Gaucho knives and cuchillos criollos of South America

[screened porch]

Here are a couple more pics of my carbon steel Eberle:

Recently I saw one with a long (8" or 9") Georgian Rodgers Blade on Ebay, etched "Abramo Eberle, Caxias" on the other side. It sold for $500.

and wow.

 

[kamagong]

Here are a couple more pics of my carbon steel Eberle:

Recently I saw one with a long (8" or 9") Georgian Rodgers Blade on Ebay, etched "Abramo Eberle, Caxias" on the other side. It sold for $500.

That's a really good looking knife.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

That's a really good looking knife.

A bit on the flimsier side, but yeah, I really like some of Eberle's repousse patterns. I hope to someday procure a larger carbon steel knife by them -- if it has a Rodgers blade, even better! I wouldn't pay $500, though...

 

[kamagong]

I wouldn't pay $500, though...

There's an Eberle on the 'Bay currently available for the bargain price of $1350.

I've wondered about these metal handled knives. Beautiful, but for actual gaucho-ing about it seems that any of horn, stag, or wood makes for a better choice.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

I've wondered about these metal handled knives. Beautiful, but for actual gaucho-ing about it seems that any of horn, stag, or wood makes for a better choice.

Probably not the best choice for heavy-duty or very fine work, but you'd be surprised how comfortable some of these metal handles feel in the hand. I particularly like Eberle handles, since they are nicely faceted. The worst IMO are round (cylindrical or conical) handles, as they turn easily in the hand.

 

[CelloDan]

Edit: I also recommend checking out this blogspot for more interesting information about Eberle and pictures of vintage/antique examples: https://facasriograndenses.blogspot.com/2013/04/abramo-eberle-cia.html?q=eberle

Thanks for sharing the article about the founder and origins of the Eberle brand.
I had google translate it from Portuguese to English and enjoyed reading it.

The following paragraph caught my attention:

"Giuseppe (José) Eberle and Luigia (Luisa) Zanrosso arrived in Brazil in 1884, in the first wave of Italian immigrants, and settled in the Serra Gaúcha, in a place called Campo dos Bugres, which would later become the city of Caxias do Sul. Their four children came with them, including Abramo, aged four, the second of the family."


My great grandmother also emigrated from Spain to Brazil as a young teenager with her parents and sister sometime at the beginning of the 20th century.

They were promised very good things and a bright future however upon arriving they found out they had became practically slaves on the fields enduring very harsh labor conditions and poverty.

My great-great grandfather succumbed just a few years later due to disease and the poor living conditions. Somehow my great grandmother and the rest of the family were able to escape and headed south to Argentina where they settle in Rosario, Argentina.

Later she married a hard working Spanish immigrant who became relatively wealthy.

Recalling some of the hardships our ancestors lived trough certainly puts in perspective our confortable modern lives.

----
While handling my Verijero recently I realized how much patina/silver tarnish had develop over the past year.

When I got it a year ago I gave it a very through polish with a special cloth that I bought at a jewelry store.

Now it was as if had had never cleaned it before.

A couple of quick rubs with the cloth revealed the shinny silver on a small part of the "vaina".

I decided however to just leave it as it is ( for now )

Since gauchos carried their knives at all times the polishing action of their "faja" and clothing no doubt kept their silver shining ... for those who could afford it.

 

[kamagong]

Recalling some of the hardships our ancestors lived trough certainly puts in perspective our confortable modern lives.

I understand and agree with you CelloDan . I myself am an immigrant yet have lived an immeasurably easier life than those who came before me. In living memory, my father and grandfathers were modest, hardworking men who enjoyed little leisure but seemed much more content with their lives. I rely on them to help me keep things in perspective.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Recalling some of the hardships our ancestors lived trough certainly puts in perspective our confortable modern lives.

Certainly a valuable reminder -- especially since this week I've been raging because of my Internet provider (Optimum, the absolute worst, never do business with them) due to wi-fi issues.

As for Eberle, it's a pretty interesting story for sure -- especially the fact that Abramo bought the business from his father only at age 16.

Cheers, fellow gauchos!

 

[Trubetzkoy]

From the internet -- a rarity -- recently auctioned in Sweden (of all places): VIVA LA PATRIA, VIVA EL PERÚ:

 

[oldmanwilly]

From the internet -- a rarity -- recently auctioned in Sweden (of all places): VIVA LA PATRIA, VIVA EL PERÚ:

Holy Smokes! It looks to me like this beauty was actually used, at least at one time. Any information re the maker and/or manufacturer?

 

[Trubetzkoy]

Any information re the maker and/or manufacturer?

Not really -- not beyond the blade and handle markings anyway (which include what appear to be the original owner's initials). That said, I suspect the blade is French, based on similar examples I've seen, including this one which I shared earlier in this thread, from Adams et al.'s The Antique Bowie Knife Book:

 

[kamagong]

From the internet -- a rarity -- recently auctioned in Sweden (of all places): VIVA LA PATRIA, VIVA EL PERÚ:

Very cool. As always, thank you for sharing the interesting knives you come upon.

The etch on that French puñal is strange. It's on both sides of the blade, but upside down on the pile side.

 

[kamagong]

The cuchilla is a utilitarian type of knife...The cuchilla is a knife of full tang construction, with wooden slabs attached to the tang by rivets and no bolsters. Cheap and easy to find everywhere, cuchillas are one of the most popular types of knife in use in the countryside in present times.

- Abel Domenech

I adore my puñales, but the humble cuchilla exerts a draw on me. I like that they are simple working tools, without the excessive ornamentation one too often finds on contemporary cuchillos criollos. I've been lazily searching for a suitable example. Shouldn't be too difficult, they basically look like a modern kitchen knife. Except I wanted one that could conceivably have been owned by a real gaucho under different circumstances.

I chanced upon this older, supposedly German piece. Won't ever be certain of its true origins as the blade is unstamped. Still, the knife looks the part with its carbon steel blade, wooden handle, riveted construction, and lack of bolsters.



More enchanting perhaps is this cuchillo de campo. The knife is supposed to be unused, and maybe it is, but the blade is far from pristine. Don't see these too often though, and I couldn't resist.

An interesting variant of this type is what I call cuchillo de campo (country knife), which was of later appearance, maybe during the end of the XIX century. The cuchillo de campo is also of full tang construction with a slab handle, attached by rivets, usually of wood or antler and a false bolster made of brass or nickel silver. The shape of the blade is slimmer and similar to that of the puñal.

- Abel Domenech

 

[Trubetzkoy]

I adore my puñales, but the humble cuchilla exerts a draw on me. I like that they are simple working tools, without the excessive ornamentation one too often finds on contemporary cuchillos criollos. I've been lazily searching for a suitable example. Shouldn't be too difficult, they basically look like a modern kitchen knife. Except I wanted one that could conceivably have been owned by a real gaucho under different circumstances.

I chanced upon this older, supposedly German piece. Won't ever be certain of its true origins as the blade is unstamped. Still, the knife looks the part with its carbon steel blade, wooden handle, riveted construction, and lack of bolsters.

View attachment 2864463

More enchanting perhaps is this cuchillo de campo. The knife is supposed to be unused, and maybe it is, but the blade is far from pristine. Don't see these too often though, and I couldn't resist.

View attachment 2864464

Very nice, especially the cuchillo de campo! They have Mann & Federlein tags, right? I know there was a factory in Solingen that sold a bunch of old stock by them apparently for the South American market recently, many of which ended up being resold in Argentina. But it does seem like there are a lot of those tags floating around, so I wonder if some of them are mismatched. In any case, I'd say that's definitely an old, European-made piece, clearly in the South American style. Nice find!

 

[kamagong]

You are correct T Trubetzkoy , both knives are supposedly Mann & Federlein goods.

I bought the cuchillo de campo first, but the seller noticed me also looking at the cuchilla and made me an offer. I'm a sucker for combined shipping.

Even if the cuchilla ends up not being a Mann & Federlein, it is no real loss as it was quite inexpensive. And ultimately it is still a knife, I'll always have a use for it.

The question is, what should I do with the cuchillo de campo? Collectors say you should leave the original finish intact, but if that patina includes corrosion I feel it would be remiss to leave it be. Plus I'm no collector, just a mere accumulator.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

The question is, what should I do with the cuchillo de campo? Collectors say you should leave the original finish intact, but if that patina includes corrosion I feel it would be remiss to leave it be. Plus I'm no collector, just a mere accumulator.

The average knife collector is a weirdo. If the blade is dirty, I'd definitely clean it. If there's active rust, I'd definitely take care of it -- or have somebody else take care of it. My personal procedure (probably unpopular) for mild rust is to first clean the blade with rubbing alcohol (or potentially acetone if there's gunk on it), then rub it with paper towel and a little bit of WD-40 and finally, if that works, clean the blade with soapy water and dry it well. If the WD-40 and rubbing doesn't take care of the rust, my approach (definitely unpopular) is to apply a little bit of Flitz directly on the rusty parts, let it sit, and then wipe it off completely. This will attack the patina in the surrounding area to some extent, but I find it to be an effective middle-of-the-road approach. If you apply Flitz in moderation and in progressive fashion, it won't change the overall "finish" of the blade too much, although it will give it some temporary shininess (which you can reduce by cleaning again with alcohol or acetone).

 

[kamagong]

The average knife collector is a weirdo. If the blade is dirty, I'd definitely clean it. If there's active rust, I'd definitely take care of it -- or have somebody else take care of it. My personal procedure (probably unpopular) for mild rust is to first clean the blade with rubbing alcohol (or potentially acetone if there's gunk on it), then rub it with paper towel and a little bit of WD-40 and finally, if that works, clean the blade with soapy water and dry it well. If the WD-40 and rubbing doesn't take care of the rust, my approach (definitely unpopular) is to apply a little bit of Flitz directly on the rusty parts, let it sit, and then wipe it off completely. This will attack the patina in the surrounding area to some extent, but I find it to be an effective middle-of-the-road approach. If you apply Flitz in moderation and in progressive fashion, it won't change the overall "finish" of the blade too much, although it will give it some temporary shininess (which you can reduce by cleaning again with alcohol or acetone).

I'm going to go ahead and clean the blade. Wash it of course, apply some mineral oil and then remove. I've found that a mineral oil wipedown will often remove loose oxides, which is why the paper towel ends up being covered in black.

If I'm feeling it, I may even sharpen the blade and put it to use. I remembered something Dan posted from his conversations with his collector acquaintances. If collectors in the field take no issue with it, why should I worry?

Our fellow knife nuts from South America both advised me to go ahead and sharpen it and use it to my heart's content
I was so relieved to hear that

One of them told me that the day before he had eaten a great asado with a 120 year old knife. He said that the fact it is not used does not add value and suggested I enjoy it as much as possible. A "museum piece" would be another thing he said.

 

[CelloDan]

I'm going to go ahead and clean the blade

Nice find Christian !
Your collection is certainly coming along with nice examples of the different styles of criollo knives.

Now you got to go for a Facón, ... or even better a Facón Caronero if one can be found

I saw your post earlier wondering what to do with your new cuchillo de campo.
I am glad you are thinking of cleaning it up a bit and even put it to use perhaps .... however I am not a collector either

That is what I would do and was even going to suggest a gentle clean with a bit of Flitz.
A museum piece from Mr. Domenech's collection would no doubt be a totally different story.

I had the same dilema with my "Pampa" Verijero as reflected in the quote you posted above.
I am glad I sharpened it and put it to use ... which reminds me to actually keep using it and more often too

If I'm feeling it, I may even sharpen the blade and put it to use.

And have it bite into a nice piece of as its first meal in a very long time no doubt

I am hungry now

 

[kamagong]

Nice find Christian !
Your collection is certainly coming along with nice examples of the different styles of criollo knives.

Now you got to go for a Facón, ... or even better a Facón Caronero if one can be found

Thanks Dan. No caronero for me. Even I have my limits...lol.

The pictures of your Pampa though have me wondering if maybe it's time I got a verijero.

 

[Trubetzkoy]

kamagong , by the way, you definitely need a traditional gaucho-style sheath for that cuchillo de campo!