Spanish notch....

[swissdagger]

I have always liked the looks of a good bowie (by a good bladesmith ) with a spanish notch.
But actually I have no idea what this spanish notch should be good for!
I hope on some explanation.... is it only decoration or is (was) there a real use for it?

Thanks and stay save

 

[Drummer]

It is believed by knife historians that the Spanish notch was originally used by sailors to cut ropes and lines. The inside was sharpened to facilitate cutting. The pattern knife that most commonly displayed the notch was a predecessor of the bowie knife. Some early "bowie knives" (like the Searles and so called Mediterranean bowies) of the same pattern continued to display notches, though by this time they were strictly for decaration.

Now fast foward to the present. Modern bowie knife players brought back the "Spanish notch" for blade catching. By using the notch in combination with trapping guards the opponent can be effectively disarmed.

David

 

[george tichbourne]

There are some that believe that certain of the Spanish notch designs were intended to be used to remove stubborn percussion caps from firearms. The currently accepted explaination is as a blade trap however.

I like the look of a Spanish notch on an otherwise plain blade design myself.

 

[Jerry Hossom]

As Drummer said, the Spanish Notch is a disarming device to trap the opponent's blade edge before twisting it out of his grip. It works in conjunction with the guard. James keating teaches its use in his bowie fighting classes.

And yes, it does work.

 

[Mike Hull]

That would explain a modern notch, made for blade catching purposes, but it does not explain the various types of notches displayed on original mediterranean knives. Their shape precludes such a use.
I have an old article, written by, William R. Williamson, and furnished to me by James Schmidt, who like me shared a love of this style of knife. The article stated, that the use of the notch has been lost to history, much like the notch on the Kukri.
If anyone has historical text explaining how these devices were used, I would certainly love to see it.

 

[not2sharp]

It is not a glamorous answer, but, I suspect that the Spanish notch was originally a fluid drip. Usually, it was found on guardless knives where it helped to keep liquids from flowing down the blade and onto the hand and handle. Test one sometime and you will see how it works.

n2s

 

[Mike Hull]

N2S, sounds good to me. I haven't tried it though.
I have a feeling it is either this, or some other equally unaggressive use..

 

[Drummer]

There was an article published in the July/August 1975 issue of The American Blade, also by William R. Williamson. In the article he speculates that the notches could have been for nail pulling, religious purposes, cutting sinew when skinning, or for blade catching. He concludes that notches were originnally for cutting cord or twine, which would explain their positioning on the blade (most were behind the choil, precluding the use of the notch as a blade catcher). Undoubtedly the notches were used for other purposes as the use of that type of blade widened, and different cultures were exposed to it.

Percussion caps did not come into existence until after the notches had already been on knives (they seem to begin somewhere in the mid to late 18th century).

Of all of the explanations that i've heard, William's sounds the most plausible. The knives were used by sailors, and Williams speculates that the notched-knives were used for working on nets, sails, etc. As other people came into contact with the notched-knives, they probably used them for some of the other uses mentioned.

Regards,
David

 

[Ebbtide]

On the old ships nothing was wasted. Large lines broke/wore out and were recycled by breaking them down into 'cordage'
To protect the cordage it was 'tarred'
Then the line was run thru the notch to strip away the excess tar.

That's my story & I know its true cause I read it on Bladeforums.com

 

[not2sharp]

I don't recall hearing about sailors walking the decks with large pointy knives. The usual practice would have been to disarm the men, to reduce the risk of accidents. The officers and midshipmen tended to carry dirks but I can't see these guys actually taking on the task of taring cordage.

n2s

 

[Ebbtide]

I was referring to the age of sail.
Magellan, Cooke, Columbus.
No resupply back then.
At sea for months at a time.
Order was maintained by corporal punishment (ie the cat o' nine tails, lash, whip, etc)
A P.U.K. (Personal Utility Knife) makes sense to me.