My first knife bought on eBay.

bernard_levine

bernard_levine

Platinum Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2000
Messages
16,473
I don't buy very many knives on eBay -- usually there's too much competition for anything halfway decent. But sometimes, in the wee hours of the morning, I get lucky. This is the first knife I bought on eBay. The seller had it listed as a "German Folding Bowie Knife." But somehow that did not quite fit...

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Stag handles. Duralumin (hard aluminum alloy) bolsters. Too cool
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BRL...

P.S. c'mon over and visit my forum.

And check out my "Knife Related Links Page."


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http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/links.htm

[This message has been edited by bernard_levine (edited 03-14-2000).]
 
Doesn't this sorta remind you of that old Marbles folder that also had the blade protruding even when closed?
Concerning Ebay-Sometimes you can find things there more easily and readily then
combing thru flea markets,shows,stores,etc.But this balisong silliness needs to stop. I've also seen balisongs recently "hidden" under other names.

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Tim

 
Wow, another genuine celebrity poster.

That is one very interesting balisong. The latch mechanism is especially interesting. Someone put a lot of thought into that. What a great piece.

Unfortunately, eBay keeps canceling balisong auctions these days. Oh well.

Those pictures are just great. Thanks for sharing those.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Do you think this knife is german? The construction details, the blosters and stag inserts held in with pins, what looks like a bent brass liner, etc. are very characteristic of Filipino handmade, FHM, knives. The blade shape is also very typical of FHMs.

I can't see any markings on the blade either in these pictures. You, of course, have much more experience than I do, but my experiece has been that the Germans usually mark their work but the Filipinos rarely do.

I'd love to hear your thoughts.




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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
Wow, nice find there Mr. L. Congratulations!

I should start looking around E-bay a little more often. Their "No Balisong" policy offends my senses though.
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Chuck, I'm with you on the latch design. Thats a nice little change to the standard latch lay-out.

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Clay
www.balisongxtreme.com
Because......
getting 'em open
is half the fun!
 
It's definitely from the Philippines. I have seen older (1880s) German "Springless Marvels" and they are differently made. I have an 1885 catalog and an 1880 patent that show these, and I will post the pics as soon as I FIND them
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Here are a couple of replies I got to earlier eMails about this knife, that help fill in a few of the blanks.


While I've got you on the line, take a look at this big butterfly knife (12" long open") I bought on eBay. The bolsters seem to be Duralumin, brass frame, hand forged blade, stag handles. Do you know if there is a special name for this style, with the extra-long blade? When (and where) do you suppose it was made? Also, I wonder if there is a technique for opening this type one-handed, without getting sliced by the point? - BRL...


Nice knife. It looks like it could come from the 1930s-40s(?) based on the patina on the stag handle and the metal bolsters and blade.
Yes, I know of three ways to open the piece with one hand and still keep the use of your fingers, though they obviously must be done very carefully with lots of practice. The construction appears to me to be based on an early American model while the workmanship seems to be Filipino (the "x" could be a type of old talisman like the kind used in the Moro lands). If it is truly Filipino, I would guess that this was most likely made in the Batangas province on the island of Luzon in the PI. My father (a full-blood Filipino) has told me that not only was that the traditional place to aquire knives but that you even see and hear folks working on the pieces underneath the nipa huts in the villages. I hope this helps a bit. - Jose


I was looking at your balisong, the one with the extra long blade out the handle.
Congrats on your purchase, it's been years since I've seen one. Fred Perrin of France is doing research on the knife. He calls it a Saber balisong. I've seen only one and the latch was on top of the handles, it was green and black.
Like Fred I've studied knife fighting and this blade allows the user to [use] the knife without opening it or to distract an opponent with a cut and then open the blade fully. This knife obviously was used with a sheath in a point down manner, the edge facing either the front or the back.
Fred Perrin has his own site (his name being the URL) and he's probably got more info.
Good luck. - Smoke



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http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/links.htm
 
I lost track of the balisong world about 20 years a ago and my interest has returned since joining Bladeforums and interacting with all of you.In any event I did see these around before and I even had an obsure paperback book on balisongs that had a few pages on this type. I've been trying to dig it up but its possible I don't have it any longer. If I remember correctly the author stated that this type was favored by skilled women but I have no idea if that was true or not.

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Tim

 
As promised above, here is the 1885 Bontgen & Sabin catalog page of "Springless Marvels" made in Solingen. The page is too big to fit on my scanner.

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And here is Bontgen & Sabin's 1880 patent. Its major innovation was to make each handle frame out of a single piece of metal bent into a [ profile.

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The butterfly knife concept itself was already at least a century old at that time, though not widely used. I had a French version which was probably made prior to the Revolution of 1789 (shown in Levine's Guide 4, page 316 top) -- although France did not go totally metric until the 1830s. The blade could either be opened conventionally, with the nail nick, OR as a butterfly, by unfolding the handles, which doubled as rulers. The knife was unmarked, but the rulers were graduated in French Royal inches.

BRL..


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http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/links.htm
 
These pictures are wonderful. You and I have got to get together. Perhaps I'll have to make one of the Oregon club's meetings sometime and we can talk.



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Chuck
Balisongs -- because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing!
http://www.balisongcollector.com
 
that sure is one beautiful knife. I would appreciate any help that some experienced knife enthusiasts could give me. I am new to the web and am still trying to frantically learn all I can about knives, self defence, etc. Any one who has any advice for me please email me at kwheeler3644@cs.com
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By the way, I'm planning on selling this knife at the Oregon Knife Show April 21-22, 2001 here in Eugene -- unless somebody buys it before then. If you're interested, send me an email...
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BRL...

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http://pweb.netcom.com/~brlevine/links.htm

[This message has been edited by bernard_levine (edited 02-22-2001).]
 
guess what...

I bought almost the same knife off ebay within the past month. It was listed as "Unique Phillipine bone handled folding knife" The condition is a little better, and it has a sheath, closed-point down.
8" weehawk blade and almost identical handles and latch. almost the same guard, too.
I'm pretty sure it's Phillipino, but you never know...
I'm wrestling with photopoint right now to try to get photos.

I for one think that ebay's policy sucks orange popsicles. I have been trying for several months to buy balisongs on ebay, but it's pretty tough. Sometimes they pull auctions right away, and sometimes they wait until the last minute.
I have been looking in all sort's of catagories for butterfly knives. Sometimes I'm lucky.

Email me with what you paid for yours, and I'll email you with what I paid for mine.

here's the links.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1480613&a=11494235&p=41769304
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1480613&a=11494235&p=41769307
 
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