"Old Knives"

[waynorth]

Well thanks I think??? knowing you like I do, I'm sure you mean, well built, aged gracefully and highly sought after by female collectors

!!

 

[Campbellclanman]

Some people collect some very strange things Paul lol - Oh you gave me a great laugh matey!

 

[Campbellclanman]

Yay! my Robeson Shuredge Stabber came through, Im guessing a few of my friends here knew who I bought this Knife from, The seller who is a great guy was told by a well person to us and to this brand that this knife here is the only one he has seen ( I hope i have this right ) in this Handle Material.
I doesn't look as though the Knife has been used what so ever.

The Pen has the Patent applied for, This Robeson I just fell for upon first sight.
The Handle material isnt a thick heavy Jigged Composite like the "Gum Fuddy" type of the Vintage Days, tapping it - well it seems light but strong as if a Plastic- obviously its a Composite of some sort, you would almost swear it's Bakelite ( although the Knife itself is rather hefty) - so the Handle Material is a wee bit of a mystery to me.

Lovey Grinds- please forgive me, the High Polish is always super reflective and I tried to get photo's with clumsy fingers in the Photos.....
The lighting I had to use included Mirrors that make the Blades look as though someone has cleaned this Knife with a fine Linisher as you see-- this is certainly not the case with this Great Ol' Knife...

 

[danno50]

Glad that one finally found it's way to you, Duncan! It is a beauty!

 

[tongueriver]

Well thanks I think??? knowing you like I do, I'm sure you mean, well built, aged gracefully and highly sought after by female collectors

Somebody talkin' 'bout me, here???

 

[tongueriver]

Duncan, that Robeson is really something! I approve!

 

[paulhilborn]

NICE Duncan what a unique Jack, the master blade is fantastic, very cool The Swage is awesome and I like how the nick resides within. A cool but odd knife...how appropriate

 

[SteveC]

Very nice Duncan !

 

[LongBlade]

I haven't been to this thread in awhile but indeed, as usual, some fantastic old knives posted by all ...

I have a few to add but this one was fairly recent as to an addition and as I said elsewhere this knife floats my boat... alot .. So a good place to start ..

Northfield Congress Whittler - Ivory - Curved Bar Shield - Nice sheep foot master and 2 secondaries (pen and coping) - 3 & 3/16" closed... Not easy to find congress whittlers never mind a Northfield ...

I've been on a whittler kick - just seemed to evolve - guess it happens ..

 

[danno50]

Beautiful rare knife, Lee, it floats my boat as well!

 

[waynorth]

Nice find, Lee!!

 

[waynorth]

Nice Jack, Duncan!! I have a Robeson (somewhere?) with that material on the handle!! Seems nice and stable, unlike some plastics of old!!

 

[herder]

Two rare and spectacular knives shown on this page by Cambellclanman and LongBlade.
Great finds you guys, and thanks for the showings!!!

 

[Campbellclanman]

Amazing Northfield Congress Whittler longblade!!! Wow!
Thanks Charlie- it does seems very stable - definitely different feel to the bad boy Cells. It just feels very hard- especially to the tap of a fingernail!

 

[tongueriver]

That is a beauty, Lee! A thumb up for every blade and another one for the covers!

 

[LongBlade]

Thanks very much to all for the kind comments ...

One thing I forgot to mention but sure many noticed is that the long pulls on each blade follow through the tang... Those pulls always intrigued me and I have read that in terms of Sheffield Exhibition knives they were not uncommon (I've seen them on many IXLs, a few Rodgers knives and others as just examples) and I have seen them on a few American (mostly CT cutlery made knives that no doubt were primarily employed by Sheffield emigrants at the time - and probably some exist from other cutleries outside CT (maybe MA) but I just have never seen them) - To me the long pulls extended through the tang provide no functional improvement to my knowledge and seem from my reading in the Sheffield Exhibition book that it was a show of cutler skill ... anyway it was just another aspect that was a highlight for me ... But if anybody has anything to add about long pulls through the tang I would be interested in their perspective ...

Cheers - Lee

 

[Augie]

Lee, Duncan, great knives guys

 

[Will Power]

Beautiful rare knife, Lee, it floats my boat as well!

I'm convinced everybody's buoyed up by being able to see an elusive like that

Thanks, Will

 

[waynorth]

I've never been able to come up with a definitive reason for nail pulls to extend through the tangs!!??
Nor why you see them on exhibition knives!!??
It might just be an arcane cutlery tradition, with the reasoning muddled by inexact history!!??

 

[LongBlade]

I've never been able to come up with a definitive reason for nail pulls to extend through the tangs!!??
Nor why you see them on exhibition knives!!??
It might just be an arcane cutlery tradition, with the reasoning muddled by inexact history!!??

I agree Charlie - not sure we will know a definitive reason for them but I think I just like the look of them - and I imagine it was abit more difficult to strike the pull as such in contrast to a nail nick (you can see slight hand struck variation on the pulls in terms of placement even on this knife) - but given all that in Clasussen et al.'s Sheffield Exhibition book (pg 184 ) I quote "On the finer knives the nail marks extended through the tangs, as does this one, etc etc" - I guess I was going on this as perhaps a sign of cutler skill and accordingly quality - but like you said who knows ....