British Army Knife

[wingstoo]

From what I remember the ones with the marlin spike are the Royal Engineers specific knives.

As the Engineers are more likely to be using ropes for some of the exploits or used to anyway.

The Engineers knife was better known as the "Jack" knife

https://jboutman.com/itemdesc.asp?ic=3PCJACK

Silvermans sell them

 

[trail2]

ForgeCorvus . Thats the one. Mines Carbon steel I would guess,looking at the "patina" on it.
Jon R.

 

[VtBlackdog]

SAKS have sooo many tools and options? And they come in pretty colors!

 

[Forest fella]

I use a Belgian Model,without the Spike,it's got a smaller profile.there great knives

 

[traderran]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlinspike

You can also use it for digging Boy Scouts out of Horse's Hooves

Yelp they work great for that

 

[Retired Member southey]

spike also good for removing ramblers from tyre treads!

 

[Forest fella]

This is the one I use,And I have just made a Kydex Neck sheath for it.

 

[Ben Trout]

I'm with you. I think that they would be really good first knives for Scouts, although we seem to not be supposed to encourage them to own knives. I have two modern stainless versions, one with and one without the marlinspike.

I really ought to get shot of the attached lanyards. They were mess around things and do get in the way. I use it for ropework and when I need a pokey thing at home. It tends to come with me to Scouts when we're doing pioneering or knotting with them. I would like to make up some wooden scales for it as it's not the most comfortable tool I have. The tin opener is hopeless. The non marlinspike one lives in my fire demo tin. I have no qualms about batoning with it.

My dad has one of the carbon steel types, with the black plastic scales, somewhere.

Past Times in Bristol had quite a few, some with issue white lanyards, last time I was there.

 

[w00dsmoke]

I have an old Uk jack knife somewhere and found it to be heavy and not that great. I prefer these:

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...s/german-army-pocket-knife-in-new-319798.html

and this variation looks pretty well thought out

http://www.surplusandoutdoors.com/s...ew-german-army-olive-green-chunky-649166.html

I like them a lot and they keep a very good edge and a make very good EDC.

 

[OhCanada]

Why aren't these more popular?

Because they are surplus gear and civy brands of knives are much easier to get. If you have a few thousand of one knife, a few million of another knife, then the billions of people on the planet are more likely to have the more common civy knife on them.

Everyone has heard of Swiss Army Knives.

And why a post to justify your choice os a knife? Just find one that you like and carry it.

 

[Stephen Conkie]

I was just wondering if there was something about it I'd missed. I deliberately didnt get the one off Ray Mears' site as it was locking. Will look out for the carbon ones tho.

 

[nickg]

I carried an issue one of these for 13 years in my military service and whilst they are bulletproof (literally) the edge retention was always rubbish. Whenever you picked one up it didnt so much cut stuff as wear it away. The most useful thing was the can opener which worked a dream when the issue compo opener had given up the ghost. They are heavy and the screwdriver end wasnt hard so in any kind of hard screw it would buckle & twist out of shape. At the time i knew jack about heat treating steel an so never tried to harden & temper the thing and being stainless it would not be so eay but may prove worth a try.
Incidentally the phrase 'Jack knife' originally meant a sailers knife (as in Jack tar) specifically because it had a marlin spike for rope splicing. Its used to open the strands in a piece of tarred rope to begin an eye splice, which is a very strong loop at the end of a rope. Originally marlin spikes were exactly that - the nose spike from an atlantic marlin fish, which had the strength and resilience to force open the strands in a rope of 2-3" diameter, if you dont think this sounds like hard work, when navy ratings had to to this on a main brace they were issued an extra tot of rum - hence the expression 'splice the main brace' meaning to go for a drink.
Enough history

Cheers
Nick

 

[Stephen Conkie]

I was talking to a friend the other day about them and he's only used one once.....the edge was rubbish. Are you saying I can put it in the oven and then dunk it in cold water to improve the temper?

 

[Matt.S]

I was talking to a friend the other day about them and he's only used one once.....the edge was rubbish. Are you saying I can put it in the oven and then dunk it in cold water to improve the temper?

That'd make the blade softer, ovens don't get nearly hot enough for hardening.

 

[nickg]

I was talking to a friend the other day about them and he's only used one once.....the edge was rubbish. Are you saying I can put it in the oven and then dunk it in cold water to improve the temper?

If yours is steel you need to heat it up cherry red then quench it in oil then put it in the oven for a few hours to temper it. If it is stainless stell its a lot more complex as the temperatures are higher and more critical. You will need to do your research first - there are a lot of threads on heat treating blades.

Cheers
Nick

 

[wanderingblade]

If yours is steel you need to heat it up cherry red then quench it in oil then put it in the oven for a few hours to temper it. If it is stainless stell its a lot more complex as the temperatures are higher and more critical. You will need to do your research first - there are a lot of threads on heat treating blades.

Cheers
Nick

Just remember to dismantle it first!

I've always found these good, solid knives but how many people out there have damn near ripped their thumbnails out trying to open one?

 

[Stephen Conkie]

OK. Totally displaying my ignorance here and thought it sounded too easy. Will post my opinion after a few weeks' use

 

[ForgeCorvus]

As I've said before, I'm looking for a service jack knife in carbon steel with a marlin spike (like the picture).

Anyone know where I should try to get one that isn't going to cost its own weight in gold?

 

[nickg]

I may be subject to correction here - but i believe that the plastic scaled examples are ww2 era issue I have my dads and my grandads ones (ww2 & ww1 respectively). my own issue one was of 1970s vintage without the scales.
They are definately two differant animals, the earlier ones are quite good at edge holding and must be carbon steel as they rust & oxidise very readily. The all steel ones can be either carbon or stainless and are not perticularly good (but very strong).
As for where to get them the ww2 examples could be had for between £6-20 depending on condition on E-Bay who now dont allow the sale of knives (PC Idiots that they are), but you should get results if you try hitting some of the smaller militaria sites. I really wouldnt put any effort at all into getting the later ones, The engineers stopped issuing them years ago and the lads all now purchase leatherman types for themselvs.

Cheers
Nick

 

[wanderingblade]

If anyone is after one of these I have seen a few of these on specialistauctions.com - there was a 1946 model listed the other day.