Newbie to slipjoint lingo. Other questions too.

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Omega Leather Works

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Jun 13, 2007
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Hi guys. Usually I spend enough time in one place to pick up on the meaning of different terms for whatever it is that I'm interested in. I can tell that you guys are a very welcoming and kind lot overall so I figured I'd just ask straight away.

What is "walk and talk"?
Bare end?

Any other lingo that is common to traditionals that isn't frequently used for other knives?

Also, are there any brands that I should stay away from?

Which companies make the best whittling/carving folders in your opinion and which models?

Thanks!
 
Hey, Strigamort - really tough question - lots and lots of good companies for whittling knives - GEC, Case, Buck, Boker etc..
The important thing really (IMHO, of course :) ) is to look around and see what appeals to you, and then start trying them. It's such a personal decision - what works for one person, well you know how it is...
But, all that said, some of my favorites include GEC #61 and #62, GEC #57 Geppetto Whittler, Boker Carvers Congress, Case med. Stockman 63032, Case Peanut.
 
Strigamort said:
Hi guys. Usually I spend enough time in one place to pick up on the meaning of different terms for whatever it is that I'm interested in. I can tell that you guys are a very welcoming and kind lot overall so I figured I'd just ask straight away.

What is "walk and talk"?
Click to expand...
Refers to the action of the opening and closing of the blades. Tight/loose, smooth/rough, snappy/sluggish, strong/weak, crisp/sloppy.

Bare end?
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Most traditional knives have bolsters, the metal part of the handle that strengthens the pivot. If the knife has blades at both ends, both are bolsters. If it's a jack with blade(s) only at one end, but a metal "butt", it's called a cap. If there's no metal cap, just the bone/wood/etc handle material, that's a bare end. If there's no metal the ends of the handles at all, it's called a shadow pattern.

Here's a good link for terminology specific to traditional knives.

http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/pocket-knives/knife-terminology/

Also, are there any brands that I should stay away from? !
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Newer Camillus and Schrades are a poor imitation of the American made knives they used to be. The companies went under, the names were purchased, and slapped onto a far inferior product made in China. If you want a Schrade or Camillus, make sure it was made in the USA.

Bear & Sons don't have a very favorable reputation, despite being made in the USA.
 
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Good Info.
Just sold all my modern knives & have jumped head first in to Traditional knives my self. Thanks Planterz good info.
 
Just another thought on the whittling knives - nice and thin secondary blades can be a plus - the GEC #57 really shines here...
Queen is another good brand, but I'm told they need a lot of thinning to become good whittlers.
Rough Rider is a good way to try out different patterns, blade combos, sizes, etc on the cheap...
 
Excellent stuff guys!

I especially like the GEC link. I find it interesting that terms from traditional knives have made their way to the "new school" but aren't necessarily used the same. For instance, gimp (which I always thought was spelled "jimp") is universally used to mean the grip for the thumb on the top of most tactical folders. Then there's choil. While I've always thought of it as it is, the small notch behind the cutting edge meant to ease sharpening, most other users would say (and even argue) that it's what I call a "finger" choil, and I'm sure most of you know what those are. Spyderco in particular using them frequently.

Okay, I've got a much firmer grasp on what these knives are about. There are all of the various nuances between brands and blades and whatnot that will keep me busy indefinitely, but at least I have a running start. ;)
 
Thanks for that link, Planterz.
I just learned that I've been saying liner when I mean scale, and scale when I mean cover.
 
Not meaning to try and co-opt the OPs thread, I've had a question lately that I think would fit in here. Strigamort, hope you don't mind! If Strig or a mod feels this is derailing and wishes me to make a separate thread instead I fully understand an will comply.

Silliest of the silly questions, but do slipjoints have an actually spring, such as a compression spring inside? Knowing they have a backspring I assumed they do. All I know of the backspring is what it looks like, the bars of metal between the liners on the back of the knife. I've only seen the internals of slipjoints in a couple of photos though, while they were being built, and all I see for the spring was a piece of steel with seemingly no space for a spring.

So, is there an actual spring inside, or is the backspring just a flat bar of steel that rubs against the tang, creating a spring-like effect through friction/tension?
 
There are no coil springs in a slipjoint, but the backspring is a flat spring which bends to put tension on the blade as it opens and closes.
 
One of the high aspirations of knife collecting can be old Remingtons. Make sure you differentiate between an OLD Remington and a Camillus made Remington. Camillus made Remingtons are well made knives in their own right and collectible, but they're not THE old Remingtons. Also, someone can correct me, but I believe that Camillus went out of business about ten years ago or so. You have to be careful with Remington stamped knives, they are made by Bear and Sons now. Most of them are really pretty to look at, but if you want a real working knife, they don't hold a candle to the Camillus made knives of the 80's to earlier 00's. As has been said, the Bear and Son made knives are not high quality. Remember, just because it's cheap, doesn't mean it's bad; just because it's expensive, doesn't mean it's good.

Get a subscription to Knife World too, you'll learn a lot and have a good time reading the knife newspaper.
 
Another term that comes to mind is crinking. Blades that share the same backspring are crinked, or slightly bent/twisted, to allow clearance for them to open and close without hitting each other.

A characteristic of Whittler patterns are split backsprings. This three blade pattern has the secondary blades at the opposite end from the master blade. Each secondary blade has it's own spring at that end of the knife, while the master blade uses both springs together at the other end. There is a wedge shaped liner that separates the two secondary blades. Whittlers can be found on many different frames in a wide variety of blade configurations. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, look here to see a good example.

I'm not 100% certain, but I seem to recall reading somewhere that the term originated from the way these were made a long time ago. The spring was made from a single piece of steel and one end was split to make it into two. It was later changed to two separate pieces for reliability and ease of manufacture.

That said, you can use just about any knife you want for whittling/carving. Many people like to have at least one straight edge and one that is curved. It can also help to have a short blade for good control over precise cuts. A narrow blade is nice for tight spots. The most important thing overall is to have something that is comfortable to hold and use. Common choices are Whittler, Congress, Swayback, and Stockman patterns.
 
You new guys should read this thread carefully - slipjointish is somekind of tricky somehow...

Sorry for my stupidity ... it´s just a joke.

One more term from my side on the Whittler Pattern in general. Some of the Whittlers have so called Split Springs, that means that the the tang of the mainblade is really thick and two different springs run on the mainblade, while these two blades are getting splitted when it comes torward the secondary blades of the knife.

And there are terms on fixed blades as well... but this is not topic ...
 
I'm also rather new to slip joints, and threads like this will help me shorten the learning curve.

Thanks Strigamort and to those replying .
 
Nonamednomad: make your own thread!

Just playing of course, let it be known from here forward anyone is forevermore welcome to add questions or derail any and all threads that I might create. It really doesn't bother me. :) I haven't been around this long by gettin bothered by stuff. :p

Also, I would have called them scales too without the heads up in the link. Covers... There's more lingo to this than I had originally thought.
 
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