The Itchy and Scratty Show!

waynorth

waynorth

Dealer / Materials Provider
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
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I have always itched to find a nice example of Scratted Bone. Scratting (I hope I am using the word correctly) is an old, and some say lost, art.
I dream that one of our brave new knifemakers will take up the challenge of bringing back that chapter of the past!

A fellow in Port Stanley, Ontario found this knife in a thrift store, and put it up on Ebay, and I started itching something awful!
Here I was, leaving for Oregon, and thinking I might still be on the (low tech) road when the auction ended, so I wrote the seller, and asked if I could pay a little late, and fortunately, he was amenable.
A substantial "snipe" held, and I was delighted when I got back, but I was worried I'd spent a lot of green on a pipe dream.
Needless fretting! Get a load of this one!

ScrattedHawk1.jpg

ScrattedHawk2.jpg

ScrattedHawk3.jpg

ScrattedHawk4.jpg

ScrattedHawk5.jpg

ScrattedHawk6.jpg


Boy, that's an ugly scratch on my scanner. Or is it a scrat?? It is kinda old . . . . . .
 
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Congratulations on a great score - glad that one found such a good home! Thanks for sharing.:thumbup:
 
Very nice Charlie. I really like the patterning on the bone. Almost looks like checkered wood
 
Congrats on the knife. I really like the detail work on the handle.

One question: What would you use a blade like that for?
 
Here's a quote from a discussion in Bernie Levine's forum;

"That Ebay knife is listed as a "coffee pruner" (#P.544) in a Rodgers catalogue dating to the time of King George V (1910-1936)(undated reprint by Adrian Van Dyke), so those "bone scratters" must have been especially long-lived. ;-) The catalogue reprint shows images/engravings of knives with references to various British rulers (VcrownR, "their majesties", etc.), thus contributing to the difficulties in dating Rodgers knife patterns that spanned many decades and monarchs."
 
I had no idea you were into scrat.:eek: I understand that can be quite messy but some people.......like that.....

....what?:o:D

The knife is cool BTW:thumbup::cool:
 
KnifeHead said:
I had no idea you were into scrat.:eek: I understand that can be quite messy but some people.......like that.....

....what?:o:D

The knife is cool BTW:thumbup::cool:
Click to expand...

You have a vivid imagination, Kerry!
I believe "scrat" as a word, is an obsolete form of "scratch". The scratted handles I've seen (very few - three I believe) have a similar pattern. Lines lengthwise, dividing two panels of crosshatching, or a line of crosshatching lengthwise dividing "hash marks".
Scrattedbone.jpg

Scratted2.jpg
 
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Wow,

Congrats Charlie and thank you for taking the time to show it to us.

Very unique and something I have never seen before (even in the Sheffield books that I patronize.)
 
Great Ole Joseph Rodgers Charlie, I believe I could pull that handle adornment off as I use to checker Gun Stocks.. Sure looks nice on that, knife and good shape also, congrats on it's capture.....
 
"(almost forgot...ironically, here's something for that itchyness, Charlie. )"[quote Kerry]

Probably works better than that knife . . . .in some ways:eek:!;):D
 
Very cool Charlie!. First two I've seen on pocket knives. Vintage fixed blades, yes..

This looks like it is scratted with hand tools. Is it done by hand? And more to the point what type tools would have been employed to hand scrat material like bone?. Process -- Method?

Inquiring minds want to know? :)
 
kc custom said:
I don't know how I can look at this without giving it a whirl one day
Ken.
Click to expand...

True...and how bout those bolsters!:eek: Stuff out of No.6 Norfolk St. is just flat cool :thumbup::cool:

Im with sunnyd as well...would love to see how they did the scrat thing. The lines are really straight and spacing of the design elements are right on the money.
 
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