"Old Knives"

[glennbad]

Never seen one with such a full blade. Amazing piece, Charles!

 

[Augie]

Nice old knives Charlie, Jack, Harry.

Did pick up this old Russell this week, pitted, initials cut in handle but it has a pretty full blade with good snap and only a tiny amount of play,pretty neat looking old rope knife.

 

[Old Engineer]

Nice old knives Charlie, Jack, Harry.

Did pick up this old Russell this week, pitted, initials cut in handle but it has a pretty full blade with good snap and only a tiny amount of play,pretty neat looking old rope knife.

I like the old Russell Augie !!!!

Harry

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks Augie, nice find :thumbup:

 

[Gevonovich]

Cool old piece, Augie. Thanks for the look:thumbup:

 

[chuko]

Another big NYKCo. This one is a lock back.
Charles

 

[wlfryjr]

Nice one John.

Charles,is that NYK swing guard stamped NYK or does it only have the pattern number on the back? The other two I've seen are marked such.

 

[Rostovsky]

 

[mike Berkovitch]

The Russell rope knife and NYKC lockback are eye candies. Thanks for sharing.
Here is a Sheffield split back spring whittler I got some times ago, 3 blades are stamped Dickinson EM Sheffield with a screw head logo. scales are probably well worn stag. It has interesting mechanism on the main blade to make the opening easy against the 2 springs. The end of the blade is designed so when open it pushes only one spring, while the second spring does not move it only locks. I hope the photos will make it clear. Edwin Dickinson had his factory known as Murray Works in Cambridge Street in 1880. But It moved several times, 1888 then it was in Division Street, in 1896 Rockingham Street,and in 1910 Arundel Street, where it remained until the end of the 1930's when it ceased trading. The seller of this knife dated it to ca. 1890. The knife is still in good shape, springs are tight and are in working condition.

Mike

 

[Campbellclanman]

Geez Mike- Thats a little Honey of a Knife! Stag to die for - but not only that- that knife is all round a little Beauty! Thank you for sharing my friend!

 

[Gevonovich]

Interesting knife. What does the shield writing say?

The Russell rope knife and NYKC lockback are eye candies. Thanks for sharing.
Here is a Sheffield split back spring whittler I got some times ago, 3 blades are stamped Dickinson EM Sheffield with a screw head logo. scales are probably well worn stag. It has interesting mechanism on the main blade to make the opening easy against the 2 springs. The end of the blade is designed so when open it pushes only one spring, while the second spring does not move it only locks. I hope the photos will make it clear. Edwin Dickinson had his factory known as Murray Works in Cambridge Street in 1880. But It moved several times, 1888 then it was in Division Street, in 1896 Rockingham Street,and in 1910 Arundel Street, where it remained until the end of the 1930's when it ceased trading. The seller of this knife dated it to ca. 1890. The knife is still in good shape, springs are tight and are in working condition.

Mike

Mike, that knife is a super gem in my opinion...wow! The mechanism pushes it over the top. Not quite certain I know how it works exactly. You said the second spring only locks..and I believe that means it does not act like any kind of locking mechanism..right? And if it does ..how does it unlock? Love the looks of this piece very much:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[mike Berkovitch]

Thanks Duncan and Gevo. It is simple, yet smart, idea. The two springs are identical. In "regular" whittlers, when opening the main blade, the end of the blade pushing the two springs till the blade is in open position and the two springs are pressing the notch at the back of the blade and hold it open. In this particular knife the end of the blade is not flat, it has a "step" making one side of the end of the blade taller than the other, this side pushes only one spring to the open position where the second spring along with the other spring keep the blade firm. I'll see if I can catch it in a photo.

Mike

 

[Gevonovich]

Thanks Duncan and Gevo. It is simple, yet smart, idea. The two springs are identical. In "regular" whittlers, when opening the main blade, the end of the blade pushing the two springs till the blade is in open position and the two springs are pressing the notch at the back of the blade and hold it open. In this particular knife the end of the blade is not flat, it has a "step" making one side of the end of the blade taller than the other, this side pushes only one spring to the open position where the second spring along with the other spring keep the blade firm. I'll see if I can catch it in a photo.

Mike

That makes it clear, Mike! Elegant:thumbup:

 

[wlfryjr]

The anti catch bit Mike. Very,very unique,first I've seen.

 

[glennbad]

Awesome knife, Mike! That spring design is very interesting.

 

[r8shell]

I went to the junk mall today and came home with a Terrier Cutlery jack knife. Research tells me they were made by Robeson 1910- 1916. It's not in too bad a shape for being 100 years old. The main blade snaps nicely, though the pen blade has no snap. I think the tang is too worn to move the backspring.

It's hard to see in this picture, but the back of the main tang has a stamp of a bull terrier.

Someone carved their initials in it.
One scale is bent, so there's a sizable gap. I could maybe try to fix it, or just leave it as is.
Pictured with another 100 year old knife, a German made Lenox.


It's one of those knives that is in good enough shape to carry and enjoy, but messed up enough that I don't feel bad for using a priceless antique. I'll do some searching to see if anyone has posted any catalog pictures to see what it looked like new (I wonder if that's the original blade shape)

 

[Campbellclanman]

A great catch R8shell - so are you going to use the big Ol Boy?

I had a bit of luck the other day - well I'm guessing beauty is the eye of the beholder, but I havent seen these around so much, so I thought I had better nab them up - anything with the name Joseph Rodgers always stops me in my tracks - as does the good ol' CJKnives as well, also there was a J. Nowill in the mix as well - all separate buys..
This neat old Christopher Johnson, I thought it may have been earlier- but this does carry the England Stamping.


Nice Swedge on the Penn..


Pile side aint too pretty, but not too bad either I guess..


I couldnt go past this old girl - I would rather own it than not, and it came my without costing too much - as you would expect from the condition, Blades still have tons of life, the W & T is outstanding...


Ok.... these Quill knives, I have not seen much like them - whcih is not too say that they are extremely rare by any means, but I did like the fact they still had their original boxes - I bought these in different auctions, and was pleased to see the vast difference between the two - hence me buying the second one as well.
What seems to be the older of the two has a more narrow Handle - Ebony I would take a good gues at, the Blade is Broader and longer, The Tang is oval and the knife has no stamping..apart from marking on the box that I would put very good money on being the original case because of the uniqueness to the shape etc..

The "newer one has had little use, has a lighter coloured wood - yet I would still say a light Ebony, the Tang is shelved with the Joseph Rodgers Stampings either side, and the blade is smaller..... the boxes vary slightly in markings as well - mainly at the rear, these boxes are very similar to Cut-Throat Razor Boxes - but not quite as "papery" ..

 

[Campbellclanman]

Here is the J Nowill version, it seems to be a later model, with quite a beautiful lighter coloured Wood..





The stamping...


With a different stamping in the Wood, on the left an S with a Crown Symbol then an O, then underneath 45 - 12. I take this to be a Queens Service of some service unit?

 

[smiling-knife]

Great knives Duncan. Thanks for posting them. This is a George Butler knife. S Crown O for Royal Stationery Office.

 

[mike Berkovitch]

VERY nice catch Duncan, the pen knife is a beauty and the quill knives are fantastic. Very nice as well SK.
What a great thread

Mike