This knife is a historically-inspired design that reminds me of the Southwest, and so has been called a Southwestern Trade Knife. I can see this on the trade blanket at a mountain man rendezvous, or at the side of a buffalo hunter.  Tools, such as knives, can be a window into the past.

 The blade style of this particular knife is inspired by a design that has been used for decades. It’s an early English look that would have been used even back around the French and Indian War, and then on up to even 1812 as a Fur Trade knife design.

You may notice some dots on the blade. These are patterned after a system of marking blades that was used back in the Fur Trade days. Some knives were marked with how much they were worth, others with a symbol for the size of the knife. The markings shown here correspond with the length of the blade: six inches, six dots. This creates a very period look, with a hidden meaning.

The “bird beak” end on the handle promotes the “Southwestern” flair. That handle is knotty osage orange, by the way.

Thank you for visiting the blog here at Lucas Forge. Hope you’ll come again soon! For information about ordering your own custom knife, please email lucas@customhuntingknives.org.