Recent purchase: Wade and Butcher "Boone" knife. Pic heavy

[gjclayton]

Also posted over at BB forum:
I just got this sent through the post from an auction house in Cheshire. Lovely thing.
From some internet "research" I just completed I think it must be a pre-1950 knife, Wade & Butcher sold the name in 1950 and the name wasn't used afterwards (maybe someone can confirm this).
They were made for the American market primarily and although they read Sheffield on the blade there are rumors they were actually made in New Jersey.















Obviously the sheath is a goner. I'll happily spend some time making a copy. I was thinking about making the belt loop an actual loop rather than the slits in the leather. I think this would probably be more rugged.
I would like some advice about cleaning the rest up though. The handle is stacked leather, brass and plastic. Some of the brass is a bit rough where the leather has shrunk back a bit. Can anyone suggest how to tidy this up without messing up the leather. Maybe a quick rub over with some fine wire wool?
I was thinking about giving it a mineral oil (liquid paraffin) bath and then wipe it down. I don't want to get rid of the nice patina on the blade...
Anyway, comments and advice gratefully received as ever!

GJC

 

[ozzy1977]

Very nice, I have one very similar to yours, only problem with mine is that it says China and stainless on the blade, nice to see an original

 

[DR2501]

Nice, good find

 

[Haggis]

Very nice find, congratulations! The knife looks like a clone of the Marbles Woodcraft; just simply one of the best and frequently copied designs ever. Just simply a wonderful find,,,

 

[Big Stu 12]

Nice one, thanks for showing

 

[gjclayton]

Thanks for the comments.
I think it was from around the same time as the Marbles knife, wonder which came first!?
I have read somewhere that it was the partial inspiration behind all the leather stacked handle american armed forces knives.
I'm going to give it a bit of a clean this evening. I'll post the results.

Cheers!

 

[gjclayton]

Thought you might be interested in this too. I found it on a trawl through the internet.
Recognise the blade at the top right?

 

[Haggis]

I find old knives a fascinating subject, and I ask that you forgive any overstepping on my part. When I saw your "Boone" my first thought was it was a "Woodcraft" clone,,, I've been looking,,, and reading,,,

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_store/index.php?store_id=5&&category_id=289
",,,the Marble's Woodcraft is one of the most instantly reconized knives that was ever made in the entire world !!! Patent applied for in 1915, W L Marble was quoted: Be it be known that I, Webster L Marble...have invented a new & original Design for a Blade of a new Hunting Knife...that patent was granted to Marble on Febuary 22, 1916...the Woodcrafts success not only in the USA but also around the world became legendary !!! After the patent ran out in 1930,,, the Woodcraft became the most copied knife blade pattern by allmost every other knife company in the world !!! It was billed as a knife that could fullfill every demand the professional trapper, guide, or big game hunter could throw at it...it has most definately held up its end of the challenge !!! It is 2 knives in 1 to the user...a great knife to field dress big game & one of the very best skinning knives on the planet !!!"

http://www.wkfinetools.com/huk/Butcher/history/hReview/07-History-Butcher.asp
Sheehan also had plans to launch a line of stainless steel knives. In an article in The American Cutler (April 1922), he claimed that his company made the best stainless steel cutlery on the market. His machines could grind at the ‘hardly believable’ rate of 24 blades at once.

Machinery meant that the factory was so clean that workers could grind in their ‘dress suits’. In the early 1920s, one result of this involvement in stainless cutlery was Wade & Butcher’s production of rugged American-style hunting knives, mainly for sale in the USA.

The Wade & Butcher 'TEDDY' was the first stainless steel hunting knife on the market. The 'BOONE' was the carbon steel equivalent; and some knives carried the names 'PIONEER' and 'MANITOU'."

I bought my own Solingen made "Woodcraft" clone (the stag handled knife near the bottom) in 1974, for $5.50. It is my all time favorite fixed blade knife.

 

[gjclayton]

Not at all Haggis! Thanks so much for all the information.
I really appreciate it.

Here are the after pictures without a new sheath (this is a work in progress).

I just used some mineral oil/liquid paraffin and some wire wool to clean the scum and rust etc off. I then rubbed some bees wax into the handle and heated it gently to soak it in.
It feels a lot nicer in the hand and certainly looks better IMO.
I didn't go at the blade too much, but it came up a bit better too.

Let me know what you think!

 

[gjclayton]

Here's a before and after...:

 

[Paddytray]

Good job of cleaning that handle up mate . Lovely knife

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk

 

[Claudiasboris]

Nice work! The Boone is a beautiful knife; I was lucky to inherit one and it's definitely one of my favourite knives.


Claudiasboris

 

[Haggis]

Looking very good!!!

 

[Pete 17]

Hi realise the last post in this thread was some time ago, but I have a Wade and Butcher knife that looks almost the same, however mine has Gilwell on the blade, other than that it's very similar.
The sheath however is totally different, to me that sheath does not appear to go with that knife.
But its not something I know much about, so kind of hoping for some input as to what these knives were for.

Mine was left to me by my dad, I get the feeling he acquired it in the 1930s.
Any info would be appreciated.