India Steel Works question.

sceva

sceva

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I have seen several references that say that John Primble India Steel Works knives were made from Iron / steel imported from India. I find that hard to believe myself and wonder where it came from? I suppose that someone took the India Steel Works at face value since it sounds exotic, added 2 and 2 and came up with 5 myself.

In the pre 1940 India steel works days did Belknap make their own knives? I know the post 1940 Primbles were contracted from various contractors.
 
I too have seen references to this and I believe to be authentic, Like our friend Lambertiana says they were a not a manufacturer.
Check out this here...

John Primble & Belknap Hardware

John Primble Belknap Hardware History & Information Article
www.allaboutpocketknives.com www.allaboutpocketknives.com

I hear ( not Belknap ) that the knives made in India vis Sheffield were quite the amazing Knives.
 
I honestly think that was a trademark that had nothing to do with knives made in India. I know of no hardware companies in the U.S., or any other businesses for that matter who sold regular US pocketknives made in India save for places that sold cheap copies of knives that were sold as near counterfeits of legitimate Sheffield firms. Most all of the Primble India Steel Works knives were made in Sheffield, Prussia, or the U.S., with the majority from U.S. firms such as Russell and L. F. & C (early ones) and later by Schrade, Case, Utica, Napanoch, and Camillus.

Eric
 
ea42 said:
I honestly think that was a trademark that had nothing to do with knives made in India. I know of no hardware companies in the U.S., or any other businesses for that matter who sold regular US pocketknives made in India save for places that sold cheap copies of knives that were sold as near counterfeits of legitimate Sheffield firms. Most all of the Primble India Steel Works knives were made in Sheffield, Prussia, or the U.S., with the majority from U.S. firms such as Russell and L. F. & C (early ones) and later by Schrade, Case, Utica, Napanoch, and Camillus.

Eric
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For what it's worth, I concur with Eric. "India" would have been a trademark, only. Nobody was having serious technical work done in India In that time frame.

Here are some comments on the topic from Bernard Levine. He said Belknap was strictly a wholesaler.
 
I don't think for one minute that the Belknap Knives, nor any other pocket knives were made in India, as the op stated he didn't believe the Steel was imported from India, I recalled reading it was - I do remember reading articles about the steel being brought in from India (as that article I posted above mentions) whether that is true I don't know.

The Knives I referred to that were made in India that were meant to be quite nice knives, were from the "British India" era were Fixed Blades being made with the obvious Sheffield connections in these countries- those were the Knives I was referring to that were meant to be rather decent knives, again, I do not know this personally but do remember being intrigued by this when I read it.

I had this link saved when I was scrolling one day, and this chap in England is very much into his collecting of Swords, the History and how to use these weapons as they did in the day, a guy who seems to take his interests very seriously.

He talks a lot about the type of these Indian " Bowie Knives / Hunting Knives" and throughout the YouTube video shows some interesting knives from that Indian era ( not all of them his), and talks to his audience in a nice relaxed manner - it's worth a look, he seems a genuine interesting guy into his thing like we are into ours.

All this has nothing at all about Primbles India Steel Brand name from the OP. I think people took me wrong when referencing the Indian made Knives that were meant to be fairly good knives.

 
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Duncan I wasn't referring to your post at all buddy, just speaking in general terms about the chances of knives (or steel) made in India winding up as major sales items at Belknap. They had access to the same products far closer to home so if nothing else cost and access in case of shortages would have been very prohibitive. That was a very enjoyable video BTW, now I'm obsessed with finding out who Austin was. Beautiful knives.

Eric
 
Hey Eric!
My friend anytime you talk about knives is a great read or listen.
I was concerned that everyone who read this thought Duncan thought that Primble knives with the India Steel brand were made in India 😂

So Eric, you think the chances of importing any kind of steel from India was whispers in the Wind and not factual? It makes perfect sense what you are saying.
I have one of my favourite Harness Jack Knives with the India Steel Tang stamp - and I thought because of the Punch it may be either Wostenholm of LFC. It really has me intrigued this knife.
 
Campbellclanman said:
Hey Eric!
My friend anytime you talk about knives is a great read or listen.
I was concerned that everyone who read this thought Duncan thought that Primble knives with the India Steel brand were made in India 😂

So Eric, you think the chances of importing any kind of steel from India was whispers in the Wind and not factual? It makes perfect sense what you are saying.
I have one of my favourite Harness Jack Knives with the India Steel Tang stamp - and I thought because of the Punch it may be either Wostenholm of LFC. It really has me intrigued this knife.
Click to expand...

I may be wrong, but what little steel industry that existed in India 100 years ago was devoted to local consumption. I find it unlikely that Indian steel was imported into the US when there was such a strong steel industry here.
 
I don't think so either. What I think happened is that someone, somewhere, came up with the Steel imported from India line and it got repeated with out verification by others as fact. I believe India Steel works sounded exotic and different but was only hype.
 
lambertiana said:
I may be wrong, but what little steel industry that existed in India 100 years ago was devoted to local consumption. I find it unlikely that Indian steel was imported into the US when there was such a strong steel industry here.
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Thats totally untrue. India has a long history of steel production going back to about 200 BC (most of the Wootz blades produced in the middle east used crucible ingots from India, and high quality steel was exported through trade routes to places ranging from eastern Europe to Indonesia and China), with modern production dating to the 1870s during the time of British Colonization.
100 years ago Mumbai was the home of the largest steel manufacturing plant (Tata Iron and Steel) in the British Empire.
I think its quite possible that some of that steel found its way to England and the makers in Sheffield.
 
Arathol said:
Thats totally untrue. India has a long history of steel production going back to about 200 BC (most of the Wootz blades produced in the middle east used crucible ingots from India, and high quality steel was exported through trade routes to places ranging from eastern Europe to Indonesia and China), with modern production dating to the 1870s during the time of British Colonization.
100 years ago Mumbai was the home of the largest steel manufacturing plant (Tata Iron and Steel) in the British Empire.
I think its quite possible that some of that steel found its way to England and the makers in Sheffield.
Click to expand...
WIth shefield having their own steel plants i cant see why they would import from India,it wouldn't be cost effective at all.im sure the knife makers would of had a good working relationship with there fellow city man as not to go abroad, but stranger things have happened
 
Since the knives were being made for Belknap by American cutlery companies, as per Bernard Levine, the steel would have been the steel normally used by those companies. That is how such things are done, even today.
 
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