Boy's Knife or Post Civil War Knife with big notch on tip of blade

Wowbagger

Wowbagger

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OK I am finally trying to get serious about learning about this.
I tried searching past posts and YouTubes etc and I am feeling a bit lazy this morning so what I really want to know is :

  • What is this half moon shaped notch called ?
  • I want to see a vid of someone using it (I understand it is for opening the knife ? ? ? and for help in cutting (food ?) one handed ? ? ?).
  • and What the heck that has to do with being called a Boys's Knife ?

Ha, ha I originally thought the notch was sharpened and was used for sharpening pencils. Boys's Knife . . . one room school house . . . I don't know . . .
I can't begin to call my self a knife guy if I don't know this . . . right ?
it is starting to drive me crazy / not knowing. :confused: :)

Please and thank you.
 
Well, I think you are talking about a razor bladed knife, from your description. They are also known as one-armed jacks, because so many people who fought in the civil war lost an arm, it became necessary to have a folding knife that they could open one handedly. The idea is you catch the tip on a seam, or the edge of your pocket, something suitable to help act as another pivot point, and pressing against it open the blade of the knife. I'm sure there's videos on YouTube of people doing this. As far as a name for the notch, I bow to someone with more knowledge than I. Boys knife, is a marketing term, to the best of my knowledge. I don't know if it is exclusive to GEC or not, but for them it refers to their #14 frames and sometimes the #15s as well, I think. Could just be 14s. Either way it's indicative of frame size and /or pattern.
Thanks, Neal
 
Boy's knives used to be cheap metal - handled knives usually with a lanyard bail. Bail to slow down the boy's losing the knife and cheap to replace when the boy did lose it.
As for the one-arm opening notch, if it has a name I don't know it.
 
Last edited:
thanks ALL
they called them a razor knife because these vets supposedly shaved with them or just that the blade was thin(ish) ?
 
Wowbagger said:
thanks ALL
they called them a razor knife because these vets supposedly shaved with them or just that the blade was thin(ish) ?
Click to expand...
I think they called them a razor knife because they are shaped a lot like a straight razor.
0700a949a24b8621a76f1cc73d51c743.jpg

Sent from my N9519 using Tapatalk
 
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