r8shell
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2010
- Messages
- 25,240
I've seen and admired knives posted here marked Voos. Looking online, aside from a variety of fancy little penknives, the only full sized pattern I've seen with that mark is a two-bladed, Barehead Jack in brown jigged bone.
From Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings:
EMIL VOOS SOLINGEN GERMANY
ERNEST VOOS c 1879-1919
Ernest Voos was an immigrant of Germany. He opened a shop in New Haven, Connecticut making scissors, shears, knives, and razors. They eventually grew to be quite an enterprise, becoming the New Haven Hardware Specialty Company in 1919.
VOOS USA c 1919-1981
An arrow is through name. A trademark used by New Haven Hardware Specialty Company.
I wonder if these Voos knives were made in-house, or possibly contracted to one of the cutlery companies in the area. Did they sell other versions besides a spear/pen jack?
Barehead Jacks are one of my favorite knives, so I've kept an eye out when fishing on thebay. Most listings claim they sport "Rogers Bone" and aren't cheap. So I was surprised when my low-ball bid actually won. I could see in the sellers pics that the bone is chipped on the pile side, and the blades are well used. I didn't realize how proud the blade tips were, nor that someone tried to sharpen it with a Dremel or wobbly grinding wheel.
Still, for less than the price of a movie ticket, I can't complain. The knife is basically solid. All steel construction, too! After cleaning out some gunk and oiling the pivots, the walk & talk is quite nice.
I decided to grind down the spines, rather than try to drop the blades. I also put some epoxy in the gap, since a missing cover pin allowed the bone to shift slightly when pushed. I sharpened the blades, but didn't want to attempt buffing out the deep scratches. Patina will hide that.
I'm well pleased with my weekend project so far.
Who else has a Voos USA (arrow) knife? Does anyone have an Emil or Ernest Voos from Germany? Let's see some pics! I'd love to see and learn more about them.
From Goins' Encyclopedia of Cutlery Markings:
EMIL VOOS SOLINGEN GERMANY
ERNEST VOOS c 1879-1919
Ernest Voos was an immigrant of Germany. He opened a shop in New Haven, Connecticut making scissors, shears, knives, and razors. They eventually grew to be quite an enterprise, becoming the New Haven Hardware Specialty Company in 1919.
VOOS USA c 1919-1981
An arrow is through name. A trademark used by New Haven Hardware Specialty Company.
I wonder if these Voos knives were made in-house, or possibly contracted to one of the cutlery companies in the area. Did they sell other versions besides a spear/pen jack?
Barehead Jacks are one of my favorite knives, so I've kept an eye out when fishing on thebay. Most listings claim they sport "Rogers Bone" and aren't cheap. So I was surprised when my low-ball bid actually won. I could see in the sellers pics that the bone is chipped on the pile side, and the blades are well used. I didn't realize how proud the blade tips were, nor that someone tried to sharpen it with a Dremel or wobbly grinding wheel.
Still, for less than the price of a movie ticket, I can't complain. The knife is basically solid. All steel construction, too! After cleaning out some gunk and oiling the pivots, the walk & talk is quite nice.
I decided to grind down the spines, rather than try to drop the blades. I also put some epoxy in the gap, since a missing cover pin allowed the bone to shift slightly when pushed. I sharpened the blades, but didn't want to attempt buffing out the deep scratches. Patina will hide that.
I'm well pleased with my weekend project so far.
Who else has a Voos USA (arrow) knife? Does anyone have an Emil or Ernest Voos from Germany? Let's see some pics! I'd love to see and learn more about them.
