Okapi

[oregon]

An Okapi is a short bizarre looking giraffe residing in the Congo...No, wait, ahhh...this is a knife forum.

link to the animal, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi

Okapi is two Lese words jammed together: Oka is a verb meaning to cut and Kpi is a native arrow marking revealed by fire.

link to the knife, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okapi_(knife)

My latest Okapi knife, new old stock, from 1950's Germany. Happily purchased for $5 from a knowledgeable friendly vendor at OKCA this spring. Who has photos of the earlier version(s), Okapi knife production began in 1902? I would love to see them pretty please.

Some photos for your amusement:

Note the Okapi animal (with stripes like those on native arrows), stamped into the blade, that was discovered by expedition and officially classified as Okapia johnstoni when the knives started production.

Okapi knives today are produced in South Africa, and have been since 1988, and I hope that they are produced for a thousand years.

link to Okapi.com site with lots of pics, I downloaded their product line and want the small 440C skinner fixed blade with warthog tusk handle, http://www.okapi-knives.com/Knives.html

The photo library @ Okapi, well worth a look: http://www.okapi-knives.com/downloads/knives_Catalog_18-06-2007.pdf

oregon

 

[Ice Tigre]

Is there a purpose for the scale-less gap down the one side? No lever/lock release at the bolster like some knives, so it is not a exposed spring... Or is it??

G.

 

[oregon]

Good question.

The exposed metal on one scale is similar to the leverlock shot puller of which this appears to be a copy. Like the 8" "Hunting Seigfried" pictured in the leverlocks at AB Coltellerie.

The pictured knife only has a back spring so it is only cosmetic.

World Knives has a few of the pictured knives. Perhaps they were my vendor at OKCA and I didn't know it. I had to paw thru quite a pile to find one that was intact and w/o rust.

oregon

 

[puukkoman]

That's a neat old Okapi. I've only ever seen the wooden-handled ones.

 

[YayILikePie]

That's a neat old Okapi. I've only ever seen the wooden-handled ones.

Same here. Picked one up from ragweedforge for around $7, I think. When people say that they're roughly finished, man, they sure aren't joking about it. The wood is chipped and splintered all over and the edge geometry is a bit wonky. Had to take it to a stone and grind away before I could get a decent working edge. Makes me kind of wish I spent a little extra and picked up a Rough Rider.

 

[oregon]

That's a neat old Okapi. I've only ever seen the wooden-handled ones.

Thank you puukkoman.

I was looking for a shotgun shell puller knife and the Okapi caught my eye. There is a rich history of cutlery to be found and its a gas when you are lucky enough to be able hold it in your hand.

You might enjoy Okapi item numbers: S004 and S005. Brilliant looking fixed blade skinners. The first one has a handle of warthog tusk and blade of 440C. pdf of a great many Okapi Knives: http://www.okapi-knives.com/downloads/knives_Catalog_18-06-2007.pdf

I tried emailing Okapi in South Africa but the emails are returned by the mailerdemon... I want that S004 (wish it had the S005 blade). However, both are probably historical pieces not available today.

oregon

 

[oregon]

Same here. Picked one up from ragweedforge for around $7, I think. When people say that they're roughly finished, man, they sure aren't joking about it. The wood is chipped and splintered all over and the edge geometry is a bit wonky. Had to take it to a stone and grind away before I could get a decent working edge. Makes me kind of wish I spent a little extra and picked up a Rough Rider.

I've had better luck with such knives picking them out personally at the shows. Blade West is next here (Portland, OR) in September.

The Rough Rider Elephant Toes I found are terrific. They clean up good.

oregon