Vintage Knives

[kawasemi]

Following on from a promise I made in a thread about a renovated Bushman's Friend, here is my modest collection of vintage knives.

Over the past few years I have been more drawn to these blades (and a lot of my modern knives have been/will be moved on - too shiny, too perfect, too machine made). I give them a bit of a clean up and sharpen but I don't like making them shiny and new. They have the patina and character of years of use which is important to preserve.

These knives are great camp kitchen and general purpose knives.

There is a super quote about these types of knives in the 'Gilcraft' series of books - Spare Time Activities for Scouts and Others (1929).

"Knives of this type are really much better for Scout use then the more expensive hunting knife, because they have thinner blades, which make them much better for cutting up meat and bread, which is their principal camp use. We don't often need them here in England for skinning moose or grizzly bears, which is what those beautiful hunting knives are intended for".



Left to right - unknown Sheffield scout knife (with a lovely etch of a Scout by a campfire), Taylor Eye Witness scout knife, Wade and Butcher scout knife, Case XX Outer's knife (the odd one out but a lovely old blade), Bushman's Friend by Maleham and Yeomans, Milbro Kampa.



Two new ones I have just acquired - another unknown Sheffield knife and a Milbro Sheffield made.

Enjoy!

K

 

[Janne]

Very nice!
Imo they are all you need for some serious bushcrafting!
I specially like the ones without the finger guard.
Sleek, a joy to use no doubt!

 

[kawasemi]

They are Janne.

Simple, comfortable, keen slicers.

K

 

[Janne]

I have a couple of old Swedish blades ( not made in Mora!) and the steels are usually fairly soft compared to todays breed. Same with those?

 

[Sparky415]

Beautiful knives Kawasemi !

 

[brancho]

I like the quote from the Gilcraft book

I want to make myself something like the Milbro Kampa. I would like to see the etching on left blade better

 

[kawasemi]

Cheers chaps.

Yes - certainly softer than today's super steels Janne, but not too bad.

The etch has been well polished over the years Alf but I'll see if I can get a close up this weekend. It's a bit like the line drawings from old Scout books. There is a great quote in the same book about throwing your knife and snapping the tip off! I think the previous owner did that with the Milbro Kampa as I had to do a very slow and careful regrind to get the tip back.

 

[Janne]

Personally I prefer softer steels. Easier to sharpen in the field.

 

[brancho]

Cheers chaps.

Yes - certainly softer than today's super steels Janne, but not too bad.

The etch has been well polished over the years Alf but I'll see if I can get a close up this weekend. It's a bit like the line drawings from old Scout books. There is a great quote in the same book about throwing your knife and snapping the tip off! I think the previous owner did that with the Milbro Kampa as I had to do a very slow and careful regrind to get the tip back.

There is some great stuff in those old books

 

[snappingturtle]

Really nice collection, I guess I have a foot in both past and future, I like to make use of my state of the art knifes as much as my bushman and other old blades, I'm a man of many moods.

 

[Robson Valley]

I like the old scales. Just old and familiar under my hand from the kitchens of my youth.
Don't mess with them = clean the blades, tune them up and use them as I read that you do.

Farrier's hoof knives come in all sorts of grades of steel. You learn that when you mod them for wood carving.
Some are harder than frozen snot (Hall, Ukal) and some are a grade of stainless (Mora 171, 172, 188, Diamond 271).
Soft spot for the Mora, they were my first crooked knives. Hold a carving sharp edge for a useful length of work.

 

[Corso]

nice collection

really like the little Wade and Butcher scout knife

I'm more a folder man myself these days since I don't do much in the way of bushcrafting any more but these are fine pieces

 

[Laurentius]

Yes I really do like those, they were all that was available to most folk back in the day. I have an old penknife with a jigged bone handle, not much of a blade left, it had been practically sharpened away to nothing, all that is visible on the blade is the words "sheep dip" so I guess it was something given away as an advertising promotion. I found it in a field some fifty years ago and it was clearly not new then.

 

[kawasemi]

A little update for you 'olde worlde' knife aficionados. Here are few that I have added to the collection in the last six months. No drawer queens amongst them. All used and getting used when I am out and about 'in the woods'. They do take a bit of cleaning to make sure they don't rust but that is part of the fun


Herter's Canadian Belt Knives - really sturdy in the hand and surprisingly comfortable. They feel more solid than the Grohmann versions.


These odd looking things were made for the Canadian Rover Scouts. Rovers were allowed to wear a Sgian Dhu in their socks as part of the uniform. Top one is newer and made in Japan. You can just see the 'Official Scout' etching. Bottom is older and Sheffield made (and smaller - trick of the camera angle I had to use to stop the flash reflecting). You are looking at them 'upside down'. Edge is at the top and because of the way the handle is shaped, these are again surprisingly comfortable to use...for right-handers!!


Two Bushman's Friends that need no introduction. Top one is stamped Jermyn Street (a gentleman's outfitters) and the bottom is a Taylor Eye Witness.

Enjoy

K

 

[Riven]

Love the vintage knives, so much more character and have already had a good working life.