oupa
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- Joined
- Sep 25, 2001
- Messages
- 1,102
In my ongoing search for vintage carbon steel tools/implements to transform into knives, an old man at the local market asked me why I did not make a knife from sheep shears
Told me that was the only knife his mother ever had in her kitchen.
His dad had been a professional sheepshearer and because he did not earn all that much, transformed his worn out shears into a kitchen/camp knives for his wife’s use.
That got me thinking.
These tools were made from top quality steel.
Because of the shape of the blade (convex on one side and concave on the other) I would have to give the knife a chisel edge, but for a kitchen/camp knife that would be practical.
The whole idea fascinated me and I knew that if would stick in my mind until I had a go at it.
I decided to keep the design very basic, in keeping with the theme.
Over time, I have made quite a few of these knives and they perform very well.
Well, if a blade can shear wool day in, day out for years….it must be a champion cutter for sure.
Now, not all sheep-shears were created equal.
The vast majority had flat blades that were punched out by the thousand and then either welded or riveted to a steel handle.
Then there were those (now rare) ones with had forged convex blades.
Each blade, with its handle was forged from a single slab of steel.
All the ones I have ever seen were either made in Solingen or Sheffield.
It took me a day trip to the smaller towns in sheep farming area in Victoria to wrestle this vintage example from a local.
All the shearing is done with electric shears these days and true hand shearing is long gone.
The shears were made in Sheffield and date from the period between 1880 and WW1.
The handle is Blackwood from the woods around my home, shaped by nature with minimal interference from me.
Blade is a touch over 5" in lenght and so is the handle.
I tried to make this knife look like it was hand-made during the 1880's.
The sheath has a leather front, wood at the back, a bit of copper and an old-fashioned tie down
These knives are great camp/kitchen utility knives.
Dirk
Told me that was the only knife his mother ever had in her kitchen.
His dad had been a professional sheepshearer and because he did not earn all that much, transformed his worn out shears into a kitchen/camp knives for his wife’s use.
That got me thinking.
These tools were made from top quality steel.
Because of the shape of the blade (convex on one side and concave on the other) I would have to give the knife a chisel edge, but for a kitchen/camp knife that would be practical.
The whole idea fascinated me and I knew that if would stick in my mind until I had a go at it.
I decided to keep the design very basic, in keeping with the theme.
Over time, I have made quite a few of these knives and they perform very well.
Well, if a blade can shear wool day in, day out for years….it must be a champion cutter for sure.
Now, not all sheep-shears were created equal.
The vast majority had flat blades that were punched out by the thousand and then either welded or riveted to a steel handle.
Then there were those (now rare) ones with had forged convex blades.
Each blade, with its handle was forged from a single slab of steel.
All the ones I have ever seen were either made in Solingen or Sheffield.
It took me a day trip to the smaller towns in sheep farming area in Victoria to wrestle this vintage example from a local.
All the shearing is done with electric shears these days and true hand shearing is long gone.
The shears were made in Sheffield and date from the period between 1880 and WW1.
The handle is Blackwood from the woods around my home, shaped by nature with minimal interference from me.
Blade is a touch over 5" in lenght and so is the handle.
I tried to make this knife look like it was hand-made during the 1880's.
The sheath has a leather front, wood at the back, a bit of copper and an old-fashioned tie down
These knives are great camp/kitchen utility knives.
Dirk
