Share your French traditional/regional pocket knives

[smcclown05]

My Dad brought these back from France for me.

 

[deltaboy]

Cool it great to learn about some of these European folders .

 

[Jolipapa]

My Dad brought these back from France for me.

Very nice color of the ram's horn on this curnicciulu. These are usually lage knives, you better not mess with the owner!

 

[smcclown05]

Thank you for your reply. I did not know the name of that particular knife. The slide knife I suspect to be handled in olive or maybe juniper?

 

[Jolipapa]

Thank you for your reply. I did not know the name of that particular knife. The slide knife I suspect to be handled in olive or maybe juniper?

The slider is a very old shape (1760) origine Bourges, the town of jaques Coeur, whose family was extremely rich thanks to the trade of furs from America.
Modernized by today's maker, Thierry Boyer, owner of the « Le petit rémouleur » cutlery and shop in the same town. The name « Maistre Canifier » means master cutler.
So your father did hit the target and brought you two traditionnals, with patterns still made in the original place, not in Thiers!
Yours may be juniper, but you would smell it, rather boxwood or appletree. (buis / pommier)

A picture of the inner system (patented)

and a page with the whole process
http://le-petit-remouleur.com/Actualites/Actualites-Pg/actualites.php?act=9

 

[ourgon]

Super cool idea for friction folder kydex pocket retainers/retriever...very cool:thumbup::thumbup:

Thanks, but technically it's not friction it's slipjoint with strong spring. That kydex for traditional D-D allows to open knife while pulling out. I just grab that hump on the blade.

 

[screened porch]

My bona fides, and an etymological question that Jolipapa can probably answer.

When did 'canif' enter the French language? From the English during the Hundred Years War, from the Normans, or is it a survivor from the Franks? (I had to look up the Franks; I'd thought they were a more southerly tribe.)

 

[deltaboy]

Nice Knifes I got to get some more French knives.

 

[Jolipapa]

My bona fides, and an etymological question that Jolipapa can probably answer.

When did 'canif' enter the French language? From the English during the Hundred Years War, from the Normans, or is it a survivor from the Franks? (I had to look up the Franks; I'd thought they were a more southerly tribe.)

This is the 1000$ question!
I seems it derives from the Franks old francique word knif who probably derives from old Normans knifr (todays Swedish is knif). From what I understood, canif and knife have probably the same ancestor, knifr, but no direct link between them.

It appears in a book in the middle of the XIIth century, so 2 centuries before the 100 years war.

Most of time, a canif is a small folding knife, navette shaped (the SAK is often called canif) and under 3". So imho none of the knives you pictured would be called canif today. (but a baby butterbean would!)

This gave me the idea to check in an old dictionary. here what I found (book dates 1889) : little knike with very sharp blade(s), used to sharpen pens.

 

[screened porch]

Thank you. So cognates then. An online etymological dictionary told me 'canif' was from English, which I thought unlikely until I remembered that century of controversy, which made it seem possible.

 

[ourgon]

 

[155440]

Here is a picture of a Laguiole en Aubrac that I picked up last week while in France.

Pros:
Gorgeous knife overall
Great handle material (ebony)
hand carved back spring
mirror polish finish on bolsters and blade
great walk and talk
perfect centering
very sharp, and slices like a laser

Cons:
some rather large scuffs on the bottom bolster
tip hits the backspring if not lowered into knife slowly (Could probably be sharpened out)

Overall impression:
Great knife with some minor fit and finish issues, would recommend picking one up if you think the style is aesthetically pleasing

 

[adriancook53]

Can't see the photo's so unfortunately can not coment.i was on holiday last week and took a day trip to gibraltar. Saw several shops selling sak.s. a.k..s but found this antique shop and found this knife.Ed MONGIN.paris

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[Jolipapa]

Nice catch!

 

[supratentorial]

...This gave me the idea to check in an old dictionary. here what I found (book dates 1889) : little knike with very sharp blade(s), used to sharpen pens.

The illustration is very interesting. I've seen a few oldies with similar catches instead of nail nicks. I did not know they date at least as far back as 1889.

 

[Andre Basset]

I have quite a few older french folders so I'll start with a couple of my favorites. Assuming I can figure out how to post photos correctly.


Giles Laquiole. Fancier than most, its a real standout.

Perigeux is town near Bordeaux. This is pretty old as is evident from the hand filed corkscrew.

 

[supratentorial]

nice!

 

[knarfeng]

Here is an Opinel pruning knife I bought for a friend of mine who owns The Spanish Peacock Winery.

 

[Jolipapa]

Spent last week atmy daughter's home and had a day in Auxerre, nearest large town. Could not get home without visiting the cutler (the red corner shop) Gouvernaire and get a local Auxerrois! The pattern is common to the Tiré-droit, with a spear instead of a sheepsfoot.

 

[Jeff_R]

Those knives (and the town) look really nice; thanks for the pictures!