Texas Toothpicks?

slt

slt

Joined
Feb 23, 2010
Messages
284
Hi everyone-

Relatively recently, my fancy has landed on a style of knife called the Texas Toothpick, specifically the Small versions made by Case. I don't know if my Google-fu is weak, or if I just haven't found the right places, but I can't seem to find much information on these little beauties. If any of you own one (or more) of these, would you mind answering some questions? Pictures are, of course, always welcome!

1) Most of what I've seen says that the knives are 3" closed, but I'm curious as to how long the blade itself is. Around 2.75"?

2) Being named a Toothpick, I'd imagine these knives are fairy thin, light, and pointy. Any rough measurements on how thin, just so I can visualize?

3) What is the ideal purpose for the design? It looks like it'd be a great little slicer/letter opener/general gentleman's knife, would I be far off in that assumption?

4) Can anyone recommend a specific model/version, or even another brand? I've heard Case is a great brand, but this would be my first foray into Traditional knives and I could be flying blind.

Thank you all in advance! I hope this topic isn't out of place - I know this forum is kept to high standards, so let me know if it is.
 
It is not at all out of place, I always welcome a chance to throw this up. ;)

DSCF1115.jpg


Blade length on my Case Tiny Toothpick is just under 2 1/4" from bolster to tip. The thickness is 0.303" at the bolster, but the 6.5 Bonestag on mine swells out a bit more than that. It's a nice little watch pocket letter opener/ fingernail cleaner.
 
Never really cared for the pattern until I came across the larger ones made by GEC. The only one I own is the Tidioute smooth white bone version and it frequently finds its way back into mt pocket. Though it is about a full inch longer than what you mentioned I believe they are worth having a look at. If nothing else maybe try out the pattern in a rough rider or one of the hallmark cutlery brands( kissing crane, chief, robert klaas) in the $10-$15 range to see if you really like them.
TXVza29nZWUtMjAxMTA1MDktMDAwMDIuanBn.jpg
 
I have the fishing knife 5th from left and one of those striped switches, too. Generally I don't go for the pattern unless it is a fish knife. Nice collection, though.

yablanowitz said:
It is not at all out of place, I always welcome a chance to throw this up. ;)

DSCF1115.jpg


Blade length on my Case Tiny Toothpick is just under 2 1/4" from bolster to tip. The thickness is 0.303" at the bolster, but the 6.5 Bonestag on mine swells out a bit more than that. It's a nice little watch pocket letter opener/ fingernail cleaner.
Click to expand...
 
slt said:
3) What is the ideal purpose for the design? It looks like it'd be a great little slicer/letter opener/general gentleman's knife, would I be far off in that assumption?
.
Click to expand...

In it's dim past, the toothpick was hardly a gentlemens knife. It's origins are in the deep south back long ago. It was the favored knife of cheap tavern knife fighters, and it was a common trick to wedge a matchstick in the blade slot back by the rear bolster to aid in getting it open a bit faster. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, there was no tactical one hand folders, so the toothpick was the folding fighter of the day way down in the bayou country. It was a handy knife to have for other uses as well. One large pointy blade could be handy for a lot of things in an agracultural area.

When I was a kid, you never saw small toothpicks. They were all a good 4 1/2 or 5 inches. I think the small toothpicks are a modern invention. If they had yella handles, then they were called 'fishin' knives. If you had a yella handle one with the hook sharpener on it, you were in high cotton!

I've always wondered if it was a southern American bastardization of the French Laguiole, as both have a very similar profile, and the French were heavy in Louisiana.

Carl.
 
The Tiny Toothpicks are 3"
They are a great little knife
Disappear into the pocket
I prefer then to a Peanut as they are thinner with a longer blade

Queen makes them in carbon steel and delrin for very inexpensive ($20)
Also Queen makes them in Amber bone with D2 and Abalone in D2
S&M makes them in SS and Stag for more expensive but very special


Queen make full size in carbon steel and delrin ($30), and Amber bone or Zebra Wood with D2
And S&M makes a File & Wire series in bone and ATS34 SS


So a complete range of toothpicks...
 
jackknife said:
In it's dim past, the toothpick was hardly a gentlemens knife. It's origins are in the deep south back long ago. It was the favored knife of cheap tavern knife fighters, and it was a common trick to wedge a matchstick in the blade slot back by the rear bolster to aid in getting it open a bit faster. In the late 1800's and early 1900's, there was no tactical one hand folders, so the toothpick was the folding fighter of the day way down in the bayou country. It was a handy knife to have for other uses as well. One large pointy blade could be handy for a lot of things in an agracultural area.

When I was a kid, you never saw small toothpicks. They were all a good 4 1/2 or 5 inches. I think the small toothpicks are a modern invention. If they had yella handles, then they were called 'fishin' knives. If you had a yella handle one with the hook sharpener on it, you were in high cotton!

I've always wondered if it was a southern American bastardization of the French Laguiole, as both have a very similar profile, and the French were heavy in Louisiana.

Carl.
Click to expand...

While I've always suspected the Laguiole of being used as a weapon occasionally (I can just see some young shady character in a french alley playing with one...) I never would have thought a toothpick to be a fighting knife. I guess if held a certain way it could be a viable weapon, but I would think someone would just use a fixed blade back then. It just seems like a good way to lose some fingers.
 
Yeah, but my understanding is the toothpick made it so you could wave it when pulling it out without visibly having a knife. I don't know much about it, but Carl is definitely right. They were hood knives.
 
jackknife said:
I've always wondered if it was a southern American bastardization of the French Laguiole, as both have a very similar profile, and the French were heavy in Louisiana.

Carl.
Click to expand...

I was about to say the same thing. Of course, I only have a faint idea of the French influences in the southern US (although I know that there were alot in the Mississippi area), but the knife does look very similar to a Laguiole. As for its use as a weapon, I have no clue. It would be nice if some French knife enthusiast (or someone with knowledge of the topic) told us if this purpose was common for Laguiole's too. It would not surprise me at all of course; navajas in Spain, or resolzas in Sardinia (both similar knives, in the sense that they're all relatively long and pointy blades) took their share of human blood too.

Fausto
:cool:
 
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Here's a couple of shots showing the small Case Toothpick along side a Case Peanut for comparison:

peanutandtoothpick2resized.jpg


peanutandtoothpick1resized.jpg
 
I've been interested in this pattern for awhile. Last May my godson made his confirmation so I bought him a small Case Texas toothpick from Shepherd Hills that had a cross as its shield. It made a nice gift but I was turned off by its miniscule size. When I finally get one for myself I'm going to get a medium or large...the small size is ridiculously tiny.
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Stelth -

Yes, the Case small toothpick is awfully small. If you can find one, I highly recommend the Schatt and Morgan toothpick (2nd from the right in yablanowitz's picture.)
I have one and it is really a nice size. Just about the same size as a full-sized Case Trapper, but much more sleek - almost like a slimline trapper. The S&M toothpick
came out a few years ago. Don't confuse it with their current offering, the Mr. Morgan Daddy Toothpick, which looks the same but is bigger (about 5 1/2 inches closed.)
Come to think of it, I'm not sure if the one in yablanowitz's picture is the original or the Mr. Morgan as they look the same except for size. Maybe yablanowitz
can enlighten me.
 
I've decided that I need to get a Case Classic Large Toothpick. It just looks great with that big swedge. Luckily, there's still plenty on the 'bay.

CaseClassicLargeToothpick.jpg
 
Zuchus said:
Stelth -

Yes, the Case small toothpick is awfully small. If you can find one, I highly recommend the Schatt and Morgan toothpick (2nd from the right in yablanowitz's picture.)
I have one and it is really a nice size. Just about the same size as a full-sized Case Trapper, but much more sleek - almost like a slimline trapper. The S&M toothpick
came out a few years ago. Don't confuse it with their current offering, the Mr. Morgan Daddy Toothpick, which looks the same but is bigger (about 5 1/2 inches closed.)
Come to think of it, I'm not sure if the one in yablanowitz's picture is the original or the Mr. Morgan as they look the same except for size. Maybe yablanowitz
can enlighten me.
Click to expand...

The S&M in the picture is a 2010 File and Wire series, 5 1/2" closed, 9 3/4" open, with a blade 3/8" over the legal limit here in Kansas. The two Cases to its left and the Winchester Cartridge Series to its right are all that size.
 
I like the looks of GEC's #12 Powderhorn Jack while I know it isn't a traditional pattern I really think it is a bit overdue IMO it looks like some manufactorer somwhere would have produced a variation of the toothpick with a pen blade.
 
Thank you all for the replies! Lots of information and choices to mull over, I appreciate it.
 
The Texas toothpick is the pattern that got me started in knife collecting, I thought they were just so classy. When I found out Case made other knives that were just as beautiful, I had to get some.
I don't own any Case Toothpicks, but I own a few GEC Tpicks. They beefier in the hand, but unnoticeable in the pocket.

Here is one in Blood Red.
P1019786.jpg


The Toothpick is my best friend on the trout streams.
P1018126.jpg

P1018402.jpg


And finally the powderhorn, this knife is a stout carry, still hard to feel in the pocket, but it's solid in hand.
P1011017-1.jpg
 
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