Finnish Barrel Knife?

[Runs With Scissors]

I was just wondering if any of y'all have ever seen one of these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6592068167&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

I found it yesterday evening while searching for interesting Scandanavian style knives. I think that's one of the neatest things I've seen in knives in a long time, I especially like it's age (approximate of course)

It's so easy to imagine tucking one of those things into a rucksack or a picnic basket before going out for a day with the family.

Heck, I think someone oughta start makin' 'em again!

I would love to bid on it, but cash is short, and I'm actually trying to radically reduce the size of my knife collection. Although it's really hard when I keep finding cool things like this!

 

[Aardvark]

These have come up before (Kis?) and they are really cool.

You know, the lower 48 is suffering from a severe knife shortage. We appreciate you helping out.

 

[littleknife]

Sorry, wrong post.

 

[Daniel Koster]

that is a really cool knife...wonder how practical it is...either way, I like it. :thumbup:

 

[kronckew]

i've got one of those, mine is stampede on blade & brass scales

PHOLMBERS
ESKILSTUNA
SWEDEN

i gather the first line is the actual person who made the knife in eskilstuna. the design is from 1874 so a number of them have that stamped on them as well, that seems to be the only year marked on them, & i assume that they made them over more than one year, so it must be used as a model number...
understand there are a lot of collectors who just collect barrel knives.

mine is in a bit better shape than that one on ebay, to open it, you depress the spring at the lanyard end, pull it out of the barrel, rotate the blade till the peg on the blade engages the notch in the brass scale & re-insert it into the barrel until the hole in the spring engages the internal steel pin. mine locks up quite tight & sometimes requires a little persuasion to disengage, blade is very sharp & would work well for a light duty occasional knife where deployment speed is not a problem. the barrel is slightly oval & fits the hand well, is made of curly birch with nickle silver ends. if you like small scandanavian knives, you'll like these. mine, like the one on ebay, has a lot of dark markings in the wood, but these are part of the burl & not damage, as i believe he also states in his description....

 

[Fiddleback]

That's a perfect candidate for making yourself. Get a file and look up Sarge's Po-Boy Knives on this forum. It'll take you a day in the shop, but its fun, rewarding, and cheap too. That handle would be so easy to make. You could do it Yvsa's way with slices of pipe as the ferrules, or you can order ferrules from Lee Valley. It's too easy to buy one for $51. You'd like yours better, and the steel would be better too (I'd bet). My Chinese boss would say (picture the accent here, it makes the line), "Don't be scared...just do!"

Edited. Didn't see that it folded. Mine would be a fixed blade knife.

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

G. Gedney Godwin sells a similar knife, listed as a "haversack knife", for $13.95

Obviously for that price you aren't getting Swedish quality, just thought I'd mention it if someone was wanting to get their hands on an inexpensive version to "tinker with".

Sarge

 

[Yvsa]

That's a really pretty neat knife that I don't recall ever seeing before but we all know how my memory is/was/are.

What I'm wondering now is that if it is as strong as a Balisong when properly assembled? Looks like it would be as long as the fit between the metal knife handle and the proper wood handle was decently tight.
What say y'all?

I also wonder where and why the design came about?
Looks like it took some degree of thought and I wonder what the purpose the original designer had in mind?
Old unusual knives oftentimes bring up more questions than there are answers,
ainnit?

I can't see it being any sort of a sailing knife because from what I understand most sailing knives had squared off points such as the like that the UK is going to for their kitchen knives.

 

[Yvsa]

And found that not only does Mr Godwin have the Haversack knife he also has a copy of the British Boarding Axe I have been looking for!!!!

Boarding Axe: [#436] This was the weapon that sailors clutched in their sweaty hands as they crouched behind the ship's rail, waiting for the fateful command - "Boarders away!". The head is 9" long, cutting edge is 3 1/2". Has British broad-arrow mark on head.
Price: $35.95

​

Actually he has a lot of neat things.

Linky​

Edit:
Sarge is this another fellow who belongs to the Anachronism Society you belong to? Did I ever tell you that I bought some kiln dried Red Oak to make bows out of?
I'm anticipating the day when I can do more, already have started!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I doubt it would have the total strength of a decent Balisong, but I bet they'd have plenty enough for my uses- generally beating through the woods, whittling fuzz sticks, cleanin' rabbits, etc. They look real nice to throw in the bottom of a day pack, truck, or leave at the family cabin.

On the bright side, I bet they're alot easier to keep clean than a Bali. I once took a BM 42 out boondockin', and wound up with blood, fur, and goo all stuck in the pivots, and a real PITA to get out.

Of course...then ya' gotta consider price ranges....Wouldn't be real fair to compare something like that against a hundred some odd dollar BM, Sypdie, CS, Swat, MT, etc....

Not to be too much of an idiot, but I wonder where those knives are being made? they're really well priced, and don't sound too bad. I'll most likely order the Barrel knife, just to satiate my curiousity with 'em. (what was that I said earlier about REDUCING my knife collection?)

Yvsa-That boarding axe looks cool! Can't blame ya' for wantin' one of 'em!

You mentioned making bows...I hope ya' don't mind my asking but....It just so happens that I've been considering the feasability of making a recurve or a long bow of my own. Izzat something a greenhorn can do, or is it a bit more of a long aquired skill? Any pointers or suggestions you could offer?

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Yvsa'
Nice axe, just what sort of mayhem you got in mind? Doubtful that G. Gedney tinkers with SCA, he specializes primarily in F&I and Revolutionary Wars. Got some neat stuff though don't he? Check out the friction folders he has listed as "French Soldier's Knives", absolute museum grade for under ten bucks. Think I'm kidding? Here's the actual museum piece recovered from Fortress Louisbourg (dated around 1740)

And here's the one G. Gedney Godwin sells

If you want to learn more about the 18th century French clasp knives, along with trade knives, axes, firesteels, et cetera, a most excellent site is www.lanouvelle-france.com Well written text, and lots of illustrations including pics of actual artifacts.


Runs With Scissors,
So you want to give bowmaking a try? Easiest style to start with is a longbow. The long limbs distribute stress over a larger area, making it less likely to bust on you, and consequently makes the design more forgiving of a less than perfect tiller (tiller refers to the balance and symettry of how the limbs bend under stress). A good bow can be made with little more than a knife, a spokeshave, and a cabinet scraper. Here's a pick of me shooting a 50 lb. longbow I made out of red oak, good bow, it's taken home the bacon at two tournaments now.

Here's a couple of websites for you to check out; www.rudderbows.com and www.buildabow.com

Sarge

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Thanks for the links and the pic, Sarge! It never ceases to amaze me the knowledge that lurks around this forum. I was already thinking the longbow would be the best choice for a greenhorn. Besides that, they're soooo incredibly smooth!

Once again, much appreciated!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

this is just a useless post cause I'm a superstitiious fool. (look at my post count)

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

More than welcome RWS,
Don't sweat the number 13, that's just a product of popular superstistion, you can ask my dad about that, he was born on Friday the 13th.

I've mentioned making bows out of red oak boards from Lowe's on the forum a time or two, so I feel compelled to point out an important fact; NOT JUST ANY OLD BOARD WILL YIELD A WORKABLE BOWSTAVE. The grain and growth rings must run as close to perfectly parallel to the length of the board as possible, doesn't matter whether the board is plainsawn or quartersawn. A fairly in-depth dissertation on this can be found in chapter one of volume two of the "Traditional Bowyer's Bible".

The most important time spent in making a bow is the time you spend selecting the right piece of wood to make it from. Nothing more hurtful or dissapointing to a first time bowyer than to have the results of his or her efforts explode into kindling the first time they try to shoot it, not to mention it can be quite dangerous. As careful as I am in selecting my staves, and as meticulous as I am in my carving and tillering, no one gets their hands on one of my bows until I have personally put 4-5 dozen arrows downrange with it, checking every few shots for any sign of a problem (this also allows me to get the brace height dialed in, since a newly twisted Flemish string will stretch and settle in a bit, requiring adjustment). Once it's passed "proof testing" a wooden bow, if handled properly, and maintained properly, will last a long time and give very good service.

Good luck and have fun, archery is an enjoyable sport made all the more rewarding by learning to fashion your own shooting tackle.

Sarge

 

[Kazeryu]

As careful as I am in selecting my staves, and as meticulous as I am in my carving and tillering, no one gets their hands on one of my bows until I have personally put 4-5 dozen arrows downrange with it, checking every few shots for any sign of a problem (this also allows me to get the brace height dialed in, since a newly twisted Flemish string will stretch and settle in a bit, requiring adjustment). Once it's passed "proof testing" a wooden bow, if handled properly, and maintained properly, will last a long time and give very good service.

Just curious as to how much you might charge if you were selling those bows. Archery's a neat sport and I almost joined a local club, but the fees were a bit high at the time so that got nixed.

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Kaz, I'm a bit behind the 8-ball on projects right now, but I can recommend a good source for "off the shelf" shooting tackle, including reasonably priced wooden longbows. They're a family run, California based outfit, called FS Discount Archery, been buying my arrow shafting and what-not from them for several years. Here's their website http://www.fsdiscountarchery.com/

Another source for locating a bow is to occasionally check E-bay, have known friends to acquire some pretty nice one's there, some of them real bargains.

Sarge

 

[Fiddleback]

I used to love shooting and making my own childish bows in the woods as a kid. Just toys though. Neat 411.

 

[Yvsa]

You mentioned making bows...I hope ya' don't mind my asking but....It just so happens that I've been considering the feasability of making a recurve or a long bow of my own. Izzat something a greenhorn can do, or is it a bit more of a long aquired skill? Any pointers or suggestions you could offer?

Runs With Scissors I was hoping Sarge would answer you first. It's been years and years since I've made a bow and never from a kiln dried board from a lumber yard.
I consider Sarge and Hawkwind the local expert bowyers around here but I hope to make a 50-55 Lb long bow for my grandson and one for myself if I can still pull that amount of weight. Dayumed shame because when I was nine I was stringing and drawing a 45 Lb Lemonwood bow that mom and the old man got me for Christmas one year when we lived in Florida.:thumbup:

Thanks for the extra links Sarge. I was quite taken with G. Gedney's website and I'll persue the other one later. :thumbup:

 

[Sylvrfalcn]

Thanks for the extra links Sarge. I was quite taken with G. Gedney's website and I'll persue the other one later. :thumbup:

Here's a taste (all pics from www.lanouvell-france.com)

Couple of early 18th Century knives with French manufactured blades of the Boucheron (loosely translates as "butcher knife") type

Interesting style in that they have partial "chiruwa" tangs that insert into a slot sawn in the handle, and secured with two rivets, like some modern kitchen knives. I really like the blade shape, might have to make one and field test it. By the way, they generally came in small, medium, and large, but all had the same shape.

Should make for an interesting project when I get the time to get around to it.

Sarge