"Old Knives"

Hoping everyone here has a Merry Christmas !
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Primble, I think I've said this before, but you either have the best looking old knives out there, or the best skills at photographing them. I'm pretty sure it's a combination of both. :D Great stuff!
 
Herder ,you know I like it.

Unique whittler Nick,I like the matching curved bar shield,and yes the handles are exquisite. The Wostenholm of Herder is black composition,and I might say done very well.

That's because you have good taste in old cutlery. :)
And you are right on the black composition.
 
There was a discussion some years ago in BRL forum as to what is "Black Composition". The outcome was "nobody seems to know". It is not Gutta Percha which is also black and looks similar to Black Composition".
kj

Yes, "black composition" has been a well kept secret.
 
This looks like the same Wostenholm as Herders knife along with a Schrade composite. Although the Wostenholm is much later than the use of Gutta Percha in Vicortian mourning jewelry it has faded to a very close colour and surface as gutta percha jewelry.

Best regards

Robin



Wonderful pair, and a nice background with that moss covered rock.
 
Nice knives. The Wostenholm with imitation stag appears similar to this one in a 1960s catalogue. Wostenholm used these scales as early as the 1930s. I have no information on the composition of the material.

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Right on the money smiling-knife. A mid 1930s Wostenholm catalog shows the Farmers Jack model offered in both "Stag" and "Patent Stag", but does not state what "Patent Stag" is. Obviously what we call rough black. After WWII, Wostenholm started using more Rough black than genuine stag on many of their knives, and had stopped using genuine stag altogether by the mid 1950s. They did however still offer genuine mother of pearl on some gentleman's knives, and smooth bone on some Barlow models.
 
Here is another post WWII Wostenholm with smooth black composition handles and is listed only as having "Black Handles" in several post war catalogs.

 
Wow Primble, top models Barlows
Thanks all for sharing

Mike

Primble, I think I've said this before, but you either have the best looking old knives out there, or the best skills at photographing them. I'm pretty sure it's a combination of both. :D Great stuff!

Beautiful array of old Barlows!!!

Thank you Mike, Barrett, and Neal ! :thumbup::)

Here is another post WWII Wostenholm with smooth black composition handles and is listed only as having "Black Handles" in several post war catalogs.


That is a real beauty Neal ! :thumbup::thumbup::)

OK - let me ask the black composition question another way. I have passed on a few knives in the past that had that material listed. I am anti-celluloid - don't want them in my house. I don't think the black composition is a form of celluloid, however, not knowing the composition leaves me wary of them. Have any of you guys ever heard of the black composition out gassing like celluloid? :confused::confused::D
 
OK - let me ask the black composition question another way. I have passed on a few knives in the past that had that material listed. I am anti-celluloid - don't want them in my house. I don't think the black composition is a form of celluloid, however, not knowing the composition leaves me wary of them. Have any of you guys ever heard of the black composition out gassing like celluloid? :confused::confused::D

Shrinking, yes. Out-gassing, no.

Celluloid was made with nitric acid. When it decomposes, the nitric acid is released. It is the nitric acid which damages the steel of the parent knife and those stored near it.

Other plastics are not made with nitric acid, so even if they were to decompose, no nitric acid would be released.
 
Whatever Wostenholm's patent stag was,I have seen little shrinkage .

Smiling-knife has a collection of these (patent stag,and a whittler in there as I recall :)) ,he can say more to the shrinkage than me.
 
I have 4 or 5 Wostenholms with the black imitation stag scales. They show very little if any shrinkage. This one is from the 1930s

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Man, I am behind again.

Mike, love the Wilbert swing guard, very nice.

Herder, thanks for all the catalog information on these old knives.

Rob, Merry Christmas, wonderful picture of some very nice Barlows, my favorite.

Lyle, beautiful vintage farmers jacks, what an amazing collection.

Pipeman, very nice pair of pruners also.

SK, nice Wostenholm, their composition stag was some pretty decent looking material.

I have one Wostenholm with the black composition, it displays no shrinkage.

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Beautiful knives shown here folks, its now 12:11 am Christmas morning here - my family is asleep- Im trying to wind down lol, but MERRY CHRISTMAS to the good folk here in old knives :thumbup: :D
 
Smiling Knife - LOVE the patina on that old knife !!

Augie - very nice FJ from across the pond !

Can't remember if I have ever shown these old John Primble India Steel Works Crown Jacks in this thread before. Just in case I haven't. :D

Merry Christmas to all !! :)

Picked bone:
1e45kg.jpg

65vh4g.jpg

and the black stag:
2irokl2.jpg

2wdoyzc.jpg
 
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