An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

A place to discuss & share pictures of anything that relates to knives.
Post Reply
User avatar
LongBlade
Posts: 3416
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 3:00 pm
Location: Woods of CT

An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by LongBlade »

I thought some may find this interesting and would share it. A friend of mine in England owns what is truly a museum collection piece (which is a rather large fly tying kit and original notes, feathers, hooks, tools etc) from George Kelson, a famous British fly tier and author of a classic book published in 1895 - "The Salmon Fly"... while I had the chance to see the collection at a recent show in the UK I just saw these photos the other day... his cutting edge tools for fly tying were 2 blood-letters or fleams - see photo... the 2 knives came in that 2 sided leather pouch which is very similar to the fleam 2 piece kit that TripleF (Scott) found at an estate sale... anyway the fleams from the Kelson collection were made by Weiss of London - makers of surgical instruments in the 1800s... Since the fleams were razor sharp perhaps this fit the bill nicely for him as a fly tier... I also understand his father was a physician so perhaps that is where they originated... nonetheless interesting to me and I guess what one can consider a cool historical crossover.... of all the nice old sheffield knives he may have been able to obtain he used fleams :D ...
Kelsons Fly Tying Acessories with %22Knife%22 - Fleams.jpg
Cheers
Lee
____________________________________________________________________________
Lee
User avatar
garddogg56
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 9023
Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 2:18 am
Location: Maine Aya up North

Re: An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by garddogg56 »

As a knife collector and a flyfisherman I can appreciate and enjoy this info ::nod::
"On the Road Again"Willie Nelson
User avatar
RobesonsRme.com
Posts: 9887
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 3:44 pm
Location: The Heart of Dixie.
Contact:

Re: An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

The one with the axe shaped blade is a "gum lancet", not a fleam.

Used to open and drain abscesses.

Makes me chiver just thinking about that.

Charlie
DE OPPRESSO LIBER

"...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons ___but they are helpless against our prayers. "

Sidlow Baxter
User avatar
FRJ
Posts: 15182
Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 1:43 pm
Location: Ct.

Re: An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by FRJ »

Really nice old artifacts, Lee.

Wish I had those optics.
Joe
User avatar
RobesonsRme.com
Posts: 9887
Joined: Wed Jan 28, 2009 3:44 pm
Location: The Heart of Dixie.
Contact:

Re: An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

Bausch & Lomb sells a three lens pocket magnifier similar to that one. They are made for the visually impaired, but can be found on-line.

Here's one:

http://www.googleadservices.com/pagead/ ... /G2629112/

The lenses can be combined to increase the magnification.

Charlie Noyes
DE OPPRESSO LIBER

"...Men may spurn our appeals, reject our message, oppose our arguments, despise our persons ___but they are helpless against our prayers. "

Sidlow Baxter
User avatar
LongBlade
Posts: 3416
Joined: Mon May 18, 2015 3:00 pm
Location: Woods of CT

Re: An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by LongBlade »

Thanks guys.... I thought a few might find this of interest.

Charlie - a "gum lancet" - thanks for the visuals on the use of it ::barf:: ::rotflol:: .... The only other gum lancet I have seen was more like a small hatchet... nonetheless as these were supposedly razor sharp no doubt they were sharp enough to use for fly tying... Interesting back in the 1800s there were not fly tying tools sold per se... scissors were borrowed from sewing boxes, hackle pliers were bent from brass rods etc etc... many of the old tools were repurposed from other uses... I have put together what would be considered a Victorian era fly tying tool collection based on years of looking for the right old pieces... the scissors (best I have are a pair of Rodgers scissors with their maltese cross and star stamp trade mark) were easy as was a bodkin which was an old bone handled medical or laboratory probe... the hardest tool to find was the hackle pliers as it took me literally 5 years to find them to complete my collection. Bobbins were nonexistent - lots of hand tying though a few old fly tying vices were made from jewelers pin vices and some even mounted on a c-clamp in late 1800s...
____________________________________________________________________________
Lee
mrwatch
Posts: 1453
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2007 4:58 pm
Location: michigan

Re: An Interesting Historic Crossover - Fly Tying and Knives

Post by mrwatch »

Around 1989 I took fly tying lessons from the Orvis Shop. I saved up scrap pieces of white ash at work and made my own tying stand and a thread spools holder. I did buy a pair of Ceramic blade scissors from Orvis. Scary sharp. As a watch maker you would be amazed at some of the specialist fine hand tools I own. The tiny taps and dies are outrageous in price. I was able to get those from a man that was retired.
Bob
Post Reply

Return to “General Knife Discussion”