"Old Knives"

Picked up this Winchester serpentine jack, old Winchesters don't seem to be easy to find in good condition.


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Rostovsky said:
CORICAMA.
WW2?
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Rostovsky, I knew I had seen that unusual bolster type somewhere before.

I found it - have a look in this thread from a few years ago.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...A-Knife-That-Went-Through-A-War?highlight=SOE

There is some discussion which starts around post 14, about a very similar looking (the blade shape is slightly different, and it has the marlinspike), but unmarked clasp knife owned by iSaur. I believe the consensus on that one was, yes, it was WW2 era.

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If this knife is a CORICAMA like yours, it was not identified as such in that discussion.
 
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I have an unusual Coricama tool knife that I have also been trying to find more information about. Unfortunately I haven't found much beyond what is in Levine's Guide and Goins' Encyclopedia.

From Goins' Encyclopedia
CORICAMA MADE IN ITALY c 1887-present A marking used by Coltellerie Riun.
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This is an Italian Navy clasp knife - in the same style as the British Army clasp knife - of relatively recent manufacture, some info on them in the Military Clasp Knives thread :thumbup:

 
From a 2012 thread in General, about a CORICAMA bowie. The name is an acronym, apparently, like EKA.

DocT said:
Coltellerie Riunite di Caslino e di Maniago, is an Italian company in, obviously, Maniago Italy, that has been making knives since around 1887. They made knives for the Italian military during WWII. Maniago is where Fox, Maserin, and many other Italian brands are made.
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Very NICE Winchester John, BEAUTIFUL condition, love those covers:thumbup::cool:

Rostovsky, Nice Knife, was the knife modified to remove the Marlin Spike? I wonder if it was like Jacks version at one time? I know with modern clasp knives I see where you get with or without the spike.

Jack, very nice condition on your clasp knife right there:thumbup:
 
the knife was not altered. I bought it in an antique shop. There was a box. They were all the same and in oil. Looks like military surplus. How did they get to Rostov-on-don, we can only guess. It's as if bast shoes of the Russian peasant of the last century it was found in a pawn shop in Las Vegas. Incredible
 
Managed to pick up a Pal Knife Co. folder today for $5. Jigged bone scales are still intact with only one small crack. It has seen some use for sure. A little wear damage and the small blade has some pretty strong side to side play. The long blade still snaps though.

Any ideas on how to restore this knife? More or less just to get it rust and gunk free without causing any harm to knife or scales? Just want to keep it from degrading any further. Any advice is greatly appreciated

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T2 Tappin'
 
252chevyboyz said:
...Any ideas on how to restore this knife? More or less just to get it rust and gunk free without causing any harm to knife or scales? Just want to keep it from degrading any further. Any advice is greatly appreciated...
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Bernard Levine says to PRESERVE the knife, you should wipe the metal parts with a rag damp with mineral oil. Keep wiping the surfaces until the metal no longer dirties the rag. Keep a thin layer of mineral oil on the steel to block oxidation. That's all you need to do.

There is no such thing as RESTORING. There's only PRESERVING or REFINISHING. Refinishing will remove original finish and make the knife difficult to distinguish from parts knives. It's a bit like sandblasting a painting. All of the original finishing will be lost. I spend a lot of time looking through hundreds of refinished knives and parts knives searching for knives that are in original condition. They aren't easy to find. There are fewer and fewer knives that have escaped the buffing wheel.

Refinishing is unfortunately more common than not. Shiny seems to be popular. And new collectors have a difficult time distinguishing original crocus and glaze finishes from a modern buffed finish even though they don't look a like.

It is your knife and only you know what will make you happy. I do encourage you to give preserving a chance. You can always refinish later. But once it's refinished, you can't restore it to original. It's gone forever.
 
@supratentorial thank you so much I didn't want to put any type of oil or especially any petroleum based lubricant on it until I got advice from the experts on the subject. I don't really want to strip any of the patina off the the blade as it has taken its whole life to achieve the patina it has. I will pick up some mineral oil tomorrow afternoon and start wiping everything down. I would rather preserve it and guard it from the tests of time still to come

T2 Tappin'
 
Rostovsky said:
the knife was not altered. I bought it in an antique shop. There was a box. They were all the same and in oil. Looks like military surplus. How did they get to Rostov-on-don, we can only guess. It's as if bast shoes of the Russian peasant of the last century it was found in a pawn shop in Las Vegas. Incredible
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Very interesting, Rostovsky.

I'm guessing Rostov-on-Don was a major Black Sea naval port. Perhaps many goods from world cities visited by the Soviet or Russian Navy could have found their way there, courtesy of the sailors and returning Special Purpose Forces of the Rostov Oblast?
 
Cambertree said:
I'm guessing Rostov-on-Don was a major Black Sea naval port. Perhaps many goods from world cities visited by the Soviet or Russian Navy could have found their way there, courtesy of the sailors and returning Special Purpose Forces of the Rostov Oblast?
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There are thousands of clasp knives on the European market, the British (and Indian) ones from WW2, and much bigger numbers of the later Belgian and Italian clones (the Italian ones being more recently made than the Belgian ones). They can be had for just a few Euros. I bought mine in an antique shop, sadly it doesn't mean it's an antique. Always interesting to see how far knives travel :thumbup:
 
On the blade of my knife is the mark of a CORICAMA. The mark is difficult to read. But there's no light to photograph.
 
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