slipjoint nomenclature

Rover-Friskey

Rover-Friskey

Joined
Oct 22, 2023
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I just received a "Rough Ryder Whittler Folding Knife Stag Bone", RR155. I have not been a collector but for a short time, and when I looked at this knife I saw something new to me. The knife has 3 blades and what appears to me to be 2 springs and a "tapered center". It causes the bolster on 1 end to be wider than the opposite end bolster. Looks nic.e. What are the correct nomenclature for what I have? Pictures attached.
Thank you.
R-F
 

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GaiusJulius said:
Seeing those ridged jaws on those soft bolsters made me cringe a little because wow, easy potential to scratch up the bolsters more so than normal pocket wear, but yeah… splitback whittler is what you’re looking at. It’s a classic pattern.
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I sued the grips to hold the knife at the angle i wanted. Just opened the jaws and laid the bolster loosely inside, so no damage at all, nary a scratch.
Thanks.
R-F
 
Splitback whittler. I like it! Am i correct in assuming the "splitback can be found on other patterns, like a Stockman?
 
One more question. I spend a while looking online to find out what I had. So thinks for telling me! So, where can I look to find out more about types or pattern or styles of knives, whatever is the correct term.
Thanks again.
RF
 
A stockman does NOT use the wedge back design, it's pretty well reserved for whittlers.
 
Rover-Friskey said:
One more question. I spend a while looking online to find out what I had. So thinks for telling me! So, where can I look to find out more about types or pattern or styles of knives, whatever is the correct term.
Thanks again.
RF
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I'd say this forum is a fantastic wellspring of info about all different types of traditional patterns. Just click around and you'll find all sorts of information and pictures, find something that piques your interest and dig in deeper on it as a thread surely exists.
 
It may be somewhat Whittler-esque, there's no way to tell without a profile view with the blades exposed. One thing it's not, however, is a 'Splitback'. A Splitback spring is a one-piece spring that - get this - is split down the middle. The split ends spring the minor blades, and the joined end springs the master blades. You often see Whittlers with two backsprings, the ends on one end spring the minor blades, and the paired ends at the other end spring the master blade.

If it has three backsprings it's not a Whittler. It's a weird pen knife.

What you're up against is that Rough Ryder knives are poor imitations of traditional patterns. They may be a good value, but you can't really learn nomenclature by studying them.

How to learn? I learned from Levine's Guide and by handling thousands of knives. I spent thirty seconds browsing the web and didn't find anything I liked, mostly because I won't watch a thirty minute video to glean the same inforation that I could from thirty seconds of reading.

Yes, I'm that old.
 
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Here's seven pages of Whittlers:

jprime84

Thread 'Let's not split hairs here, let's split backs! - Post your whittlers'

Hey guys. Lately I have been wanting to get my hands on a true whittler with a split back spring. I tend towards GEC, so the 57 geppetto whittler is something I have considered, however its a bit more stout than I think I would want. KSF still has a few norfolk whittlers and they look nice, but what GEC frame are they on? In a totally different direction, I really like the looks of the Case seahorse whittler with the wharncliff main. I only own one Case knife, and it is a well loved inherited knife from the 70s, or perhaps 80s - memory is not clear there. There is also a damascus...
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Looking up "splitback" i found this on All About Pocket Knives......"Has two backsprings with master blade that bears on both springs and two smaller blades at the other end, each bearing on one of the springs."- "Whittler definition per Levine's Guide."
 
dsutton24 said:
It may be somewhat Whittler-esque, there's no way to tell without a profile view with the blades exposed. One thing it's not, however, is a 'Splitback'. A Splitback spring is a one-piece spring that - get this - is split down the middle. The split ends spring the minor blades, and the joined end springs the master blades. You often see Whittlers with two backsprings, the ends on one end spring the minor blades, and the paired ends at the other end spring the master blade.
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The RR155 is a copy of the Case 83 pattern whittler.
Split back and split spring whittlers are not the same thing
waynorth

Thread 'Splitback Whittlers at their Best!'

Not considered a true splitback; more correctly referred to as a wedged-spring whittler perhaps, the construction and functionality make this an outstanding tool, regardless.
A large, controllable pattern at ~4 1/8", it has Stag handles that have been "doctored" to look dark end-to-end like a good Sheffield knife in Stag! This is possibly a result of one of the many "dry spells" that Stag availability has suffered.
The main blade is very thick, and relatively short, the choice of most carvers I believe. Strong yet controllable. You may notice that most carvers and serious whittlers use...
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Since I stated this thread, I would like to thank all wo have responded and post another picture of my Rough Ryder Whittler Folding Knife Stag Bone", RR155.
Thanks again!
RF
 

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dsutton24 said:
It may be somewhat Whittler-esque, there's no way to tell without a profile view with the blades exposed. One thing it's not, however, is a 'Splitback'. A Splitback spring is a one-piece spring that - get this - is split down the middle. The split ends spring the minor blades, and the joined end springs the master blades. You often see Whittlers with two backsprings, the ends on one end spring the minor blades, and the paired ends at the other end spring the master blade.

If it has three backsprings it's not a Whittler. It's a weird pen knife.

What you're up against is that Rough Ryder knives are poor imitations of traditional patterns. They may be a good value, but you can't really learn nomenclature by studying them.

How to learn? I learned from Levine's Guide and by handling thousands of knives. I spent thirty seconds browsing the web and didn't find anything I liked, mostly because I won't watch a thirty minute video to glean the same inforation that I could from thirty seconds of reading.

Yes, I'm that old.
Click to expand...
thanks for the heads-up on Levine! Found a used hardback copy of his "Identifying Pocket Knives" from 1998. Not sewn-in signatures but a very nice little book. Glossy paper. Only 80 pages and I am on page 40 already. Will look for one of his "bigger" books, but for now this one has loads of info and I am learning a lot, including about splitbacks!
RF
 
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