- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 69,176
I woke up stretched out on the kitchen floor, where I had collapsed from exhaustion hours before, a fallen packet of pipe-cleaners my only pillow. The smell of 3-in-1 was thick in my nostrils, and my head still span with WD40 fumes. As I looked down at my filthy hands and split muck-caked nails, the echoes of my past boasts mocked me inside my head; No darn tables going to get the better of me! As I lay there, exhausted, spent, the cursed table towered over me, I was beaten!
It had started with a few penknives, found in the market, and left out on the kitchen table as a visual reminder for me to clean and fettle them. But steadily over the months and years, the piles had grown bigger, and bigger. Finally to the point where I thought it might be better to sweep the pile into a shoe-box. That was my mistake, I underestimated my shoe size! The box held a lot, and when I tipped it out onto the table the other day, it was of intimidating proportions, a George Foreman of knife piles!
Peeling an embedded green scouring pad from my cheek, I finally dragged myself from the floor, and as I rose, the contents of my terrible adversary hove into view. To the left, a neatly stacked row of penknives and suchlike, to the right a pile of unfettled objects. I could take no more, I threw in the cleaning rag...
So here dear friends are the various items, collected since my last run-in with the table, and which I managed to come to grips with before exhaustion got the better of me.
In no particular order...First up is this old Christopher Johnson Sleeveboard, with thick, rounded ivory covers, turning the colour of tobacco leaves. It looks like its been someones life-long pal, and Ive had to prop up the main blade with a thin shim of balsa so as to be able to use the nail-nick. Still has good Walk & Talk though, and still a user I think.
I picked up this Bosuns Knife a few weeks back in my local fleamarket. Knives like this were carried in a leather sheath, sometimes with a marlin spike, and this one, made by William Cooper & Son of Sheffield in 1963, has the military acceptance stamp the Crows Foot or Broad Arrow. A nice find, but I had only had it for 5 minutes when a friend from the tool-stall coveted it in a way I could not refuse. I relinquished ownership on the basis that I clean and sharpen it for him.
[/URL
This IXL Whittler is unusual, as you can see. The blades are heavily pitted from rust unfortunately. Still fine in every other respect though.
[URL=http://s1316.photobucket.com/user/jack-black1/media/IXL/IXL%20Whittler%201-1_zpszndipelv.jpg.html]
This Equal-End Penknife has no makers stamp, the tangs simply have Sheffield over England on them. Apart from the rather badly done shield, its not a bad knife, with plenty of snap. Would have benefited from sunken joints I think.
Ive already posted pics of this French Sportsmans Knife in the Old Knives thread - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/527126-quot-Old-Knives-quot?p=16120551#post16120551 - and received a lot of help from Jollipapa in identifying it
I came across this John Watts Slot Knife in an antiques shop a couple of days after the latest Hobo Knife thread appeared here, and thought Id pick it up despite a fairly hefty price tag. No stainless, so Im guessing it has a bit of age.
Heres another French knife, this time by Guillemin-Renault (1896-1949). The pen blade needs some work unfortunately, but otherwise its in good condition, and a really nicely-made knife, with ivory covers and sunken joints.
Sadly, this small Ibbersons Sleeveboard has a small chip out of the MOP on the mark side, but it was made by Stan Shaws mentor at the firm, Ted Osbourne, in 1951, so is a very special knife for me.
[/URL
Heres a variety of glassware I picked up, a bon-bon dish, a candlestick, and a couple of Victorian salt dishes. Theyre shown with a silver-plated pickle fork, and an old forged crucible steel wood-carving chisel by Taylor & Howarth of Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield. The partnership dated from 1834, being dissolved in 1842. Howarth went on to establish James Howarth & Sons.
[URL=http://s1316.photobucket.com/user/jack-black1/media/jack-black1016/Glass_zpscmapwmof.jpg.html]
Some Button Hooks in ivory, MOP, and bone.
...
It had started with a few penknives, found in the market, and left out on the kitchen table as a visual reminder for me to clean and fettle them. But steadily over the months and years, the piles had grown bigger, and bigger. Finally to the point where I thought it might be better to sweep the pile into a shoe-box. That was my mistake, I underestimated my shoe size! The box held a lot, and when I tipped it out onto the table the other day, it was of intimidating proportions, a George Foreman of knife piles!
Peeling an embedded green scouring pad from my cheek, I finally dragged myself from the floor, and as I rose, the contents of my terrible adversary hove into view. To the left, a neatly stacked row of penknives and suchlike, to the right a pile of unfettled objects. I could take no more, I threw in the cleaning rag...
So here dear friends are the various items, collected since my last run-in with the table, and which I managed to come to grips with before exhaustion got the better of me.
In no particular order...First up is this old Christopher Johnson Sleeveboard, with thick, rounded ivory covers, turning the colour of tobacco leaves. It looks like its been someones life-long pal, and Ive had to prop up the main blade with a thin shim of balsa so as to be able to use the nail-nick. Still has good Walk & Talk though, and still a user I think.
I picked up this Bosuns Knife a few weeks back in my local fleamarket. Knives like this were carried in a leather sheath, sometimes with a marlin spike, and this one, made by William Cooper & Son of Sheffield in 1963, has the military acceptance stamp the Crows Foot or Broad Arrow. A nice find, but I had only had it for 5 minutes when a friend from the tool-stall coveted it in a way I could not refuse. I relinquished ownership on the basis that I clean and sharpen it for him.
[/URLThis IXL Whittler is unusual, as you can see. The blades are heavily pitted from rust unfortunately. Still fine in every other respect though.
[URL=http://s1316.photobucket.com/user/jack-black1/media/IXL/IXL%20Whittler%201-1_zpszndipelv.jpg.html]
This Equal-End Penknife has no makers stamp, the tangs simply have Sheffield over England on them. Apart from the rather badly done shield, its not a bad knife, with plenty of snap. Would have benefited from sunken joints I think.
Ive already posted pics of this French Sportsmans Knife in the Old Knives thread - http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/527126-quot-Old-Knives-quot?p=16120551#post16120551 - and received a lot of help from Jollipapa in identifying it
I came across this John Watts Slot Knife in an antiques shop a couple of days after the latest Hobo Knife thread appeared here, and thought Id pick it up despite a fairly hefty price tag. No stainless, so Im guessing it has a bit of age.
Heres another French knife, this time by Guillemin-Renault (1896-1949). The pen blade needs some work unfortunately, but otherwise its in good condition, and a really nicely-made knife, with ivory covers and sunken joints.
Sadly, this small Ibbersons Sleeveboard has a small chip out of the MOP on the mark side, but it was made by Stan Shaws mentor at the firm, Ted Osbourne, in 1951, so is a very special knife for me.
[/URLHeres a variety of glassware I picked up, a bon-bon dish, a candlestick, and a couple of Victorian salt dishes. Theyre shown with a silver-plated pickle fork, and an old forged crucible steel wood-carving chisel by Taylor & Howarth of Fitzwilliam Street, Sheffield. The partnership dated from 1834, being dissolved in 1842. Howarth went on to establish James Howarth & Sons.
[URL=http://s1316.photobucket.com/user/jack-black1/media/jack-black1016/Glass_zpscmapwmof.jpg.html]
Some Button Hooks in ivory, MOP, and bone.
...
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