Mike'smeatshop
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- Joined
- Apr 1, 2023
- Messages
- 1,273
Show Your Vintage Knife
- Thread starter gpw_42
- Start date
Mike'smeatshop
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2023
- Messages
- 1,273
Those are nice. Is that a switch blade?
No, just looks like one. Bought that about 45 years ago, at Army/Navy store.
Not sure if this new acquisition qualifies as vintage. Camillus New York USA electricians knife with jigged bone handles. I think 1970's to 1980's. Not sure. Also not completely sure if the bone handles are original. It was advertised as custom jigged bone handles on eBay.
@CFC2, that's a newer knife, showing the last ricasso marking Camillus used before they ended production in 2007, IIRC; don't remember when they started using it, but I think in the 90s. Trivia aside, it's a GREAT looking knife - love the jigged bone - and I hope you get a lot of use from it.
Thanks everyone else for keeping some posts going. I was out of town the end of July and not keeping up with GJ...much. Look forward to more posts on vintage knives and knife collections!
Thanks gpw_42! Appreciate the feedback and useful information.
Picked up this Q knife from Facebook, where I overpaid, especially as the idea is to make a user of it. Someone did some serious surgery to the tang to disassemble and shorten it by two or three leather spacers. The shortened grip isn't visible to the naked eye, but I sure feel it in my hand. Probably no serious impact on it being a good user. Someone also reprofiled the top of the blade; this probably makes it an even better user. They also ground the edge noticeably, but then put a decent edge on it...which needs touched up. In the grinding process, they removed the shaping from the **** and beveled the edge. Grinding and vintage knives shouldn't go together! Despite all that, it'll still make a good user, just need to make up (or have made?) a sheath for it.
Edited to replace the crappy picks I first posted, with some decent ones.
Edited to replace the crappy picks I first posted, with some decent ones.
Attachments
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This Craftsman crown logo knife just showed up on a different part of the forum, and I wanted to cross-post it here, property of @Cooter Brown:
www.garagejournal.com
Craftsman Crown Logo "Carpenter's Knife"
A short time ago @bmwrd0 posted a haul in the Garage Sale thread. One of the items he found was a pocket knife I thought I recognized. I described it to Aaron and it turns out I was right--a Schrade Walden split back whittler pattern. I responded with an ID and he offered to sell it to me for...
www.garagejournal.com
Unk
Well-known member
Newest estate sale find, what does the s.s.p stand for?
SSP stands for "Sheffield steel products". Nice WWII knife!Newest estate sale find, what does the s.s.p stand for?
Here's is the company history:
Sheffield Steel Products Ltd
<p>The founder of this cutlery and tools conglomerate was Alywn Howard Wild (1886-1968). He had been born in Sheffield, the son of Mark Henry Wild (185...
hawleysheffieldknives.com
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Nice find, Macduf. The scales are made of Bexoid. I have the same jack knife, mine a Taylor's Eye Witness, made in 1943, and posted here...
www.garagejournal.com
...if you're interested in comparing.
Show Your Vintage Knife
I generally don't collect tools made in Japan, but when I picked this pocket knife up at a flea market several years ago, the COO was irrelevant to my instantaneous desire. With the adjustable wrench built into the end, and the handy little marlinspike, it was an immediate "how much?" And, say...
www.garagejournal.com
...if you're interested in comparing.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
"Jack knife" is the most common nickname as far as I know. If you use that in combination with "British military" and "WWII", that should do the trick. I don't know of a formal name, but the model number "6553" was apparently associated with them since 1905, although they were made in that style since the late 1880's, though longer back then, like the evolution of our own TL-29/41-K-380. Various changes in scales and number and type of blades during WWII, except for the main blade and marlin spike, which stayed constant. Contrary to popular belief, the marlin spike does not mean Navy only; the Army knife got that, too. And just like our own MIL-K, they got steel scales around 1945/6. I have seen those called "Burma knives". I would defer to our "mates" from across the pond, but most of the above is from a pretty good source: Roger Milam (Silly's MB).
Farmer J.
Well-known member
The basic design and the name 'Jack Knife' dates back at least to 1642. Here's a link to a nice little article about the name and history:
It would be nice to see if any of those Hudson Bay Company ones ever turn up!
www.wordorigins.org
It would be nice to see if any of those Hudson Bay Company ones ever turn up!
jackknife — Wordorigins.org
23 February 2021 A jackknife is a clasp knife, one where the blade folds into the handle. Clasp knives have been around since antiquity, but the term jackknife dates to the mid seventeenth century and arose in the north of England or in Scotland. The word is clearly a compound of Jack + knif
www.wordorigins.org
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lzenglish
Well-known member
BEAUTIFUL Collection !
jbfsr
Well-known member
@Macduf, that Gusstahl is interesting looking.
@jbfsr your dad's Kabar is awesome! That sort of connection is great (and unusual) to have...and if that knife could only talk...it'd probably tell mostly stories about mundane things and uses. But it may also have some "darker" stories to tell, which would be tightly under wraps. If you get a chance, please post some pics of the pommel. Thanks for sharing!
@jbfsr your dad's Kabar is awesome! That sort of connection is great (and unusual) to have...and if that knife could only talk...it'd probably tell mostly stories about mundane things and uses. But it may also have some "darker" stories to tell, which would be tightly under wraps. If you get a chance, please post some pics of the pommel. Thanks for sharing!
Mintgrun
Well-known member
I pulled this knife out of the scrap metal bin. I guess they tossed it because the steel was brown. I tried a little googling, but to no avail. I'm wondering whether this was factory made, or a user modified screwdriver.
I'm guessing it was made this way but either way, I'm wondering what its purpose was. It'd make a good oyster knife, but they're typically a bit shorter. I've got an assortment of those I'll add to this thread later on.
Tom
I'm guessing it was made this way but either way, I'm wondering what its purpose was. It'd make a good oyster knife, but they're typically a bit shorter. I've got an assortment of those I'll add to this thread later on.
Tom
d42jeep
Well-known member
Probably started out like this. Prewar Irwin.
-Don
-Don
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Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
I think many of the so-called 'perfect handle' type makers made a variant with a hex shoulder for turning with a wrench, including Ryan, IRWIN, as Don posted, etc. Not sure about Federal, to be honest.
I will say that @Mintgrun 's example has a much longer hex shoulder than I am used to seeing.
d42jeep
Well-known member
The hex on this one is a bit longer.
-Don
-Don
Mintgrun
Well-known member
I agree that it was probably a screwdriver in its former life. The file marks were part of the forging/shaping process. They must have worked fast when they heated it up, to avoid burning the handle. Or, maybe they replaced the wood too.
I dug out my assortment of vintage Oyster knives. The one on the right up front and the two laying in back were made in Japan. The others are not marked (that I can see), aside from the second in from the left in the back row, which says Russell on the handle.
Oyster knives have a hard job. It takes a thin tip to slip inside and a bit of twisting to open them up enough to cut the muscle. So, they need to be slim, sharp and strong.
The second in from the right in the back row has a modified tip. It's been flattened off and made narrow; possibly for turning small screws.
Tom
I dug out my assortment of vintage Oyster knives. The one on the right up front and the two laying in back were made in Japan. The others are not marked (that I can see), aside from the second in from the left in the back row, which says Russell on the handle.
Oyster knives have a hard job. It takes a thin tip to slip inside and a bit of twisting to open them up enough to cut the muscle. So, they need to be slim, sharp and strong.
The second in from the right in the back row has a modified tip. It's been flattened off and made narrow; possibly for turning small screws.
Tom
Mike'smeatshop
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 1, 2023
- Messages
- 1,273
I love Oysters==============Knives.I agree that it was probably a screwdriver in its former life. The file marks were part of the forging/shaping process. They must have worked fast when they heated it up, to avoid burning the handle. Or, maybe they replaced the wood too.
I dug out my assortment of vintage Oyster knives. The one on the right up front and the two laying in back were made in Japan. The others are not marked (that I can see), aside from the second in from the left in the back row, which says Russell on the handle.
Oyster knives have a hard job. It takes a thin tip to slip inside and a bit of twisting to open them up enough to cut the muscle. So, they need to be slim, sharp and strong.
The second in from the right in the back row has a modified tip. It's been flattened off and made narrow; possibly for turning small screws.
Tom
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
lzenglish
Well-known member
A Few Of Mine......
@Private Lugnutz your glasses are BLIPS (pronounced bee lips)…Ballistic Laser something Protective Spectacles. Early/mid-90s and they sucked to wear (conventional sense, not GJ ****). The green lense is the laser protective part, otherwise they were just uncomfortable sunglasses. Learned that in 1994 at NTC, and still have some around here somewhere. Oakleys were a HUGE improvement in the early/mid- 2000s.
BLIPS were issued in a box with a set of sunglasses & a set of clear, each in their own pouch, with a neck strap. The laser protective lense could be mounted over either frame/lense color. The label fell off of mine…
BLIPS were issued in a box with a set of sunglasses & a set of clear, each in their own pouch, with a neck strap. The laser protective lense could be mounted over either frame/lense color. The label fell off of mine…
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Thanks. Confirms my speculation. No "I", I don't think, though, just BLPS, no? We never wore them. I posted photos in the 'Safety Glasses' thread earlier today.
Old Radar
Well-known member
Just to keep this tangent going another post, I'll see your BLPS and raise you a PLZT.
Polarized Lead Zirconium Titanate (PLZT, pronounced "plizzit") flash blindness goggles. Pilot and Copilot wore them because they had windows with leaky thermal curtains. Those of us with no windows got one each eye patch!
Probably won't be able to pick up a set at the flea...
Polarized Lead Zirconium Titanate (PLZT, pronounced "plizzit") flash blindness goggles. Pilot and Copilot wore them because they had windows with leaky thermal curtains. Those of us with no windows got one each eye patch!
Probably won't be able to pick up a set at the flea...
555
Well-known member
I have a couple of sets somewhere. Never worn. Well I think I tried a set on once and decided there was something better. Mostly wore my Randolph aviator specs.
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Stubby1743
Well-known member
On 10th March 1944 my father was serving on the destroyer H.M.S. Brecon in the Mediterranean off the west coast of Italy. In conjunction with destroyers H.M.S. Blankney, H.M.S. Blencathra, H.M.S. Exmoor and U.S.S. Madison U405 was hunted, attacked with depth charges and forced to the surface where all 51 crew survived and were taken prisoner.
Some of the prisoners were taken aboard H.M.S. Brecon. My father took the knife pictured below from one of the prisoners when he was searched.
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Some of the prisoners were taken aboard H.M.S. Brecon. My father took the knife pictured below from one of the prisoners when he was searched.
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@Stubby1743 welcome to the thread, and THANKS for that awesome contribution! Neat knife, and a better backstory.
Are there any markings on it which would suggest when/where it was made? I'm guessing Solingen steel, but....
Are there any markings on it which would suggest when/where it was made? I'm guessing Solingen steel, but....
Stubby1743
Well-known member
There are no markings of the blade other that the "ROSTFREI" that you can see.
Stubby1743
Well-known member
This mess knife was also taken off a German prisoner at the same time.
This blade was made in Solingen and is dated 1941.
This blade was made in Solingen and is dated 1941.
Private Lugnutz
Well-known member
Frankly, honestly, I don't recall seeing one before! I can say with no small amount of research behind it, that the characteristics are certainly the right time period, and the marking - including its size, font, placement, and application (lightly stamped) are identical to the "U.S. ARMY" marked knives that a few of us have a few examples of. There are knives marked "U.S.N." and others with Navy FSN's on the wooden scales. It definitely smacks of being a U.S.M.C. version of those and all the electricians' knives made for the Ordnance Dept, the Corps of Engineers, and other Army technical services outside the Signal Corps. That knife was of course the model for these but marked with the Signal Corps part number (TL-29).
Who made it? Camillus?