Any Honk Falls Collectors?

[abcdef]

Nice pics.

 

[black mamba]

Lloyd, that's a real gem. As I've never handled one, how does it compare to a Pocket-Eze?

 

[waynorth]

Very nice HF examples Charlie! If I am not mistaken, one of those HFs, I believe you found (Serpentine Jack?) at an OKCA show a few years ago. I was there when you found it at the bottom of an old box of knives you were going through Here is one I have like your small coke bottle Jack pictured above although yours is certainly more historically interesting.

James (Jay) nice to see you posting over here! I hope you post some of your Honk Falls knives on this thread for others to see, admire and enjoy For those who don’t know James Counsellor, he has done quite a lot of research on the Honk Falls cutlery company. Over a few years or more Jay has accumulated a treasure trove of research and knives from this somewhat enigmatic
knife maker.
View attachment 1585990View attachment 1585991View attachment 1585992

Real Nice One, Lloyd!! Great example, and unburned!! Ha ha!

 

[james counsellor]

Those are some awesome knives posted here and thank you for the great welcome. I bit the bullet and became a paid member here. Looking forward to sharing some of the historical info be found with members here who have interest. Think it would be cool to start with one of the most recent honks I’ve acquired. I’ve identified seven patterns of pearls that Honk Falls manufactured. Here is one. Thanks

 

[Sidehill Gouger]

Very nice HF examples Charlie! If I am not mistaken, one of those HFs, I believe you found (Serpentine Jack?) at an OKCA show a few years ago. I was there when you found it at the bottom of an old box of knives you were going through Here is one I have like your small coke bottle Jack pictured above although yours is certainly more historically interesting.

James (Jay) nice to see you posting over here! I hope you post some of your Honk Falls knives on this thread for others to see, admire and enjoy For those who don’t know James Counsellor, he has done quite a lot of research on the Honk Falls cutlery company. Over a few years or more Jay has accumulated a treasure trove of research and knives from this somewhat enigmatic
knife maker.
View attachment 1585990View attachment 1585991View attachment 1585992

Really like that pattern. Looks like a serious outdoor work knife. I wish somebody would copy it today, maybe Great Eastern?

 

[james counsellor]

The Honk Falls power house went on line in 1898. It was built by the same builder who had recently completed the Napanoch reformatory. The builder used leftover materials like the limestone sills. You can see the power lines running past the knife shop. Down the road was a building that housed generators supplying power to Ellenville. The generators were switched off and the Honk Falls power co. Took over supplying the power. This is likely how Napanoch Knife Co became one of the first customers of the power co. Even though they had electric the shop would still use the cheaper water power when available. This of course was an important factor in the future of the knife company. John Cushner, worked for Napanoch knife and would of course become owner of Honk Falls Knife Co.View attachment 1587100 which utilized the same building in 1921 View attachment 1587100

 

[james counsellor]

Here is pic of two patterns I’ve been told, by multiple people were salvaged and finished after the factory fire in 1929. The factory burned on Oct 16th 1929attached is correspondence between Honk Falls and Lamson Goodnow. Lamson in turn reached out to Dwight Divine & Sons to inquire about HFK. You can see the response from Dwight Divine( Ulster) and also Lamson’s response to HF. It is rare to get any HF paperwork. It was only with help and luck from my friend Eric E that I was able to string these together. They show that Honk Falls knives continued to be made after the factory fire by the HFK Co. and that parts, knives and machinery were salvaged.

 

[Luger1952]

Thanks Charlie for the nice comment on my small coke bottle Jack!

Lloyd, that's a real gem. As I've never handled one, how does it compare to a Pocket-Eze?

Jeff, thanks for the kind comment on this example! You know I am a real fan of Robeson PocketEze folders. In that context and with that bias I would say the HF is a nicely crafted and well made folder, however, I would say the PocketEze is a slightly more refined folder (like sunken joints) and I mean how do you beat Robeson Indian Trail jigged bone



Jay, wonderful folders! Also, interesting photos and documents. Keep posting this historical Honk Falls information and
photos AND knives!!

 

[black mamba]

. . . and I mean how do you beat Robeson Indian Trail jigged bone

Oh, I am so with you there, Lloyd!

 

[Un-Chained]

Luger1952
I smiled ear to ear seeing that one there!
Thanks for the share Lloyd

 

[james counsellor]

Thanks Charlie for the nice comment on my small coke bottle Jack!


Jeff, thanks for the kind comment on this example! You know I am a real fan of Robeson PocketEze folders. In that context and with that bias I would say the HF is a nicely crafted and well made folder, however, I would say the PocketEze is a slightly more refined folder (like sunken joints) and I mean how do you beat Robeson Indian Trail jigged bone

View attachment 1587493

Jay, wonderful folders! Also, interesting photos and documents. Keep posting this historical Honk Falls information and
photos AND knives!!

That is a sweet knife! Always wanted a Robeson with the “self lubricating bearings” Have not had the chance yet. I thought those Indian trails were called worm groves?? Herman Williams had the tools and explained the technique to me once. Here is a folding Hunter with a Honk Falls tang. Not sure if this was Factory/Barn. I’ve photographed another with a more appropriate jigging for HF. Take a look

 

[Luger1952]

Jay, very nice and what has to be a very rare HF folding Hunter with no less than worm groove = Indian trails jigged bone handles

Post a photo of the tang stamp. You sure that is not a Robeson- ha ha!! The self lubricating Robeson line are the “Mastercraft“ models—bronze bearing inserted in a dovetail on the blade tang. The other self lubricating Robesons were the “Perma Lube” line with the bronze bearing pressed into the end of the spring engaging the blade tangs.

 

[Campbellclanman]

Wonderful examples both Charlie and Lloyd. They are still clear in my memory from seeing them last - just awesome examples and like Charlie said what treasures you have.

 

[james counsellor]

Yes thank you. Perms lube is the one Id like to own someday. Here is the other pics.

 

[james counsellor]

Well in order to really understand the Honk Falls story including the modern Honks that have been made recently, you have to understand the relationship with the Case family. To do that you need to go back to the beginning and even just before Napanoch knife started in 1900. If there is interest I can lay it out here. I will take more then View attachment 1588259one post. Probably two or three. A lot of info. Let me know. Here is a honk in really like.View attachment 1588259

 

[Campbellclanman]

Fantastic Knives James, its a real pleasure viewing these Rare Birds!

 

[Un-Chained]

J james counsellor
Agreed with Duncan above, stunning examples j.c. and if I might add…. More please !!

 

[rockman0]

Yes, please lay it out here thank you !

Well in order to really understand the Honk Falls story including the modern Honks that have been made recently, you have to understand the relationship with the Case family. To do that you need to go back to the beginning and even just before Napanoch knife started in 1900. If there is interest I can lay it out here. I will take more then View attachment 1588259one post. Probably two or three. A lot of info. Let me know. Here is a honk in really like.View attachment 1588259View attachment 1588262

 

[james counsellor]

Before the Napanoch knife building was used for making knives it was called the Duvall rake shop. The building is shown in the top left corner of the map. Issac Duvall was making rake handles there starting in the 1860’s. He took over for William Steadman who lost his life in the civil war. The building itself was likely built in the 1850’s. If you take a look at the rest of the map you will notice the name Schoonmaker being very prominent. Andrew schoonmaker was a very active buisness man in Napanoch. The Schoonmaker name goes back to the 1600’s in the hudson valley region. In 1869 Fred Duvall married one of Andrew’s daughters. By the 1890’s Issac Duvall’s health was failing and he had to cease operations. A man named William Whitely took over and quickly decided to switch to knife production. At this time the Carmen brothers Irving and William came over from Ulster knife. 1900 was the time when Dwight Divine’s son had joined the Ulster company. John Cushner started to work at Napanoch in 1903. He would later return from Winchester to start the Honk falls knife co. With a man named Melvin Schoonmaker. That’s later in the story though. Across the street from John Cushner’s childhood home lived George and Shara Schoonmaker. Their son Chester married Jeannie Divine, Dwight Divine’s daughter. This is important for the next part of the story which is Napanoch Knife involvement with The Case family.

 

[james counsellor]

The fact that Napanoch Knife manufactured knives for the Case and Little Valley Knife Association (Crandall) is well documented. In his book about the Case family Brad Lockwood writes “W.R Case & Son would start out as a jobber... buying knives from Napanoch Knife Co. just like his brother in law Herbert Crandall. Herbert started LVKA in 1900.
The Carmen brothers Irving and William left Ulster in 1900 possibly because Dwight Divine’s son had joined the company limiting their own aspirations. By August 1900 the brothers were overseeing knife production in the old Duvall factory. By 1902 they were also making knives for the new W.R Case & Sons. This 1903 ad shows Case as having a factory in Napanoch. In 1903 a young John Cushner joined the work force at Napanoch.
In 1905 W.R Case merged with Platt’s giving Case their own production capability. Crandall Cutlery Co. incorporated in Bradford PA. as a manufacturing Co. In 1905 the shop at Napanoch first became know as the Napanoch Knife Co.
In 1909 Jean, W.R, Russ and H.N Platts purchased Smethport Cutlery to increase production capacity. That same year Napanoch Knife incorporated.
So what was the original link that bought the Case family and the Carmen bros. together in Napanoch? Hard to be sure. There are a lot of possibilities. An interesting newspaper clip in Harvey Platts book “The Knife Makers Who Went West” may have an answer. Note the name F.P Schoonmaker. These relationships with the Case family would eventually bring John Cushner back from Winchester and influence the revival of the Honk Falls name and modern HF knives.