"Made in Sheffield" 1830-1930, A golden age ?

[ed_is_dead]

Lovely pen knife, Ed. I have been enjoying your posts in the old knives thread and was wondering when you might restart this Sheffield thread.

Thanks Danno
I think like yourself old knives carry some vague kinda mystique for me. Whilst I've liked (for some inexplicable reason) knives all my life, old ones carry something more than just a sharp edge.
The hands that made them, the people that used them and the lives they lived are gone, yet these artifacts remain.
Yeah that will be the second beer talking but for me that's the draw and its the principal reason I no longer bother with my little collection of supremely made gec knives. They are not artifacts and most won't ever be as they will never be used in ernest as a tool. Deffo second beer talking and I may be lynched for saying that haha.
Assuming the knife above is say 1850 (perhaps Jack Black can confirm?) that makes it 170 yrs old. The hands that made it lived a life and died by 1900 God rest him, and perhaps two users of the tool similarly thereafter. As veitsi_poika in the old knives thread said "If only the knife itself could tell us it's own history! I would love to hear of it's travels from Sheffield to your pocket"
I see you have an interest in puukkos, I must head over there and post my badly photographed small collection

 

[ed_is_dead]

 

[Jack Black]

Another beauty there my friend I'll try to catch up with this thread eventually, but at the moment I'm suffering with a trapped nerve in my lower back, and sitting at my desk is very painful for me

 

[ed_is_dead]

Another beauty there my friend I'll try to catch up with this thread eventually, but at the moment I'm suffering with a trapped nerve in my lower back, and sitting at my desk is very painful for me

Hi Jack, loads of turmeric and CBD may help, it did me for similar ailment. Hope you are back walking the hills soon.

 

[danno50]

As Jack said, another beauty!
Jack, I hope you can resolve your back issue. As with Ed, CBD oil has helped me with achy joints, although I am not sure about a pinched nerve?

I have this IXL whittler. I am quite sure it doesn't fit within the pre 1930 time frame this thread was started with, but I like it.

 

[Jack Black]

Hi Jack, loads of turmeric and CBD may help, it did me for similar ailment. Hope you are back walking the hills soon.

As Jack said, another beauty!
Jack, I hope you can resolve your back issue. As with Ed, CBD oil has helped me with achy joints, although I am not sure about a pinched nerve?

I have this IXL whittler. I am quite sure it doesn't fit within the pre 1930 time frame this thread was started with, but I like it.

View attachment 1477446 View attachment 1477447

Thanks a lot guys, I take turmeric daily, but have never looked into CBD oil. I'm not sure much works for a trapped nerve apart from time and gentle exercise. At the moment those are about the only options available to me I'm afraid, but I'll certainly be having a whisky later! That's a nice Whittler Dan

 

[ed_is_dead]

As Jack said, another beauty!
Jack, I hope you can resolve your back issue. As with Ed, CBD oil has helped me with achy joints, although I am not sure about a pinched nerve?

I have this IXL whittler. I am quite sure it doesn't fit within the pre 1930 time frame this thread was started with, but I like it.

View attachment 1477446 View attachment 1477447

Hi Danno
Thats sweet, love the stag and despite having a few whittler I've none with a wharncliffe like that. The serpentine shape adds to the appeal. Kind of reminders me of a butch version of the outstanding example posted in this thread by Wellington (Post 347 the TEW "Wharncliffe Knife")
Is it a split back?

 

[ed_is_dead]

Thanks a lot guys, I take turmeric daily, but have never looked into CBD oil. I'm not sure much works for a trapped nerve apart from time and gentle exercise. At the moment those are about the only options available to me I'm afraid, but I'll certainly be having a whisky later! That's a nice Whittler Dan

Jack the CBD I found good for neuropathic pain and helped pain management in general. Try and get it on paste form, full plant, at about 30 cbd concentration.

 

[JTB_5]

Mike Moran has been doing a bit of history on Sheffield cutlery. You can find it here.

 

[Jack Black]

Mike Moran has been doing a bit of history on Sheffield cutlery. You can find it here.

Some good links there, particularly Sally-Anne Taylor's Doctoral thesis

Stan Shaw once caught Ken Hawley taking a short-cut through his workshop at Kelham Island Industrial Museum, where the Hawley Collection is stored, so Stan changed the locks, fearing some of his tools might get pinched and end up in the collection!

 

[cudgee]

I'm not sure much works for a trapped nerve apart from time and gentle exercise

That just about sums a pinched nerve up.. I never tell anyone what to do, and never give medical advise unless somebody asks me. I have had issues with pinched nerves in my back for longer that i like. I have a couple of very gentle and easy exercises that a really good physio gave me years ago to try and relieve the pinched nerve. She said to try them every time my back started to play up rather than having to pay her every time, and they have helped me no end. Mate if you are interested to at least know what they are, PM me, they may help, but they may not help you, i don't know your situation.

 

[danno50]

Hi Danno
Thats sweet, love the stag and despite having a few whittler I've none with a wharncliffe like that. The serpentine shape adds to the appeal. Kind of reminders me of a butch version of the outstanding example posted in this thread by Wellington (Post 347 the TEW "Wharncliffe Knife")
Is it a split back?

Thanks for the comments Jack and Ed, and the likes.
Ed, it does have a thin, tapered brass wedge between the backsprings.
Thanks for the page of links, JTB_5.

 

[ed_is_dead]

It's

Thanks for the comments Jack and Ed, and the likes.
Ed, it does have a thin, tapered brass wedge between the backsprings.
Thanks for the page of links, JTB_5.

It's a very nice shape that to my eye Danno, enjoy it Three blade splitback whittlers are a fve of mine.
Here is a whittler that interested me, no splitback here rather just tapered backsprings with a captive brass divide for the file and pen blade.











You can just make out Encore, Turner and his Majesty. It's seen some use!
A question if I may. Does the brass dividing piece form the basis of the stop for the main blade? Seems a bit messy to allow blade rap form the stop but I have two more examples where this is the case!
In this example it's lost about 4mm of tip and someone inserted a well fitting piece of brass to meet the kick and stop the nail nick from sinking too low when closed. It's nicely done and looks to be there an age.

 

[r8shell]

There's something so classy and elegant about a narrow bar shield.

It's

It's a very nice shape that to my eye Danno, enjoy it Three blade splitback whittlers are a fve of mine.
Here is a whittler that interested me, no splitback here rather just tapered backsprings with a captive brass divide for the file and pen blade.











You can just make out Encore, Turner and his Majesty. It's seen some use!
A question if I may. Does the brass dividing piece form the basis of the stop for the main blade? Seems a bit messy to allow blade rap form the stop but I have two more examples where this is the case!
In this example it's lost about 4mm of tip and someone inserted a well fitting piece of brass to meet the kick and stop the nail nick from sinking too low when closed. It's nicely done and looks to be there an age.

If I understand your question correctly, I believe the brass spacer (catch bit?) is there to separate the secondary blades, and make up for the blades being of thinner stock than the springs.

 

[ed_is_dead]

There's something so classy and elegant about a narrow bar shield.

If I understand your question correctly, I believe the brass spacer (catch bit?) is there to separate the secondary blades, and make up for the blades being of thinner stock than the springs.

Hi R8shell
It is a nice wee thing that alright and carries well as it's thin.
Regarding the brass piece at the end, on this and two other whittlers I have it does as you suggest but also the main blade hits it when in the closed position before the kick meets the springs.
I don't know if this was designed that way as afterall it's dreaded blade rap (well just the last bit of edge before the tip) and seems out of step with the care they take to make these.
Perhaps a combination of wear but to solve it on my stag W Morton whittler I did as was suggested here and used a punch to extend the kick, worked nicely.

 

[r8shell]

Hi R8shell
It is a nice wee thing that alright and carries well as it's thin.
Regarding the brass piece at the end, on this and two other whittlers I have it does as you suggest but also the main blade hits it when in the closed position before the kick meets the springs.
I don't know if this was designed that way as afterall it's dreaded blade rap (well just the last bit of edge before the tip) and seems out of step with the care they take to make these.
Perhaps a combination of wear but to solve it on my stag W Morton whittler I did as was suggested here and used a punch to extend the kick, worked nicely.

I don't think they were designed that way, but suspect that after years of sharpening wear, the user may file down the blade's kick, in order to lower the blade and keep it from snagging one's pocket. (or maybe the kick can just wear down after years of use, depending on the hardness of the steel)

One more reason I always carefully close the blades on old knives, rather than letting them snap shut.

 

[danno50]

It's

It's a very nice shape that to my eye Danno, enjoy it Three blade splitback whittlers are a fve of mine.
Here is a whittler that interested me, no splitback here rather just tapered backsprings with a captive brass divide for the file and pen blade.











You can just make out Encore, Turner and his Majesty. It's seen some use!
A question if I may. Does the brass dividing piece form the basis of the stop for the main blade? Seems a bit messy to allow blade rap form the stop but I have two more examples where this is the case!
In this example it's lost about 4mm of tip and someone inserted a well fitting piece of brass to meet the kick and stop the nail nick from sinking too low when closed. It's nicely done and looks to be there an age.

Nice whittler, Ed.
There is no blade rap on my IXL, the kick keeps the blade well away from the backsprings. The master blade is not long enough to reach the brass divider.

 

[Will Power]

As Jack said, another beauty!
Jack, I hope you can resolve your back issue. As with Ed, CBD oil has helped me with achy joints, although I am not sure about a pinched nerve?

I have this IXL whittler. I am quite sure it doesn't fit within the pre 1930 time frame this thread was started with, but I like it.

View attachment 1477446 View attachment 1477447

It's a brave or even foolhardy man who dares date many Sheffield knives with any accuracy However, looking at it and the type of pattern I'd suspect it is within the time frame yes. It seems to have a feeling of good quality construction or even 'confidence' that later knives lack. The Stag is well worn which suggests carry yet the blades are mainly intact pointing to light cutting/sharpening. Nice pin setting & shield inlet plus the blades open out straight with no cant. I'm interested by the still visible blade etch, 'Civil Service ???' can't make out the last word? Some govt. issue to pen pushers or perhaps for the remnants of the fading Empire in the 1920s? A very attractive example.

 

[Will Power]

ed_is_dead a fine Shadow pattern you show there, I agree with Rachel, the Master hitting the catch-bit will be a later development due to sharpening relatively soft steel, the kicks are small and blades display sharpening. I view the tapered backspring to be very elegant and in keeping with Equal-End and Shadow construction.

 

[danno50]

It's a brave or even foolhardy man who dares date many Sheffield knives with any accuracy However, looking at it and the type of pattern I'd suspect it is within the time frame yes. It seems to have a feeling of good quality construction or even 'confidence' that later knives lack. The Stag is well worn which suggests carry yet the blades are mainly intact pointing to light cutting/sharpening. Nice pin setting & shield inlet plus the blades open out straight with no cant. I'm interested by the still visible blade etch, 'Civil Service ???' can't make out the last word? Some govt. issue to pen pushers or perhaps for the remnants of the fading Empire in the 1920s? A very attractive example.

Thank you for your comments, much appreciated. The etch says "Civil Service Can(ada, I assume)". I have tried, with no success, to research when the Canadian civil service handed out knives as awards.