Prophet River Firearms

Nickel silver is the name of an alloy containing copper, nickel and zinc that has a silver-like look. In the knife industry, it is mainly used for fittings, especially for the so-called bolsters.

Nickel silver is an alloy of copper (45-70%), nickel (5-30%) and zinc (8-45%). In some cases, it can also contain lead, iron, manganese or pewter. Due to its nickel content, nickel silver is harder and more resistant to formation than pure copper, which makes it particularly suitable for knife fittings. Nickel silver can be work hardened (by forging and milling) at temperatures below 500°C. Nickel silver has several other names, some of which points to the history of the alloy, including argentan and packfong. The material is also known as German silver. The alloy originated in China, where it was known as packfong. In Europe, a copper/nickel/zinc alloy similar to packfong was developed in the late 18th century in Thuringia.

The material was improved simultaneously in Saxony and Berlin in the early 19th century. While the Saxon alloy was sold as argentan, the product from Berlin was named nickel silver. Both alloys had similar properties. Apart from these historic terms, the material is also known as alpacca. Its silvery white surface makes this alloy look like silver, but it is much less expensive than the precious metal. Right after the production process was developed, nickel silver was used to make silverware.

Today, nickel silver is still used in the industrial production of silverware, sometimes as a carrier material for silver-plated utensils. In the knife industry, nickel silver is used to make fittings. The crossguard of cutting and stabbing weapons is often made from this alloy.

Stag

Stag is the name of the material derived from deer antlers, which is used to make high-quality knife handle scales.

Only male deer (Cervidae) grow antlers. Unlike horns, the appendages on the heads of horned animals like ibex, chamois or goats (Bovidae), antlers do not consist of horn but bone. Harts or stags use their antlers for display behavior during mating rituals and for fights with male rivals to assert their mating prerogative. Antlers also serve as a weapon against predators. Male deer grow new antlers every year and cast off the old. Antlers grow from two cone-shaped bones on the forehead of the deer (the so-called pedicles).

A short, hirsute skin layer called velvet delivers the blood supply. At the end of the growth phase, the blood supply ceases so that the antlers die off. The hart rubs off the dried up velvet on trees and shrubs. During this process, plant sap seeps into the antlers, giving the white bone material its dark color, which is also a characteristic of the stag harvested from the antlers.

In the fall season, a parting line appears between the pedicles and the antlers; soon after, the antlers break at this point and are cast off. Therefore, antlers used to harvest stag are not usually taken from hunted animals. For thousands of years, stag has been used to make many useful objects (arrows, hatchet blades and fishing hooks) as well as decorative items.

Today, stag is not just used for handle scales but also for traditional costume buttons. One special characteristic of handle scales made from stag is their individual shape. While wooden handle scales are mainly distinguished by pattern and color, stag handle scales have a very specific surface texture that makes each handle a one-of-a-kind piece.

Backlock

Backlock (or: Lockback or Back-Lock) is the mechanism in certain lockable pocketknives.

The handle of a Lockback knife contains a mechanism that allows the blade to be locked in place and then unlocked again. The blade of a Lockback knife also has a small notch on the end of the tang. The mechanism hidden in the handle of a Lockback knife consists of a rocker and a spring. The rocker is a long and slim piece of metal running from the front end of the handle almost all the way to the back end. The front end of the rocker close to the blade ends in a hook.

When the blade is open, the hook is lodged in the notch on the tang and locks it. The back end of the rocker is not fully covered by the handle. A small part of it on the back of the handle is left open to allow operation. A small spring, usually not visible from the outside, is located underneath the rocker. When it is triggered, it pushes the rocker back into its original position. The Lockback mechanism works as follows: When the blade is open, the hook slides into the notch on the blade tang and locks it.

When the exposed part of the rocker at the end of the handle is pressed, the hook is lifted out of the notch, releasing the lock so that the blade can be closed. When the knife is opened again, the rocker hook locks it automatically until it is released.