Old Hawkbills?

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sandmountainslim

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Can anyone tell me a bit about the history of the Hawkbill pattern folder?
I picked up this Remington UMC model at a flea mkt and from the tang stamps it appears to be from the 20's or early 30's era.
I had two older gentlemen tell me people in those days carried them as weapons as well as tools because they would "rip" an opponent better than a traditional blade.
Any info or stories appreciated.

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i dont know who told you that, but i wouldnt really use a traditional hawkbill as a weapon. i can see the lethality of it, but its not really what its used for. if you need a weapon, get a fixed blade, or a locking blade at least.

as for the hawkbills, i love them. the tip at the end is very good for small tasks if you handle it right, and all the hawkbills i own are solid as rocks! if youre looking for a good working hawkbill, i suggest something along the lines of camillus for a locking blade, and case for a slipjoint.
 
I agree, the hawksbill is essentially a pruner. It is the pocket-sized offspring of the sickle.
 
Weapon? Nyet! Quel Idee! Oh HECK no!

We don't talk weapons in Traditional.

And I can't imagine anyone choosing to use a slip joint as a weapon, unless there were no alternative.

I used to carry a hawkbilled electrician's knife. I used it for exposing the wires in old Romex, the kind wrapped in paper and threads.
 
That's a very nice, peaceful-looking Hawkbill you have there!

And my grand-daughter occasionally peeks over my shoulder at this family-friendly thread!!
 
Is Sandmountain's knife rally a hawksbill? It looks to me like a sheepsfoot poorly sharpened.
 
The Hawkbill is a very old pattern indeed. Been used to prune for over a hundred years and made by many different makers in that time. Here's my old Hawkbill, A. FIELD & CO. PROGRESS brand. Snaps like a gator and I think these covers are rosewood. And yes, slim's knife is a Hawkbill.
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Beautiful Hawk Perry - one of my old John Primble ISW Hawkbills.:
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Goodness!!! To have one these like you have there, Primble, that would be fantastic! Look at that end cap, look at the peachseed jiggin and that rat tail bolster,,,,WOWEEE

Perry
 
I don't think anyone is suggesting that a hawkbill would be a viable choice as a weapon today. He simply said that two older gentlemen said they were commonly used that way back in the 20's and 30's. Back then, people used whatever was available. The old saying "Beggars can't be choosers" really rang true during the depression.
But I'm sure, the vast majority of them were used simply as a pruning tool, as designed.
 
Sweet Mercury! I didn't say "I have this sweet modern weapon called a Hawkbill". I said I have an old Remington UMC Hawk and some elderly men told me they were used that way years ago. One was a retired deputy from South Alabama who said he had a few calls in bars where men had been sliced up with them.
 
And you've posted enough in Traditional that you should already know that usage of knives as weaponry is outside the boundaries of this particular forum.
 
knarfeng said:
And you've posted enough in Traditional that you should already know that usage of knives as weaponry is outside the boundaries of this particular forum.
Click to expand...


Granted.

I am not looking for fighting tips or seeking combat just interested in the history of the pattern and it's origins etc.
I had found some online sources that says the pattern pre dates the US Civil War and it was a common knife during that era. I wonder if it is as old of a pattern as and English Barlow?
 
The vendor had two vintage pruners , this Remington and a Schrade-Walden with more of a gunstock shape. I picked the Remington because it had more life left in the blade. I am now wishing I had bought both. Liking the pattern more than I thought I would
 
This one is pre civil war likely, a grape vine pruner used in California, made in Sheffield. I couldn't buy if from the seller because he thought it was used in the civil war as a weapon.:D

Best regards

Robin
 
Hawkbill as a weapon.....yep! In the 40's Pompano Fl....city Blacks carried switchblades for stabbing & st.razors for slashing! Migrant workers carried melon testors & country Blacks carried Hawkbills as weapons! Had quite a number of fights on Sat.nights....Those who say Hawks as weapons....no way...then we should go to the cemetary & tell all those killed with a Hawk to stand up cause they ain't really dead! LOL!
Jim
 
We don't discuss knives as weapons in the Traditional forum. That was stated by knarfeng just a few posts back. Any instrument with a point or an edge has been used as a weapon at one time or another. Since the in thread warnings aren't working this is one getting closed.
 
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