"Old Knives"

Augie said:
For as big a company as Russell was they are a hard knife to find in decent condition, barlows are fairly common but jacks and other patterns are uncommon. Picked up a 3 3/8" 2 blade bony jack, straight line tang stamps which are hard to find on a jack. All steel construction, still tight and snappy. I like Russells a lot, my Dads family were all from the Greenfield Mass area.


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Wonderful score, John!! Hardly used!!!:cool:


In my HJ wanderings, I have located a few Russells!!Russell ebony HJ.jpgRussell 3 HJ.jpgRussell HJ frt.jpg:)
 
waynorth said:
Thank you, John!! And I wish there were more of them around!! But of course they wouldn't be as rare!!! Ha Ha!!
Notice those HJs have three different punches - three different ages, and no straight line stamps!!!
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I had noticed the curved tang stamps but not the 3 different punches, pretty neat detail. Russell probably made all their own punches with the manufacturing capability they had.
 
Augie said:
For as big a company as Russell was they are a hard knife to find in decent condition, barlows are fairly common but jacks and other patterns are uncommon. Picked up a 3 3/8" 2 blade bony jack, straight line tang stamps which are hard to find on a jack. All steel construction, still tight and snappy. I like Russells a lot, my Dads family were all from the Greenfield Mass area.


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So cool !
 
waynorth said:
Wonderful score, John!! Hardly used!!!:cool:


In my HJ wanderings, I have located a few Russells!!View attachment 2659804View attachment 2659805View attachment 2659806:)
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Augie said:
Thanks Charlie, love your harness jacks, wish good Russells were easier to find.
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I just have this one, with a lot of sentimental value:

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Hello.
I picked up this knife at a local flea market.

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The blades were hard to open. The springs weren't working.

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There was rust everywhere.

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30 minutes with WD-40 and a small brass brush, then an hour and a half with a leather belt and white Dialux.

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All the blades open and close with a distinctive clank. The springs came to life and work.

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The rust is gone.

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I would appreciate it if someone could help me determine the year this knife was made.
 
I was working at an auto body shop outside Chicago today and noticed an old knife on a shelf in the office. Not on display. Just on some stacks of paper and other dusty items.

I asked if I could check it out and take some photos.

I didn’t have a lot of time so an old Oldsmobile Cutlass under a cheap car cover had to act as the background. I apologize for the rushed photos.

The owner is from Bulgaria and not a knife guy at all. He was shocked that it’s probably over 100 years old (quick Google search). Maybe closer to 130.

I gave him some tips on oiling it and cleaning some of the scaly bits.

I was able to clean just enough of the tang stamp with a gray scotch pad to make out the stamp.

MARSHALL
FIELD & CO
CZECHO-
SLOVAKIA

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