"Old Knives"

Charlie,Thanks for thinking of me.
Hey,I have a legit question,these "Coke Bottle" named knives,at that time,Coca Cola was relatively new,correct ? So using the term in the name of these hunters,to describe the shape of the handle,was this also like a "fad" ?
Do you think they were using the name to help it be a popular knife?
I don't really know if I am asking this correctly,but I think you can understand where I'm trying to go with this,I was just wondering ?
Thanks for all of your posts everyone for adding to this thread,
-Vince
 
Which came first, the bottle or the knife??
I have no idea, Vince. I doubt anyone can answer that one! Certainly, "coke bottle knife" gives a pretty vivid image.
In Bernie Levine's forum I was amazed to learn that whittler is a late term, probably the 1960s, whereas tapered or wedged spring knives go back much further, a century or more!!
 
Tony Bose said:
Cokebottles were called fiddlebacks before cokebottles. It's a very old pattern.
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Thanks for your reply Tony.I knew there had to be a history on it.
Fiddlebacks,huh ? Very interesting & I like that name better. :D
A fiddle being around prior to the Coke Bottle,all makes sense now
-Vince
 
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Great Folks Sharing, Great Knives, Great Photos, Great Stories & Great Info...
Just a few reasons why I love to hang out with Great Friends on this Great Forum!
Great Laughs are Plentiful here as well!
MANY THANKS TO ALL!
 
VCM3 said:
Thanks for your reply Tony.I knew there had to be a history on it.
Fiddlebacks,huh ? Very interesting & I like that name better. :D
A fiddle being around prior to the Coke Bottle,all makes sense now
-Vince
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Stradivarius ca. 1687!! And there are much older ones!!
Think of the knives those guys could have made:eek:!
Strad.jpg
 
I love the jigged bone on the NYK Co. cokebottle, Charlie.

Here's a 3 1/4 serpentine penknife by Henckels. Henckels called the handle material "stag bone." I think it's from the 1930s. Can't see the blades very well, but they're in pretty good shape.

henckelspen001.jpg


henckelspen002.jpg
 
Nice rich-looking bone, on a nice knife!! Thanks for the show, Mike!!
I think of Henckels as kitchen knives (I own a few), and am always pleasantly surprised by their vintage cutlery.
 
Thanks Charlie and Jim. Charlie, you would be amazed at the variety of knives Henckels used to make. A tool for everything, it seems. The quality was very good up until WWII.
 
Here's a couple of F.J. Richtig knives of Clarkson, Nebraska ca. 1930s-1960s. Apparently these fetch quite a bundle on the market. Word has it that Richtig came up with some kind of HT process that supposedly gave his knives magical powers. He would demonstrate this by using one of his knives to cut an axle in two...smacking the back of the knife with a hammer until the deed was done. :eek: Believe it or NOT!

Thin blades and cast aluminum handles are signature elements of FJR knives. They are cuttin somB's :)

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"Here's a couple of F.J. Richtig knives of Clarkson, Nebraska ca. 1930s-1960s. Apparently these fetch quite a bundle on the market. Word has it that Richtig came up with some kind of HT process that supposedly gave his knives magical powers. He would demonstrate this by using one of his knives to cut an axle in two...smacking the back of the knife with a hammer until the deed was done. Believe it or NOT!" (Kerry quote)

Word's around that Frank's wife did the Heat Treating!!
WitchHT.jpg
 
waynorth said:
"Here's a couple of F.J. Richtig knives of Clarkson, Nebraska ca. 1930s-1960s. Apparently these fetch quite a bundle on the market. Word has it that Richtig came up with some kind of HT process that supposedly gave his knives magical powers. He would demonstrate this by using one of his knives to cut an axle in two...smacking the back of the knife with a hammer until the deed was done. Believe it or NOT!" (Kerry quote)

Word's around that Frank's wife did the Heat Treating!!
WitchHT.jpg
Click to expand...

I could swear I hear the Eagles right now. :D:thumbup::cool:
 
I have always really liked Richtig knives. I have a small paring knife that I use all the time. His kitchen knives don't really go for what they used to, but the prices of his leather handled combat knives are getting pretty crazy. On an unrelated note, here is an old fruit knife that I got last week. MOP handles and blade, ivory spring. - Dan
pearl2.jpg
 
Here's a great old knife with a rare stamp. It's a 3 7/8" Harness Jack with a stabber jack blade and punch, iron bolsters, prass liners, and ebony handle.

At some point in the life of this beauty, somebody musta had their stupid gene fully engaged with a hard wheel grinder. The blade had deep grind lines on it when Tony received it but it was brought back from the grave and made usable again at the Wilfred Works :D

Honk Falls was started by former Napanoch employees in the empty Napanoch factory after Winchester bough Napanoch in 1919. The Honk Falls company operated from 1921 to 1929. The stamp reads:

HONK FALLS
NAPANOCH
N.Y. U.S.A.

honkfallsharnessjack-1.jpg


honkfallsharnessjack-2.jpg


honkfallsharnessjack-3.jpg


honkfallsharnessjack-4.jpg


honkfallsharnessjack-5.jpg
 
What a rare and beautiful Honk Falls!! And a Harness Jack to boot!! Nice Saber blade; cleaned up quite well. I saw it before - it was ugly! In this case, I agree with the limited cleaning, tastefully done by a competent hand!
It has a Cooper punch, patented and assigned to Robeson April 25, 1905. Schatt and Morgan and Case also used that punch intermittently, back in '05 to '29 or so. They may have all been made at Robeson.
Thanks for the pictures Kerry and Tony!!
 
:thumbup:That is ONE SWEEEEET!!!! spear point blade and IMH would look terrific in a new body :p sans Frame. REALLY do like the profile and "staber jack blade" thats a new one to me but I likey!:D
 
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