Extinct knives?

[smiling-knife]

And so confirmed as "officially extinct."

-Bob

Thanks for the comparison between the old and new fruit knives A.G. I think there were some fruit knives with silver blades still being made in the 1920s. Stainless steel blades did not appear on pocket knives, at least here in the UK, until after the war. There was some intial resistance on the part of some makers... tradition and all of that.

 

[A. G. Russell]

Thanks for the comparison between the old and new fruit knives A.G. I think there were some fruit knives with silver blades still being made in the 1920s. Stainless steel blades did not appear on pocket knives, at least here in the UK, until after the war. There was some intial resistance on the part of some makers... tradition and all of that.

Yes, it did not apear magicly from the inventor to the makers, it took years, I am surprised it was only 10.

Silver was a very inferior blade, good for nothing but managing fruit, and that not well.

I have owned several and tried most of them

Thanks Smiling, I don't think as fast or as smoothly as once, your help was needed and appreciated.

 

[smiling-knife]

Thank-you very much A.G. By all accounts, the industry in Sheffield was much more resistant to change than the US industry. When the US was mass producing knives by cutting blanks out of sheet steel, many of the Sheffield cuttlers were still forging them by hand. Even in the 20s, some thought that the new stainless would never catch-on. Have a great day.

 

[longbeachguy]

They stopped making the old pattern horseman's knife with the long hoof pick around 1920 ish. Maybe S & Ms next revival project? A few others on the endagered if not extinct list; the fixed blade pen knife and the folding fruit knife. One doesn't see much of the ear wax spoon attachment on modern knives but that is one not likely to be revived anytime soon imo.

Hey S-K:

This might be old hat but were you famililiar with the Horseman's Knife made by Queen Cutlery? It's basically a 4 1/4" punchblade stockman with a hoof pick instead of a spey blade. There's a picture at this link:

http://www.cumberlandknifeworks.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi?product=cocobolo&keywords=&next=15

 

[smiling-knife]

Hi Longbeach. I wasn't aware of any recent hoof-pick knives. Thanks for the link.

 

[Will Power]

Silver blades MUST have been useless for anything except spreading butter! and even then, the taste it imparts...imagine sharpening a silver blade, suddenly you have no blade left! Be interesting to find out about older steels of the early 20th cent or late 19th. any info? Thank you for all your posts.

 

[Rivit]

Her is one of those useless silver fruit knives I had laying around.

 

[smiling-knife]

Silver blades were used on butter, fish, fruit knives etc. Before stainless steel, silver blades were used on fruit knives as they were resistant to fruit acids. In the 1800s there was little if any citrus fruit available in the UK. Local seasonal fruits like apples and pears were commonplace. They contain a different acid, ie malic rather than citric. A good weekend science project involves leaving a carbon steel blade imbeded in an apple.The silver blades were expensive and thus a luxury item beyond the means of the common working class family. I think that the taste imparted by a silver blade was preferrable to that of a rusty old carbon steel blade. You are right, they are very soft and are not useful for serious cutting. Stainless steel was invented just before WWI. It was first used for table knives in 1915 however stainless pocket knife blades did not emerge until after the war. Even then there was some resitance to its use. By the end of the 1920s early 1930s silver blades had lost any functional relevance and disappeared from pocket knives. Silver table knives as part of fancy dinner cutlery are still produced to this day.

Here is a nice pair of Victorian fish knives with sterling silver blades and elephant ivory handles.

 

[Will Power]

Those Victorian knives look un-used and are very beautiful. I remember my grandmother having a kind of crumb tray in silver with ivory handles, you used a little brush to sweep crumbs from the table onto this tray. When I wrote that silver was 'useless' I meant as a cutting agent. It makes very beautiful objects and knives obviously. Was EPNS electro plated nickel steel used at all in pocket knives? Ir certainly was for other things in Victorian and 20th century Britain et al.

 

[CJT]

Could Anyone Tell Me Who Maked The "western" Knife" S-6504, And How To Date It?

It's An Old Family Knife, It Has Three Blades. One Of Them Is Shorter And Is Blunt On One End Of A Shorter Blades. The Shield Say's Stailness.

Thanks,
C J T

 

[smiling-knife]

Those Victorian knives look un-used and are very beautiful. I remember my grandmother having a kind of crumb tray in silver with ivory handles, you used a little brush to sweep crumbs from the table onto this tray. When I wrote that silver was 'useless' I meant as a cutting agent. It makes very beautiful objects and knives obviously. Was EPNS electro plated nickel steel used at all in pocket knives? Ir certainly was for other things in Victorian and 20th century Britain et al.

Thank-you for the positive feedback. I know what you mean about their use as an effective cutting material... no good for anything other than fruit, butter etc. I know EPNS was used for table knives but I do not know about pocket knives. Not that I have heard of but maybe someone will have a definitive answer for us.

 

[Will Power]

Well those fish knives are a stunner! Like to place a value on them? Handles look aged to perfection. Where's the hallmark from? London, Sheffield?

 

[smiling-knife]

Thank-you again for your compliment willgoy. Much appreciated. The blades and collars are sterling silver hallmarked in Sheffield in 1896. I agree... the ivory is beautiful.