"Old Knives"

Hibbard Spencer Bartlett Half Whittler

"3 1/4 " closed, spear main in place of more common wharncliff in this handle, blade etch a difficult scan reads " Elkhart Packing Co.", unused. Hafted in bookmatched pearl whose eye runs completely from end pin to end pin on both scales. Relatively uncommon on factory knives"

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That's gorgeous - thanks for showing it!

VCM3 said:
Hafted in bookmatched pearl whose eye runs completely from end pin to end pin on both scales. Relatively uncommon on factory knives"
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Interesting. I've never heard that usage of the word 'eye' before. I assume it refers to the pearl's "fire"?
 
Vince: love the half-whittler. Could the frame be considered a "dog-leg"? Also, what is that finish on the blades?

Thanx,
Mike
 
Mike, I'm pretty sure the etched side of the main blade on this knife,is what they called crocus polish & the other side of it & the small blade,glazed finish.

Not so sure of the frame description/name.Sometimes I've seen it referred to as warncliffe,although,I'm not sure that's correct.either

If you look in the beginning few posts of this thread,now 100 pages,I make a statement,that to collect these knives,you really gotta know some stuff.So much stuff..like a vintage slipjoint detective,or something.

A lot of members have posted a lot of great old knives,adding here & my hat's off to all
-Vince

One more I forgot to show,of it

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1fartsmella said:
Vince, I'd bet that Hibbard was made by New York Knife Co.
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You are probably correct.The owner of it,my friend,seems to have an eye,and a knack,for obtaining rare ,and quality vintage knives.
-Vince
 
I've seen that pattern called a serpentine sleeveboard in the mid-1930s Schrade catalog.. Real nice!!
 
Found a nice old Keen Kutter user today at the local flea market! Just love those old peachseed scales and long pull blade!

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ScottK said:
Found a nice old Keen Kutter user today at the local flea market! Just love those old peachseed scales and long pull blade!

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That's a beauty! I wish I could find stuff like that at the flea market, all we have around here are cheap imports.
 
A few Bokers:

The middle one belonged to my great-grandfather. The top one was his brother's. The third one is a family piece as well, but I have no idea who it belonged to. The blades are fairly loose in the bottom one, but the other two have plenty of 'snap' on opening and closing. If I wasnt afraid of losing them I know they'd last many more decades.

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Next is an older Sheffield. I can't be certain, but from what I gather this one was probably on the ship with my family when they came to the states.

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indian4 said:
If I wasnt afraid of losing them I know they'd last many more decades.
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Whenever I have a knife that I'm afraid of losing, I relegate it to house duty. I'll stick it in my pocket when I'm just puttering around the house, and it never leaves the premises. That way a valued knife still gets some use. It works pretty well as I haven't lost a knife yet.
 
" These were included in the survival kits of WWII Naval and Marine aviators from the inception of the war, and adopted by the U.S. Air Force much later on.Most were removed from the kits and put into daily service. This example is fresh from it's wax wrap, with all it's original grease still intact. A remnant of the waxed paper is still stuck to the corner of the one bolster. The wrapping was unfortunately discarded by the previous owner just prior to my taking custody. The massive sabre ground clip is retained in the open position via a traditional linerlock. It is ground from 3/16" stock.The stamped steel saw blade does not bear a nail nick; it is pulled open by the tab on its tip that extends past the steel bolster. It is sandwiched between two "tangs" and secured there with a single pin. The width of the complete assembly then matches that of it's spring. This knife is 6 " closed, 1 1/8" wide and 7/8" thick. Weighing in at 13 ounces and wider then a man's hand, I'm quite sure many saw duty as a hammer as well. Pictured next to a 4 1/2" IXL and a 3 1/2" NYK cattle knife for some sense of scale. You really need to see and feel one of these in person, it's like Paul Bunyan's pocketknife. Certainly not your typical Colonial. These were built by at least one other contractor as well, and some were fitted with a bail "

I had one of these once,it's a big honker,
-Vince

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Here's that size comparing shot.
-Vince
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My god! That thing's like a tree trunk! As usual, first rate photography brings to life a most unusual knife.
 
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