All About Pocket Knives

KAW wrote:Thanks all for chiming in about this knife.... I got about as much consensus here as anywhere else ....

Ken, it was definitely reshaped at some point in time, it was originally a pruning blade.

Ditto what MB said.Blade is definitely short.

Dimitri to the rescue!.... There's no disputing seeing a knife pattern in its pristine original form!

Good to see you posting, Dimitri. I was hoping you would comment on this one.

I still see problems with the knife being re profiled. The pins are in different places between the two knives and if the hawkbill with 1010 penned in above it were cut off to resemble a sailors knife it would be shorter than the disputed knife. Note that the end of the blade points almost directly at the last pin. The hawkbill is even shorter with it's full blade. Are you thinking someone re profiled the blade and put it in a different frame? MB's frame is more curved and the bolster is tilted differently. It lies parallel with the frame on the disputed knife. Does the hawkbill shown actually have a 1010 stamped on the tang? I'm not digging in trying to be stubborn. They still appear to me to be two different knives. I just don't see it.____Dave

Hey Dave, The slight curvature differences,,The pin placements and even blade lengths are Different in minute aspects on all of our antique knives, Sir. No 2 knives even from the exact same time period and plant will be Absolute Perfect identical twins,,,it just didnt happen. The processes back then were not on a Massive production scale as they are today in China.
Kind Regards,
Mark

Interesting discussion... just not sure I have seen too many if any rope knives with a rounded spine at the tip... most are flat on end and a small flat edge between spine and tip - if that makes any sense but this example shows it...

Here’s a Russell Rope Knife and a recent pickup at the NCCA show – Interesting that it is stag given it was not that common of a handle material for Russell - actually has a Sambar Stag look but not any evidence that Russell used that and no catalog cuts to support that suggestion – maybe it was ourced from the UK handle material supplier… Knives from Russell rarely used stag and some Daddy Barlows have been seen with that handle material but not at all common… No doubt an oldie – probably pre-or WWI vintage (maybe Spanish American War) - stamp on this is the "diamond-R-diamond/J Russell & Co/Green River/Works…… blade is tight and great snap opening and closing… only bummer is the sliver of stag missing from mark side bottom – but sometimes you accept certain conditions … at the price a no brainer & worth the buy ... It is 4 & ¼” closed… Thanks for looking!

Hey Lee, What a Killer Russell you have & I concur about the Stag use on Russells are Extremely scarce. My dad has an old Russell w/ Stag and worn out blades(owned it for decades),,,I will try & get a few pics of it in the next couple weeks to compare the STAG on our knives.
Kind Regards,
Mark

Thanks Mark ... whenever you get a chance and no rush buddy but it would be cool to see pics of yours as well!

Hey Lee, Finally got my old man to dig out his Russell Stag knife & get a couple pics for me to post it. He bought the knife for .50cents at the Pine Bluff, AR Flea Market around the year 1990 when I was in High School,,This is what he told me as I didnt remember at all,,,I think I was more interested in looking at Girls at the time, lmao. Some old man was using the knife too peel oranges with and Dad ask him if he wanted to sell it, LOL. Its been one of our personal favorites ever since.
Kind Regards,
Mark

ratlesnake75 wrote:Hey Lee, Finally got my old man to dig out his Russell Stag knife & get a couple pics for me to post it. He bought the knife for .50cents at the Pine Bluff, AR Flea Market around the year 1990 when I was in High School,,This is what he told me as I didnt remember at all,,,I think I was more interested in looking at Girls at the time, lmao. Some old man was using the knife too peel oranges with and Dad ask him if he wanted to sell it, LOL. Its been one of our personal favorites ever since.
Kind Regards,
Mark

Thanks for sharing that knife Mark ... definitely nice old stag but to my eye abit different than mine in terms of striations and look... but yours has awesome character with great background and stories - glad I got to see it buddy .... thanks!!

Cheers
Lee

I got this 4 line Camillus this weekend. No bail, and a lotta off road miles,but the price was right. I have a question though; why is that shape of blade better for cutting rope than any other shape, or is there another use?
Bruce

Bruce, that's the kind of knife I enjoy finding! I looked it up and I believe that stamp is the 1941-46. What is the handle material, it looks like wood in the picture?
Treefarmer

Philip; I saw one way back on this thread that was said to be jigged rosewood. I don't know about the rosewood but it is a dense wood of some sort. Bruce

I acquired this in trade a week ago at my monthly knife club meeting. I find the curve in the blade interesting. Maybe it improves its function??
T. Turner "ENCORE".

Thats a nice one Charlie, unique with that curve, great vintage stag!

Thanks, John!!
Like so many of those old Ropes from that era, its snap will chop a pencil in half!!

Wow that Turner is a great knife. ___Dave

Here's my collection to date:

An old Union

Very nice Union PD!

Really nice Union rope knife with those worm groove bone handles PD ...

Here's an old Thomaston Navy jack - 3 & 1/4" closed; looks like Rogers bone to me as the handle. Interestingly Thomaston was not one of those 14 listed that made these knives for the government around WWI. Yet the manicure blade has the remnants of the circular stamp "Made in USA" that was seen on many rope knives made for the government.

That's a good looking knife Lee, thanks for sharing!!!

Thanks Bill ...