Woodlore customer Joshua Le Pla got in touch with us earlier this year, with photos of his own knife project using the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade. Where Joshua's design differs from the other knives we see is in his inclusion of unique materials, including the wood from a set of antique bowling balls and a six pence coin:

Hello Woodlore, My Dad bought me the Hand Forged Knife Blade and Antler Rolls last Christmas, as I requested. I’m 16 years old and a great fan and admirer of Ray Mears. His vast knowledge of all things Bushcraft greatly influenced me into discovering the natural world and what it can offer. I began to prepare and make the handle for the blade from Christmas day and finished it in March. I have an interest in engineering and woodwork and am currently doing an electro-technical Apprenticeship. This has helped me greatly to create the knife. With my efforts alone (and with help from my granddad in drilling and gluing the pieces), I am very proud of what I have created and will of course give it the utmost respect as it is a dangerous tool. [caption id="attachment_2657" align="aligncenter" width="405"] Joshua's knife, ready to be shaped[/caption] Materials used (in order from the front of the tang to the end):

• Stainless steel
• Antler
• Brown leather
• Antler
• Blue leather
• Lignum Vitae (an incredibly dense wood)
• Blue leather
• Antler
• Six pence coin (recessed in the antler)

The end of the handle, showing the six pence coin Joshua included in his design

For the wooden centre piece I wanted something beautiful and exotic which would stand out. I chose Lignum Vitae which I believe is the densest wood in the world. It was very hard to come across however; I eventually found some at a car boot sale, it was a very old set of bowling balls, accordingly it was quite a tricky process in getting the wood rectangular with minimal waste of the wood as I know it is very rare. [caption id="attachment_2656" align="aligncenter" width="405"] Joshua's finished knife handle[/caption] This project has been great and a wonderful enjoyment to do, I will cherish this knife for the rest of my life and hope it serves me well as both a camping and woodworking tool. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Ray for all his programmes and books he has done, they have been a wonderful influence on my life and very eye-opening. Also, thank you Woodlore for selling this great product! I hope Mr Mears the best of luck in his future series and also hope there are many more to come. Best regards, Joshua Le Pla