Gaucho knives and cuchillos criollos of South America

[Trubetzkoy]

I have spend the past 45 min searching for any info on criollo swedges with no much luck. One site in Spanish mentions that they ussually have one or two "contrafilos" (swedges) but that's all I found so far. I would think there is likely no standard regarding swedges. Abel Domenech does not mention them in his essay.

It's hard to say based on pictures, since usually one sees only one side at a time. But based on the examples I've seen in person and the spine pictures I remember seeing online (usually showing the filework on the blade), I'd venture that the norm is for the false edge to be symmetric.

I do recall at least two knives being sold online which had the false edge, as well as the jimp-and-bevel work, ground only on one side of the blade – both 19th-century Sheffield pieces, interestingly. One is the Egroys & Co. I showed earlier in this thread:

The other is by Scholefield:

I suppose this was done when the blade wasn't very thick in the first place, much like in traditional British and American butcher knives.

 

[kamagong]

I used my puñal for the first time this morning. No asado though, not even a fish. I used the blade to get past the tough exterior of a cantaloupe to get at the juicy flesh inside. The armored hide stood no chance against my new knife!

 

[CelloDan]

I used my puñal for the first time this morning. No asado though, not even a fish. I used the blade to get past the tough exterior of a cantaloupe to get at the juicy flesh inside. The armored hide stood no chance against my new knife!

Pics or it didn’t happen

 

[Prester John]

Pics or it didn’t happen

I was thinking that!

 

[John Cahoon]

Here's my latest in 52100 with Mesquite, leather and Elk. Stainless bolster and blued pommel.

 

[kamagong]

Pics or it didn’t happen

I was thinking that!

Lol...sorry guys, I didn't think to take pictures.

I'll make sure to do so next time. I have a pineapple that I'm going to butcher soon.

Here's my latest in 52100 with Mesquite, leather and Elk. Stainless bolster and blued pommel.
View attachment 2255152View attachment 2255153View attachment 2255154

Thanks for sharing John Cahoon .

 

[Trubetzkoy]

In for a penny ... :

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to Argentinean stamps, so if anyone could help me date the Atahualpa puñal that'd be very much appreciated! I suspect it's a rather modern piece, probably from the 90s or even 2000s.

 

[screened porch]

bump

 

[CelloDan]

I'd venture that the norm is for the false edge to be symmetric.

Thank you for your insights !

Here's my latest in 52100 with Mesquite, leather and Elk. Stainless bolster and blued pommel.

Very nice !!!
Thanks for sharing

In for a penny ... :

In for a pound
Now I am getting a little jealous
Nice acquisition amigo !
I really don't know about the stamps and years. From what I read online the Atahualpa Tandil company was started about 80 years ago and now is run by a grandson of the founder ( based on the only one article I could find on the company's history )

bump

Lovely Verijero mi amigo Love seeing it !

I started watching the videos Christian shared earlier and plan to finish them later tonight
This gaucho has to catch up with a mountain a paperwork and get ready for riding the watery pampas again this weekend with his trusty Verijero

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

I wasn't a big fan of gaucho knives to begin with... but the sheer utility CelloDan has exhibited in this thread has me lusting after one.

Dan, I think your gaucho is goldilocks in terms of size. There really is something to be said about simple carbon steels. Excellent thread!

 

[Prester John]

I wasn't a big fan of gaucho knives to begin with... but the sheer utility CelloDan has exhibited in this thread has me lusting after one.

Dan, I think your gaucho is goldilocks in terms of size. There really is something to be said about simple carbon steels. Excellent thread!

Dan's enthusiasm is contagious! The more I looked at this thread, the more I wanted one. Got a wait--just put my order in recently.

 

[SwissHeritageCo]

Dan's enthusiasm is contagious! The more I looked at this thread, the more I wanted one. Got a wait--just put my order in recently.

Congrats! I fear it won't be too long before I too, join the club.

 

[kamagong]

In for a penny ... :

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to Argentinean stamps, so if anyone could help me date the Atahualpa puñal that'd be very much appreciated! I suspect it's a rather modern piece, probably from the 90s or even 2000s.

That's a very nice job you did giving that pearl handled knife a second life.

bump

I have a question regarding these factory produced knives. Is the metal sterling silver or nickel silver? The relative low prices of the knives considering the amount of metal in the handle and sheath has me thinking it's nickel silver.

Congrats! I fear it won't be too long before I too, join the club.

Do it! The knife is the main draw, but as a connoisseur of fine leather I'm sure you'll enjoy the sheath as well.

 

[screened porch]

I have a question regarding these factory produced knives. Is the metal sterling silver or nickel silver? The relative low prices of the knives considering the amount of metal in the handle and sheath has me thinking it's nickel silver.

They're usually "alpaca", which is nickel silver.

 

[kamagong]

Thanks Jer.

 

[screened porch]

It would be nice to find an .800 silver one that the seller thinks is alpaca.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

It would be nice to find an .800 silver one that the seller thinks is alpaca.

It goes both ways though, as sometimes they are only silver-plated and thus they look like, and test as, silver.

 

[CelloDan]

I wasn't a big fan of gaucho knives to begin with... but the sheer utility CelloDan has exhibited in this thread has me lusting after one.

Dan, I think your gaucho is goldilocks in terms of size. There really is something to be said about simple carbon steels. Excellent thread!

Gracias
I really like the size and feel of my Verijero and I am constantly looking for ways to use it ... which most times involves food lol
I also find myself just picking it over and over as it feels quite satisfying to do so. It is very ergonomic.
After I come back from a trip I usually give it 20 or so passes on the sharpmaker brown ceramic rods and the carbon steel is back to scary sharp.

Dan's enthusiasm is contagious! The more I looked at this thread, the more I wanted one. Got a wait--just put my order in recently.

Thanks Vince I love my criollo !
I now fear losing it as I have become quite attached to it.
I also find that waiting for you guys to have your show and tell almost as hard as the wait I did for mine

Congrats! I fear it won't be too long before I too, join the club.

We'll be the small group on the corner of "The Porch" eating a whole cow in a carnivore feast of "asado a jeta" and drinking yerba mate

Thanks folks for the kind comments.
I am on a journey myself of learning about criollo knives and appreciate your input, information and interest.

Maxi's interpretation of these traditional knives resonated with me since the first time I saw pictures of his work here on BF.
I am very thankful to maxipescie for making my Verijero !
It does bring me joy to carry and use it

 

[Prester John]

We'll be the small group on the corner of "The Porch" eating a whole cow in a carnivore feast of "asado a jeta" and drinking yerba mate

Can we have some cerveza tambien?

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Thanks folks for the kind comments.
I am on a journey myself of learning about criollo knives and appreciate your input, information and interest.

It's quite the rabbithole indeed. And the fact that older pieces are so hard to date, because of the "imported blade + local handle/scabbard" custom, makes it all the more addictive. Frustrating at times, but addictive.

Being from Chile, unfortunately I haven't been able to find many examples made in my country, and it appears that we never developed a knife-making tradition comparable to that of Argentina or Brazil, or even Uruguay. However, the two the historical examples I've found are very interesting pieces. One is the Cutts & Sons from The Antique Bowie Knife Book which I shared earlier in this thread. The other is the one pictured below, sold a while ago at Swords and Antique Weapons, for God knows how much:

Though it has no maker's mark, both the blade and the scabbard are engraved. The side of the latter shown in the second picture includes the words from the Chilean coat of arms (Por la razón o la fuerza 'By reason or by force') in a phrase which translates as follows: "It is the duty of every man to defend his honor and fatherland with steel, by reason or by force." I do wonder how "with steel" and "by reason" would go together, though...