Old H M Slater Knife

[Jack Black]

I’ve got a mate, who told me yesterday (while we were swapping shaving creams) that he found an old Sheffield knife while helping out on an archeological dig a while ago. I haven’t seen the knife myself yet, but today he texted me a photo. He says it’s called the “Venture”, but I don’t know if he knows that because this name is marked on the blade or handle, or because he’s already done some research on the knife. It’s made by H M Slater of Sheffield, and has ‘Youngs Sheep Dips’ etched on the blade. I thought you gentlemen might like to have a look at the photo, and if anyone has any information that might relate to it, it would be welcome.

By coincidence, I had an old pal from Sheffield visiting me today, and he’s from Darnall (an area of Sheffield) where Slaters are based.

Jack

 

[screened porch]

So it's an advertising knife for a brand of sheep disinfectant?
Details of the dig might tell you more about the knife than anybody here knows. I'd be interested to hear more about it.

 

[comoha]

Good stuff Mr. Black. I've really enjoyed your postings of ye olde English knives.
Beautiful knives from a beautiful land.

 

[Jack Black]

So it's an advertising knife for a brand of sheep disinfectant?
Details of the dig might tell you more about the knife than anybody here knows. I'd be interested to hear more about it.

I'll try and find out more details, but I don't think the knife related directly to the dig.

Good stuff Mr. Black. I've really enjoyed your postings of ye olde English knives.
Beautiful knives from a beautiful land.

Thank you very much sir

 

[knarfeng]

I know you have a reticence towards Mr. Levine's forum. (We understand that. I think everyone who has posted there has been zinged at least once.) But this really is a case for him and the folks who hang out there.

 

[VCM3]

I know you have a reticence towards Mr. Levine's forum. (We understand that. I think everyone who has posted there has been zinged at least once.) But this really is a case for him and the folks who hang out there.

Kinda like the Wizard of Oz for knife nuts ,no ?

Great old knife Jack Black

 

[smiling-knife]

The pattern is called an Ettrick. It's a form of prunning knife. Venture was a trademark of H. M. Slater. The company's building in Sheffield was called the Venture works. I hope this is of interest.

 

[knarfeng]

Kinda like the Wizard of Oz for knife nuts ,no ?

Quoted for truth.

 

[screened porch]

The pattern is called an Ettrick. It's a form of prunning knife. Venture was a trademark of H. M. Slater. The company's building in Sheffield was called the Venture works. I hope this is of interest.

Certainly it's of interest. Two new entries in my knife lexicon, anyway.

 

[Jack Black]

I know you have a reticence towards Mr. Levine's forum. (We understand that. I think everyone who has posted there has been zinged at least once.) But this really is a case for him and the folks who hang out there.

Kinda like the Wizard of Oz for knife nuts ,no ?

Great old knife Jack Black

Thanks fellers (wish it was mine ) I'm with you on the Wizard of Oz. I have every respect for Mr Levine's knowledge and experience.

The pattern is called an Ettrick. It's a form of prunning knife. Venture was a trademark of H. M. Slater. The company's building in Sheffield was called the Venture works. I hope this is of interest.

Thank you very much for that. I was supposed to be meeting up with the knife's owner tomorrow to have a look at it and take some more photos. Unfortunately though, he's gone down with a particularly nasty virus, the 'Naro virus', which is going round over here at the moment, so I don't think he's going to be going anywhere for at least a week.

 

[Jack Black]

I'm afraid I owe you all an apology. By chance, I met up with this friend of mine briefly yesterday. He's been ill so I've not seen him in ages. He didn't have the knife with him, but we got talking about it. It then transpired that I'd actually misheard him in relation to where he found the knife. I thought he'd said he found it on an archeological DIG he was on, but in fact he'd found it in the DIGS (old English slang for a boarding-house or temperary lodging), while he was working on the dig! Apparently it was down the side of an old leather armchair which was in his room. The owner of the premises had never seen it before, didn't know who it belonged to, and said he was welcome to keep it. Sorry for that folks

 

[meako]

This one's an Ettrick 2 blade double butt according to Trevor. Very similar.
btw--" THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN IS NOT THE GREAT OZ"

 

[screened porch]

I'm afraid I owe you all an apology. By chance, I met up with this friend of mine briefly yesterday. He's been ill so I've not seen him in ages. He didn't have the knife with him, but we got talking about it. It then transpired that I'd actually misheard him in relation to where he found the knife. I thought he'd said he found it on an archeological DIG he was on, but in fact he'd found it in the DIGS (old English slang for a boarding-house or temperary lodging), while he was working on the dig! Apparently it was down the side of an old leather armchair which was in his room. The owner of the premises had never seen it before, didn't know who it belonged to, and said he was welcome to keep it. Sorry for that folks

That makes more sense. Archaeologists aren't really supposed to keep any of the artefacts they dig up.
But speaking of archaeology, maybe the knife has a curse! Your friend's been sick since he adopted it.

 

[Jack Black]

This one's an Ettrick 2 blade double butt according to Trevor. Very similar.
btw--" THAT MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN IS NOT THE GREAT OZ"

Very nice Meako. How's the fit and finish? I've never been to Trevor's workshop, but find it strange that the blades of his knives are machine-ground elsewhere, rather than being hand-ground, (as you'd expect with a "handmade" knife), or even machine-ground by him.

That makes more sense. Archaeologists aren't really supposed to keep any of the artefacts they dig up.
But speaking of archaeology, maybe the knife has a curse! Your friend's been sick since he adopted it.

Yeah, I thought he'd just found at the general area of the dig, but maybe it does have a curse, it was a nasty virus he had! He actually found it a couple of years back, so I don't know what other bad luck he might have had!