales, decorated with brass tacks. The sheath was made out of 7/8 ounce veg tanned leather, white fringe and painted (as mentioned previously.
The rest of the gear I purchased and includes replica WW1 Era canteen and 1911 holster. The bag is a Duluth canvas pack of unknown provenience, though from what I can tell is from the 1960's or 1970's. It does have the right look though and is a much larger size than the WW1 era packs, which is nice since at 6'4, 250, I am much larger than the standard WW1 issue solder. The pistol currently in the holser is my Sig M17, which is the current pistol carried by soldiers in the US Army.
What I like most about this kind of stuff, is that i can actually use it. I am a pretty dedicated hunter and outdoorsman, and i try to bring some vintage or vintage inspired gear with me on my hunting trips. Looking forward to using this butcher knife to break down a elk, deer or pronghorn in Wyoming someday soon.
I do need to add some serious age to the sheath itself and am deciding if i should age it by applying oil or dirt or just taking it out in the field enough to let it age naturally.
Anyhow, thanks for reading my first post. I look forward to diving through the forum more and seeing the great work everyone is doing.
So here is my attempt at assembling some of that gear and making a halfway decent copy of the knife and knife sheath. Right off the bat I want to state that the big difference between my sheath and the screen used item is that the blue and white decoration on the sheath was done with gorgesous beadwork, and mine with blue and white leather paint. I simply don't have the time or energy to lean a skill like that, so i went with paint. To be fair to myself however, there is a history of painting knife sheaths as well, called "parfleche." The hero knife sheath was no doubt beaded though.
I think its important to note that in both the show 1923 and its predecessor, 1883, you never actually get to see the full knife removed from the sheath. One can make a pretty good assumption of what it looked like though, using a bit of historic knowledge and comparison to actual artifacts of the mid to late 1800s.
Green River knives were first produced around 1833 to make butcher and kitchen knives and were very popular among pioneers headed west, buffalo skinners and for use as trade items. Close to 60,000 Russell Green River knives per year were shipped to the West for several years. You can still buy these knives today, either ready to use, or as in my case, waiting for you to put a handle on. Based off the size of the sheath to Spencers 1911 holster, I chose the 7-inch butcher.
Using epoxy and 1/8 brass rod, I added 3/8 inch walnut scales, decorated with brass tacks. The sheath was made out of 7/8 ounce veg tanned leather, white fringe and painted (as mentioned previously.
The rest of the gear I purchased and includes replica WW1 Era canteen and 1911 holster. The bag is a Duluth canvas pack of unknown provenience, though from what I can tell is from the 1960's or 1970's. It does have the right look though and is a much larger size than the WW1 era packs, which is nice since at 6'4, 250, I am much larger than the standard WW1 issue solder. The pistol currently in the holser is my Sig M17, which is the current pistol carried by soldiers in the US Army.
What I like most about this kind of stuff, is that i can actually use it. I am a pretty dedicated hunter and outdoorsman, and i try to bring some vintage or vintage inspired gear with me on my hunting trips. Looking forward to using this butcher knife to break down a elk, deer or pronghorn in Wyoming someday soon.
I do need to add some serious age to the sheath itself and am deciding if i should age it by applying oil or dirt or just taking it out in the field enough to let it age naturally.
Anyhow, thanks for reading my first post. I look forward to diving through the forum more and seeing the great work everyone is doing.
