Old Rope Knives

[JohnR]

Dimitri, very nice Russell. I picked one up thats a little bit rougher.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Wouldn't you love to know who "NL" might have been?

Charlie Noyes

[JohnR]

I was thinking the same thing Charlie.

[PCwizard]

Just adding my NOS ABL from 1950, my wife found it for me a few years ago.

[Miller Bro's]

Thanks John.

That one has a lot of character

Gary, those ABL knives are really rugged

[Miller Bro's]

Had to go back two years to find this thread

Added this one to my collection, happy it still has the etch

[FRJ]

And that is a nice oldie!
Good one, Dimitri.

[Miller Bro's]

Thanks Joe!

[tjmurphy]

Those old knives are magnificent. Nice one Dimitri

[FRJ]

Here's a Miller Bros.

4 3/4" excluding brass lanyard ring.

[Miller Bro's]

Those old knives are magnificent. Nice one Dimitri

They sure are Tom, thanks!

[Miller Bro's]

Joe, that Miller is great!

[ratlesnake75]

MB;
Your knife has double rat-tailed bolsters! One big rat and one little rat drug their tails across those bolsters.

Here's a big Robeson 197 with bone handles, steel liners, butt cap and single rat-tailed bolsters.
Also Robeson's version of the WWI Navy issue knife.
Charlie Noyes

Hey Charlie, If you dont mind to help me learn more about this particular example of the 2-blade sailors knife WW1 Model. Most all other examples I am aware of come from WW1 also. Just curious as too the Master blade stamping being "Robeson shuredge Rochester" was from 1922-1939 right. The dates are confusing for me. Could this particular stamping go back to 1917-1918 instead of 1922?
Thx Mark

[RobesonsRme.com]

Any dating that anyone has ever published re' tang stamps on Robeson knives is dubious, at best. That includes the dates published by Tom Kalcevic. I use them, as it's pretty much all we have, but I have never stated them to be totally accurate.

As far as I know, no one has had access to genuine Robeson records from their inception to WWII.

Given that these knives are generally accepted to be WWI issue,then that stamp has to date to 1918 or so, unless, of course, Robeson continued to offer the pattern after the war.

Who knows? I certainly do not. But, wish I did.

Charlie Noyes

[ratlesnake75]

Hey Charlie, Wonderful information and I certainly appreciate your opinion & value your input. Thanks for taking the time to elaborate on this.
Kind Regards,
Mark

[KAW]

Well.... after going thru this entire thread.... if there is one thing I'd learn.... its there sure is a lot of variety when it comes to rope knives.
I sure love threads such as this one.... its like visiting a rope knife museum. However.... the reason I went thru the entire thread was in hopes of finding some info about a particular knife I have.... but did find the brand here....

I've been told by others that this single blade 4" Ulster Knife Co. with cocobolo wood handle is a farmer's folder or a worn down hawkbill.... but I still get the sense that the blade still keeps its original shape & to me has the looks of a rope knife.... can anyone confirm? As a clue, the blade has the pattern number "1010" stamped on the pile side of the tang.... but I don't have access to any catalogs that list this one. Please help....

[djknife13]

I would call that a sailors knife and I use the terms rope knife and sailors knife pretty much for the same knives although I would guess rope knives would generally be heavier blades for pounding through heavy hemp rope. It looks to me to be more suited to use as a sailors knife. Lets see if others agree with me. ___Dave

[tjmurphy]

I'm inclined to go with the "farmer's folder" or pruning knife, reprofiled hawk-bill based on the rounded shape of the blade forward of the nail nick.

[djknife13]

Farmers jacks or folders usually have a hawkbill style pruning blade and a spay style grafting blade. Platts called their hawkbill knives pruning knives and Levine's guide shows your knife and lists them as Sailors rope knives or just sailors knife. The Camillus example he shows is almost a copy of your Ulster so that's my story and I'm sticking to it. ___Dave

[ratlesnake75]

Hey KAW, Thats a normal Hawkbill knife or pruning knife that the blade has been Re-Profiled to resemble a Rope knife.
Kind Regards,
Mark

[djknife13]

I'm still putting my money on it being a sailors knife. The nail nick isn't in the same place as old Ulster Hawkbills and the blade is too long both between the nick and the bolster and way too long for the end of the blade to be ground flat. Also I don't think they stamped a model number on their hawkbill. The frame isn't the same as a Ulster hawkbill either . It's the wrong shape and one too many pins. I'll believe it's a reworked Ulster hawkbill when I see one listed in an old catalog from a different era than I'm familiar with that has a 1010 pattern number stamped on it. _____Dave

[zzyzzogeton]

A top-down pic showing the knife with the blade closed might shed a little light on whether or not the blade has been shortened.

[KAW]

Thanks all for chiming in about this knife.... I got about as much consensus here as anywhere else .... talk about stirring up the pot!
(OK.... I added that last part in just so I get the chance to use that emoji.)

As requested here's the angle asked for....


....plus a view in the closed position....

[zzyzzogeton]

Just my 2¢ worth, but I don't believe that that blade has been cut down at all.

[thefarside]

An old Allen, I guess the spike makes it a Riggers Knife, but I think it fits in this forum>