An old Waterville Jack...more pics on pg. 2

jujigatame

jujigatame

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Mar 21, 2005
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Here's a new (old) one - a swell end jack from Waterville Cutlery in Connecticut.

Waterville1.jpg


She's a pretty robust knife. 4" closed, blades are 1/8" stock, and at its thickest point the handle swells to a bit over 7/8". I'm guessing the handle is ebony. It's got some cracks on each side starting from the rear pin but in nice shape overall. Springs are still pretty strong and I don't dare try to open it without a steel thumbnail at this point. What limited information I've checked so far indicates Waterville knives were made 1843 to 1913. If this does actually date from that period it would be the oldest knife I've ever had by far. Not sure what I'll do with it going forward but it struck my fancy today so....;)

Here are some more pictures.

 
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I definitely would have bought it also. These days you don't really see many like this one with two full length blades. And it's especially nice to see an oldie that escaped the buffing wheel. There's plenty of life left in those blades and I bet they take a scary sharp edge.
 
Very nice knife. It has character.

Waterville came from what is now Waterbury, ct. starting at the 1800's to the 30's. They are pretty collectible and sought after. I have a Balloon pen (?) I got off of eBay real cheap a few weeks ago (far right). It is very well made. Pity that the scale is cracked, but I can't complain for the price I payed.

STP80639.jpg
 
That's sweet. That knife has been there, done that, and almost begs for more!
An oil soak and a sharpening stone and you're good to go!
 
I think I will carry it for a few days to see how it feels. With knives this size I largely prefer single blade patterns but there are some exceptions. The two big blades do have a lot of meat for cutting though, that's for sure. As I check them out more closely the grinds are really nice. Great long swedges and pulls. There are half stops on both blades too, which I neglected to mention before. I scraped out some of the gunk around the pivot with a toothpick and will give the stamps a light touch with some fine steel wool to get the surface rust off before any oiling.

To be continued.
 
She is a keeper, that is for sure. I've never seen a jack with two large blades like that.
Where did you pick it up, by the way?
 
I got a message from an acquaintance who knows I like knives that they found "one that looks pretty old" among some tools when they were cleaning out a basement. I took a ride over and this was it. My knife buying has been pretty much nil lately but I couldn't pass on this one given that it practically fell in my lap.
 
jujigatame said:
I got a message from an acquaintance who knows I like knives that they found "one that looks pretty old" among some tools when they were cleaning out a basement. I took a ride over and this was it. My knife buying has been pretty much nil lately but I couldn't pass on this one given that it practically fell in my lap.
Click to expand...

Seems like everyone other than me finds knives among tools (besides carpet knives). Nice that the guy contacted you, and didn't get mixed up in some junk and was thrown out.
 
This old Waterville is exceptional!! I have never seen another with two large blades and I bet they snap like a bear. Great find
 
Vanguard41xx said:
Very nice knife. It has character.

Waterville came from what is now Waterbury, ct. starting at the 1800's to the 30's. They are pretty collectible and sought after. I have a Balloon pen (?) I got off of eBay real cheap a few weeks ago (far right). It is very well made. Pity that the scale is cracked, but I can't complain for the price I payed.

STP80639.jpg
Click to expand...


I really like that Equal End in the centre, kind of 'Bumblebee' celluloid looks a treat. Nice knife all round. Did it used to have a bail?

Thanks, Will
 
Nate, that is a real nice old knife, it has everything, matchstrike pulls, pinned shield, Ebony, and just check out the shape of those blades with them there swedges goin on!!!
If that knife were mine, I would bath it in Mineral oil, and clean it right out a few times, and it would sit in my pocket....what a awesome knife, good heritage as well, I wish I has a few Waterville knives....just great to see, thank you
 
Nice find! Love those two long blades and the long pull on the
same side. It's a dandy! Congrats....

Jason
 
Thanks for posting this. Seeing how ebony ages so well, makes me want to start ordering it as a handle material.

Great oldie. I wonder how hard it would be to get the debris cleaned out of the gaps in the springs/liners.
 
I appreciate all of the comments guys.

Steel wool worked well to clean off the tang stamps. The dark residue on the blades was pretty gummy but it came off with a fingernail and then some mild adhesive remover. I was able to get some better pictures outside today but my photo host is being a pain and I've only gotten two uploaded so far. The side by side shot with the 885 is somewhat deceiving. They may be equal in length but in all other dimensions the Waterville is a lot more knife.

Waterville22.jpg


WatervilleandUH03.jpg


Hopefully later tonight or tomorrow I can get the rest of the new pics up, about 30 in total.
 
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