Share your French traditional/regional pocket knives

Just a glimpse, I need to get back to ruling that camera... I'm a lazy old sob and I like it. Sorry guys...
 
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More French goodness... From top to bottom :
An old Pradel with yatagan blade
An old fancy Pradel by G.David
An Yssingeaux pattern with spike, restored by Couteaux d'Ile de France
A sailor knife with swordfish rostrum scales by H. Griot, a young cutler of Celles sur Durolle, near Thiers
A hawkbill called German type by H. Griot
A St Amans pattern with very dark red cocobolo scales by H. Griot
qiQgTDl.jpg
 
herisson said:
More French goodness... From top to bottom :
An old Pradel with yatagan blade
An old fancy Pradel by G.David
An Yssingeaux pattern with spike, restored by Couteaux d'Ile de France
A sailor knife with swordfish rostrum scales by H. Griot, a young cutler of Celles sur Durolle, near Thiers
A hawkbill called German type by H. Griot
A St Amans pattern with very dark red cocobolo scales by H. Griot
qiQgTDl.jpg
Click to expand...
Great stuff !!! Thanks for sharing :)
 
Just arrived! Very very sweet! Smooooth opening, closing is a chore and I see it is by design as almost locks open. It is a beautiful blade, very comfortable in the hand. Reasonably sharp right out the gate as well. Yes indeed the French cutlery industry is impressive, solid build with exquisite style. Form and function in harmony. My wife loves Texas toothpicks and it reminds her of a large toothpick ( though it’s the “purdiest” she’s seen).... I may not get to keep it long, though it won’t be far....
16DA3E8D-2219-4CCC-B8B2-A0234F797172.jpeg 444EA44E-CFE2-44BF-9667-A09818EDD27F.jpeg 3EE458DA-046D-4E2C-B350-BF6F0A11CD4E.jpeg
 
The rain dance I performed yesterday evening was so successful that I stay home today and opened some drawers and ran into these two humble Pradels P3 and P4.
As usual with Lacroix the handle is coated metal and flat, about the size of a 15 Boy's knife. The smaller (8,5cm) has rounded cell handles and is much smoother to operate. Both have half stop (a very good idea on the Lacroix for sure), a carbon blade and are unexpensive.
Pradelx2.jpg

Quite mundane, the Pradel is now a generic name used by a lot of manufacturers and for most coutrymen a knife that is neither a canif nor a Lag must be a Pradel, even if she has no link with the pattern.
The reason lies in the fact that the original knife was extremely well made and soon won a reputation for quality and extreme sturdyness.
Pradel trademarks were the anchor or "11" and are about as rare as a hen's tooth. (there's a splendid '30s catalogue were I found the picture below : https://www.lecouteau.info/catalogues/pradel-chomette/)
lecouteau.info:catalogues:pradel-chomette:.png
(where Lame S is for "Stylet" - sheepfoot - and Lame B for "Bourbonnaise" - pen / spear -)
They were sold everywhere including export markets, but (and still are today) mostly in the West provinces, Britain/Vendée/Anjou.

Most manufacturers don't affix their name and prefer Pradel (Lacroix P3 being an exception), a good catchall. They are no more made with the sheepsfoot and only four sizes are to be found as shown on the Chevalerias website :
Chevalerias.png

I'm afraid, today I can sing like an other hermit "No Beer Today..." as I don't intend to let " Raindrops keep falling on my hair"! :oops::D
 
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A couple of weeks ago, a couple of friends told me they would be passing through Paris, and offered to get me a knife. I contacted Jolipapa Jolipapa to ask for some recommendations, and he very kindly offered to order one for me and meet my friends. However, my friends weren't sure when exactly they would pass through Paris. JP gave me some recommendations for patterns I might like, which are still available in my preferred carbon-steel, and where they could be had. Thanks to his good advice, my friends were able to get me this Thiers-Issard Violon :)

Thiers-Issard Violon 1-1.JPG

Thanks again JP :) :thumbsup:
 
You're welcome Jack! I'm happy if you enjoy it. Old patterns are fading away and it is harder to find other than Thiers or Laguiole. I think this one is pre 2000, though I could not date more precisely for the moment.
 
Jolipapa said:
You're welcome Jack! I'm happy if you enjoy it. Old patterns are fading away and it is harder to find other than Thiers or Laguiole. I think this one is pre 2000, though I could not date more precisely for the moment.
Click to expand...

Such a shame JP :( I didn't realise this was an older knife :) It does have a little patina on the spine of the blade, I guess from customers handling the blade. I'm very pleased with it :) :thumbsup:
 
It's been posted many times before and here's mine.
Having always considered this knife to be unfinished therefore the very reasonable price, I attempted to finish it.
Also the blade edge was hitting the spine.
Lots of grinding of the blade, rounded the handle slightly and just a little polish.
...and voilá.

https://imgur.com/ep2SyBG
https://imgur.com/AhIv5EM

A robust substantial minimalistic tool that doesn't shout #Knife, also nothing flashy that people would be tempted to steal it.


ep2SyBG

AhIv5EM
 
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Very interesting knife. i just regret you did not take pictures showing the results of the blade edge hitting the spine. This is a rumor I heard so many times, but until now it remains a rumor... :)
 
Jolipapa said:
Very interesting knife. i just regret you did not take pictures showing the results of the blade edge hitting the spine. This is a rumor I heard so many times, but until now it remains a rumor... :)
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Happened to me recently with my Chambriard. I showed it to a friend and when I heard that snap I knew I was in for some time at the diamond plate. Pictured below after repair.

A4ye3qA

A4ye3qA.jpg
 
The Chambriard’s that I’ve owned have all been prone to the blade smacking the spring, so I laid in a strip of rubberized cork to help prevent edge damage for those times when someone else checking out the knife lets the blade snap shut
G2

Seeing this tread again does make me miss my collection. :(
 
Jolipapa said:
Very interesting knife. i just regret you did not take pictures showing the results of the blade edge hitting the spine. This is a rumor I heard so many times, but until now it remains a rumor... :)
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My compact Chambriard has the same problem. I just got a full sized Compagnon but have not yet let it snap shut to see how it fares.
 
Inside the Chambriard folders the back spring has a bump that works to keep the edge off the spring, but if someone lets the blade slam shut, the force over comes that and smacks the spring. I think that pocket knives like that were closed in a gentleman way.
I’ve owned seven of them in different sizes
G2
 
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