Military Clasp Knives

Nice Burma Knife Chui, certainly a lot easier to open! :D :thumbup: Having seen how dull they usually come, I was surprised the first time I sharpened one up, the steel was actually pretty good. I see an awful lot of these knives with broken back springs though. The maker is interesting, is there a tang stamp or just the stamp on the scale? There have been several Sheffield J. Halls, but all in the 19th century. I have an old Surgeon's folding knife made by one of the 'J.Halls's.
 
Jack Black said:
Nice Burma Knife Chui, certainly a lot easier to open! :D :thumbup: Having seen how dull they usually come, I was surprised the first time I sharpened one up, the steel was actually pretty good. I see an awful lot of these knives with broken back springs though. The maker is interesting, is there a tang stamp or just the stamp on the scale? There have been several Sheffield J. Halls, but all in the 19th century. I have an old Surgeon's folding knife made by one of the 'J.Halls's.
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- no, nothing at all, just the makers mark you see on the scale. At least with this nice old'un, they're street legal :)
 
Chui-888 said:
- no, nothing at all, just the makers mark you see on the scale. At least with this nice old'un, they're street legal :)
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Very interesting, I wonder if they were a London cutler? Yes, the fact that the average person would probably not be able to open the blade does not seem to be a defence under the law! :rolleyes: :D
 
- the Burma is legal size, so quite handy. I will give it a degrease and oil it up, it hasn't been touched for a very long time.

Presume the scales/materials are an early stainless steel....?
 
Jack Black said:
Stainless dates to 1913 :thumbup:
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- yes, the post-war stainless steels were furthered by the research during the war to make quality better in terms of corrosion resistance and strength.

It's only in the last 45 years that quality has really ramped-up.

Forgot to show this pic earlier, quite a difference in size...


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Thanks for sharing, Chui-888! That stainless number is pretty sweet, I hope it oils up and cleans up nicely for you. :thumbup:
 
Hello all

Long time & no post ;)

I picked this up at a Militaria fair. not a maker I've seen before & unusual bail.

Cheers

Dave

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Very interesting knife :thumbup: That's an unusual marking, and I've not seen a bail quite like that before, I wonder where it was produced?
 
Thanks for the information John, much appreciated :thumbup:
 
Hello

Yes it is a bit different thanks for the comments :) . I've got a few Belgian knives but I've never seen that maker before. The bail is rather odd, initially I though somebody had added it & it wasn't standard but the chap selling it had a few & they were all the same.

There's no date mark on it either, which again is a bit odd.

Cheers
Dave
 
Hello
I watched an old horror movie the other week "The vault of horror" dating from the early 1970's & a clasp knife has a minor role. There's a segment of it that has Tom Baker in & he uses a clasp knife to damage some paintings that have a voodoo type curse linked to them- you only see it fleetingly a couple of times but the spike & copper bail clearly identify them. It crops up on Freeview etc quite frequently, so keep a look out.
Bizarrely it was actually my girlfriend that spotted it & suddenly exclaimed "that's a clasp knife !" When it came on screen. Resistance as they say is futile:D
 
Etchy said:
I've got a few Belgian knives but I've never seen that maker before.
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Me neither. Looks like it was manufactured by Colasse - https://books.google.co.uk/books?id...KAhWEWz4KHY6BD08Q6AEIHzAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

Etchy said:
Hello
I watched an old horror movie the other week "The vault of horror" dating from the early 1970's & a clasp knife has a minor role. There's a segment of it that has Tom Baker in & he uses a clasp knife to damage some paintings that have a voodoo type curse linked to them- you only see it fleetingly a couple of times but the spike & copper bail clearly identify them. It crops up on Freeview etc quite frequently, so keep a look out.
Bizarrely it was actually my girlfriend that spotted it & suddenly exclaimed "that's a clasp knife !" When it came on screen. Resistance as they say is futile:D
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LOL! I'll look out for that one! :D :thumbup:
 
Jack - went to the Gembloux Knife Show last year (usually first or second w/e of November)

A wonderful experience, knifey delight mixed with French and Belgian character.

A great deal to see, including some very exquisite French Thier and Laguiole styles.

We stayed nearby overnight and had a good time and good wine.........a very worthwhile experience that we'll do again this year - and I promise to take pics this time.
 
That sounds like a fantastic experience Chui :thumbup:
 
Working on a seller with a 1950 Colin Winand clasp knife that needs a little TLC but seems fundamentally sound. I'll post back here if I can make him see reason. :p

Jack, what do you think would be most effective to clean off some surface rust without ruining the big 'ABL' etch or the tempering of the steel? I'd love to put this on display next to my '45 from your part of the old world. :D
 
TsarBomba said:
Jack, what do you think would be most effective to clean off some surface rust without ruining the big 'ABL' etch or the tempering of the steel? I'd love to put this on display next to my '45 from your part of the old world. :D
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If it's the same as mine, the 'ABL' is a stamp rather than an etch, so in that case, it shouldn't be a problem. Some of these knives have been very rusty when I've got them, but they've cleaned up surprisingly well with little more than a good spray of WD40 or 3-in-1 and a scrub with a green nylon pad, the sort of thing you might use to clean a frying pan. If the rust is very bad I might leave the knife soaking in oil for a while, and occasionally resort to other cleaners, but have rarely had to resort to anything more abrasive (such as 000 grade steel wool). Just take your time and use some elbow grease :thumbup:
 
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