The Magnificent Shilin Cutter

[SomeGuyInTaipei]

This is about 3.3" closed

Cool! I've never seen a Chiu with a stamp on that side. It's nice to see she's gotten some use too^^

 

[J D Wijbenga]

Thanks for the story! Very interesting!

 

[J D Wijbenga]

 

[SomeGuyInTaipei]

Great video of the Chiu shop, brother. Any clue how old it is?

 

[abcdef]

International knife knowledge - outstanding.

 

[J D Wijbenga]

Great video of the Chiu shop, brother. Any clue how old it is?

Sorry, no idea about the age of the video. Did find another interesting one though:

 

[oregon]

(The Shilin Cutter)

(Kuo He, the first maker of the Pachihlan, or Shilin Cutter)

special thanks to BladeForums user oregon , whose posts on the topic first led me to this site

Terrific thread. You are welcome OP, my pleasure, Kuo knives and their story are very easy to love and hard to acquire. Do a google search if you are looking for Chiu folders and you will find them in the US currently.

 

[SomeGuyInTaipei]

I'm extremely happy to say that, just before my repatriation back to the States a couple weeks back, I DID bring the prettiest translator I could find with me to Master Kuo's shop, and he was generous enough to add me to his list. This was after several refusals, though he'd never given me the run-around. He always just said, "nope, already backed up too much." Anyway, Huzzah. On the down side, he said okie, call back in three years, maybe I'll have an update for you ) Oh well, that'll do. Cheers y'all!

 

[AFAustin]

A+ persistence! Hope it pays off for you.

Andrew

 

[http]

An English-language version of the same video mentioned by SomeGuyInTaipei on 11/26/2017 by J D Wijbenga on 11/30/2017 can be found at:

 

[Cambertree]

Thanks for reviving this informative thread. S SomeGuyInTaipei , I'm looking forward to seeing an update when you work your way up Master Kuo's waiting list in a few years time!

 

[http]

Here are some more video links. I can't credit the person who wrote the text below, since this is information from one of the big auction sites.
Quote:
This video has an interview with the knifemaker (in Mandarin), with footage of the workshop, the forging of blade, the forming the handles, and the application of the tang stamp.

The first 3 minutes of this video has another Chinese interview with the knifemaker with good footage of the workshop and storefront:

This video shows a in-depth tour of the store. This is a tour conducted by a professional tour operator and is highly recommended for people who can understand Mandarin Chinese:

There is a 43-second clip at the 3 minute, 29 second mark of the following video has footage of the storefront (including the exterior):

There is a 50-second clip at the 24 second mark of the following video that has good footage of older Shilin Knives and an interview with the knifemaker:

Also, here is a rare article in English about the knife that was apparently used by the knifemaker himself (via photocopies) to introduce the knife to English-speaking customers:
https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=20,29,35,45&post=24796

 

[Fodderwing]

Awesome thread.

 

[RayseM]

I've always liked the Spyderco "version" but owning one of these original would be getting the PRIZE.
I would be very happy with the black and brass

Ray

 

[http]

Here is another video that shows how the knife is opened. I would recommend opening it more slowly, however, to reduce the amount of wear:

 

[oregon]

Vintage Kuo family Shilin Cutter. 5.5” open and 3.125 closed. Clad blade. Edge is perfect and starp. Pin holding bale has not been damaged by the blade upon closing. Closes slowly and will keep it that way to protect the cutting edge from striking the bale pin. Cleaned up nicely. Need Kuo’s email to send him pics to see if he can figure which descendant made it. Looks like it was made to be a user because blade was not polished. Love these knives.

Stephen shared 4 photos with you

www.amazon.com