The Quintessential Coke Bottle Thread (The Patterns, The History, The Experiences)

[hornetguy]

You certainly have a great "family" going there....

I've always wondered about the yellow rose bone (being from Texas, and all that... ) I've wondered if it changes in appearance over time and use.. or does it stay that solid, vivid yellow color from now til doomsday... it almost looks like my synthetic yellow handled Laguiole.
I think it would look really nice if it faded slightly around the edges..

 

[Quiet]

You certainly have a great "family" going there....

I've always wondered about the yellow rose bone (being from Texas, and all that... ) I've wondered if it changes in appearance over time and use.. or does it stay that solid, vivid yellow color from now til doomsday... it almost looks like my synthetic yellow handled Laguiole.
I think it would look really nice if it faded slightly around the edges..

I have one of those, and can report that mine does not seem as vibrant as it did when new. Mine did indeed fade just a hair around the edges, so I think if you got one, slapped it in a pocket and just carried it for a bit you'd get what you're looking for.

 

[Pàdruig]

Hi all,

If you are subscribed to this thread and are a bit confused with the title - I changed it and made an edit to my original post that can be found here. My exercise and subsequent experiences has led me on a much broader path than I anticipated - leading me to explore this pattern's history, its significance, and the many variations that can be found whether it is big or small, multi bladed or single. Rather than start a whole new thread to encompass the discussions surrounding this frame, I thought I would just change this one to suit - since so many of my thoughts and findings are documented here anyway.

I am rather enchanted with this pattern and am looking forward to where this journey continues to take me. I hope you all will share in the enthusiasm, whether that be from the history, practical use, or simply looking at pretty knives.

 

[sitflyer]

Hi all,

If you are subscribed to this thread and are a bit confused with the title - I changed it and made an edit to my original post that can be found here. My exercise and subsequent experiences has led me on a much broader path than I anticipated - leading me to explore this pattern's history, its significance, and the many variations that can be found whether it is big or small, multi bladed or single. Rather than start a whole new thread to encompass the discussions surrounding this frame, I thought I would just change this one to suit - since so many of my thoughts and findings are documented here anyway.

I am rather enchanted with this pattern and am looking forward to where this journey continues to take me. I hope you all will share in the enthusiasm, whether that be from the history, practical use, or simply looking at pretty knives.

Man that locked back caught my eye! Yowser! It'll be fun to see where this thread leads , and I also found a S&M Coke bottle sitting on a dealers shelf...interested but would love more info, like what is the pull on it like...I've been kinda busy lately acquiring new toys so got to slow down for a bit.

 

[screened porch]

Still my only one. If I've posted it here before, here it is again.

5 & 1/4" closed, blade 4 & 1/8". Flat ground to the swedges.
Funny how the plating is worn off on one side. (Nickel, I think.)

No markings.
Nice, thin blade.

 

[Pàdruig]

I recently picked up a black box Winchester Coke Bottle. I don't know a whole lot about the back box Winchesters other than that I have heard they were made by Queen - perhaps someone a bit more knowledgeable than I can chime in regarding that.

The knife itself is mint in box - never used with the box being in terrific shape. As this isn't a particularly popular pattern, I don't believe it to be all that rare and can still be acquired relatively easily. The knife measures at 5 1/8" with a blade that measures out to just shy of 4 1/8". I am unaware of the steel used in these knives but it comes with a saber grind and is highly polished with a relieved spine that travels from the back of the pull to the very tip of the knife. The action itself is very similar to the averages demonstrated by the GEC 97s - around a 4 to 4 1/2 (using the most objective of rating methods, of course ).

I believe this knife is supposed to be a commemorative reproduction of the old Winchester #1920 (haven't found out if that number denotes just the model or the original year of manufacture as well). More knowledge is needed, I think.
(EDIT: According to Levine, the Winchester 1920 does denote the model number.)

Overall, a nice nice with awesome jigged bone - the edge is a bit thick, in my opinion, so it could use a good tune up should I deiced to use it more.

Here it is lined up with some others.

And... Always need to get in a glamor shot.

 

[Pàdruig]

Man that locked back caught my eye! Yowser! It'll be fun to see where this thread leads , and I also found a S&M Coke bottle sitting on a dealers shelf...interested but would love more info, like what is the pull on it like...I've been kinda busy lately acquiring new toys so got to slow down for a bit.

I've seen some of those NYKC originals on the auction site going for some big bucks - they are stunning knives! I have my eye on some of the S&M and Queen versions as well but I am having to be prudent - buying up a bunch of knives amidst a remodel hasn't been one of my better ideas...

Still my only one. If I've posted it here before, here it is again.

5 & 1/4" closed, blade 4 & 1/8". Flat ground to the swedges.
Funny how the plating is worn off on one side. (Nickel, I think.)

No markings.
Nice, thin blade.

I love that one, Jer! Super disappointing that it doesn't have any marking but it looks to be a fabulous knife. I love that bone and banner shield.

 

[Augie]

Couple rare ones, a Northfield UNxLD and a Pritzlaff Hardware harness jack.

 

[Pàdruig]

Couple rare ones, a Northfield UNxLD and a Pritzlaff Hardware harness jack.


View attachment 1437600 View attachment 1437601

Awesome, I was hoping you might have some nice ones to show off in here - your collection is incredible. It is my hope that GEC will make something like this in the not so distant future - they have made the large hunter and the small "Pemberton", now they need to make a more medium sized version.

 

[Augie]

Awesome, I was hoping you might have some nice ones to show off in here - your collection is incredible. It is my hope that GEC will make something like this in the not so distant future - they have made the large hunter and the small "Pemberton", now they need to make a more medium sized version.

Thanks, I totally agree, these are around 3 3/4", just about perfect.

 

[sitflyer]

Thanks, I totally agree, these are around 3 3/4", just about perfect.

Both look awesome, they have traveled through time well...

 

[Pàdruig]

One of these days, I need to spend money on a copy of Levine's Guide 4th Edition - ironically, every time I go to hunt one down, I end up buying a knife instead. Thanks to @Jack Black (he provided some excerpts awhile ago when he and I were discussing these knives), I have some citations from Levine in his book pertaining to at least the large hunter types of Coke Bottle knives.

Five-inch and larger swell-center jack knives are called "swell-center hunting knives." These big "Coke bottle" shaped knives were the standard American folding hunting knives of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
In the 19th century, swell-center hunting knives were most often handled in ebony, but also in cocobolo, smooth white bone, horn, or genuine stag. Later ones were offered with bone stag, celluloid, or laminated wood. Some 20th century examples have enlarged front bolsters.
Most swell-center hunting knives are single-bladed, the blade usually being clip or a saber-ground clip. A few firms offered narrow versions of the pattern, and these sometimes have a slim spear master blade. Some swell-center hunters were made with a locking blade, usually with the release forward of the center swell. A few even had a folding guard.
On two-bladed swell-center hunting knives, both blades are normally full length, usually a saber clip and a heavy spear. Some have a saw as a second blade.
Swell-center hunting knives remained popular through the 1940's, although they steadily lost ground to fixed blade hunting knives, and to clasp-type folding hunters. Case had discontinued all but one of their many versions by 1940, and they dropped that one, the C61050 SAB, in 1976. Remington never made this pattern, but Winchester made the popular model 1920, identical to the earlier Napanoch X100X.

Another point that should be clarified - the medium sized Coke bottles (or swell centered jacks, "Stabber Jacks") were most definitely not a predominantly American pattern like the large hunters were. I've seen them in one or two of the old European catalogs (Boker, maybe?) and Jack Black also confirmed that they were made in Sheffield as well.

Here is a clip from an old J Russel & Co catalog:

 

[screened porch]

I love that one, Jer! Super disappointing that it doesn't have any marking but it looks to be a fabulous knife. I love that bone and banner shield.

Thank you. I agonized over it at $40, because it was nameless and I'd already bought some knives. If we'd gone to this mall first I'd have bought it without agony and saved money on the others that wouldn't have measured up.
I think that bone looks good enough to eat.
Of course I won't.

 

[sitflyer]

And now I've got S&M worm groove inbound, ATS-34 and 5-1/4" closed. I'm not giving up on this pattern just yet Doesn't hurt that I've been building a collection of the S&M worm groove knives...

 

[GeofS]

And now I've got S&M worm groove inbound, ATS-34 and 5-1/4" closed. I'm not giving up on this pattern just yet Doesn't hurt that I've been building a collection of the S&M worm groove knives...

My worm grooved coke bottle came this morning. I couldn’t be happier...

Ordered 9 S&M worm grooves in the past two weeks; great minds! Can’t wait to see your’s.

 

[Pàdruig]

And now I've got S&M worm groove inbound, ATS-34 and 5-1/4" closed. I'm not giving up on this pattern just yet Doesn't hurt that I've been building a collection of the S&M worm groove knives...

I'm looking forward to seeing yours, Duane, and reading your thoughts on it as well.

I realized that I forgot to respond to your question in the Totin' thread with regards to the Winchester. Because the blade is highly polished and the spine is relieved for most of the blade length, including above the pull, it is surprisingly not pinchable. If it is a high carbon steel, then some patina would likely help.

My worm grooved coke bottle came this morning. I couldn’t be happier...

Ordered 9 S&M worm grooves in the past two weeks; great minds! Can’t wait to see your’s.

It is certainly a handsome knife - what are your thoughts regarding the thinness behind the edge and its action, compared to your experience with the GEC?

 

[lambertiana]

Here are some catalog pages from the 1886 HSB catalog with some cokebottle jacks. First, a page with an Ulster:

And a page with a couple HSB, including one with a clip blade:

 

[GeofS]

I'm looking forward to seeing yours, Duane, and reading your thoughts on it as well.

I realized that I forgot to respond to your question in the Totin' thread with regards to the Winchester. Because the blade is highly polished and the spine is relieved for most of the blade length, including above the pull, it is surprisingly not pinchable. If it is a high carbon steel, then some patina would likely help.



It is certainly a handsome knife - what are your thoughts regarding the thinness behind the edge and its action, compared to your experience with the GEC?

I cut up an apple for a mid afternoon snack today. The blade glided through it much smoother than my ebony 97, which has a bit of a wedge effect to it. As such, the cut was more controlled.

 

[sitflyer]

Since we are talking of Coke Bottle's in general now, today I received an exemplary example of this pattern in my mind. A Schatt and Morgan 2011 worm groove bone with ATS-34 steel blade. It is by far one of my favorite first impressions of a knife out of the box. The fit and finish are very tight, no gaps, even sharpening grinds, primary grinds are beautiful, and the highly polished blade looks great. Sharp enough to cut, but not perfect...good enough though for out of the box. At 5-1/4 inches, it is a big boy, but I do like big folders, and compared to say, a GEC 23, I feel it is a much more svelte pattern, like the 97 is.

The action on this particular knife is what I would consider perfect for such a large offering, a stout pull, maybe a seven? and a firm stop at the half stop and open positions. And at the open, it is held there firmly by the spring, something that my GEC version was severely lacking, in fact, I would consider the GEC that "I" had to be a detriment to the safe usage of that knife.

I will give it to GEC on the blade grind, as the Tidioute had a very thin grind which made it an excellent slicer, but this S&M blade isn't all that bad, it is reasonably thin, and with the swedge grinds I believe it will perform just fine, it is just a little thicker behind the edge than the Tidioute.

This one is a keeper, and frankly, I am so happy with it that I will not be pursuing any other versions of this pattern. I plan on putting that ATS-34 steel to the diamond plates and honing it to my liking, this will be a user, and I don't have enough years left in me to ever wear it out. I am grateful for getting a GEC version to test the waters, and very happy that I found this knife, as it really rings a bell with me, maybe even more so than my beloved 23's...and I really like my 23's. This knife just feels special, right out of the box...

 

[Quiet]

Since we are talking of Coke Bottle's in general now, today I received an exemplary example of this pattern in my mind. A Schatt and Morgan 2011 worm groove bone with ATS-34 steel blade. It is by far one of my favorite first impressions of a knife out of the box. The fit and finish are very tight, no gaps, even sharpening grinds, primary grinds are beautiful, and the highly polished blade looks great. Sharp enough to cut, but not perfect...good enough though for out of the box. At 5-1/4 inches, it is a big boy, but I do like big folders, and compared to say, a GEC 23, I feel it is a much more svelte pattern, like the 97 is.

The action on this particular knife is what I would consider perfect for such a large offering, a stout pull, maybe a seven? and a firm stop at the half stop and open positions. And at the open, it is held there firmly by the spring, something that my GEC version was severely lacking, in fact, I would consider the GEC that "I" had to be a detriment to the safe usage of that knife.

I will give it to GEC on the blade grind, as the Tidioute had a very thin grind which made it an excellent slicer, but this S&M blade isn't all that bad, it is reasonably thin, and with the swedge grinds I believe it will perform just fine, it is just a little thicker behind the edge than the Tidioute.

This one is a keeper, and frankly, I am so happy with it that I will not be pursuing any other versions of this pattern. I plan on putting that ATS-34 steel to the diamond plates and honing it to my liking, this will be a user, and I don't have enough years left in me to ever wear it out. I am grateful for getting a GEC version to test the waters, and very happy that I found this knife, as it really rings a bell with me, maybe even more so than my beloved 23's...and I really like my 23's. This knife just feels special, right out of the box...

I can tell you that it definitely has the special looks to back up that feeling for sure! Thank you for sharing.