How Bad Can It Be?

eisman

eisman

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 9, 2009
Messages
6,906
I'm almost embarrassed to admit to owning this POS. True Sheffield made, and indicative how how far the apple can fall. This is a perfect example of what not to do. It should never have left the bench...

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I'll admit, there's some rust showing. That does have an effect, but these blades are nailbreakers. Very stiff. The pen is impossible to get out without a tool, and when you do get them moving it feels like you're grinding gears; they are very rough. I can't tell if there's a half stop (probably not) but since they don't snap until they are about 10 degrees short of closing who knows.

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The bolsters are uneven, there's no symmetry, and they vary in length side to side. The rat tail work is off center on all of them. The edge bevels vary. The scales fit badly (understatement) and never got a polish. Amazingly they are oversized in all dimensions. There are gaps everywhere.

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The liners are rough, bent, and strangely don't even appear to be parallel. There are gaps between the liners and the bolsters. You have to work hard to do that.

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The spring is rough on the inside, I doubt it was even hit with a file. I can't imagine it will ever loosen up with the pinched liners, but polishing it would (at a minimum) limit the rusting.

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Just looking at this picture makes me want to cry...
 
It looks like that one was put in the out box by "oops" before it was even half finished. :(
 
. . . and yet . . .
and yet . . .
Generally I love the knife. The blade choice and number of blades would work for me.
the rough unpolished scales I would prefer (compared to a slick / polished bone knife; even if jigged).
I'd use that knife
. . . well if it weren't for the totally unacceptable action. I would fix THAT or throw it over the neighbors house into the next block if I couldn't. (I'm kidding about the latter.)

Thanks for posting this !
 
That does look bad- very bad, and I hate to see this to be honest folks, as a guy who walked the streets of Sheffield visiting every street where these once amazing Cutler firms stood (many buildings still standing ) with our one and only Jack Black.
Sheffield were as good as it gets, long before U.S.A even started to think about manufacturing even table Knives.

Jack black knows exactly who is operating and where their status of survival is, I know that he has knives commissioned by A.Wright & Son and these Knives are just fantastic, in fact Jack has shared inside visits to the Factory where they still to this day hand make their Knives, I havent seen an A.Wright look like this knife I can tell you!

In the past I have seen older ERA knives from Sheffield and they were the typical Sheffield outstanding Quality, it makes me wonder just who actually assembled this knife- was this a parts Knife put together outside the Company when changing hands? its obviously a newer Knife because of the Brass Bolsters etc, but it will be interesting for Jack to come in and see this, as his comments will be the most knowledgeable.
 
I haven't seen Nickel silver look that yellow before!! None of my Knives I own that have Nickle Silver are that Yellow - must be the lighting
 
Many years ago I had some cast "German" silver that was really yellow...I think the late afternoon sun may have affected the color somewhat, but they are noticeably more yellow than the liners.
 
I believe I would have chunked that piece into deep water a long time ago just so I would not have to view it ever again!
 
afishhunter said:
It looks like that one was put in the out box by "oops" before it was even half finished.
Click to expand...
LOL! That would have been quite an oops! The fact that it is not fully finished and the action has had little or no remedial attention may indicate that it was originally tossed by the cutler and someone pulled it from the trash heap.
 
Gives good knives a bad name. What do you do with something like that???
 
Campbellclanman said:
was this a parts Knife put together outside the Company
Click to expand...

I think you've hit the nail on the head Duncan. To me it looks like a parts knife that someone not a cutler has tried to assemble. What ever it is it's definitely one screwed up knife how did you come by it?
 
That looks like it was put together in a shed by someone who scavenged the parts from the bins of old cutlery factories, or bought knackered old knives on market stalls, and then bodged them together. I've seen plenty of badly-made post-WW2 Sheffield knives, but nothing remotely like that. I don't believe it was made by a cutler, because why would a cutler make something he wouldn't get paid for, and who on earth would buy that piece of junk? The fact the tangs have a stamp means very little, and it could have been put together anywhere.
 
eisman said:
I'm almost embarrassed to admit to owning this POS. True Sheffield made, and indicative how how far the apple can fall. This is a perfect example of what not to do. It should never have left the bench...
Click to expand...

And when do you think it left the bench? It's been a good while since anyone used the ERA mark in Sheffield. James Barber registered the era mark in 1802, and the firm ran until just before WW1, when the marks were acquired by Thomas Ellin, and in turn, in 1945, together with all the other Ellin marks, by Joseph Elliot. It would be interesting to know how you came by this piece of junk, which might tell us more about its provenance than the tang-stamps. Strange-looking pattern altogether. If this knife had come out of a factory, it's unlikely that EVERYTHING would be so absolutely awful about it, because the different parts of the manufacturing process were done by different people. This knife has clearly been put together by one individual I think. In my opinion, this knife says absolutely nothing about the quality of knife production in Sheffield today, it simply indicates that someone sold you a piece of junk. I hope you intend to get your money back :thumbsup:
 
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I picked it up a while back. Not enough into it to make it worth doing anything with. Actually bought it because it was cheap and a pattern I like (single spring with two usable blades). But frankly it's not even good enough to go in my junk drawer on the bench. One of these days I may take it apart, but I've got many more worthwhile projects waiting.

I just thought you guys might like to see something different...

Whoever put this together knows less than I do about slipjoints and handwork. But I really hope someone has helped them to learn better.
 
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