Beyond the Sea!!

waynorth

waynorth

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
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A gift from Afar!! Knowing of my dabbling into French Pocket Knifery, our esteemed colleague, Achillepattada sent me this wonderful package, from Paris!!
Enclosed within was a prize for an upcoming fundraiser for a good cause, a Black Jack making a return trip to North America, and a nicely made Vintage two blade Laguiole Massoptier!! (edited to add) While made with a Laguiole blade, the knife is actually considered an Aveyronnais; a style without the Bee, or Mouche!
I am currently cut off from my PO Box by the border closure, so it is doubly joyful to get a direct shipment to my home here in Canada!! (6-7 weeks of mail is sitting, waiting for me in the USA!!)!!
I am so grateful!!:)
(More about the Good Cause later!:rolleyes:) Enough blah, blah, blah!
Picture, pictures!!:DJM 1.jpg JM 2.jpg April JM Gift 1.jpg April JM Gift 2.jpg April JM Gift 3.jpg April JM Gift 4.jpg April JM Gift 4a.jpg April JM Gift 5.jpg April JM Gift 6.jpg April JM Gift 7.jpg
 
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waynorth said:
A gift from Afar!! Knowing of my dabbling into French Pocket Knifery, our esteemed colleague, Achillepattada sent me this wonderful package, from Paris!!
Enclosed within was a prize for an upcoming fundraiser for a good cause, a Black Jack making a return trip to North America, and a nicely made Vintage two blade Laguiole Massoptier!!
I am currently cut off from my PO Box by the border closure, so it is doubly joyful to get a direct shipment to my home here in Canada!! (6-7 weeks of mail is sitting, waiting for me in the USA!!)!!
I am so grateful!!:)
(More about the Good Cause later!:rolleyes:) Enough blah, blah, blah!
Picture, pictures!!:DView attachment 1331656 View attachment 1331657 View attachment 1331658 View attachment 1331659 View attachment 1331660 View attachment 1331661 View attachment 1331662 View attachment 1331663 View attachment 1331664 View attachment 1331665
Click to expand...
Beautiful Laguiole, Charlie. :thumbsup:
 
Thanks JP, Will and Duncan! I'll get my mail eventually; the postmistress there has assured me they are keeping it all safe until better times!!
The PO is on a peninsula separate from the rest of the USA! They have ZERO cases of Covid-19!! Safest place in America!! I told her I was coming down there to live, and she said "No you're not!!":eek::p:)

BTW, the ring is made of Cerillos Turquoise from New Mexico, which started producing its greenish turquoise, prehistory - before the Causcasian invasion!!:D
 
Always a pleasure to receive a new knife. :thumbsup: All the more so during these unsettling times.

waynorth said:
I'll get my mail eventually; the postmistress there has assured me they are keeping it all safe until better times!!
The PO is on a peninsula separate from the rest of the USA! They have ZERO cases of Covid-19!! Safest place in America!!
Click to expand...

It's the safest place in America in other ways as well. It is the only community that has the Border Patrol providing security.
 
Hello,
As I was preparing the parcel with the #86 I said to myself that a knife doesn't have to travel alone :)
So I put the Massoptier in :D

I know that it's a detail but it's not a Laguiole.
It's an Aveyronnais , no mouche/flee on the spring.
This knife has been created by the Thiers knife-makers to offer a less expensive pocket-knife with a Laguiole blade . The mouche takes time and .. time is money ( as it's said un sous est un sous , a coin is a coin )
The president of the association Les Vieilles lames sold it to me a few months ago for a .. coin . But it was in a really bad shape. I've asked on the french forum if somebody would like to fix and clean it .
It has been the occasion to meet a very nice and talented member of this forum who made a very good restoration keeping to the knife its spirit .

Here is the job :















:confused:

 
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He did a great job! This is an "old" Massoptier, ie made by the father, whose mark was 2240/crown.
He started business after WWII, working alone and using cottage industry when he could not cope with the orders, doing good and sturdy working hacks. He died shortly after the turn of the century. As most Thiers cutlers he made a lot of traditionnal patterns.
Massoptier-serpette.jpg Massoptier-poissons.jpg

Massoptier_03.jpg

Massoptier_02.jpg


His son kept the business, name and crown, dropping the "2240", concentrating mainly on Laguioles and creating the Salers (of which he is the sole purveyor of parts for others cutlers).
Massoptier_01.jpg
Salers (very similar to the aurillac - both are Massoptier's - with a clip :)).
018-300300-001-salers-1p-olivier-couteau-de-poche_article.jpg
018-200200-000-aurillac-2p-amourette-couteau-de-poche_article.jpg


Will Power said:
Do I spot a Fleam on that Lag? Very cool spike :cool::thumbsup:

...
Click to expand...
As Vince replied this is a spike (trocart), a fleame is used like a scalpel, to bleed the animal (found quite solely on Rouennais knives, no sheep in Normandy, but lots of cows and horses).

Campbellclanman said:
That’s a fine Laguiole Charlie - in fact VERY nice! Not often have I seen a spike / Cleaner
with them!!
Charlie I love the Raw / basic beauty of that Navajo Ring!
Click to expand...
In fact the old lags and aveyronnais (except the larger marriage knives) often sported a spike, the main occupation in this rather desolated land was breeding sheeps on the Causses where tall grass often caused bloat.

Prester John said:
That punch is for bloated bovine bellies, I hear. :D:D:D
Click to expand...
:thumbsup:
Those who did "mount" to Paris and became wealthy, selling coal and wine (in the same shop - today still a large share of bistro owners come from these regions), used it as an awl (alène), to make notches on their belts to accomodate to their growing bellies. (JM said it : no coin too small! ) ;):D
 
Âchillepattada said:








Et voilà :)













I've to ask Jolipapa for his help to write you the history of the company Massoptier ;)

Â
Click to expand...

Jolipapa said:
He did a great job! This is an "old" Massoptier, ie made by the father, whose mark was 2240/crown.
He started business after WWII, working alone and using cottage industry when he could not cope with the orders, doing good and sturdy working hacks. He died shortly after the turn of the century. As most Thiers cutlers he made a lot of traditionnal patterns.
View attachment 1332037 View attachment 1332036

View attachment 1332046

View attachment 1332045


His son kept the business, name and crown, dropping the "2240", concentrating mainly on Laguioles and creating the Salers (of which he is the sole purveyor of parts for others cutlers).
View attachment 1332033
Salers (very similar to the aurillac - both are Massoptier's - with a clip :)).
018-300300-001-salers-1p-olivier-couteau-de-poche_article.jpg
018-200200-000-aurillac-2p-amourette-couteau-de-poche_article.jpg



As Vince replied this is a spike (trocart), a fleame is used like a scalpel, to bleed the animal (found quite solely on Rouennais knives, no sheep in Normandy, but lots of cows and horses).


In fact the old lags and aveyronnais (except the larger marriage knives) often sported a spike, the main occupation in this rather desolated land was breeding sheeps on the Causses where tall grass often caused bloat.


:thumbsup:
Those who did "mount" to Paris and became wealthy, selling coal and wine (in the same shop - today still a large share of bistro owners come from these regions), used it as an awl (alène), to make notches on their belts to accomodate to their growing bellies. (JM said it : no coin too small! ) ;):D
Click to expand...
Excellent, guys! Merci! :cool::thumbsup:
 
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