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Henckels 715

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:17 am
by Twhite
My brother-in-law gave me this knife this weekend. I know nothing about it. He said it is a fruit knife. The blade has seen better days. I might try to reshape it a bit.

Is it a fruit knife? Does somebody have a general date of manufacture. I guess it might be from the 1970’s

Tom

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 9:03 am
by kootenay joe
Not a Fruit knife which is a more delicately built knife with a silver blade that will not tarnish from acid fruits, from the days before stainless steel (about 1920's).
The handle shape is referred to as a "gunstock" and the blade is a spey for castrating bull calves, so it is a Castrating knife used by ranchers.
Age, hard to say but 'older'. Usually the presence of a pattern number (715) indicates a contract knife, i.e. made by some other knife manufacturer for Henckels. Henckels stopped making their own folding knives in 1960 so this one might be from early 1960's to 1970's. It is also possible it was made by Henckels in 1950's
kj

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 12:00 pm
by Twhite
kj

Thanks for the lesson. I think I will keep this one away from my wife :shock:

Tom

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 1:22 pm
by Gunsil
KJ is a little mistaken here. The knife is a budding/grafting knife and is missing the usually ivory extension off the back end. If you google Henckels budding/grafting knife and go to "images" you will see a complete one in the first or second row of images. So although it isn't what most collectors call a "fruit knife" it was made for grafting work on fruit trees. And although the "spey" style blade is found on "cattle" knives and castrating knives in this case it is not meant for that purpose, but for grafting branches from one sapling onto another.

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:17 pm
by kootenay joe
Henckels did make a small (3 1/2" ?) jack knife with a spey blade for castrating young farm stock. Usually the Henckels Bud-Grafter has a 'flare' of the blade spine near the tip. The absence of this as well as no ivory spud lead me to choose 'castrator' over bud grafter.
kj

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Thu Dec 27, 2018 3:04 pm
by Twhite
When I get home tonight, I will check the back of the knife and see if it appears to have had more on it.

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Tue May 14, 2019 10:01 am
by kootenay joe
Twhite, did you get home yet ?
kj

Re: Henckels 715

Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 10:48 pm
by Hideaway Knives
Nice piece like the handle