wlwhittier
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2013
- Messages
- 205
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This knife is the strangest puzzle in my collection, and I'm not sure where to begin. It was billed as a 'Patch Knife' by the seller.
The blade has two initial stories; the left side shows the same level of pitting as the right, but has been filed or ground...long ago, it appears. The right side shows no such work. The odd (to me, anyway) pattern, which was the initial attraction even more than the handle, was sharpened in a manner I didn't notice before purchase: about half the upper edge has been ground. The main edge is sharpened almost to the tip of the second hump. The overall pitting and aged rust seem evidence of fire. I haven't tried to establish blade temper, yet. Also, that upper edge (the spine, where it meets the wood) is about twice as thick as the balance of the tang...and only on the top. Very sharply relieved to create a uniformly thick tang, with the scales sweetly inset there.
And then there's that remarkable handle! Tiger Maple is a guess, but it's so dark that it could be some Asian or African exotic. Eleven brass pins bind the scales to the tang perfectly, without gaps or other indicators of poor craftsmanship. All evidence shows the blade was 'damaged' before that handle was fitted. I wonder then; why the superior effort, materials, fit and finish without addressing the blade issues/condition?
There's a hell of a story here...I wish I understood clearly what I see. I've spent more time gazing at this thing, flopping it over in my hands and marveling at the anomalous total, than any knife I've got!
Any and all comments and suggestions are eagerly sought...Thanks!
This knife is the strangest puzzle in my collection, and I'm not sure where to begin. It was billed as a 'Patch Knife' by the seller.
The blade has two initial stories; the left side shows the same level of pitting as the right, but has been filed or ground...long ago, it appears. The right side shows no such work. The odd (to me, anyway) pattern, which was the initial attraction even more than the handle, was sharpened in a manner I didn't notice before purchase: about half the upper edge has been ground. The main edge is sharpened almost to the tip of the second hump. The overall pitting and aged rust seem evidence of fire. I haven't tried to establish blade temper, yet. Also, that upper edge (the spine, where it meets the wood) is about twice as thick as the balance of the tang...and only on the top. Very sharply relieved to create a uniformly thick tang, with the scales sweetly inset there.
And then there's that remarkable handle! Tiger Maple is a guess, but it's so dark that it could be some Asian or African exotic. Eleven brass pins bind the scales to the tang perfectly, without gaps or other indicators of poor craftsmanship. All evidence shows the blade was 'damaged' before that handle was fitted. I wonder then; why the superior effort, materials, fit and finish without addressing the blade issues/condition?
There's a hell of a story here...I wish I understood clearly what I see. I've spent more time gazing at this thing, flopping it over in my hands and marveling at the anomalous total, than any knife I've got!
Any and all comments and suggestions are eagerly sought...Thanks!
