Vintage Hi Carbon Cutlery

D

Deedles

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May 1, 2021
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Can anyone tell me if Olde Forge Hi Carbon Columbia knives are good? I have a Robeson Hammered which I really like and 1 Dexter & 1 Foster Bros. which are excellent. I want to find some old high carbon steak knives, and found some Olde Forge Columbia by Washington Forge. Are they as good as Forgecraft?

I found my Foster Bros. at a garage sale and fell in love with vintage hi carbon. It’ s easy to sharpen and holds an edge well, but I don’t know what brands are good hi carbon and which ones to steer clear of. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 
"OF006 Old Forge Barlow Pocket Knife Grooved Bone
Closed: 4"; Blade: 3.125" | Stainless | Standard Edge; Handle: White | Bone; Other Info: Nickel Silver Bolsters | Thumb Ridge. Folding. Fileworked blade and backspring. Grooved handles and bolster. Boxed. Made in Pakistan."

You'd be better off looking for the following companies
Schrade
Camillus
Uteca
Western Cutlery
Of those, only Uteca is still in business. But you can find lots of "gently used" knives on various auction sites.

If you are looking for kitchen knives, you could try Ontario Cutlery's "Old Hickory" line. They are still in production.
 
Henry Beige said:
Dexter-Russell’s Green River knives is another line of excellent old-fashioned carbon steel blades. Their 4 1/2” fish knife is a particular favorite of mine. Flat ground, very good slicer in a handy size.
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Yes, the 2212 (aka SKU 10311). Thin but broad enough to give it some stiffness. Beechwood handle.

www.dexterrussellcutlery.com

Dexter Russell Green River Traditional 4 1/2 Sheath Knife 10311 2212

The 2212 Dexter Traditional 4 1/2 Sheath Knife is a versatile utility knife for preparing fish, bait and when a sharp general use knife is needed
www.dexterrussellcutlery.com www.dexterrussellcutlery.com

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Hi all,

I must say, there is just "something" awesome about these old time Carbon Steel Knives (Russell/Old Hickory etc.) The following link shows what was once a (broken/snapped in half) 10"-14" vintage "Old Hickory" Butcher Knife which I happened to find in a pile of junk on the Street. Ah! No doubt a Diamond in the rough! There was perhaps six inches of "snapped in half" blade remaining. JKL reworked/modified this Knife for me, (sadly) JKL is no longer taking orders. I dear say (for Pennies on the dollar) one could do a lot worse owning one of these (especially) older Carbon Steel Knives for Woods/Hunting/Fishing/Trapping/etc. use. After all, Knives of this "type" (such as I Wilson Sheffield Skinning/Trade Knives) were used by "Hunters/Mountain Men/Patriots/Trappers/Explorers/etc." for (more or less) two hundred years.






Blade Forums old thread : "VINTAGE OLD HICKORY KNIVES" https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/vintage-old-hickory-knives-from-ontario-knife-co.756380/


HARDBALL
 
A few Dexter-Russell Green River knives. From left:

The 4 1/2” “mini butcher” knife, actually more like 4 3/4”, same knife as USMCPOP’s knife shown above.

The 4 1/2” fish knife. Blade is actually 5”. Also sold as “hunting knife”, “fish and game knife”, or whatever other name the seller thinks will work. This is one of my favorite all-purpose knives. It mates up nicely with the 5” sheath made for Kabar Navy knife.

A 6” butcher knife.

A 5” Dadley. This is an old pattern, thought to be a precursor to the Kephart knife.

Edit: well, my photo didn’t post. Back to the drawing board.
 
Henry Beige said:
A few Dexter-Russell Green River knives. From left:

The 4 1/2” “mini butcher” knife, actually more like 4 3/4”, same knife as USMCPOP’s knife shown above.

The 4 1/2” fish knife. Blade is actually 5”. Also sold as “hunting knife”, “fish and game knife”, or whatever other name the seller thinks will work. This is one of my favorite all-purpose knives. It mates up nicely with the 5” sheath made for Kabar Navy knife.

...
Click to expand...

My bad, the "fish" knife is the pointy one, right? But sellers call the same styles by different names, as you say. Some of the styles have been around for maybe 150 years or more.
 
Heading to the flea market in the morning hoping to find some decent old carbon steel butcher knives.
 
Crappie71 said:
Heading to the flea market in the morning hoping to find some decent old carbon steel butcher knives.
Click to expand...
Good plan. You might find old carbon steel butcher knives selling for a buck or two. If you look on line, you might have to pay as much as $20.00 for a Green River or an Old Hickory, new.
If you are only into them for a buck, you need not feel squeamish about taking a die grinder to the blade to reshape it. So many people have turned their 7” OH butcher knives into home made Kepharts that Old Hickory issued their own version with a flat-ground 4” spear-point blade, and a small Kephart-ish finger guard ground into the blade.
 
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Henry Beige said:
Good plan. You might find old carbon steel butcher knives selling for a buck or two. If you look on line, you might have to pay as much as $20.00 for a Green River or an Old Hickory, new.
If you are only into them for a buck, you need not feel squeamish about taking a die grinder to the blade to reshape it. So many people have turned their 7” OH butcher knives into home made Kepharts that Old Hickory issued their own version with a flat-ground 4” spear-point blade, and a small Kephart-ish finger guard ground into the blade.
Click to expand...
We’re on the same page, but unfortunately you can’t hardly get them anymore for a buck or two around here unless you just get lucky. I used to buy them all the time for a couple bucks —-Old Hickory, Dexter, Utica, Primble, Clyde, and Lamson. I’d clean them up real good and sometimes re-shape them a little and mineral oil them to make them look nice. Then I’d sell them for five or six bucks at a flea market. It was a hobby I really enjoyed.
 
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