Picture request certain long pulls

[ken erickson]

I have searched the archives without a lot of success and was wondering if anyone could post pictures of knives with a certain type of long pull? I am looking for pictures of vintage factory knives with long pulls where the pull runs all the way back across the flats of the tang.

Secondly if anyone has pictures of custom slips with this type of pull.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bastid]

Hey Ken,

I don't have an old one, but here are a couple by Richard Rogers. One has a capped end.

 

[ken erickson]

Thanks Gus!

I know this is going to be a tough one as far as vintage goes.

If anyone has comments about this type of pull I would love to hear them. Like em, hate em, could care less, reasons behind this type of pull compared to a long pull that stops before or in the plunge cut.

Ken

 

[VCM3]

Ken,
Recent posts #1610 & #1653 ,in the Old Knives thread show some & I know I've posted others in that thread.
-Vince

 

[mikeymoto]

I can't say I "get it" from the functionality standpoint but I'm a greenhorn so what do I know.

Looks neat, and maybe easier to clean gunk out of the nick.

 

[IVANKERLEY]

Oh definitely and more makers and manufacturers should have them:thumbup:
So i guess thats a big enthusiastic yes for long pulls at least from this guy
always looks classy
ivan

 

[jivedaddy]

Here's one on a Ruple, Ken-it stops before the end though:

 

[Dr Bill]

No vintage here.
Richard Rogers does this a lot. I like it, but I really like Richard's work too.
Here on a serpentine doctor with a nice swedge:

He used that long pull on all of the blades here:

Joel Chamblin used that long pull on both blades here:

Very long pull on this Ruple doctor, but it stops before the tang:

And more from Richard:

 

[waynorth]

Man oh man, Bonz, that is some Rogers collection!! How sweet it is!!

 

[pappy1959]

In my research of other knives, I have read that the long pull that extends past the plunge line clear through the ricasso was at one time considered a sign of high quality. I don't know the reason why this distinction was made, just that it is mentioned in several catalogs, and promotional materials for turn of the century Sheffield knives. I'll do some more homework and see if I can find out the reasons this was considered a mark of higher quality.

 

[ken erickson]

Thanks much for the comments and pictures! I will be out of town till late Wed night, hope to see more. :thumbup:

Ken

 

[kc custom]

I'm not sure what I think of it, for me it seems to look better if the pull is
stopped at or before the plunge IMO.
Ken

 

[sm2]

I like these long pulls, they just add some class to a knife, in my opinion.
I too heard it said, it was a sign of better quality.

The longer pull also has a function, as it does assist with getting a nail, and providing the leverage in opening.

Think of fingers and hands with arthritis, for instance.
Perhaps a person hit a thumb with a hammer, or shut a kitchen utility drawer on fingers ( usually the result of a kid "helping" in the kitchen.)

What irks me, are some nail nicks are not positioned "well" to afford leverage in opening.

Not to mention having "purchase" for a nail in the first place, and I do keep in mind ladies do use slip joints as well.

Now I have seen long pulls with the serrations, these were for striking matches, and yes, they worked for striking the "strike anywhere" matches.

Another thing these would do, is smooth nails and if the nick was a long one, not only did it afford longer "strike" for a match, also for shaping or smoothing a nail against those serrations.
Serrations were classy, tasteful, still had function.


I was born in the last great decade, and recall folks using slip joints, and these features assisted them.
Veterans of Wars, the elderly and ladies.

We have an aging society and will continue to for some time. Not to mention we all can get injury to nail, fingers and wrists.

With concerns of Customs and rulings on one hand assist...

Just me, still slip joints are proven, and while I hope these concerns with Customs do not come to pass...
Vintage, is proven, and works today as well as it did in yesteryear.


Sending best,

Steve

Steve

 

[zerogee]

Here are some John Blyde/Greenhough Sheffield exhibition knives -- some of the more "extreme" examples of thru-the-tang long pulls. They take the "long pull must be parallel to the blade back" rule and even apply it to wharncliffe blades, curving the long pull to follow the blade profile - even on the small blades of a wharncliffe folder, where the blade back curves in a concave manner to follow the concave curve of the wharncliffe body at the small end (the concave back curve of the small blades was common on great old Sheffield wharncliffe knives -- what wasn't typical was giving these blades t-t-t long pulls - and especially curved t-t-t long pulls). (Photos all from the "Sheffield Exhibition Knives" book - fantastic resource.)

[Ok, let's try this image linking stuff again - hopefully it actually works this time.]

As to *why* the old Sheffield companies used t-t-t long pulls on their finer examples of folding cutlery -- I don't know. I don't think the t-t-t pulls were anything more than just a mark of highest quality for many Sheffield companies -- basically them saying "this is one of our finest knives". However, it should be noted that they made at least as fine of examples using only common pulls. They were not often seen on American made cutlery -- IIRC, Holley and Northfield used them on some patterns - though again, only on some of their finer patterns.

 

[smiling-knife]

This one is 'vintage' circa 1950s. That's the best I can do. Many stop just at the tang.

 

[Peter Parker]

Apologizes blues and Ken!

 

[zerogee]

This is one of mine: George Wostenholm Celebrated Cutlery congress pen - perfectly matched stag scales, 2 1/2" long, fully sunk joints, nail ease notches, thru-the-tang long pulls -- maximum body thickness: 3/16", maximum body width (top to bottom at center pin): less than 3/8", blade thickness at tangs: 0.050". I don't normally go for the tiny ones, but this one was kinda special. Also note: the back of the main blade has an identical thru-the-tang longpull (even though there is no way to get to the pull on the back of the blade when the blade is closed), unfortunately I don't have a picture of this right now.

 

[mckgreg]

Winchester.. Ooops. Missed the running into the tang part of your request.
Greg

 

[dalee100]

Hi,

Thanks for all the wonderful photos! I've never seen nail nicks that go through the tang like that. Most interesting. I really like the looks of them.

Is this kind of pull only seen with swedged blades?

dalee

 

[zerogee]

...
Is this kind of pull only seen with swedged blades?
dalee

Yes, all I've ever seen anyway, but it should be noted that the great old Sheffield cutlers used swedges on nearly all the knives they produced - even most farrier's curved hoof knives had swedges. The finer and more complex the knife, the more distinctive and elaborate the swedging tended to be -- and also the more necessary it tended to be to fit the blades into the knife. Finer folders tended to have fully sunk joints with nail ease notches - since most Sheffield cutlers didn't use cut center liners until well after 1900, fully sunk joints primarily meant precisely shouldering in the blades using swedging (they subtly crinked the blades too -- but there was little room to work with).

Even the normal long pulls that stop at the plunge cut at the tang really need to be set off with a swedge or they just do not look right at all.

-- Dwight