Gaucho knives and cuchillos criollos of South America

[kamagong]

Picaza, all day!

Edit: I really like the transition from the bolster to the base of the blade on that one. My only suggestion would be to add a fancy ferrule to complete the handle look.

Now that you mention it, I like the bolster to heel transition on that blade too. It's really well done.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Maxi at the Atlanta Blade Show. While we struggled a bit at first to communicate without a common language, he pulled out his phone so that we could talk back and forth through google translate.
His knives were fantastic and his character matched his knives, simply wonderful. Maxi had a nice assortment of Gaucho models, but he also had a couple of other beautiful hunting knives including a Bowie type. I looked at and held most of them and was thoroughly impressed. Enclosed is a picture of his table, but I cropped it down to respect his privacy. A great maker and a new friend.

View attachment 2590027

Thanks for sharing that picture, I'm a bit envious. Always wanted to go to BLADE.

I really need a knife made from damascus. I could spend hours just admiring the steel.

 

[herder]

I have to admit I like that pouch sheath on the right. I feel like I'm tempting fate with the traditional style sheath, and the shorter the blade, the greater the temptation.

[My new, not in Maxi class, knife has been processed through Fresno.
I'm just about there with the edge on my last one.]

Yes, it is nice, but hard to beat the traditional sheaths for aesthetics as well as functionality.

 

[kamagong]

I have to admit I like that pouch sheath on the right. I feel like I'm tempting fate with the traditional style sheath, and the shorter the blade, the greater the temptation.

Doesn't your capybara have a non-traditional pouch sheath CelloDan ? Is it any more secure than the traditional rawhide?

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Been looking at lots of South American dirks and daggers lately to find ideas for my Herder blade, and I found a couple very sexy examples with etched Mann & Federlein blades. Here's one I particularly liked, auctioned by Hilario a while ago:

These taught me two things: 1) the handle doesn't need to be too slender for it to look good with the blade, as long as the top part of the former is narrower than the latter; 2) I really need a creole-style knife with an antique etched blade. Sure enough, after some searching, I found this Herder blade for sale, which has me really tempted:

This is really becoming a problem ...

 

[herder]

Now that you mention it, I like the bolster to heel transition on that blade too. It's really well done.



Thanks for sharing that picture, I'm a bit envious. Always wanted to go to BLADE.

I really need a knife made from damascus. I could spend hours just admiring the steel.

His knives were certainly wonderful, but meeting and talking with Maxi at the show was a very nice involvement. Not all makers have the high enthusiasm for their craft as Maxi did.
You should certainly go to the Blade Show and would have a better time than I could ever describe. I have been going there for around thirty years and always come away overwhelmed.
Seeing and handling the knives is of course a great experience, but meeting and talking with the makers adds such an important relevance to the knives.

 

[herder]

Been looking at lots of South American dirks and daggers lately to find ideas for my Herder blade, and I found a couple very sexy examples with etched Mann & Federlein blades. Here's one I particularly liked, auctioned by Hilario a while ago:

These taught me two things: 1) the handle doesn't need to be too slender for it to look good with the blade, as long as the top part of the former is narrower than the latter; 2) I really need a creole-style knife with an antique etched blade. Sure enough, after some searching, I found this Herder blade for sale, which has me really tempted:

This is really becoming a problem ...

Beautiful examples, and what a good problem to have.

 

[screened porch]

I appreciate everybody's restraint, in not saying "You get what you pay for", or words to that effect.

The other one arrived yesterday, three days early.
There was a bend at the bolster which I easily straightened with my fingers. The rest of the blade isn't that soft, but if part of a blade is going to be tempered like a warm stick of butter, I think it should be the tang behind the bolster.
The finish is so raggedy I cut myself on the spine.
I'll never cut anything with the edge. The blade geometry is like that of an ice skate. I took it straight to the belt grinder and achieved an edge which would be all right on a hatchet.

There are quite inexpensive knives that work; these just aren't among them.

 

[kamagong]

I appreciate everybody's restraint, in not saying "You get what you pay for", or words to that effect.

It's your knife. Whatever floats your boat.

I wonder about the combo handles though. Surely that involves more work than making the handle from a single, larger piece.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

There are quite inexpensive knives that work; these just aren't among them.

That's a bummer. But I thought the first one was appropriately hardened, no?

 

[screened porch]

That's a bummer. But I thought the first one was appropriately hardened, no?

Yes, I think the first one is all right. I was just in a bit of a snit.

 

[CelloDan]

I started one of my chef-knife-based projects with a fluted piece of buffalo horn

Perhaps the fluted buffalo horn can now be used to "encabar" a criollo

The question is, would such a knife look better with a vaina picasa or with a simpler leather sheath, adorned with a damascus stud to match the blade?

I think a vaina picasa would look great ! The black leather and silverwork complementing the aesthetics of the black handle with silver wire.

Personally, as a subjective observation I would pair a fancy ferrule or "virola" with a short octagonal bolster ( ex arbolito type ).
My impression is that a virola on a long elaborated round bolster would make the handle parts look out of proportion visually but I am sure what our friend T Trubetzkoy suggested would look very nice as well

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Maxi at the Atlanta Blade Show. While we struggled a bit at first to communicate without a common language, he pulled out his phone so that we could talk back and forth through google translate.
His knives were fantastic and his character matched his knives, simply wonderful. Maxi had a nice assortment of Gaucho models, but he also had a couple of other beautiful hunting knives including a Bowie type. I looked at and held most of them and was thoroughly impressed. Enclosed is a picture of his table, but I cropped it down to respect his privacy. A great maker and a new friend.

This post totally made my day Neal
I so wish I would have been there and get to meet Maxi and yourself !

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I have to admit I like that pouch sheath on the right. I feel like I'm tempting fate with the traditional style sheath, and the shorter the blade, the greater the temptation.

Doesn't your capybara have a non-traditional pouch sheath CelloDan ? Is it any more secure than the traditional rawhide?

The ratio of handle to blade in my Capybara makes me a bit worried about carrying it in the traditional way.
I have practiced a couple of times using a "scarf" as a "faja" and it felt like I may be tempting fate.
A longer blade would provide a lot more surface area for it to be under the faja and likely feel more secure.

My Pampa Verijero may actually be better suited to carry in the traditional style due to its smaller and lighter handle.

When out and about in the wood I carry my Capybara in a non traditional sheath.
In the boat I have it in the raw leather vaina wrapped in the boina that Ray gifted me and inside a small waterproof container.
My boat is small so Capybara is never too far from me anyways

I found this Herder blade for sale, which has me really tempted:

Wow, it does look very nice
Please tell me you yielded to temptation
Great to see your criollo projects updates mi amigo

There are quite inexpensive knives that work; these just aren't among them.

Sorry about that Jer.
A knife may be inexpensive however there is no excuse for someone to sell something that can not be used for its intended purpose.

The past few days have been a blur of activity to catch up with work and stuff.
Hoping to get it all done and head out this evening with my "china" for another outdoor adventure aboard Serena.

I asked her what should be cook primitive style on a rock if we find a suitable place.
I suggested steak however she said "pizza"
I then said "How about chicken on a rock ? " She said "Pizza"
I then added "How about some other type of meat ? You know, an asado ?"
She said "Pizza"

 

[kamagong]

Pizza is never the wrong answer CelloDan !

 

[Prester John]

Pizza is never the wrong answer CelloDan !

But steak always trumps pizza!

 

[Prester John]

Sometimes a pocketknife just don't cut it....

 

[echoscout]

But steak always trumps pizza!

Indeed it does!

Sometimes a pocketknife just don't cut it....

Good choice!

 

[kamagong]

But steak always trumps pizza!

Always?

Sometimes a pocketknife just don't cut it....

I'm curious now that we've all lived with our gaucho knives for a bit. Did you get the right size? Or do you wish you had gone a bit bigger? Perhaps smaller?

 

[Prester John]

Always?




I'm curious now that we've all lived with our gaucho knives for a bit. Did you get the right size? Or do you wish you had gone a bit bigger? Perhaps smaller?

(1) Always! (By the way, I'm having pizza today, but a nice 16-ounce ribeye tomorrow-- early Father's Day dinner!)
(2) My blade is about 6", and I think I got the right size. I love it. Wouldn't mind having different sizes, but I think this one is ideal.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Seeing the exchange between screened porch and CelloDan about traditional vs. non-traditional sheaths for carrying, a thought came to me. I think somebody (probably Dan) already mentioned this in a previous post, but there's an interesting difference in this regard between Argentinian and Uruguayan sheaths. Unlike the former, the latter usually come with the belt flap and the "ear" (Span. oreja -- i.e., the circular or semicircular extension that remains in contact with the handle of the knife when sheathed) on the same side, as in the examples below:

Since with this type of sheath the ear helps to enclose the handle when carrying, it might be a safer option, especially with shorter blades.

Food for thought!

 

[kamagong]

Seeing the interghange between screened porch and CelloDan about traditional vs. non-traditional sheaths for carrying, a though came to me. I think somebody (probably Dan) already mentioned this in a previous post, but there's an interesting difference in this regard between Argentinian and Uruguayan sheaths. Unlike the former, the latter usually come with the belt flap and the "ear" (Span. oreja -- i.e., the semicircular extension that remains in contact with the handle of the knife when sheathed) on the same side, as in the examples below:

Since with this type of sheath the ear helps to enclose the handle when carrying it might be a safer option, especially with shorter blades.

Just food for thought!

Interesting. But I wonder. Many, if not most of the leather and rawhide Argentine sheaths I've seen have the oreja. It's the metal sheath or the vaina picaza types that do without it.

For example, this Arbolito sheath has the oreja.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Interesting. But I wonder. Many, if not most of the leather and rawhide Argentine sheaths I've seen have the oreja. It's the metal sheath or the vaina picaza types that do without it.

Right, but the difference is the position of the ear with respect to the flap. In Uruguayan-style sheaths, they're both on the same side of the sheath, so the ear sits in front of -- not behind -- the handle when carrying the knife, thus securing it it in place.

Another interesting feature of some Uruguayan sheaths is the inclusion of an ear even with picazo format, as in the following example:

Note that the configuration is the same: the belt hook and the ear are on the same side, allowing the latter to help keep the knife in place when carrying it (though this probably doesn't help much with longer blades).

Edit: Also, Uruguayan-style sheath ears tend to be larger, and more circular than semicircular, covering a larger portion of the handle.