I*XL mystery

P

Pocketknife

Joined
Jul 27, 2005
Messages
322
Hello, people....Schradites? Schradists? What would be a good title for Schrade people? :D

A recent thread mentioned I*XL knives as being Schrades. That twigged my feeble memory cells, and I fetched a chunky, old folding knife that lives in my winter coat. It says I*XL on it, but not Schrade. So, I am confused.

My question is, what does I*XL mean? Is it sort of a trademark, that more than one knife manufacturer is entitled to use?


Here are the knife's details, if this helps (I can take a photo if need be):

2 blades, both hinged on same side, both carbon steel: one 2" pen blade, one 2 5/8" spearpoint blade.

Handle appears to be stag or bone, dark brown.

Steel bolster that's stamped I*XL (the asterisk is actually a star).

Big blade tang is stamped on one side with:
I*XL (asterisk is a dot), George Wostenholm Sheffield England

Big blade tang is stamped on the other side with:
OIL THE JOINTS (I love that! I call it my "oil the joints knife"! :D )

Thanks very much in advance, for any clues, and have a good holiday weekend!
 
Schrader maybe?

I believe that the I*XL brand was registered and made by Wostenholm in Sheffield, England since 1787, long before the times of George Schrade. Schrade owned the company for a while, it now belongs to the Egginton Group:

http://www.eggintongroup.co.uk/

Luis
 
Thanks very much, Don! I had no idea the I*XL brand was that old....older than me, even!

I really like that old pocketknife. It's sturdy and takes a very sharp edge, too!
 
Schrade only owned IXL for approximately 4 years 76 - 80 approx. I EXCELL. We are called Schrade maso sadist ites. Schrade did not do well with this brand although I feel they made some of the finest knives Schrade ever produced. Among other things there were labor problems. Like when the big bosses came over from the USA and the workers were playing soccer during there lunch hour on the factory floor. It appears the brits were not overly impressed with the new colonial bosses. I love the brits. Cheers LT.
 
As Don Luis stated, your knife is a Wostenholm, not a Schrade Wostenholm. Schrade did own Wostenholm for a couple of years in the late70's, early 80's, and did make a series of knives with the names of both companies on them.

As for the I*XL, it's short for, "I Excell." With "Oil the joints" stamped on the tang, it was most likely made post WWII.

edit: Once again, I'm too slow on the draw. LT beat me to it.
 
Ya, LT, those Brits love their soccer! ("football", to them). They also drink warm beer, so I just don't know about them. :rolleyes:

Oh oh....I think that I may be becoming a "Schrade maso sadist ite", because now that I know a bit more about this I*XL thing, I want a Schrade I*XL knife! Help me! :D

Redshanks, thanks very much on your help in dating my old knife! :thumbup:
 
Don Luis said:
Schrader maybe?

I believe that the I*XL brand was registered and made by Wostenholm in Sheffield, England since 1787, long before the times of George Schrade. Schrade owned the company for a while, it now belongs to the Egginton Group:

http://www.eggintongroup.co.uk/

Luis
Click to expand...
And according to their website....they.... well....he....Well....
Egginton ey al. said:
Bowie Knives
Wostenholm's were instrumental in the development of the very first Bowie Knife acting on the instructions of legendary American frontiersman Colonel James Bowie Knife bearing the trademark was found on his body when he was killed defending the Alamo in 1836."
Click to expand...

And so now we know the ...REST OF THE STORY!!! :eek:

Codger
 
But... not in jolly old England

Please be aware that these are replicas for collectors only - under UK knife laws it is illegal to carry any fixed blade knife of more than 2.5 inches.
Click to expand...

I guess this is an export only item. It carries a 36 pound value added tax!!

Codger

PS: Don Luis, I know there are some really fancy art bowies made in Mexico. Can you show us one?
 
I often carry a Schrade IXL some of the readers may remember some pics and a post of my favorite. It is the largest Stockman ever made by Schrade. Does anyone remember? LT
 
I remember, LT. Easy for me to find in the past threads. Here it is:

"While looking for something else I found these two advertisments. These are the largest stockmen that Schrade produced the 858 OT Lumberjack was a little bit smaller than the IXL Schrade. Ithe IXL version is my favorite. It retailed for 100 even back then around 1980. the OT was 20 ( without sheath.). If memory serves the OT was around4, 5/8" and the IXL around 4,3/4" ( I should look these up before posting so that someone does not shove my guesses down my throat but what the heck I am used to being picked on ). These are great stockmen of wonderful quality but doggone the IXL version is like a disease ( with me ) rosewood scales, solid nickle silver bolsters, I buy them whenever I can. BUT REMEMBER the Lumberman is carbon and one of the biggest around. The IXL was limited to 8000 . Still because of the price and how pretty they were most you find today are still in the presentation box and pristene. I carry several styles of knives and this is one of them. If you can get over its prettyness it is a dandy user. The 858 ( as has been pointed out in various postings )is also a bit above the rest and being carbon can be used for anything and resharpened in about 5 swipes on a honesteel. LT. "
 
Codger_64 said:
... I know there are some really fancy art Bowie made in Mexico. Can you show us one?
Click to expand...
I only have a small one, in the middle in this picture, from Aragon in Oaxaca, on top is an advertisement card, both are from about 20 years ago.

The bottom knife is not a bowie and not that pretty but it is made in Mexico, I made it some 30 years ago, it worked fine until somebody misused it and broke the tip.

Luis

egqrea.jpg
 
muskrat man said:
jim bowie's origional bowie knife was hand forged by james black, here in the states.
Click to expand...
That is my opinion as well, Muskrat Man. I have handled and looked closely at the two knives provenenced as being made by Black, and talked with the curatorial staff as well when I was doing architectural survey of the Territorial Restoration in Little Rock.



Bowie #1



Carrigan Knife

These both fit the materials, skills, designs and time period of the pre-Alamo frontier work at Washington Post by James Black. A large bit of confusion was caused by the flood of Sheffield "bowies" to reach this continent after the fame of the Alamo fight spread. Even Solengin got in the act, and cutlers from the Northern States, as demand grew nationwide. Everyone wanted a "Knife Like Bowie's", even though no one really knew what it looked like. His brothers comissioned and sold/presented "genuine bowie knives" of many different designs. Like the Searles knife, and several that had origins from up and down the Natchez Trace.

Codger

Thanks for the picture Don Luis. The blade on the one is very ornate, as I have seen in the past from Mexico. And you only made the one knife? It looks like you had some skill in the art. I hope the abuser of your knife got a stern repremand (it wasn't you was it?).
 
Codger_64 said:
... I hope the abuser of your knife got a stern repremand (it wasn't you was it?).
Click to expand...
There's a long story about how that tip broke, to put it in a few words, a kid once broke into my apartment through a kitchen window, found the knife and used it to cut around the door to get out, broke the tip and left the knife on the floor. He got away but was caught later on a similar incident somewhere else, he was a minor from a dysfunctional family and ended up not doing time which was probably best for all, they lived nearby but moved out soon after that, I don't know (and really don't want to know) what was of them.

Those Bowies from Oaxaca are forged and acid etched, often with some slogan or saying, mine reads: "Por la buena seré noble", I think you speak Spanish, for those who don't the meaning is something like "if treated nice I'll be noble".

Luis
 
Here are some pics of a knife I picked up in Juarez. I bought a few, there were several variations on the blade etching. I bought them for some friends back here I have gotten some back as they have all passed away. These were tourist knives and were under five dollars a piece. Juarez was a fun town. even in the short amount of time I was there we had some amazing experiences. Now the other knife was an old IXL as you can see it has been rehandled I wonder if anyone recognizes what kind of a knife it is. LT PS you will notice on the IXL you can only see the IX because of the replaced handle.
 
Cool....

Handy if you need to manicure a horse.

"Para que son tantos brincos estando el suelo tan parejo".

"What is all the jumping for, the floor being so even".

Luis
 
Yes. Used by farriers when shoeing or reshoeing horses. A farrier's knife.
Most likely came with wood handles originally.
 
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