Brazilian Knives.....

Kohai999

Kohai999

Second Degree Cutter
Joined
Jul 15, 2003
Messages
12,554
BrB said:
.......Brazilians were mentioned at first in this thread... and if the author could please clarify his statement that would be nice, so we don´t get wrong ideas. You see, we are not native English speakers

Pity he can´t make it to Atlanta! He surely deserves to be there.
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Gaucho knives and Mediterranean bowies look like kitchen cutlery to me. I understand ethnic styles of knives, and the most-used knives in the US for homocide are kitchen knives, so I am not questioning the lethality of the blades, just expressing a distaste for the aesthetic.

That the Gauchos are frequently integral and hard to make has no bearing on this aesthetic.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
To each his own. Aesthetics is a personal thing; however, a knife is primarily a tool, and we should also consider whether the design of these tools provided some specific advantage to the task they most frequently performed. The handle offset would make it easier to use the full cutting edge against a flat surface.

n2s
 
Thanks, that explains it.

In fact you are right, the gaucho style is an evolution of the french trend knives. What they did was to create the S shaped choil to protect the hand and fingers, pretty much what the guard does in the bowie knife.

And taste is taste and I completely respect the fact you don´t like them. Though to me they look more like camp knives, mostly because I have seen them in use in the field since I was a child. Interesting how diferent people in diferent parts of the world may see the same design in diferent ways.
 
I think that supperficially they look a bit like kitchen knives, but they're much, much heavier.

There's a classic US bowie, I can't recall the name, which in my mind looks almost exactly like a modern butcher knife. It's a guardless & clipless design, with a wide blade and a checkered ebony handle with three big brass rivets. It's a classic of the Moran Award.

Personally, I like the Brazilian bowies a lot. :p
 
Joss said:
I think that supperficially they look a bit like kitchen knives, but they're much, much heavier.

There's a classic US bowie, I can't recall the name, which in my mind looks almost exactly like a modern butcher knife. It's a guardless & clipless design, with a wide blade and a checkered ebony handle with three big brass rivets. It's a classic of the Moran Award.

Personally, I like the Brazilian bowies a lot. :p
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Joss,

I read your "Classic" as "Antique." I dig the modern patterns, Loveless on up.

I think you are talking about the Searles, which is a decent looking knife, but still a bit "kitcheny", or the Schively, which I cannot stand at all. Same with the half horse/half alligator pommel. It looked like crap back then, why re-create it?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
It's the Schively. I actually like it more than the Searles. I agree with you on the horse / alligator pommel. Horrible stuff.... :D
 
I guess Kohai99 when it comes to this style of knife the following quote from you regarding someone who was not enamoured of damascus would now also apply to yourself:

"If you have not been able to understand it yet after your years of knife involvement, you never will. It is like trying to explain to a blind person what a sunset looks like or explain to a deaf person what good music sounds like.
You are neither blind nor deaf, but you cannot see something that is attached in equal parts to emotion, craft and artistry. Trying to explain it to you is pointless."

But maybe an explanation is not "pointless". :) The "kitchen" knife aspect of design is believed by some makers to be integral in getting a good "using" knife. It's very helpful for cutting anything that requires use a backing for support. For example, the David Boye Basic series and quite a few of his otherr knives have this same offset to allow one to use the whole blade with out banging ones fingers on the table surface. This design feature is also believed by some cultures to be a requirement for a "using" blade. I believe the traditional Indian Trade knife of North America called a cartouche also had the "kitchen" offset.

When it comes to South American blades in this style, I'd think there would be enough variety, even in modern interpretations of the design, to float most anybody's boat. :)
 
Good one, BS:)

Thank you for educating me. You are so smart and knowledgeable. I bet you know a lot about knives and history, and have a lot of knives, and a lot of good knifemaking friends, and fellow collectors to talk to.:)

How come I never see you post pictures of your collection?:confused:

I don't know what I would do without you.:D

Best Regards,:cool:


Steven Garsson:rolleyes:
 
Though they are not my favorite styles, I like the look of the integral gaucho and sorocabana. Each of us has a different eye for the aesthetic. I really like the look of my Tai Goo knife, and I know what Steven thinks of that one.
 
I got my first,not the last,Sfreddo,here.
And I love it,one of the several classic Bowie styles.Double guard,coffin handle and it also has the nicest Damascus blade I now have.:thumbup: :cool:

I don't like the guardless variety either,too much like a kitchen/butcher knife.

Eye of the beholder.:D
I dig Tai Goo's guardless or not.:cool:

Doug:)
 
I love the look of the big forged integral. Next to the bowie in all its many variations, it is my favorite style of knife. The Brazilians do this style very well. Tai Goo has turned out som phenomenal examples in his own style.

And this Burt Foster will eventually be joined by both a larger and smaller variant:

orig.jpg


Of course, not everyone has to like the same thing. It would be kind of a boring place, were that so.

Roger
 
Keith,
I think I agreed with your taste. :-)
This sorocabana is by Mr. Bide, from Tatuí. Ask knifemaker Ivan Campos about him. ;-)
The gaucho is my barbecue knife. It´s a user for sure. It´s by Eduardo Cunha, Sfreddo´s and Dorneles neighbor.

Sorocabana002.jpg

LucianoeCunha1.jpg
 
I like some gaucho style knives but agree they can be a bit boiring aesthetically.

I like integrals and this is an inexpensive way to get one, IMO.

I have a huge honking Vilar gaucha with a 12" blade that really cuts great and looks good too. A good value considering the full tang, integral construction.
 
Geraldo, that Cunha is a beautiful knife...myself, I'm kinda partial to the 'kitchen' look :D

-Michael
 
Roger, that Foster is stunning! One could say that, in style, it looks almost Brazilian... :)

And I'm also fond of other Brazilian styles...

dobruski_alldamascus2.jpg



-Michael
 
for the reasons mentioned above, the gaucho style knife is quite suitable for food praparation, although the blade is too thick and too heavy for most tasks. however, i think that a smith of good integral knives should be capable to forge a decent kitchen knife. i would be the first to jump on a foster or goo kitchen knife!

when bladegallery offered that damascus chef knife by sfreddo, i couldn't resist (and obviously there's a subtle difference between a sfreddo gaucho knife and a sfreddo kitchen knife). it performs very well, and once you get used to the discolouration of the damascus and some stains, it's pure fun to use.

167645279_985139c993_o.jpg


more fun with kitchen knives

brightred
 
Yes Michael, I know we share sort of an bias for some Brazilian kind of knives.:)
And thats an very old and traditional integral one. I´m afraid it´s not so kitchen inclined but i´ll bet it´ll work(s?). BTW it´s from the extreme northeast of the country, far from gaucho´s pampa. :cool:
Brasileiras003.jpg


:thumbup: Brightred, very nice knife.
 
I love those gaucho knives....pure utility. Everything works. And I love the integral construction and sheath they use.
 
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