Two Left Feet? An agile work knife!!

[waynorth]

Old Bowie found this knife at a gun show in the British Columbia interior, and graciously traded it to me for a nice old pocket knife.
Kinda cool, but so far I haven't found it in any references.
9 1/2" long, the steel tapers in the handle from 0.194" down to about
0.060". Nice nose-heavy balance. Good for hawkin' and billin'
Any info hiding amongst you, my friends?

 

[arizonaranchman]

Wow very interesting. Curious to see what we learn of it here...

 

[monstrum]

Nice looking blade. It looks like a brush ax..... but with no pole.... try the ax area of the forums. You might get better help there.

 

[kamagong]

I think that's a grape harvesting knife you have there.

- Christian

 

[Will Power]

Very interesting item!:thumbup:

Bit too small for hedging and ditching.....but it is Bill-Hook like. I'd hazard a guess that it's for decapitating cabbages, cauliflowers,lettuce and especially brussel-sprouts before the advent of machine harvesting? Market-gardener's tool.

 

[jc57]

http://www.gracesguide.co.uk/A._and_F._Parkes_and_Co

 

[Jack Black]

Interesting knife Charlie, very nice :thumbup:

 

[quattromori]

I will post some pictures later, but that looks alot like a "roncola", a cutting tool used in southern Europe for centuries for gardening/harvesting. Still quite common in my country.
No info on your specific knife though

Fausto

 

[Berkley]

Two more feet:

LINK
A. & F. PARKES & CO. LIMITED
Company info
105, ST. PETERS STREET,, ST. ALBANS,, HERTS., AL1 3EJ
Company category: Private Limited Company
Company number: 01146493
Company status: Dissolved
country of origin: United Kingdom
incorporation date: 1973.11.20
dissolution date: 2009.03.10
last member list: 1990.07.10
has UK establishment: No
has appointments: No
in liquidation: No
LINK2

 

[waynorth]

Thanks Berkley, Fausto, Jack, John, Will and everyone for you interest and contribution.

The construction of this knife suggests an earlier incarnation of Parkes than some of the links suggest. We will find a link somewhere I am sure.
I keep digging, but an old catalog will turn up something . . . . .

 

[waynorth]

Several voices have chorused "Tea Pruner" over at Bernie Levine's forum!
An I*XL catalog page turned up confirming it as such.
Now to date it!!??

 

[Jack Black]

Several voices have chorused "Tea Pruner" over at Bernie Levine's forum!

Interesting to see that Martindale still produce a tea-pruner :thumbup:

 

[Parke1]

I posted this in your thread in BRL's forum, but I thought I'd share it here with the gang.

How interesting. I'd love to find out more about the Parkes brand. My last name is Parke, but the name used to be written "Parkes" before my great (x9) grandfather came to Boston in 1635 from England. Maybe I have a cutler for a (rather distant) relative!

 

[Jack Black]

Still a few Parkes living in Sheffield

 

[ptradeco]

Charlie if you watch ebay you can usually catch a few Parkes Biped products for sale. Couple right now. They also made these in folders and straight razors as well. No mention of them in Tweedale's. They seem to have had a focus on gardening tools. Sheffield may not lead you to much as they seem to have been, or originated at least, in Birmingham.

Here is an interesting tool:



http://www.sheffieldhistory.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic/10813-old-gardening-tools/

 

[Parke1]

Still a few Parkes living in Sheffield

Very interesting!