I see this forum has been inactive since Feb 6 so I thought I might put up this creation just for grins.

This is a Sorby Dag mfg for the HBC as a proprietary knife (sorta)with a leather handle. I made it just to make it after visiting the HBC archives in Winnipeg.

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Nice work.
The HBC also has a good display in the big museum in Vancouver, BC for those of you within a short drive of there. I don't know if it's a provincial museum or what, but it is big. (I hope I'm not thinking of a museum in Victoria, as I have been to both places and it has been awhile so I might be confusing the places).
Sparks

Well, waxing commercial for a moment, dags of that and similar styles are available from Crazy Crow and probably other sources. Jas. Townsend also has a similar one. Probably all made in Pakistan, but so what.
Good job on yours, though!

Dick

Thanks guys... here's the dag displayed in Winnipeg:

manitoba_museum_dag.jpg (75 KB, 195 downloads)

Excellent work Voyageur.

Great dag...Im very partial to those and its great to see yours..
TCA

Nice Dag,
I've sketches of the same style Dag from the victoria bc museum. Absolutely must see BTW. There were quite a view variations on the same theme.

regards, stump

This is one a friend of mine made, I forgot about it untill this post came up, I think I was going to make him a Beavertail sheath for it. that was 15 years ago

dag.jpg (91 KB, 160 downloads)

That's a fine lookin' Dag trg. What are you going to use for a sheath pattern? I assume you'll be choosing something of the same time period.

I am not sure what I will use for a sheath this is a bit of a surprise, kind of like a second Xmas, what time period were these knives in use? at present my persona is driftimg toward a French/Delaware mixblood in the 1760's post F&I war,rangeing up and down the Ohio and occasionaly up the Missouri/down the Mississippi a ways one step ahead of the authorities. One who scouted and ran dispatches during the war sometimes for both sides and prior to the war was likely to take something not nailed down if it caught the eye and a profit could be made, I decided to steer away from the "hero" John Wayne type, and the part of mixed French and Delaware is a fact picked from the family tree by one of my ex wives who was into geneology, unfortunately she did not complete the tree before she reached the rank of "X" and left none of the paperwork..... I am drifting badly here, I do need to know more about this style of knife if anyone has some info I would appreciate it, TIA

According to the history of the Sorby dags... it was manufactured first for the NWC and then for the HBC after the 'merger' in 1821.

Apparently the dags and dag blades (perhaps more accurately 'bayonet') were manufactured from about 1790 to 1844. I haven't seen anything about 'sheaths' so I couldn't tell you. I was hoping you had some info.

Also... here are a couple of my fur trade knives and you can see the dag style in the center. I believe the sheath is right there as well. This one has the belt loop on the back but for real doin's I prefer the type with the leather projection that catches in your belt or sash.

fur_trade_knives_-_dag.jpg (27 KB, 160 downloads)

I probably did have 15 years ago I remember now doing some research on the knife and sheath, I think I had settled on a sheath made from a tanned Beaver tail, but it has been so long ago the details are worse than fuzzy they just aren't there the X took some boxes with a lot of my books with post 1800 information and resorces, since then I have drifted back in time to where I don't need to replace all that material...untill today, I guess I'll do some fishing around and see what i come up with.

That's good to hear some dating ideas about the dag, which seems to have been more popular out west.
trg, you might look for the knife called the "roach belly". Said to be prefered by French-Canadian coureurs de bois or voyageurs. Track and other places have them in their catalogs.

Dick

I have one close to the Roach belly , (see below) but it is a little different I tie this to the strap of my shooting bag or the strap of my linen shouder bag with a single flap that buttons down, I also carry a period folding knife in one of the bags or my weskit pocket. Eventually I want to find something in between this and the 12" balde I used to carry for my "main" knife probably a 6-8inch lade in a period style, might just use a small butcher.

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trg,
It just popped into my head that I was reading somewhere (don't remember where) that at least some western natives actually spent some time dangling their wee little dags on leather thongs from their wrists rather than in a sheath. Don't know what that means, really--doesn't seem practical. Maybe it was the Blackfeet or the Sioux. If I can dredge that up, I'll let you know.
The knife in your picture is cute, but as you probably know the roach belly was a good deal bigger (if I'm viewing your photo right).

Dick

Some Dags and their Sheaths...
Top three are Blackfoot - the tab style sheath is typical......






Two Red River Metis style sheaths




One of mine....

The knife I showed was called a patch knife by the guy who made it and put it on the trade blanket, it is a good size for that or for skinning animals,I just showed it as I think the Roach knife may have been what inspired this one, I am still undecided what I want as my main knife the large butcher was just to big for my needs, I plan on carrying a main knife and one smaller one plus the folder in my bag.

I bought an Old Hickory slicing knife(see pics), about a 7" blade,, knocked off the wood handle slabs and replaced them with bone. Seems to be a fairly good all-around knife.

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Lostrifle, Your old hickory looks real nice, I have done the same with old hickorys before, always look for them when I am flea marketing. These rehandled butcher knives are very much period correct for eastern rifleman longhunter personas(you probably that already). The design of butcher knives has changed little in 3 hundred years or more, and many longknives carried something similar. I make all my stuff I can , My point is that many people thinks you have to spend a arm and a leg to be period correct. I dissagree with that, I kind of like the simpler stuff better, I try to be true to my heritage my ancestors did the southern route, va carlonas ga tenn ala and miss, before setteling here in ark. I try to emulate them as much as possible. Just good sturdy knives, guns horns clothes etc not everyone back then was a fancy pants ha. Good knife I like the style. yours arkansaw