OT: Got your checkbook?

I sure do like the shape of the blade!

The "Old" knives always look modern for some reason.

Thanks Kismet for the link to a interesting piece of history. :)
 
I like the HUGE part

Ebay Seller said:
This knife is huge, and heavy, and the size of the handle is very large
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EBay-Seller said:
This rare old knife measures 12" overall with a 6 7/8" hand-forged tapered clip blade.
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The smallest HI items I have are my 12' siruptis and frankly they aren't very useful for me unless I deliberately change my POV concerning what I have in my hand.
 
I agree with you, 45/70, the khukuri doesn't make it less than 15", and even then, it is just beginning to shine.


munk
 
I have George Washinton's pocket knife...says so right on the blade.

First bid over $5000 gets it, email only, no calls.

Pics available for $2850
 
I will gladly take the knife at that price if the seller agrees that I can pay him on the Fifth Thursday of the next month. :D

Ice
 
Gone to Ice...

Pay when you can...the knife is in the mail.. You probably should have sprung for confirmation and insurance at that price, but you're an adult...know what you are doing.


:D
 
Ben Arown-Awile said:
Probably the same guy who would pay 4 thousand dollars for one of those Shiva Ki knives.
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Hey...they're three times better than anything else. Just ask him.
 
If I had Ph**k You money I'd buy something like this just too see if all the hype about the old knives was true.
I wouldn't destroy it but I'd damned sure put it through its pace's just too see if the old Will & Fincks were truly indeed SuperKnives!!!!:p :D ;)
With all the hype about them you'd think they'd chop through 10 2"x4"s, cut 18 strands of free hanging rope some 20 times and still shave the hair off a gnat's ass.:rolleyes:
 
Yvsa said:
If I had Ph**k You money I'd buy something like this just too see if all the hype about the old knives was true.
I wouldn't destroy it but I'd damned sure put it through its pace's just too see if the old Will & Fincks were truly indeed SuperKnives!!!!:p :D ;)
With all the hype about them you'd think they'd chop through 10 2"x4"s, cut 18 strands of free hanging rope some 20 times and still shave the hair off a gnat's ass.:rolleyes:
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Not trying to talk trash here, just trying to hijack the thread, but...

Really, now, what is so good about the old knives?

Sure, production knives today are...well...production knives. To be fair, the companies that make these need to get a usable product into the consumer's hands, in large numbers, quickly, at a price they're willing to pay while still making a reasonable profit. They can't be persnickety on exotic alloys, crazy heat treats, forging methods (if any) and such. Most people don't need a half inch thick, zone hardened monster that can take the door off a car. (Even I don't need this, and I'm pretty hard on knives.) With most of these companies, you not only get what you pay for, you get a bit more than you pay for. (And if they'd start doing more non-stainless knives, you'd get much more than you pay for. But that's neither here nor there.)

However, let's talk customs - that seems to be what most people are essentially referring to when they're talking about how great old knives are. Take a reputable smith of today and commission him or her to make a knife. You'll wind up with a masterpiece. I don't believe that the metalworking knowledge of 100 years ago has been lost; as I understand it, most of it has been preserved. Our understanding of how steel (and other metals) function has improved. Our alloys have improved immensely- we have steel compositions today that they wouldn't have dreamed of 100, 500, or 1000 years ago.

I've heard the argument for how much better older hones are than newer ones - it's a stretch, but I can totally understand it. The really great stone is all mined out...okay. I'll buy that. However, our steel is better, our knowledge is (arguably) better, our heat treating is better...why aren't today's knives better?

I don't mean for this to come off as antagonistic to anyone and if it does, I apologize in advance, but I want to know why this is. My guess is that I'm (as usual) misinformed, ignorant, and/or just plain slow on the draw and that someone more knowledgable needs to explain it to me.
 
Satori, I don't know but what I've been told; They are handmade, and the metal changes over time, often making them even better.



munk
 
Satori said:
Not trying to talk trash here, just trying to hijack the thread, but...

Really, now, what is so good about the old knives?

With most of these companies, you not only get what you pay for, you get a bit more than you pay for. (And if they'd start doing more non-stainless knives, you'd get much more than you pay for. But that's neither here nor there.)

I don't believe that the metalworking knowledge of 100 years ago has been lost; as I understand it, most of it has been preserved. Our understanding of how steel (and other metals) function has improved. Our alloys have improved immensely- we have steel compositions today that they wouldn't have dreamed of 100, 500, or 1000 years ago.

I don't mean for this to come off as antagonistic to anyone and if it does, I apologize in advance, but I want to know why this is. My guess is that I'm (as usual) misinformed, ignorant, and/or just plain slow on the draw and that someone more knowledgable needs to explain it to me.
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You didn't come off as antagonistic, just questioning as I was doing.;)
Satori the only thing the old knives have going for them is that the steel has had enough time to convert all the austentite into martensite, think I got that right, can never quite sort the two out.
I'm thinking that most of the old knives are made from some sort of 1095 or similar but 1095 is an all around pretty damned good steel.
When it's 50 years old like my Catteragus 225Q it is even better.
That old knife holds an edge like you wouldn't believe!
In one of the older annual **** Knives books there is an article dedicated to the old Cat and the author was actually under the impression that it must be some kind of alloy steel, turns out it's 1095 plain and simple.:D

And that's why I wrote my first post like I did. I agree with you. With today's materials and better controlled heat treating methods we are getting more out of our old stand by steels than we have ever gotten before.:D

However it would be interesting to test an old Cat with a new super heat treated and cyro dunked 1095 steel of the same quality the Cat was made from just too see if there's any difference. It would even be more interesting to test an old Will & Finck wouldn't it?;)
And I would absolutely love to test an ancient sword or knife of high quality and an ancient Wootz blade and most of all Excalibur herself!!!!
Wonder what made the blade sing? :D
 
Munk, Yvsa - no argument here. I'll buy that. Two things:

I'd love to put a period sword through the beer can trials. It would prove nothing but would be immensely gratifying to me. I'll rank this one with my desire to put a BMW M3 through its paces - again, it will prove nothing besides my affinity for German automobiles but it will be a high point of my life.

If steel does, in fact, age well, those of us with obscene amounts of HI products are putting our grandchildren in good stead, no?
 
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