Wharncliffe Knives

This forum is dedicated to the discussion and display of old knives. The rich history of all the many companies that made them through the early years will be found here as well as many fine examples of the cutlers art. Share pictures of your old knives and your knowledge here!
User avatar
PCwizard
Posts: 677
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:01 pm
Location: East, TX
Contact:

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by PCwizard »

Thanks to QT ::handshake::, I finally got the AG Russell 2008 Stag Agents Knife with the wharncliffe blade. Its surprising how hard it was finding this one. I've had the 2008 stag dagger style for a few years now but I've only seen photo's of the wharncliffe model.

.
Attachments
1.JPG
2.JPG
3.JPG
User avatar
PCwizard
Posts: 677
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:01 pm
Location: East, TX
Contact:

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by PCwizard »

orvet wrote:I love Wharncliffe blades.
Here is an I*XL I removed the plastic handles and put some stag on it.

IXL stag custom Wharncliffe d.jpg
IXL stag custom Wharncliffe e.jpg

Orvet I love this knife. You did a great job.
Ivoryman
Posts: 8653
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2015 4:20 am
Location: Seattle, WA

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by Ivoryman »

A thing going here
Attachments
WP_20180615_028.jpg
"It's what people know about themselves inside that makes them afraid." -No Name, High Plains Drifter
User avatar
PCwizard
Posts: 677
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:01 pm
Location: East, TX
Contact:

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by PCwizard »

Picked up this little GEC Coyote the other day. Handles are Osage Orange wood.
Its still in the mail. I think it will be here today. ::pray::
Attachments
1.jpg
2.jpg
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

There's some Elk hiding in this Wharncliffe thicket. Finally got the roof paid off, now I'm working on the solar water heater--which is why all of these beauties are heading to market on (eBay) Sunday. Feel free to stop by and drop a bid on anything that tickles your fancy. All bids are welcome and it's for a good cause (because I like a hot shower!)
P7200002.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
doglegg
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:35 am
Location: Grand Prairie, Texas

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by doglegg »

Q that is a great bunch of Wharnies. What is your ebay site?
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
doglegg
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 17721
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:35 am
Location: Grand Prairie, Texas

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by doglegg »

Thanks Q. I will have to watch that site.
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

I'm drawn to a wharncliffe blade like a moth to a flame--Resistance is futile!
P7240006.JPG
P7240012_1.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
PCwizard
Posts: 677
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:01 pm
Location: East, TX
Contact:

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by PCwizard »

QTCut5 wrote:I'm drawn to a wharncliffe blade like a moth to a flame--Resistance is futile!

P7240006.JPGP7240012_1.JPG

~Q~
Never heard of that Nowland, is it a brand or maker. Looks like a great knife. ::tu::
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

Thanks, Gary.
Rick Nowland is a custom knife maker in Waltonville, Illnois.

This little barehead beauty is stainless steel, 3 1/2" closed.
P7240002.JPG
P7240003.JPG
P7240004.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
PCwizard
Posts: 677
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:01 pm
Location: East, TX
Contact:

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by PCwizard »

This gem showed up in the mail today. This is a very early William Henry Evolution WH-S07 and one of the first models they made. It was also the winner of Blade Magazine (Overall Knife of the Year) at the Blade Show in 2000.

As with all William Henry knives, the fit and finish are impeccable. The seller surprised me by finding the box. I purchased it thinking it didn't have the box. When I opened the package it was in the original box, the seller's wife had found it. ::super_happy::

Link to the full list of Blade Show Winners (1984-2017)
https://blog.knife-depot.com/knife-of-t ... t-10-years
-----------------------------------------------

Knife description from americanedgeknives.com

William Henry Evolution Frame Lock S07
Proudly made in the U.S.A.

This is a very early William Henry knife, one of the first models they made. Satin finished 420 stainless steel frame with Lacewood Scales. Satin finished VG-10 stainless steel wharncliffe blade with swedging toward the tip and William Henry logo. Dual thumb studs and frame lock make for easy operation. Excellent lightweight gents knife.

Blade Material: VG-10 Stainless Steel
Handle Material: 420 Stainless Steel
Lacewood Scales
Blade Length: 2-7/8
Closed Length: 4
Weight: 2 oz
Rockwell: 59 RC
.
Attachments
DSCN1014.JPG
DSCN1018.JPG
DSCN1037.JPG
DSCN1042.JPG
10.JPG
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

That's a beauty, Gary.

I'm not much into tactical knives, but if I were, the WH Evolution would definitely be my first choice. In fact, I had one once that I gave to a friend for his birthday. At the time, he was very excited about it (who wouldn't be?); but, then he ended up selling it on eBay almost exactly one year later. Kind of wished he would've just given it back to me.
P5280351.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

Although I've stopped collecting wharncliffes, I just couldn't resist getting this one. In fact, I got two, because at $11.00 each it was just too good a deal to pass up. I was expecting them to be low quality, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well-made they actually are. and they come with a nice belt sheath--which I feel is totally unnecessary since they also have a pocket clip. Kind of a cool little knife...when you flick the nail nick with just a little pressure, the blade pops out about 1/3 of the way like an assisted opener. Unbelievable that they can manufacture, import and sell this knife for only $11.00.
PA060012.JPG
PA060013.JPG
PA060014.JPG
PA060016.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
jerryd6818
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 39165
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:23 am
Location: The middle of the top of a bastion of Liberalism.

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by jerryd6818 »

QTCut5 wrote:Although I've stopped collecting wharncliffes, I just couldn't resist getting this one. In fact, I got two, because at $11.00 each it was just too good a deal to pass up. I was expecting them to be low quality, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well-made they actually are. and they come with a nice belt sheath--which I feel is totally unnecessary since they also have a pocket clip. Kind of a cool little knife...when you flick the nail nick with just a little pressure, the blade pops out about 1/3 of the way like an assisted opener. Unbelievable that they can manufacture, import and sell this knife for only $11.00.

PA060012.JPGPA060013.JPGPA060014.JPGPA060016.JPG

~Q~
~Q~ you ornery pup. Now see what you did? For $11.00 I had to go buy one. You're a bad influence on me pal.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

The packaging alone is probably worth more than $11.00. Honestly, I don't know how they can do it...I can only suppose that they must rely on high volume sales. But, mark my words, just like what happened with the Iain Sinclair CardSharp wallet knife (https://www.iainsinclair.com/en/knives.html), it started out at $20.00 and before my order had even arrived, there were Chinese knockoffs that could be purchased in bulk orders of 100 for the same price I paid for one original.

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

jerryd6818 wrote:~Q~ you ornery pup. Now see what you did? For $11.00 I had to go buy one. You're a bad influence on me pal.
jerryd: I'm actually worse than you think; I said I bought TWO...I was planning to sell the second one to you for $22 so I could end up getting mine for free! Hey, isn't that called "Free & Open Market Capitalism"? It's the Great American economic way, baby! :mrgreen:

Honestly...I was going to send it to you as a bomb...now I'm going to have to change the 'coordinates'.
I'll have to check to see who's next on my target list....Hmmm...who could it be?? ::hmm::
Well, I guess we should know soon enough. ::suspense::
If I have your address, it could be YOU (yes, you...the one reading this) ::watching_you::

~Q~
Attachments
PA060013.JPG
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
jerryd6818
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 39165
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:23 am
Location: The middle of the top of a bastion of Liberalism.

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by jerryd6818 »

That's what I get for being such an impatient old fart. ::dang::
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
User avatar
PCwizard
Posts: 677
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 7:01 pm
Location: East, TX
Contact:

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by PCwizard »

Q

You beat me to it, I was just getting ready to order one. Nice to know it good quality. Never know what you get for $11. Thanks for the review.
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

Well..."Good Quality" is a highly subjective term. I guess I should have qualified my assessment by saying that it's better quality than I was expecting for a knife costing only $11.00.

My personal experiences with super inexpensive knives like this is to have very low expectations when purchasing. That way, if it ends up being a half-decent knife, I am pleasantly surprised. But, if you order a cheap knife because you think you're getting some kind of super bargain, that's usually a recipe for disappointment.

~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
jerryd6818
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 39165
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:23 am
Location: The middle of the top of a bastion of Liberalism.

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by jerryd6818 »

Mine was $11.95

It has this odd clicking sound on the first few degrees of opening and then again on closing. I think if I were going to carry it, I would take the clip off. Not a bad knife for light duty stuff like opening envelopes, cutting food, etc. I like it. I'm glad I bought it.
DSC09613.JPG
This is not a Wharncliffe but I think it belongs here anyway along with other straight edge blades. The only Okapi I was familiar with up to this point was the ring release clip blade edition. Another letter opener & food cutter, this is certainly different and I like this one as well.
Okapi Biltong Folding Slipjoint Knife Wood 1055 - Open Labeled.JPG
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
User avatar
whitebuffalo58
Posts: 2743
Joined: Tue Aug 17, 2010 2:35 am
Location: SW MO Heart of the Ozarks

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by whitebuffalo58 »

Not a very good pic, but here's a custom that my brother designed and built about 15 years ago. I EDC'd it for about 10.

Titanium liners, nickel silver bolsters, ivory Micarta handles and blade/backspring are ATS-34.
SANY0006-002.JPG

WB
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

A handmade custom wharnie is definitely a hard act to follow...but someone's got to do it, so I guess it may as well be me with this pair of Case Wharncliffe Mini Trappers.
PA220013.JPG
PA220014.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
QTCut5
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 5761
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2014 1:59 am
Location: Napo'opo'o, HI

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by QTCut5 »

GEC #48
PC240011.JPG
PC240009.JPG
~Q~
We are all just prisoners here of our own device.
In the master's chamber they gather for the feast.
They stab it with their steely knives but they just can't kill the beast.
(Eagles: Hotel California)


~Q~
User avatar
jerryd6818
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 39165
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:23 am
Location: The middle of the top of a bastion of Liberalism.

Re: Wharncliffe Knives

Post by jerryd6818 »

Edit: This entire post is a copy of a blog by/at Knife Depot: note the link in the first line.

History of the Wharncliffe Blade (copied from ---► https://blog.knife-depot.com/history-of ... ffe-blade/ )

January 16, 2018 / Tim / 6 Comments
KA-BAR Wharnstalker - Labeled.jpg
Tracing the origins of anything related to knives is difficult.

The sheer length of time knives have been used by humans makes going back to the first anything often impossible. Who made the first knife? Well, it depends on what you classify as a knife, but it was probably some unnamed Australopithecine dude more than two million years ago.
But when you have the ability to trace a single invention related to knives to a single moment, it’s always cool.
In a series of posts, I will be examining the history of specific innovations and evolutions in the knife community.

This first post will deal with the Wharncliffe blade.
____________________________________________________
The Origins of the Wharncliffe
____________________________________________________
The year is 1820 (or thereabouts). For a look at what was going on in the world, Maine had recently become the 23rd state in the burgeoning United States of America.

According to the 1878 edition of “British Manufacturing Industries,” the first Lord of Wharncliffe — James Archibald Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie — was having dinner with his relative Archdeacon Corbett in Great Britain.
During wine, the conversation turned to cutlery and the lack of innovation in “spring knives,” which I assume meant slip joints. Here’s an excerpt:

Not wishing to criticise where they could not improve, they laid their heads together, and with the assistance of a practical man succeeded in producing a new pattern knife.

Lord Wharncliffe was the patron of Joseph Rodgers & Son — Cutlers to Their Majesties and one of the most important figures in the famed Sheffield cutlery industry — and so he presented the pattern to him.
early-wharnies-1.jpg
The blade was created and called the Wharncliffe blade after the Lord himself a few years later.

(To say that the Wharncliffe first appeared in the 1820s may be a bit disingenuous.
Sometime before the 11th century, the Vikings had a fixed blade called the Seax or Sax that had a straight edge and a straight tapering toward a point. This looks like the present day interpretations of the Wharncliffe pioneered by Michael Janich as you’ll read later in this article.
But I still argue the origin point of the Wharncliffe blade is in the 1820s and 1830s.)
__________________________________________________________________
What is a Wharncliffe Blade?
__________________________________________________________________
Anecdotal evidence says that Lord Wharncliffe wanted a knife with a thick and strong blade. The result was the blade known as the Wharncliffe.

The original Wharncliffe blade had a rounded spine that tapered gradually toward a point and a straight full flat-ground edge. Like this (though maybe even thicker):
wharncliffe-blade-1.jpg
The standard definition has since broadened a bit to include any blade with a straight edge that tapers toward a point. (Although I’d argue some light curves in the blade don’t immediately disqualify it from being a Wharncliffe.)

The Wharncliffe is widely mixed up with the sheepsfoot blade and lesser known lambsfoot blade. In fact, manufacturers will often mislabel the blade style.

Whereas the Wharncliffe has a spine that gradually tapers to a point, the sheepsfoot blade has a spine and edge that remains parallel until the spine more dramatically curves to the edge. The result is lack of a piercing point.
sheepsfoot-blade-1.jpg
The lambsfoot has a spine and edge that start gently tapering toward one another and has a point somewhere between a sheepsfoot and Wharncliffe. This one is rarer to see classified though.
lambsfoot-blade.jpg
For even more nitty gritty, there is a coping blade that is kind of like the reverse of a lambsfoot because it tapers outward. Some people debate on this one — whether it is a cut off pen blade or something else.
coping-blade.jpg
These are exaggerations of each to better see the difference, but if I am off base with these definitions, let me know in the comments.
__________________________________________________________________________
Early Wharncliffe Uses and Models
__________________________________________________________________________
case-seahorse-whittler.jpg
Case Seahorse Whittler

From what I found, the original intent of the modern Wharncliffe blade was for woodworking. Those early models from Sheffield had really thick blades that could be used for everything from whittling to splitting wood.

There are advertisements from 1852 showcasing Rodgers Wharncliffe Whittlers, according to Rod Neep.

The pattern rose in popularity in the late 1800s and the knives were exported to America. Eventually the pattern was picked up by companies like Case. Someone more versed in the history of Case could likely tell you when the Wharncliffe was adopted in American knives, but Case did eventually adopt the blade design.

Other slip joint companies in the early days of America used the Wharncliffe pattern in whittlers as well.
________________________________________________________________________
From Woodworking to Tactical Applications
________________________________________________________________________
For the most part, the blade’s length, thickness, and design lends itself to whittling. And for decades, that was the primary purpose of the Wharncliffe.

But these days, you see the Wharncliffe making a comeback in a decidedly different category than whittling: the tactical and self-defense arena.

This can be traced back to one man: Michael Janich.

Janich wrote a very detailed and fascinating piece in the Knives 2018, 38th Edition from Blade describing how the Wharncliffe went tactical (which I would say is almost like Dylan going electrical).

I won’t go into great detail because you should absolutely read his piece, but Janich was interested in knife fighting and combat knives growing up. When he made his first knife, it reflected his original belief that a fighting knife should be a Bowie-like knife with a curved blade.

But when Sal Glesser reached out to Janich — the pioneer of Martial Blade Concepts — about making a knife under Spyderco in 1997, he reconsidered his approach because most fighting knives cut poorly. After some experiments, he found Frank Centofante’s Wharncliffe-style gentleman folders to cut the best.

Here is a look at one:
Martial Blade.jpg
So Janich and Mike Snody, who we now know for his Spyderco, Benchmade, and KA-BAR collaborations, got together to design Janich’s Wharncliffe idea. Snody was skeptical of the radical design but was soon persuaded after actually making the knife.
spyderco-ronin-blade - Labeled.jpg
Here is my favorite excerpt from the chapter:

"After Snody’s underwhelming initial response, I thanked him for his offer and suggested that he abandon the project to move on with his new career. He politely agreed, only to call me back several days later. His first words when I answered were, “You evil _______ [expletive deleted]! I’ve never cut with anything like this before!” It was then I realized that he actually made my design and, more importantly, did some cutting with it."

The result was the Ronin, which had a straight tapering spine toward a piercing point and a straight edge. Spyderco later picked it up for a short time.

After some back and forth and other ventures, Janich most recently came back at Spyderco with Ronin 2 and the Yojimbo 2 — the second iteration of his folding version of the Ronin for Spyderco.
S-Co.jpg
It was better received at that point because people were beginning to understand the merits of Wharncliffe blades on tactical knives thanks to Janich.

And the rest is history.

Nowadays you can see Wharncliffe blades on knives as diverse as whittlers and last-ditch self-defense fixed blades. It’s been a long road since Lord Wharncliffe had that meeting with his relative in the 1800s.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
Post Reply

Return to “Knife Lore - Traditional Knives From the Old Days”