Early trade knives were forged, then ground pretty clean and bright. Probably the equivalent of maybe 320 grit, more, or less, from the info I got from a museum assistant, who is an expert on the English knives. The scalper types were most often tapered half tangs, with the end of the tang forged nearly to a knife edge. Although some other types could be full tanged, but nearly always tapered. The grips are usually found oversized, commonly showing a gap underneath from the extra wood. This was common until close to the 20th c. or even later. By allowing a gap in the tang fit, grips could be prefinished, then lined up reasonably well on top, then attached by rivet pins, quickly, and easily. Often, one size grip might fit three sizes of blades. This gap could be filled with a rezin and brick dust mix, or not at all. Anyhow, if you are going to make a true repro, you need to leave it bright as new, or age it to look used. The finish on those $30.00 modern, so called trade knives, is not correct to represent either. Also. IRON ONLY! No brass or copper pins. I have to say, those $30.00 trade knives are a bargain for the price. They do perform quite well. They are just not anywhere near correct, in an historical sense.
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