- Joined
- Dec 2, 2005
- Messages
- 69,249
A long time ago, I used to post new threads all the time, and they sometimes focused on my travels round Yorkshire looking for pointy treasure (couple of examples here and here). I used to pick up a lot of old knives in those days, and to remind me to clean them up I'd leave them out on my kitchen table, this led to a series of other threads (examples here and here). Despite my best endeavours, the table eventually won, and I had to move the knives away. The inevitable happened though, and I forgot to do anything with the knives, particularly as I have been so busy over the past couple of years. I don't buy anywhere near as many old knives as I used to, but I've still accumulated a fair few (and this isn't all of them)! 
There's far too many for me to take care of in one session, or even a dozen sessions, so I thought I'd moderate my ambitions, and just clean up one or two, as time allowed.
Please enjoy this thread for what it is. It is not a sales thread, otherwise it wouldn't be in this forum
I picked this Barehead Jack at random.
It's an interesting knife, somebody must have really loved it, because it has been completely rebuilt, humbly, but with a certain amount of skill.
The original smooth bone covers on the pile side have been replaced with wood, but the covers are of the same shape and thickness. The main Spear-point blade now sits in front of the Pen blade, with the nick on the Pen being on the inside. I think the knife probably had a cursory clean-up prior to it being put on sale, and judging from the rust and 'muck' inside the blade wells, it may be sometime since it was used, but while roughly sharpened, both blades were very sharp, as I found out when I stabbed myself in the thumb while lightly cleaning the Pen blade
Both blades have half stops, and the springs sit evenly in all three positions. The central liner has been filed to allow easier access to the Pen blade, though it can only be opened after first opening the main blade.
The pivot pin looks to have been replaced with a nail. Nothing unusual about that in Sheffield though, as this contemporary photo demonstrates.
Like many Sheffield knives, the tang stamps only tell us that the knife was made in Sheffield, England. There are a number of reasons why so many Sheffield knives were, and still are, anonymous. Many knives are sold to factors, or the blades are supplied to other cutlers, both of whom want to hide the source of supply, and a great many Sheffield knives were made by jobbing cutlers, who primarily did out-work for larger companies, and who had not registered a stamp with the Cutler's Company.
Due to my wound, this old knife received an even more cursory cleaning than usual. Sad that we'll never know the maker, or why someone went to so much trouble with it subsequently, but I think it has great character, and it's a knife I'd certainly carry myself.
There's far too many for me to take care of in one session, or even a dozen sessions, so I thought I'd moderate my ambitions, and just clean up one or two, as time allowed.
Please enjoy this thread for what it is. It is not a sales thread, otherwise it wouldn't be in this forum
I picked this Barehead Jack at random.
It's an interesting knife, somebody must have really loved it, because it has been completely rebuilt, humbly, but with a certain amount of skill.
The original smooth bone covers on the pile side have been replaced with wood, but the covers are of the same shape and thickness. The main Spear-point blade now sits in front of the Pen blade, with the nick on the Pen being on the inside. I think the knife probably had a cursory clean-up prior to it being put on sale, and judging from the rust and 'muck' inside the blade wells, it may be sometime since it was used, but while roughly sharpened, both blades were very sharp, as I found out when I stabbed myself in the thumb while lightly cleaning the Pen blade
Both blades have half stops, and the springs sit evenly in all three positions. The central liner has been filed to allow easier access to the Pen blade, though it can only be opened after first opening the main blade.
The pivot pin looks to have been replaced with a nail. Nothing unusual about that in Sheffield though, as this contemporary photo demonstrates.
Like many Sheffield knives, the tang stamps only tell us that the knife was made in Sheffield, England. There are a number of reasons why so many Sheffield knives were, and still are, anonymous. Many knives are sold to factors, or the blades are supplied to other cutlers, both of whom want to hide the source of supply, and a great many Sheffield knives were made by jobbing cutlers, who primarily did out-work for larger companies, and who had not registered a stamp with the Cutler's Company.
Due to my wound, this old knife received an even more cursory cleaning than usual. Sad that we'll never know the maker, or why someone went to so much trouble with it subsequently, but I think it has great character, and it's a knife I'd certainly carry myself.
Last edited:
It is called a Trattenbacher Taschenfeitel, and it is manufactured by Johann Löschenkohl.
I know this doesn't need cleaning, because when I bought it, it was still in its original paper wrapper 
