Share your French traditional/regional pocket knives

lambertiana said:
My compact Chambriard has the same problem. I just got a full sized Compagnon but have not yet let it snap shut to see how it fares.
Click to expand...
This reminds me people talking about oil leaking English bikes. My answer is always the same : treat them as they are intended to...
If you show a knife to anybody in France, knife nut or not, you'll never see him/her snapping a knife closed.
W&T is a strictly American concept, that's why now some French makers use kicks, as I already explained elsewhere, not because they have too many returns because of chipped blades, but simply as a commercial act to give some markets some peace of mind. Please just remind that the slip joint has been invented in France during the Renaissance...
 
Jolipapa said:
This reminds me people talking about oil leaking English bikes. My answer is always the same : treat them as they are intended to...
If you show a knife to anybody in France, knife nut or not, you'll never see him/her snapping a knife closed.
W&T is a strictly American concept, that's why now some French makers use kicks, as I already explained elsewhere, not because they have too many returns because of chipped blades, but simply as a commercial act to give some markets some peace of mind. Please just remind that the slip joint has been invented in France during the Renaissance...
Click to expand...

After seeing it in my compact, this is why I gently close my full size Compagnon. I didn't have to learn that lesson twice.
 
I got kind of into the French thing last summer:
CrJQ0NT.jpg
 
scrteened porch said:
I think more than one species is called rosewood for marketing purposes.
Back to briar, my dad's favorite pipe was a Best British Briar Own Make Virgin, so called because it was unoiled, unvarnished, and uncolored (white) when bought. It developed color and shine with use, from the tobacco and skin oils.
This isn't it, it's a French Jeantet. The knife is juniper, but it is a French regional knife.
BEO7k90.jpg
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Beautiful scales on Roquefort look like curly arctic Birch......have put together many Finnish Puukkos over the years
 
Jolipapa said:
This reminds me people talking about oil leaking English bikes. My answer is always the same : treat them as they are intended to...
If you show a knife to anybody in France, knife nut or not, you'll never see him/her snapping a knife closed.
W&T is a strictly American concept, that's why now some French makers use kicks, as I already explained elsewhere, not because they have too many returns because of chipped blades, but simply as a commercial act to give some markets some peace of mind. Please just remind that the slip joint has been invented in France during the Renaissance...
Click to expand...
It isn't like you never get an American or German knife with a flat spot from the spring, either.
 
An older thread revived, just in time ;) as this one is now in the G2 household.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

and as mentioned, the lack of a 'kick' as most US made ones have the French are more into stream line approach and so you can get the problem of the blade striking the back spring if you happen to let it shut under it's own power. This one was no exception, as the tip area would get a flat spot from that, even if closed slowly. SO, I took my dremel with a hefty cut off blade and ground down a channel along the end of the back spring and now there should be adequate clearance, but I still close the blade by hand, slowly. The French folders I have owned, mostly by the family Chambriard out of Thier's France, have what I call a reverse kick, a bump up along the inside of the back spring, so that in effect should help keep the blades edge from striking the back spring. But the powerful force of the spring closing the blade often can defeat that small bump and you get a flat spot on your edge. So go slow when closing, and don't let others close it for you!

Also this past week I had this pretty folder in for an edge tune up;

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

And there is a NEW mid lock folder by Chambriard that I want to get, only two things stand in my way, one...money (always seems like an issue ;) ) second, my normal US source for Chambriard folders is closing shop and I am not sure about how to go about ordering from overseas, in fact that does concern me to even try to do that, so I will have to wait until someone gets one and grows tired and decides to sell it and hopefully I can be at the ready to get it and have funds at the same time, a perfect storm kinda thing ;)

So I doubt that will happen in my lifetime :(

Here's a nice review of that new Chambriard folder;


G2
 
Gary - Thought I might see Le Garonnais here - very nice and yes that one snaps open and closed with authority - some might say - with a strong attitude. ;) Glad you have softened the landing. Le Capuchadou another beauty. This one does have the "reverse kick" built-in doesn't it?

As for the lovely little Mi-Jo- those are selling for around $ 165.00 +S&H - very nice little lock back but not an impulse buy. Looking forward to seeing yours :D

Ray
 
I don’t know if yours does but you can update us tomorrow when she arrives at your house
G2
 
An interesting item but looks much more like a Spanish style knife to my old eye;)
 
It does say Sabatier on it. But maybe Sabatier is like Pradel in not being a company anymore.
 
scrteened porch said:
It does say Sabatier on it. But maybe Sabatier is like Pradel in not being a company anymore.
Click to expand...
Exactly, there are lots of Sabatier, different with Pradel who exists no more (as a cutler firm). One thing is sure, this is an old knife.
Will Power said:
An interesting item but looks much more like a Spanish style knife to my old eye;)
Click to expand...
No, rather German. The nearest I found is an Hungarian patent, name Groszi Maskara, Grosz meaning the Austrian town Graz.
Gr%C3%B3szimaskara_1r%C3%A9z_di%C3%B3fa_rug%C3%B3d%C3%ADsz_01-e1495148163779.jpg
 
A friend explained this afternoon that it is very easy to make a bevel on a blade and I guess this one had such a treatment, the nail nick seems very close to the edge.
Few knives are buit with external washers., like the yatagan basque or the Agenais (below).
couteau_poche_agenais_bois_violette_1584.jpg
 
Your knife is an Albigeois, a very rare pattern created by the Cabaziès family of Albi for the local peasants around 1800 and deleted around 1880. Albi is a lovely little town, famous for Toulouse-Lautrec and Lapérouse and the "red" cathedral.
You can find a pre-WWI Sabatier K catalog here but the pattern and Perrier have already been deleted.
Today I learned something! :)
Albigeois.jpg

Since late there's again an Albigeois (made in Graulhet ) but the pattern looks a bit clumsy and has not retained the original 's simpleness.
 
Gary W. Graley said:
An older thread revived, just in time ;) as this one is now in the G2 household.

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

and as mentioned, the lack of a 'kick' as most US made ones have the French are more into stream line approach and so you can get the problem of the blade striking the back spring if you happen to let it shut under it's own power. This one was no exception, as the tip area would get a flat spot from that, even if closed slowly. SO, I took my dremel with a hefty cut off blade and ground down a channel along the end of the back spring and now there should be adequate clearance, but I still close the blade by hand, slowly. The French folders I have owned, mostly by the family Chambriard out of Thier's France, have what I call a reverse kick, a bump up along the inside of the back spring, so that in effect should help keep the blades edge from striking the back spring. But the powerful force of the spring closing the blade often can defeat that small bump and you get a flat spot on your edge. So go slow when closing, and don't let others close it for you!

Also this past week I had this pretty folder in for an edge tune up;

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

Untitled by GaryWGraley, on Flickr

And there is a NEW mid lock folder by Chambriard that I want to get, only two things stand in my way, one...money (always seems like an issue ;) ) second, my normal US source for Chambriard folders is closing shop and I am not sure about how to go about ordering from overseas, in fact that does concern me to even try to do that, so I will have to wait until someone gets one and grows tired and decides to sell it and hopefully I can be at the ready to get it and have funds at the same time, a perfect storm kinda thing ;)

So I doubt that will happen in my lifetime :(

Here's a nice review of that new Chambriard folder;


G2
Click to expand...


I can help facilitate sending European knives to the states if you ever want to. Shipping isn’t too much from the UK.
 
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