Bulldog what?

B

Bungwrench

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Hi. I just got this wonderful knife in trade from LarryM. I'm not really sure what it is. I believe he said it was sold as a Cotton Sampler but it looks like a Jack of some kind. He even said that he didn't think it was a Cotton Sampler.

Does anyone know what this is? It's a Bulldog brand and I'm pretty sure the blades are 1095. It says 2005 on the back of the blade tang.

bulldogcottonsamplerhk1.jpg
 
Well, as a description, it's a curved Jack with celluloid(?) handles, a sheepfoot main blade, pen secondary, and matchstriker pulls. So you own a cool and unusual Jacknife!
How long is it? (Always measure a folding knife closed!)
Nice one!
 
In the Bulldog Catalog it is sold as a "Lil' Cotton Knife" at 3" closed.

I'm inclined to agree with what Charlie (waynorth) has said...it looks like a Jack with a sheepfoot and a pen. Here is a blade shape that most folks would call a Cotton Sampler...

http://www.knivesplus.com/OLD-HICKORY-KNIVES.HTML
(Scroll about 1/2 the way down the page...sorry for last link)

I did not put the new Case/Bose Sampler up as an example, because some folks might say that it's Tony's take on the blade shape. The Old Hickory is pretty generic, IMO.


A cool knife no matter.

Bill
 
Thank you. Yes I like the knife very much and it is about 3" closed. The handles are neat and I love the matchstriker pulls. I have never had a knife with them and they are great. Can you actually strike a match on them?
 
The knife is very close to a pattern called the "loom" . It was used in the looming operations in cotton mills back in the fifties and before. I have a Case XX that my dad got around 1950 when working in the Lincoln Cotton Mills in Huntsville, Alabama. It is in mint condition and one of my prized knives. Dad said he preferred to use a hawkbill pattern in his looming work and just put his loom knife in a cotton sock and put it in a drawer.


Thanks,
Randy
 
Bungwrench said:
Can you actually strike a match on them?
Click to expand...

I buy "strike anywhere" matches alot, and I have not had good luck striking them on "match strike" nail nicks. They always seem to tear the match head to pieces without lighting it.

May just be something I am doing wrong, :confused:
 
Looks a little like my old horn-handled G. Butler & Co jack knife. Mine doesn't have the match-strike nicks though.
GB-3.jpg
 
Here are a couple of examples of Cotton Samplers made by different company's...The pearl was made by Bulldog..

KabarCotton.jpg

RodgersSonCotton.jpg

StagCottonSampler.jpg

PearlCottonSampler.jpg
 
Those are very interesting knives Sunburst. I am slightly confused as they all seem to have differently shaped blades. What is the defining characteristic of a cotton sampler knife? Thanks in advance.
 
He,he,he...Now that's a great question SK, one that I don't have the faintest idea. There does not seem to be a definitive scheme to the style of this knife. That Rodgers & Sons is supposed to be almost a 100 years old so I would say that style has more history at least...??
 
mmmmm very interesting. Perhaps another research project. The Jos Rodgers & Sons is very unique. Is there a stamp on the reverse of the tang? What is the handle material? Thanks
 
One thing I do know; the knife is intended to take a sample from a cotton bale, to test the fibers for quality. I suppose if you make a wide insertion cut, you could reach in and get fibers from the inner areas, to avoid fraud!
 
Very knice. Goins says No 6 Norfolk st Sheffield with with Joseph Rodgers & Sons stamped on the blade 1875-1901. Yours also has England, so putting 2 & 2 together, your knife likely 1891-1901.
 
So do you think that this Bulldog has Celluloid handles? I was hoping that it didn't since that stuff used to give off a corrosive gas that would rust blades (I just recently read this here).

I'm hoping it's just some sort of plastic handle.
 
In my opinion, it is highly unlikely to be celluloid and is almost assuredly some sort of modern plastic. I have no specific knowledge of that particular knife though.
 
Most American made cotton samplers such as Case, Remington, and KA-BAR had a double shoulder like the one I did with Case. It wasn't my take on it, I patterned it from an old KA-BAR I had in my hand. The flat part on the double shoulder was used to roll up the sample into a string then break it to check the quality. I got that information from Reggie Barker, his father was a cotton buyer.
 
Alrighty then...

Here is the Case version designed and described by Mr. Bose...

2uius28.jpg


I borrowed the picture from the Cumberland website.

It is a great looking knife. :)

Bill
 
The catalog mentions that the natural handles (stag and horn) have a laser blade etch. The others are listed as celluloid.

Bill
 
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