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A Pair Of Matched Custom Hunters From David Mirabile For My Two Favorite Bowyers

5.6K views 57 replies 15 participants last post by  JParanee  
#1 ·
There is a very large thread on custom knives on Trad Talk that some might find interesting

This thread is about a matched set of custom Hunting knives from my dear friend David Mirabile for two very special Bowyers I count as good friends

First to the Bowyers

Everyone knows how I like my Border Archery Of Scotland Bows

The CH has changed my perception of what a hunting bow can be and I've hunted exclusively with one form of CH or another since I bought the original one

I have been fortunate to kill some good bucks with them and along the way I have become what I would consider good friends with the two main characters at Border the father and son team that go by the name of Sid

PS .... I thank Anne and Carol....their wives for being the driving forces behind these guys :)

Well over the years I have watched these guys take Super Recuve technology to a place that it would not be with out them

As a customer they have treated me with respect and courtesy and have exhibited such a willingness to provide me with customer service that our bow talk has turned into a friendship

Like friends they have been there for me when I needed a chat and Sid seniors wisdom has been a true guidance at times in my life

The conversations have gone from bows to family , dogs, hopes and dreams and for that I am eternally greatful

Both are incredibly intelligent and Sid senior has traveled the world doing many different things

That they found themselves buying an old Scotish bow company and growing this family business to what I believe is creating some of the most impressive influential bows being produced in the world today is an incredible story and is quite the tale

I'd like senior to write a book on his life .... he's terribly interesting and even cooler he sounds like Sean Connery on the phone :)

From being good to a patron they have gained a friend and that in itself is a priceless thing

They let me purchase and try a lot of their new designs and concepts which is terribly interesting to me and I love to see and feel the evolution of their designs

I wanted a way to say thank you so ........


As many know I am heavily involved with custom knives

I know alot of the very best makers in the world and count them as very good friends

In fact I have become very dear friends with my Gunsmith and many knife smiths so it's only natural my Bowyers are included also :)

So for me one of the greatest gifts a man can give to another is a fine knife

So I am very fortunate to have access to many great Smiths

Even if they have multi year waits they usually don't apply to me :)

I decided on commissioning a matched (as matched as can be in a hand Forged Damascus piece) set of aggressive styled hunters from my dear friend a David Mirabile

If you are not familiar with Davids work he is a multi award winning Alaskan Bladesmith that has a way of blending the ancient with the old to make something that in the world of custom knives is a true stand out

A knife aficionado can tell his work from across the room

His knives start in the 1 k range and go into the thousands

As mentioned he combines things like ancient artifacts and fossil ivories with carbon fiber and titanium. His blade are hand forged and run the gambit of Damascus to San Mai Laminates

He blends an Asian flare to his work that gives his pieces a visceral organic look that is truly timeless

His pieces would look at home on an ancient warrior to a Jedi

More importantly his heat treat is proven all over the world from hard use hunting knives to martial artist training tools

Recently he forged a very special Ko Wakizashi for me to test his edge geometry , heat treat and design

It is one of the greatest performing swords I have ever had the pleasure to train with






 
#5 ·
One of Johns clients brought one of Davids knives to Africa to hunt with John

John was so impressed with the performance he reached out to David and ordered one for himself

A friendship was kindled and for this years John Sharp Award at the SCI show John commissioned David to make the Award Knife

For anyone that has attended the banquet dinner tickets are quite dear and it is truly the best of the best

This is the knife that David made for the award

It is a high layer Damascus piece with a Cape Buffalo handle and carbon fiber wrap



This will be the base for the SIDS knives

I will do a mini WIP here and as David sends pics I will post

The knife will be different from the Award Knife but similar in a custom horizontal carry sheath

So with out further adue my way of thanking the father and son team behind Border Archery

Thx guys for all you do

David started out with a tight twist Damascus pattern of 1080 @ 15N20








David Mirabile and the temp of his shop in Alaska





I will be updating this over the weeks ahead

I'll be out of country for a few days next week and he is heading to Vegas for the SCI show so more soon '

Thx for looking
 
#10 ·
Those are some beautiful knives. I'm sure they will be more than pleased! Look forward to seeing more pictures of the build.

That is a very generous gesture from you! Awesome man.

When its all done, maybe we can see some pictures of the knives with their new owners? :) I dont recall ever seeing a picture of the guys behind Border Archery?
 
#16 ·
Joe…Your knife/blade posts are always a cut above. I know when I visit a friend back east it won’t take long before there’s a pile of knife magazines in front of me…and we’re soon lost in our own world.

A quality handmade knife is its own story of heart…which flows from one hand to the next. I once had an awesome hunting knife made by a Guild member. “Had” is spelled “divorce”, which is what it is…but I miss my knife!!! Keep ‘em coming…Rick.
 
#25 ·
Enjoyed the photos and the knifes......Always wanted to go on an African Safari and now I'm too long in the tooth to do it.....but I can enjoy the photos of others.....the knifes are great also.......
 
#29 ·
When I work with an artist of Davids caliber I truly believe that you must give them their lead.....and let them do their thing

David melds many traditional materials with modern materials and loves to use carbon fiber as a medium

The SIDS are masters of carbon fiber in their own right so I think they will find these knives interesting

For the handles they will be hidden tang construction with an intergral guard

They will be shaped from a single piece of marble CARBON FIBER from another good friend Matt Diskin of DISKIN USA

When finished it will show a unique marbled look

The carved recessed area of the handles is where a David will do his carbon fiber Ito wrap









He's moving pretty fast now so more pics should be flowing in soon

For those interested here is a brief trailer of my recent trip to Panama

 
#31 ·
Rick

I sold my sport fishing boat last year and did a more runabout style boat for the family in return

I grew up fishing the NE Coast from NY to Virginia but time does not allow it as much these days

I'd rather travel to do my salt water fishing and run the local rivers on my airboat chasing smallies

This trip,to Panama was to mark a positive turn in a friends battle with cancer

Regretfully he was screened before we left and half way thru the trip unfavorable results came back

Cancer sucks

We will have to help him fight on and cherish every memory that we can

I've seen a lot of billfish over the years from my own boat but they were all the white and blue variety

So to catch a Black was special for me
 
#35 ·
I was expecting custom bows. I'm a knife guy too. I collect on the bottom end of the price scale. Kind of got into it because of a friend that's into Bagwell knives. He's more a knife fighter guy than a hunter. I like the shape of your blades. Good general, outdoor use shape. I would look for a knife like that for a survival knife.
 
#37 ·
Here he is starting to wrap

David uses a carbon fiber Ito (flat cordage) to form his wrap

When he is done he covers it in epoxy which makes an incredible grippy durable handle that has the look of an ancient Japanese style Tsuka (handle)




Now when I asked David for a matched set of knives for the Sids he took that serious

How's this for close here they are on the scale before final cleanup and sharpening





More pics when they are finished
 
#38 ·
These are ready to go to the great Paul Long for horizontal crossdraw sheaths done in Black Sharkskin

They will go from Alaska to Texas for Leather than on to me in Pennsylvania for some photos and a video and than on to Scotland to their final owners

So expect to see more of them before they leave for the flight across the pond