Found this little item many years ago at a flea market or yard sale(can't remember which)and when I first got it was in nice shape.Stamped,"Aerial Cutlery Co. Marinette Wisc." on the blade and the the picture handles have "Souvenir of Marinette Wisconsin" on one side and the other has two pictures which might be of the original factory.
Well like all "good" celluloid handles they started to out-gas pretty badly and not being able to retard the process I reluctantly removed them to prevent any more damage and resolved to make new handles at some future date.
Well today that future date arrived and I decided to make some new handles for it. I had some scrap pieces of ivory someone gave to me a long time ago and one of the pieces was about the right length.
Using a small saw,I managed to slice the piece in two and flattened the sides by sanding them on a piece of 220 grit sandpaper.Made a couple of templates out of an index card and laid them on the slabs and marked the rivet holes to be drilled. Clamping them in my little machinists' vise that I made in high school,I drilled the holes using an old push drill.Got a bit of chipping around the exit side of the hole but figured to eliminate it when they were sanded to shape.
Glued the handles on using CA adhesive and roughed the handles to size on my 1x30 belt sander.Finished them with 220 grit and 320 grit sandpaper(wet)and polished them with Mother's Mag Wheel Polish. Not perfect but better than rottinmg celluloid.
Now to my question:I always thought this was a letter opener due to it's size but now I'm not so sure.The blade is flat ground on one side only but is ground on both edges of the blade. It is quite sharp and as far as I can tell has always been so.Most letter openers do not have a sharp edge. So what do you think? Is it a letter opener or a small dagger?
Knife or letter opener????????????
-
- Posts: 10119
- Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 9:02 pm
- Location: Tecumseh,Michigan
Re: Knife or letter opener????????????
You did a great job on saving that one. I would say it's a letter opener.
David L Roberts, United States Navy Retired
Please visit my website: Woodburning Art by David at
https://www.wdbydavid.com/
Please visit my website: Woodburning Art by David at
https://www.wdbydavid.com/
- Ridgegrass
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 5470
- Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:04 pm
- Location: Ocean City, MD
- Contact:
Re: Knife or letter opener????????????
K/nut: Nice job! I'm in the letter opener camp. J.O'.
Re: Knife or letter opener????????????
I would also guess that it is a letter opener.
But I KNOW that it has been improved. Great job!
But I KNOW that it has been improved. Great job!
Jesus is life.
Everything else is just a hobby.
~Reverand
Everything else is just a hobby.
~Reverand
- Mumbleypeg
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 13458
- Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2014 1:28 am
- Location: Republic of Texas
Re: Knife or letter opener????????????
Nice job Ray! And put me in the letter opener camp also.
Ken
Ken
Member AKTI, TSRA, NRA.
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
https://www.akti.org/
If your religion requires that you hate someone, you need a new religion.
When the people fear their government, that is tyranny. When government fears the people, that is freedom.
https://www.akti.org/