Traditional Knife Terminology & Historical Reference

KnifeHead

KnifeHead

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Messages
5,561
Did you ever notice how threads started with great images of knives will often lead to interesting knowlege being shared and the readers even learn something? Most of the time that information will only be in that thread and is somewhat hidden and lost to history.

This thread is intended to be a place where we can gather information with the idea that it will become a valuable resource for the beginner and seasoned collector alike. Just as a notch hollow eases access to a knife pull, it is the intention that this thread will make it easier for all to learn more about traditional knives.

I have no idea how this thread will be built upon. I just know we should start one, so we begin....
 
perhaps when some good info shows up in another thread, it could be linked to in this thread, with a reference to the page and post # where the useful info can be found...
 
Right off the bat - Durwood showed his new warncliffe -
What is the correct spelling ?
I have heard it was a blade shape,originated by the Duke of Wharncliffe,?But also have read it dates back as far as the Roman Empire?
Also,AG Russell has knives,or I should say I've seen knives,referred to as having warncliffe handles?
This warncliffe has had me wondering about it,for quite some time.
How about some input on it,Thank You,
-Vince
PS Edited in,"Break out the popcorn" LOL!
 
Here is my view. We start with an information gathering phase. All contributions are welcome. At some point we will need a consolidation phase to organise all of the information provide. Of course, it will evolve over time as new tidbits are raised.

Questions are good too (VCM3) as they may prompt an response from someone with the answer. What do you know? What would you like to know?
 
Anyone have any pics of a knife with a match strike nail nick?

blade1.jpg
etch-2dogs.jpg
 
VCM3 said:
Right off the bat - Durwood showed his new warncliffe -
What is the correct spelling ?
I have heard it was a blade shape,originated by the Duke of Wharncliffe,?But also have read it dates back as far as the Roman Empire?
Also,AG Russell has knives,or I should say I've seen knives,referred to as having warncliffe handles?
This warncliffe has had me wondering about it,for quite some time.
How about some input on it,Thank You,
-Vince
PS Edited in,"Break out the popcorn" LOL!
Click to expand...
Since this is one of my favorite blade shapes, I'll jump in: The most common spelling I've seen is Wharncliff, capitalized, since it was someone's name (though I believe the Duke did in fact spell it with a trailing "e"). This can be a sticky point when searching for these blades, as vendors will use whatever (mis)spelling they like best.

The shape is somewhat reminiscent of a sheep/lambs foot, and no doubt this generic shape (one straight, sharpened edge) has been around "forever", I'm sure.

The most interesting piece of information I have concerning them comes from this forum, where I learned that a specific handle shape can be considered in the Wharncliff style, too. It has sort of a Seahorse whittler recurve. Though I've seen plenty of Wharncliff-bladed knives that do not have that type of handle.

-- Sam
 
Okay, fellas I have a comment and suggestion so you let me know how you want to do it.

A thread like this (which was a great idea by Kerry) can become unwieldy very quickly if we all just start chattering in it. Then finding the nuggets will become that much more difficult.

What do you say to the idea of a thread (this thread or another if need be) where the only posts are those which are informative in nature.

We can ask questions in a variety of threads and then post a (somewhat) definitive answer in the main thread.

Otherwise, as I see it, we're gonna have lots of "me too's" and extraneous stuff which will defeat the purpose.

So, it's your forum, whaddya think?

(We can always start over from scratch, delete the chaff whatever. I'm here to help you get it the way you want it.)

So, fire away and then we'll go back and fix things.
 
FWIW - At webmasterworld, which is a huge forum, they will occasionally take a useful reference thread and throw it into the "library" subforum. Particularly when it's something people keep asking about over and over again.

Each forum there has a library subforum, and they will take a thread, clean out the posts that aren't worth anything, and throw the meat of it in there for future reference.
 
Thanks Para...Blues,Sounds good,that's why you da man !
-Vince
 
Micarta was developed by Westinghouse. It has a higher tensile strength than steel and is impervious to changes in temperature. It will not swell, warp, or crack, even under adverse conditions, once it is on the knife. There are three types of Micarta and several grades of these three types. They all consist of layers of either paper, linen, or canvas. The inventors of Formica (kitchen counter tops) had borrowed so heavily from Micarta technology that the name "Formica" is short for the term "Formerly Micarta".
 
While a noble effort, and with much due respect to Kerry, I think a thread must have a topic which is specific! Then it can be searched, and so is readily available for research (re-search!).
Micarta, steel types, blade shapes, how to photograph a knife, what is the stuff called redbone; these titles focus the thoughts, but more important make those thoughts easier to find next month when you want to add new info.
In conclusion, I'll just say, the thread title is the treasure map that tells you where to find what you are looking for.
What say you??
 
waynorth said:
While a noble effort, and with much due respect to Kerry, I think a thread must have a topic which is specific! Then it can be searched, and so is readily available for research (re-search!).
Micarta, steel types, blade shapes, how to photograph a knife, what is the stuff called redbone; these titles focus the thoughts, but more important make those thoughts easier to find next month when you want to add new info.
In conclusion, I'll just say, the thread title is the treasure map that tells you where to find what you are looking for.
What say you??
Click to expand...
I must agree wholeheartedly!!
 
That's an excellent point, Charlie.
 
I agree with waynorth, with equal respect to Kerry's initial proposal.

I would love a thread, that illustrates various knife types and blade shapes, has pics or drawings of them, and most importantly, describes what that blade shape is optimal for.

For example, what chores are hunting knives used for, versus camp knives? Are these categories where other bladeshapes fall into them, like skinner and maybe bowie, under hunting? What is a chute knife for? Would it be classified as a fighting knife? What about clip points, tantos, spearpoints, drop-points, hawk-bills, tantos, leaf blades, sheep-foot, etc..

I am uneducated here.. and seek enlightenment.

I think AG Russell had a post on a similar topic, where he asked folks to contribute, and he would put it up on his Knife Encyclopedia. I've seen contributions to that, but not all were posted in his Encyclopedia. Maybe it was limited to traditional (Remington) slip-joint blade shapes? ie tanto was suggested but never added, as far as I know).

Maybe somebody more educated on this topic could create a new thread for members to contribute to, ensuring the right categories of knife types and blade shapes are called out.

On the other hand, if something like this already exists.. I'd love a link to it.

Thanks.
 
Now, a list of informational links sounds good to me fishwatcher!!
Kerry, you have drawn me into this idea of yours. A little brainstorming here is what's called for to refine the idea!!
I love reference materials, partly because I am a crossword addict, and partly because I love the history of knives and knife companies. Google has changed how a person can find information, but specific to knives, a list of informational links has merit. Hmmmmmmmmmm!!!
 
Well, brainstorm it here and when we can come up with a viable approach we'll make it a "sticky" so that it can be accessed as needed.
 
Ohhh I wish I could add as fast as I can type. I will be one to pull info faster than I can add however. Great idea KH. Look forward to what comes!!!:thumbup:
 
Yes, brainstorm. Whatever form it takes, it is needed. I'm for taking our time with this phase to get a lot of input.
 
This is probably too simple of an idea but I'll throw it out there so we can beat up on it. A encyclopedic format might work. Words and phrase key words grouped in alpha/numeric order. Existing threads that cover the information could be linked from here to give context to the topics. Not all entries would need thread links and could be self supporting or linked to outside sources.


1
1000 Series Carbon Steel
2
3
-
-
A
B
Blade Shapes and Styles
Blade Uses

C
Corn Knives, These were used to remove corns from one's feet
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=475629
-
-
-
-
S
Slip Joint Folding Knife - Another name for the "pocket knife" etc etc.

Stove Pipe Kick - This refers to the shape of the kick area on the tang of some old forged folding knives etc etc
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4615418&postcount=19
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top