"Old Knives"

[galvanic1882]

Nice one Mike

 

[james counsellor]

Top shelf Mike

 

[danno50]

Beautiful knife all around, Mike. Seems to me like Challenge used a lot of different varieties of jigged bone. I would love to find one someday that still has blade etch.

 

[paulhilborn]

Here's a Challenge English Jack 4 1/2 closed. Light use. Very strong snap.

Beautiful Mike

 

[Campbellclanman]

Holy Smoke!!!

Mike - That's an outstanding Knife, Beautiful Challenge!!!

 

[Luger1952]

Mike, outstanding etched Challenge English jack Love that long divot jigged bone!

 

[Augie]

Wonderful Challenge Mike, they sure made some great knives. Here is one with similar bone, Challenge had several types of jigging, all of them were very nice.

 

[danno50]

Nice one, Augie.
Here is a Challenge with some different jigging.

 

[Mike Robuck]

Thanks guys for the nice comments. Great looking knives Danno and Augie. I guess men were really men back in the day. I struggle to get the main blade open without getting a bloody nose.

 

[waynorth]

Here's a Challenge English Jack 4 1/2 closed. Light use. Very strong snap.

Super-Sweet, Mike!!! Real nice capture!!

 

[Mike Robuck]

Thanks Charlie!

 

[tongueriver]

delete

 

[james counsellor]

Here is a Honk Falls. I initially photographed my knives on this grid paper for a project I’ve been working on. My thinking was that readers would be able to tell things like closed and open length knowing the grid squares are 1/4 inch. I’ve since changed my mind as I think the pictures look a little cold like this. I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on this. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks
Jay

 

[waynorth]

In my opinion, I like the fact that you are photographing the knives straight-on!
(as much as possible). You are getting the least distortion of the dimensions!
Portraying them from the Mark side, thusly, gives the best information about the size, shape and other characteristics; and it is a traditional method for good reason!!
The graph paper is a help, if you are studying the patterns. However in a less formal sense, you can "warm" the pics up, and make them more attractive with other, plain backgrounds.
The grid/texture makes them less attractive, and is distracting, even though you are preserving the proportions.
A warmer, less textured background is definitely more attractive to the eye, and enhances the aesthetics of the knife!!

 

[james counsellor]

Thanks Charlie. I value your opinion. That is a great knife by the way. Nothing like stag and a factory edge!

 

[waynorth]

You are welcome, and thank you, James!! I like seeing your knives a lot, coming from such a careful and dedicated collector!!

 

[Fodderwing]

Nice old knives everyone My favorite thread on the forum.

Every now and then Ebay coughs up an old unusual knife. I landed this McPherson Brothers Glasgow ivory whittler the other day, 3 3/4", tang stamped on all blade with a Silver King tang stamp on the pile side of main.
From what I can find McPherson Brothers were a cutlery, silversmith, sporting goods firm in Glasgow Scotland. Apparently, and I could be wrong,Silver King was stamped on their knives and Silver Steel was stamped on their razors. One link with some information from 1891.

http://www.glasgowwestaddress.co.uk/1891_Book/McPherson_Brothers.htm


View attachment 1417405 View attachment 1417406 View attachment 1417407 View attachment 1417409

John have you been able to determine when Mcpherson Brothers stopped making folding knives? All I can find is c1910.

 

[Augie]

John have you been able to determine when Mcpherson Brothers stopped making folding knives? All I can find is c1910.

Dwight, I have not been able to find out anything more about Mcpherson Brothers, they appear to have been a fairly large retailer so I'm surprised there is so little out there on them.

 

[Augie]

Added another bone Jumbo jack this week. A 4" Valley Forge, built like a tank, has an arched tang stamp and the VF in a circle on both the main and the pen. interestingly enough it has 5 pins on the pile side and 6 if you include the 2 shield pins on the mark side. Remnants of the Valley Forge etch.

 

[Luger1952]

John, wonderful Jumbo Jack It does look like a handful! Boker who owned Valley Forge started adding the VF in a circle in 1916 with a curved tang stamp. The straight line tang stamps with no VF in a circle are older knives or made prior to 1916. Boker bought Valley Forge in 1902.