Unknown Custom "Estel" Brass Handle Coke Bottle Hunter

Another Knife Collector · Fri Apr 07, 2017 12:21 am

I was perusing knives the other day and found this one among a bunch of junk tacticals. It seems to be a custom made by someone reasonably competent in metal work, at first I thought it was a customized factory knife, but after looking it over it seems to be 100% custom. The blade seems to be made from a file, the spring seems to be made from a steel plate ground to shape. The brass handles were covered in gunk when I got it and I gave them a scrub with a scotch brite pad. Hard to tell how old it is.... usually handle material is a clue but brass doesn't say much. It has C.E.A. stamped on one side and Estel. A. on the other if anyone has any ideas who might've made it I'd sure be interested. Thanks for looking!

btrwtr · Post by **btrwtr** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:03 am

Don't have a clue about the maker but it's a good looking knife. Obviously someone with talent and a good eye for proportion.

FRJ · Post by **FRJ** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 1:16 am

I think that's a pretty neat knife.
Lucky you.

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Fri Apr 07, 2017 2:59 pm

Interesting knife! Looks to have been made by someone who is very familiar with knife construction;possibly a retired machinist. Sadly we will probably never know. I have quite a few knives(mostly fixed blade but a couple folders)that fit into this category.
Here is a picture of a folding knife I got many years ago that is strikingly similar in shape. The scales are decorated aluminum and the nail nick in the blade indicates it was probably made for a left handed person. Years later I came across a fixed blade knife that had the identical blade but the handle had rotted away. I made another from a piece of leftover Plexiglas rod. Both blades are unmarked but in this case I think they were originally from a factory produced knife. Hope you don't mind me posting them.