George Washington Sears, a.k.a., "Nessmuk", was a prolific writer and outdoorsman of the late 1800's. He wrote many articles for Field and Stream magazine (known then as Forest and Stream) as well as publishing his seminal work, Woodcraft and Camping. This text has been essential reading for anyone wishing to go tramping in the wilds ever since. In his book, he describes his preferred set of tools, and these have since become known as the "Nessmuk Trio"; consisting of a custom made double bit axe, a thin bladed skinning knife, and a Moose pattern folding pocket knife. Thousands of interpretations and reproductions exist of these tools, especially the sheath knife. On offer here is another such interpretation.
Much care has been taken to make as authentic a reproduction as possible, even though no actual example exists outside of a single woodcut in Woodcraft and Camping, as well as barely two sentences of description.
The blade is handforged from an antique lathe file, featuring the characteristic sweeping belly and humpback near the tip. The edge has been finely honed to a razor sharp edge, and is ideal for field dressing, skinning, butchering, as well as many other camp chores. The stick-tang is fit to a stag antler crown handle using traditional methods, and due to lack of a guard, a leather wrist thong adds some measure of safety.
Included with this knife is a high-quality veg-tan leather sheath that has been hand-stitched and finished with solid copper rivets for durability.
Details:
Overall length: 7 7/8"
Blade: 4 1/16"
Width: 1 3/8"
Thickness: 1/8"
Blade material: 1095 High carbon