Navy Issue Knives

Nice to see them in Ebony, Mike and Gev! Rare maybe??
Great example (as usual) Charlie N!
Great old 301, Steve!;)
Thanks for the contributions Puukko, and Andi, and all the comments everyone!

I know there are more out there folks! Bring them on!!
 
This WWII British Navy knife made by Jos Rodgers and Sons was issued in 1940. It has a name which appears to be Royston Simkin on the side. I like to think this was the sailor's name, but have not been able to determine that.

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Very nice S-K. Be great to see pics of your collection here sometime :thumbup:
 
I think this is a WWII Camillus knife. The scales are jigged wood. I don't know much about it so any further information will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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s-k looks more like Tony Simkin to me with somebody later on putting Roxs in front of it!

What are the handles? Pressed alloy perhaps?

Thanks, Will
 
Here's a Schrade Cut. Co minus the easy open notch. Beautiful knive's folks!!!

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Eric
 
Nice examples, Steve and Eric. Steve, I think Camillus made a bunch of those with an added can opener, to include in life rafts as survival knives. There is a case where you do not want a sharp point!
Never seen that model before, Eric - it belongs in "Elusive Schrades"!

Andi's knife reminded me of this one. I know little about it - anyone????

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Unusual construction as seen from this backspring view!

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Went to a monthly knife club meeting this morning, and a friend there had just picked up this interesting Hunter brand Navy type knife. Luckily I was able to trade into it (involving 3 people, seven knives, and $35 boot)!! We all got what we wanted!
More used than yours Duncan but very similar, I wonder what anyone knows of the markings??
I have posted it on Bernie's forum also,
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...nife-How-Old-Markings?p=11864597#post11864597
so I will just post a couple of pics here, to save band width.
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Don't know anything about these knives I'm afraid Charlie, but that's a War Department stamp. Great looking knife :)

And you have a 'Knife Club'?! :thumbup:
 
waynorth said:
Nice examples, Steve and Eric. Steve, I think Camillus made a bunch of those with an added can opener, to include in life rafts as survival knives. There is a case where you do not want a sharp point!
Never seen that model before, Eric - it belongs in "Elusive Schrades"!

Andi's knife reminded me of this one. I know little about it - anyone????
Click to expand...

That Herder is a classic, Charlie. This is another example of the Ankermesser which were very popular in Germany in the past. Robert Herder is still on the market, but they make mostly kitchen knives now, pocket knives are just available on the secondary market.

Your knife is a great piece of cutlery and of german craftsmanship from the past. It just looks great.

The knives here are known as "Windmühlenmesser" which means "windmillsknives" in english. Here´s their HP, but it seems just to be available in german language
http://www.windmuehlenmesser.de/links/solingen.htm

The Lierenaar knife I showed up here some weeks ago is also made by R. Herder, Solingen.

I hope this helps a little.
For further information you could shoot them an email to see in which period the Ankermesser you have there was made.

Have a nice sunday everyone.
 
Ah, the anchor knife and its brothers. I really need to get one of these, but all the antique shops around here are tapped out on knives or jack the prices skyhigh.
 
waynorth said:
Went to a monthly knife club meeting this morning, and a friend there had just picked up this interesting Hunter brand Navy type knife. Luckily I was able to trade into it (involving 3 people, seven knives, and $35 boot)!! We all got what we wanted!
More used than yours Duncan but very similar, I wonder what anyone knows of the markings??
I have posted it on Bernie's forum also,
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...nife-How-Old-Markings?p=11864597#post11864597
so I will just post a couple of pics here, to save band width. ( end of quote )

Wow, Thats a very nice knife Charlie, I bet that the snap is still very strong!
I love the Stag!

EDIT: I just popped into Bernards Forum and checked it out-so...it is looking to posibly be quite strongly pre 1900's, the old type face suggests this doesnt it, I wonder if the number was for an actual unit?
I also notice it has the very same tapered spring as mine - extremely interesting!
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My brother has a few of the "lifeboat knives" with the single squared off blade. The flat point was originally intended for use around sails. Even an accidental poke to a sail could cause the canvas to tear from alow to aloft. It is much safer on a pitching deck to use a blunt tipped knife however. I've stabbed myself in the palm twice with a pointed blade. Those square pointed blades are also good for hooking on the edge of the pocket and opening the knife one handed, similar to a one armed bandit razor or barlow knife.

Campbellclanman said:
Charlie, you seem to have no end in surprises when it comes to glorious examples, thank you for taking this time to show, and to educate us.
Here is an old( ish) English example, not made with anywhere near the finesse as Case or Robeson, but the knife is quite beautiful, and has great W&T, and dont get lil' fingers in the way when closing - Whew!!

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Is the backspring of that knife as strong as I think it is? The thickness of the blade is because a mallet or belaying pin was used to pound the blade through rope that was too thick to cut. Similar to batonning wood except with a slipjoint knife :p

I saw an old wood handled knife with the flat pointed blade like these, at a local antique store for $2. It's not in great shape but with a little TLC it could be a nice little user. The price is right for me, and I might take a drive out this morning and pick it up. I've always called them "lifeboat" knives because they were Coast Guard approved for use in rubber lifeboats. The flat tip would not accidentally puncture the raft.
 
Pete1977 said:
The flat point was originally intended for use around sails. Even an accidental poke to a sail could cause the canvas to tear from alow to aloft. It is much safer on a pitching deck to use a blunt tipped knife however.
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This makes as much sense to me as any to explain the reason for the shape of a rope cutting blade.


Some really nice old vintage knives popping up in this thread! :thumbup:
 
Yep, it has finger-chopping snap, Duncan! (ouch, what an image!)
A lot of similarity between the two of them. Your spring and blade though, are much thicker.

I think the bale on this one was removed early in its career, as there is virtually no wear around the bale holes in the stag. The hole goes all the way through the knife, and intersects the "stroke" or path of the blade. The kick has been ground down to lower where the blade rides. I suspect the bale and kick surgery were done to make the knife more pocketable. Note how high Duncan's rides!
Mine sits way down, now that the bale pin is gone. The nail nick barely clears the stag enough to get purchase on it!

I also agree that not risking the sails is the best explanation for the blunt blade!
 
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Several of these knives look like the kind I have heard called Coast Guard knives. They were Coast Guard approved to be kept in life rafts, most likely, especially rubber inflatable ones. Their main use was to cut the painter, or line, that secured the life raft to the sinking vessel. The squared tip was intended to keep from puncturing the rubber hull in case the knife was dropped in the raft or in the case of wooden lifeboats, your shipmates if the boat got lively.

I would guess that the thick spined knives were either issued or privately purchased by naval and merchant seamen. They, like the Elephant Toenail or "English Rope Knife" were used to cut thick hawser by hammering it through with a mallet or wooden pin. The blade was thick spined both to withstand the impact of the mallet and to act as a wedge as it was driven through the tarred rope.

Dr. Foy Mitchell-"Speaking of Rope Knives" The National Knife Magazine May 1995
The main commonality between them (an elephant toenail and Navy Rope Knife) is both host a very wide blade with a thick back that enabled them to be driven through a very thick rope using a wood peg such as a fid or belaying pin.
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As a professional mariner and commercial fisherman, I like seeing the knives that were used on boats in the old days. The stag on Campbellclanman's and Waynorth's knives makes me drool. I always keep my eye out for old sailor's knives when browsing the antique stores. I found one locally in the $2 bin that I might go pick up today. The handles are wood and missing a piece. The blade is a flat pointed sheepsfoot like the ones above but I can't remember or don't know if it is modified or was originally ground as such. It appears to be the Camillus "life boat" or Coast Guard style. If it is still there I'll grab it. It's been a long time since I have had a new knife and $2 is about my budget these days :p If anything, I'll have a fixer upper project.
 
I hope you got that good deal, Pete!
Here's an interesting knife. It is an unfinished Sailor's knife. I bought it with a box of unfinished knives at the Oregon Knife show. I tapped the pin to one side so I could lay it on the scanner. It works and fits beautifully. Some who have seen it think it came from a "pattern drawer" whatever that is.
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The company "Christians" goes back to 1824 according to Goins and Levine, and was still in business in 1998!! This knife style makes me think pre-1900, but I don't know how to prove it.
 
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