Treasures From Jack's Virtual Table

[redsparrow]

Here's something minty I don't have to clean...

This pic is of another knife of the same pattern.

enjoying the thread Jack, once again you've found some real treasures

I am enjoying the show, Jack ! You must be more careful; perhaps some mindful meditation before each session I need to do it myself before my next walk Those nasty curbs can really wreck an old man Maybe I should turn on the flashlight

LOL Yes, for heavens sake my good man, TURN ON THE LIGHT!

 

[JohnDF]

Loving all the different knives you've picked up.

 

[Jack Black]

I am enjoying the show, Jack ! You must be more careful; perhaps some mindful meditation before each session I need to do it myself before my next walk Those nasty curbs can really wreck an old man Maybe I should turn on the flashlight

Thanks Gev Yes, I was very careless, could have been worse You take care my friend, none of us bounce like we used to

I have a grubby old toolkit knife in the basement. It doesn't quite vie with a SAK for portability.
Jack Black , is the skinny tool on the bottle-opening lobster a nail-file?

I have a Bobby Dazzler, but it'll have to wait! A Pricker rather than a Nail-file in this case Jer

Here's an older one in carbon that I gifted Duncan @Campbellclanman some years back (also by Ibberson).

While this fancier Ibberson Lobster has a Nail-File and a Pricker

Jack, I too find the Newton fascinating. Is it really over 150 years old? And, it's a surprisingly large knife to me, or was that usual for the times it came from? Heal quickly my friend, thumb cuts can be a bugger.

Thanks Jeff Unfortunately, when it comes to Sheffield knives, dating is very rarely straightforward. One might imagine that a large firm, as Newton's claimed to be (70 men and 30 boys , even by 1881), would have bought themselves some new tang stamps when they became Francis Newton & Sons. Yet, this knife appears in their 1908 catalogue (which my friend @herder shared with me when I first picked up the knife):

However, Newton's could have been making the same pattern for decades

Thank you Jeff, just got home with blood running down my arm, and had to apply a butterfly closure and another dressing. The wound on my thumb is in a really awkward place and I keep catching it

enjoying the thread Jack, once again you've found some real treasures

Loving all the different knives you've picked up.

Thanks guys

 

[donn]

Here's something minty I don't have to clean, a little mini Tool Kit Knife by Richards of Sheffield, probably a couple of decades older than the Schrade. Richards made their money producing inexpensive clamshell folders, and by coincidence, were eventually acquired by Imperial Schrade. The tools accompanying the wee knife, slot in under the spring, a nifty idea which is much older than this knife. The Richards models were often given as birthday and Christmas gifts here, leading to one wag dubbing them The Dad's Disappointment This one doesn't look like it's ever previously been removed from the case.

This pic is of another knife of the same pattern.

Thanks for posting that Jack, it looks immaculate. I have a couple of those mini toolkit knives that were my dad's, and look barely, if ever used.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks for posting that Jack, it looks immaculate. I have a couple of those mini toolkit knives that were my dad's, and look barely, if ever used.

A pleasure David I suspect the ones that were used didn't last long, I come across them with some regularity, and they always look like new Here's a different style that Richards also did, though I don't see anywhere near as many of them (the piece at the top is just a blade cover)

 

[donn]

A pleasure David I suspect the ones that were used didn't last long, I come across them with some regularity, and they always look like new Here's a different style that Richards also did, though I don't see anywhere near as many of them (the piece at the top is just a blade cover)

Thanks Jack, that's identical to one my dad's.

I actually quite like them, but can see there obvious weakness. And of course a camp knife or SAK sort of makes them obsolete.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks Jack, that's identical to one my dad's.

I actually quite like them, but can see there obvious weakness. And of course a camp knife or SAK sort of makes them obsolete.

Fantastic David, it's great you have the instruction leaflet, and now we have a name for the kit Was the nail-file included?

 

[donn]

Fantastic David, it's great you have the instruction leaflet, and now we have a name for the kit Was the nail-file included?

Yep, it's all part of the kit. I think my dad was a bit a secret knife nut as I have a smaller one as well which I'll post a picture of later.

 

[Jack Black]

Yep, it's all part of the kit. I think my dad was a bit a secret knife nut as I have a smaller one as well which I'll post a picture of later.

Cool I'll have to look out for a wee Richards nail-file

 

[Jack Black]

Here's a 3-Blade Sleeveboard Penknife from Abram Brooksbank of Sheffield.

Brooksbank moved to Sheffield from London in 1847, and was a businessman, rather than a cutler. He initially bought an interest in a steel refining firm, which he soon took over, and by the middle of the 19th century was manufacturing files, saws, and table-knives, in addition to steel, and employed around 100 workers He used the Cannon mark below, which was also, along with 'Defiance', used by George Wilkin. Pen and Pocket knives came later, and in the 1880's Brooksbank took on a partner, and the firm became Abram Brooksbank and Co.

Abram Brooksbank passed away in 1890, but the firm survived independently until 1932, when their name and assets were acquired by Needham, Veall, & Tyzack (Taylor's Eye Witness) of Milton Street, where Abram Brooksbank & Co Ltd were listed until 1965.

 

[kamagong]

Nice old knife Jack. The nacre covers are in excellent shape!

 

[Jack Black]

Nice old knife Jack. The nacre covers are in excellent shape!

Thanks Christian, a lot of the old MOP I come across is in decent shape, even where a knife has been heavily used or abused

 

[Jack Black]

Normark knives, both fixed blades and folders, were heavily marketed to anglers and hunters here in the 1970's, and were quite popular then. I think I've had their entire range over the years (mostly supplied for appraisal), with the exception of this filleting knife. They have a decent reputation, and the sheaths aren't bad either, though I probably wouldn't have bought this one had it not been in a job-lot. All the Normark-branded knives I've had have actually been made by other companies, EKA, Martinni, or in this case Fiskars, and carried the name of the manufacturer in addition to the Normark name.

 

[Jack Black]

Sadly, one of the blades on this very pocketable Giesen & Forsthoff (Solingen) Lobster has been clumsily snapped off. I've seen many similar knives, with varying numbers of stainless blades. Giesen & Forsthoff have been going since 1920, but it looks to me as if their name has been cold-stamped on this knife, leading me to assume that they did not manufacture it themselves.

 

[kamagong]

Thanks Christian, a lot of the old MOP I come across is in decent shape, even where a knife has been heavily used or abused

I wonder what the secret is. I admit to treating my nacre penknife gingerly, afraid I'll either crack or scratch the covers.

 

[Jack Black]

It's a shame this good, solid old Jack has has a broken blade, because it has a really good feel to it I think. Somebody kept it reasonably sharp in spite of the broken blade. A few old fellers used to deliberately snap a blade for use as a pipe scraper, but far more are broken from misuse of course (on the German knife above, the broken blade was also so bent, it wouldn't close).

The knife carries the name of Baxter Ltd - W & J A Baxter Ltd, the W and J A being Walter and Joseph Albert, who according to Geoff Tweedale's research, do not appear to have actually been related. Both were office clerks, and then travellers (travelling salesmen). They began to trade after WW1, moving to the Congo Works on Trippet Lane in the centre of Sheffield in the 1930's. This very distinctive building still stands, and my friend @Cambertree may remember it from his visit to Sheffield.

The firm were incorporated in 1933. They sold a variety of trade knives, table cutlery, and clearly pocket knives. It was still in family hands in the early 1970's, but the name was later acquired by H M Slater.

 

[Jack Black]

I wonder what the secret is. I admit to treating my nacre penknife gingerly, afraid I'll either crack or scratch the covers.

It may just come down to luck Christian And with the luck I've had recently, I'll be treating mine gingerly too!

 

[Marlingspike12]

Great post Jack!

Interesting Austrian knife

Thanks folks, my minor injury is making it rather awkward to clean any more knives, but this simple friction folder doesn't really need any cleaning. It's a traditional penny knife from Austria, which like others here, I was first introduced to by our old friend Andi @Humppa It is called a Trattenbacher Taschenfeitel, and it is manufactured by Johann Löschenkohl.

There's an interesting article about the history of the pattern on Wikipedia (this is the English translation which has a number of shortcomings), which includes details of the Austrian version of 'mumblety-peg'

-M

 

[screened porch]

It may just come down to luck Christian And with the luck I've had recently, I'll be treating mine gingerly too!

Don't be too gingerly, if you're anything like me, or you'll drop them and step on them.

 

[Jack Black]

Great post Jack!

Interesting Austrian knife


-M

Thank you very much

Don't be too gingerly, if you're anything like me, or you'll drop them and step on them.