Gaucho knives and cuchillos criollos of South America

[Rsmith_77]

It's a shame so many other cultures have lost or abandoned our knife traditions
Whether it be a saex or other fixed workers

These south American knives are gorgeous, functional and traditional

 

[cbach8tw]

Thanks for the additional pictures CelloDan . They are not making the wait for my own knife any easier however.

Me too, the one Maxi is making for me is in the sheath phase.

 

[cbach8tw]

in the meantim, here is my larger one he made for me, shown these before.

 

[CelloDan]

Thanks for the additional pictures CelloDan . They are not making the wait for my own knife any easier however.

Me too, the one Maxi is making for me is in the sheath phase.

What blade lengths did you guys ordered ?

I really like the size of my Verijero for every day use and anticipate we will be using a lot camping and aboard our little sailboat this season.

I may go one day for a little bit bigger blade, perhaps 15 cm or so as well.

I can’t wait for the pics guys

 

[kamagong]

What blade lengths did you guys ordered ?

I really like the size of my Verijero for every day use and anticipate we will be using a lot camping and aboard our little sailboat this season.

I may go one day for a little bit bigger blade, perhaps 15 cm or so as well.

I can’t wait for the pics guys

7 inch blade, more or less. Since it's hand forged, and not laser cut on a machine, I don't need it exact.

After I placed the order I wish I had gone just a little longer and went with 8", the size of my favorite kitchen knife.

 

[RayseM]

ME TOO - asked for a 10" blade. I'll go backwards if I like this one and have 2 smaller ones - maybe a 7" and a 4", if maxipescie will go that small - maybe 8" and 6". I would love a somewhat matched set. These will be kitchen knives for me. As much as I love those beautiful sheaths I'm going bare bones on the first one.

 

[CelloDan]

I wish I had gone just a little longer and went with 8", the size of my favorite kitchen knife.

I'll go backwards if I like this one and have 2 smaller ones

We knife nuts always second guess ourselves. I am happy I am in good company

Mine is about 4 3/4 inches more or less.
I am thinking a 6 inch ( about 15 cm ) would be very nice too for my uses

The majority of cuchillos criollos I see are longer than that though and more in the range of what you guys have incoming.

I see you went for one too Ray ! ... and a long one !
I am not picking any knife fights with you my friend lol

I'll share some virtual yerba mate and hope the wait goes by fast.

 

[RayseM]

Well Dan - no worries about a knife fight. You can see that even if I ordered a belt sheath it would hit my knees so as to be impractical for carrying.
We'll do our fighting in the kitchen.

 

[cbach8tw]

I think mine will be 4.5 inches in blade length.

 

[CelloDan]

I think mine will be 4.5 inches in blade length.

Just like mine pretty much
(I measured in a straight line this time from tip to where the bolster begins NOT diagonally to the heel )

A very useful and practical size in my opinion.

I wanted one this size for a quite a long time, even before I knew thy were specifically called “Verijero”.

I am using mine on a daily basis, mostly in the kitchen for now and I look forward to putting it to use in somewhat heavier chores during camping, boating and fishing this summer.

I'll leave another painting that caught my eye today. It is on display at the "Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes" in Argentina.
Life in 1800's in the province of Cordoba, Argentina where I spent a significant part of my childhood.

The owner of the Estancia and the gaucho in charge or "capataz" sharing a mate.

 

[cbach8tw]

Thanks for the great picture too. Mine will also be his standard 1070, o think yours is 1095, correct? Have you had enough use with it to tell any difference between 1095 and any other knife in 1070 or 1075 you have used?

 

[CelloDan]

Thanks for the great picture too. Mine will also be his standard 1070, o think yours is 1095, correct? Have you had enough use with it to tell any difference between 1095 and any other knife in 1070 or 1075 you have used?

I asked for 1095 steel.
In my limited knowledge regarding steels it is what I am more familiar with through my GEC and Case slip joints.

Prior to ordering I read up here on BF regarding the differences between both steels.
As I understand, 1070/1075 are a bit tougher while 1095 may hold an edge a bit longer while sacrificing slightly on toughness.

I doubt one could tell the difference in real life use unless perhaps having two knives with the exact same geometries and using them extensively side by side.

1070 carbon steel certainly seems to be quite a popular for the larger criollos

In my mind it makes sense to use 1070 for larger, hard-use knives and 1095 for smaller ones where you may favour a slightly better edge retention ( at a slight expense in toughness) ... but what do I know

I thought I did not have any knife in 1070 or C70 and then I realized I do have one.

It's a Grohman #2 Bird and Trout in C70.
It's "second" I bought 50 % off. A little smaller than usual and with a slight recurve as the person sharpening at the factory got a little carried away.

Time to sharpen it and do some testing

The geometries are very different though.
My Verijero has thicker stock however it tapers nicely towards the tip while the Grohman stays the same pretty much all the way.

And since we are at it, here is our big "Master Chef" kitchen knife side by side with my Verijero.

The Verijero stock thickness is slightly less than on my Spyderco Para 3 ( I measured them with calipers too )
Both flat ground and of course with nice tapering towards the tip for detailed work/cutting.

On the topic of toughness it makes sense for the gaucho to need a tough knife as he would have used it for everything, from building shelter, eating, killing an animal and yes, perhaps the occasional knife fight as well for some of them.

Here is a post on BF by maker R. Trentin regarding the testing of gaucho knives.

Smith test AGC 2022

Hi everyone, let me present you my performance test and set of knives for judgment on AGC (Gaucho Bladesmith association/Brazil) I apply for the test last month, december/22, and i was approved. I also won two awards with the knives i made for the test, best gaucho knife and best kitchen knife...

www.bladeforums.com

Bending 90 degrees

 

[maxipescie]

LI share one of my latest works! I hope you like it

 

[cbach8tw]

I asked for 1095 steel.
In my limited knowledge regarding steels it is what I am more familiar with through my GEC and Case slip joints.

Prior to ordering I read up here on BF regarding the differences between both steels.
As I understand, 1070/1075 are a bit tougher while 1095 may hold an edge a bit longer while sacrificing slightly on toughness.

I doubt one could tell the difference in real life use unless perhaps having two knives with the exact same geometries and using them extensively side by side.

1070 carbon steel certainly seems to be quite a popular for the larger criollos

In my mind it makes sense to use 1070 for larger, hard-use knives and 1095 for smaller ones where you may favour a slightly better edge retention ( at a slight expense in toughness) ... but what do I know

I thought I did not have any knife in 1070 or C70 and then I realized I do have one.

It's a Grohman #2 Bird and Trout in C70.
It's "second" I bought 50 % off. A little smaller than usual and with a slight recurve as the person sharpening at the factory got a little carried away.

Time to sharpen it and do some testing

The geometries are very different though.
My Verijero has thicker stock however it tapers nicely towards the tip while the Grohman stays the same pretty much all the way.

And since we are at it, here is our big "Master Chef" kitchen knife side by side with my Verijero.

The Verijero stock thickness is slightly less than on my Spyderco Para 3 ( I measured them with calipers too )
Both flat ground and of course with nice tapering towards the tip for detailed work/cutting.

On the topic of toughness it makes sense for the gaucho to need a tough knife as he would have used it for everything, from building shelter, eating, killing an animal and yes, perhaps the occasional knife fight as well for some of them.

Here is a post on BF by maker R. Trentin regarding the testing of gaucho knives.

Smith test AGC 2022

Hi everyone, let me present you my performance test and set of knives for judgment on AGC (Gaucho Bladesmith association/Brazil) I apply for the test last month, december/22, and i was approved. I also won two awards with the knives i made for the test, best gaucho knife and best kitchen knife...

www.bladeforums.com

Bending 90 degrees

Thanks for sharing some of your thoughts, I appreciate it.

 

[Rsmith_77]

Only slightly related
But aren't most swords or modern recreations of battlefield swords made out of 1055?

 

[CelloDan]

Only slightly related
But aren't most swords or modern recreations of battlefield swords made out of 1055?

That would make sense as 1055 would likely be even tougher yet than 1070 ( softer too )

Considering how swords are used in the battlefield keeping your weapon in one piece would be essential and take more priority over longer edge retention or abrasion resistance afforded by steels with higher carbon content.

(Take the above with a grain of salt as I am a total novice when it comes to steels. Edit: … also heat treatment is the most important part of the equation for any blade steel)

 

[CelloDan]

We'll do our fighting in the kitchen.

The kitchen is too small and cramps my style.
I need more space to move if I am to face such long blade.

I say we go to the dining room ... yes ?

I am the gaucho on the left with the shorter knife

 

[kamagong]

I don't know CelloDan . I think that if you plan on "dancing" with a knife, longer is indeed better. Maybe RayseM has the right idea and it's best to have a selection of criollo knives of varying sizes.

I wonder what would be the proper choice -- 11" or 15" blade. Here are a couple of knives to provide a sense of scale in my hand.

 

[RayseM]

I didn't dare go past 10" I hope I don't regret it. My home made rectangular pizza could use a 13" knife for 1 width cutting.
As it is, I will need to slice across the pizza in 2 efforts.

While on the subject - it appears I will need a new dancing outfit too.

 

[CelloDan]

I don't know CelloDan . I think that if you plan on "dancing" with a knife, longer is indeed better. Maybe RayseM has the right idea and it's best to have a selection of criollo knives of varying sizes.

I wonder what would be the proper choice -- 11" or 15" blade. Here are a couple of knives to provide a sense of scale in my hand.

Very nice Christian !
What type of knife ( origin/brand) is the longer one ?

Yes, RayseM has the right idea that it is best to have a selection of criollo knives of varying sizes.
I thrive in the company of enablers

While on the subject - it appears I will need a new dancing outfit too.

lol Ray, maybe we should go shopping together

I've heard that the further you move away from the equator the shorter your blade gets.
I am in , perhaps that explains it

If I move a little further north I'll be packing an Ulu