Elephant's toenail

Will Batayte

Will Batayte

Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
640
So I recently discovered these knives and was curious so I picked up this gec roughneck. It's 13 of 25. Kingwood handle. Plain shield rather then the pipe wrench. I just want to carry and use it to see what this kinda odd design excells at. I read somewhere they're designed to baton through thick rope. It definitely feels like it could. Very heavy duty. What are some uses you guys would see for this type of blade? Or other purposes it may have been designed for?
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I believe that they were first designed to use on ships. The blade can be held up against thick ropes and then hit with a mallet to cut through it.
 
I seem to remember from my BRL 2 that they were popular in Wisconsin and Minnesota among carpenters and streetcar electricians.
 
They are fantastic for three things. They cut very well, especially for sandwich making chores, they are incredible conversation starters since they are so big and harmless looking everyone wants to ask about them and they will hold you down in case of hurricane force winds.
 
Looks like a good condiment spreader too. Or PBJ. I bet you could get half a jar of peanut butter on that thing in one dip.

Also for those rare occasions when you need your putty knife to have a point on it. Or maybe as a mortar trowel.
 
I can see why sailors would like it. Tie a broomstick to it and you could use it as a paddle for the lifeboats. Or as a replacement rudder.
 
I'd love to see a video of someone frying an egg on the blade of one. :thumbup:

~ P.
 
There's actually a (no longer updated) web site dedicated to that pattern, if you really want to read up on it.

http://www.elephanttoenails.com/

Under the "the knife" section there are several articles about the history of it and what companies first came out with the pattern.
 
I think they are cool... and as a recently made collector of traditional pocket knives... I would just love to have one in my collection... simply looks cool!! I believe they are, or have come out with a version called the whaler... so the on ship thing likely holds water, (pun intended) ;-)
 
Lol it does weigh a bit but not as much as you'd think. It immediately screamed butter spreader when I had it in my hand for the first time. It's actually a really comfortable knife to hold. I'm gonna carry it for a while and see how it does.
 
Also it's got the strongest backspring of any slip joint I've ever seen. I can actually spine whack it pretty good without it closing. It does start to but then it snaps right back. And it has the half way stop.

Cartoonish! Perfect adjective for this knife.
 
There was an article in one of the major knife magazines a while back about this pattern. Its a swell center sunfish and they believe it was developed in northern or NW PA for use on the oil derricks during the oil boom. Its purpose was, as already described by someone else, for cutting rope with a mallet.
 
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