Knives of Russia(early and later)

A place to discuss & share pictures of of knives from areas of the world other than the United States, Europe, China & Japan.
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Eustace
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by Eustace »

Nephilim wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 4:32 am I'd love to hear any more information about these, or indeed about the famous squirrel knife (like, where they were made exactly).
The squirrel was produced in the 70-80s in the Production Plant "Moscow Union of Hunters and Fishermen" (ПК МООиР).
They are also produced with other animals - I have seen foxes, sables and panthers - but they are very rare.
Rostovsky
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by Rostovsky »

Russian prison knives.
It would be more correct to call them knives made by prisoners.
In Soviet times, there were quite a lot of such knives, hunting, combat, kitchen, they are now collectibles and quite often appear on flea markets, they are not very rare and have not very high value.
In the USSR, places of detention were often equipped with some kind of production (metalworking, production of building materials, sawmills, etc.) and prisoners were required to work in such industries. As a result, the prisoners had access to metalworking machines and various materials. The production of knives in places of detention was strictly prohibited, but there was still a place for such knives to be released in decent quantities.
Such knives had their own "thieves'" style, were often decorated with special ornaments, special (but inexpensive) materials were used in the decoration and most of these knives had to be sold to ordinary people for money, and not used for crime. At least that was the case in the 70s, 80s, which was in my memory. Such knives appeared out of nowhere and it is not clear from whom, just from some acquaintances through the tenth hands and could be purchased by anyone who was willing to pay money for them. Some models had signs of edged weapons and because of them it was possible to have problems with the law, others were made in a similar style, but they were not illegal, and that the knife was made in places of deprivation of liberty is not written on the knife. At the end of the 80s, such knives begin to lose their identity and originality, become similar to the Rambo knife and Crocodile Dundee, and by the beginning of the 90s, such production ends completely. Today, there are people in prisons who have not held anything except an iPhone in their hands. There is no one to make knives.
The Second World War.
Two armies of several million people each converged in Europe. No matter how many combat knives the Soviet industry made for the Soviet Army (one broke, the other lost), there was still a place for folk art. In front-line auto repair and tank repair workshops, items of simple soldier's life were made in a private artisanal manner. Cigarette cases made of aviation aluminum, lighters made of brass cartridge cases, knives that a soldier could exchange for cigarettes, food, alcohol.
Knives made in such workshops often had a dial handle. The guard and the rear part of the handle were made of aviation aluminum or brass spare parts from broken equipment. The middle of the handle was made of transparent plates from fragments of the cockpit of downed aircraft, broken red brake lights from automotive equipment, from black or brown tank battery cases. Thus, the handle consisted of alternating plates of transparent, red, brown colors. That is, it was tricolor. Between such plates there could be brass gaskets made of cartridge cases.
After the end of the Second World War, such a tradition of a three-color dial handle comes to places of imprisonment. The color and material of the plates could be any other that came to hand, but it was almost never blue. The blue finish was the uniform of the NKVD troops who fought crime. The handles could be simply wooden, entirely aluminum, brass, anything, could have an overhead mounting, but still a color set of plastic plates was more characteristic.
In the late 70s, early 80s, folding knives-automatic machines became widespread. The pads were made of plastic of various bright colors, a spring from a table clock was used as a spring. Such a knife was illegal and it was impossible to advertise it much. While studying at school, I exchanged such a knife from a friend for figurines of soldiers, but my parents were not enthusiastic about such a knife and I quickly exchanged it for a collection of postage stamps.
Did criminals use such knives? I don't know. There were no criminals among my family's acquaintances. But there were many such knives around, hunters, fishermen, travelers.
Sorry if too much has been written.
If you don't mind, I could continue later.
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1967redrider
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by 1967redrider »

I thought for sure I had posted my RPK trio before, but I can't find it anywhere. So here they are, straight outta Russia via Ukraine. Sharp? Not really. But they do have excellent springs and a stabby blade. Lock up open or closed too.
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20231004_191554.jpg
20231004_191527.jpg
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
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Madmarco
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by Madmarco »

Thank you, Ros, and you can continue if you like anytime you want.
Your information so far is close to what we've been told, some is different but basically the same.
Thx again! ::handshake::
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Madmarco
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by Madmarco »

All 3 are really cool, John, but I'm liking the one in the middle in particular, perhaps cuz I haven't seen it before now. ::tu::
I assume they all came from Mike. ::nod::
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1967redrider
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by 1967redrider »

Madmarco wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2023 1:36 am All 3 are really cool, John, but I'm liking the one in the middle in particular, perhaps cuz I haven't seen it before now. ::tu::
I assume they all came from Mike. ::nod::
8)

They are from Mike, thanks! ::handshake::
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
Rostovsky
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by Rostovsky »

https://ibb.co/n6Q6VZ5
I can't insert a picture
not all codes from Russia are displayed correctly. I'll try to think of something. I have a lot of pictures
Rostovsky
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by Rostovsky »

1967redrider wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2023 11:21 pm I thought for sure I had posted my RPK trio before, but I can't find it anywhere. So here they are, straight outta Russia via Ukraine. Sharp? Not really. But they do have excellent springs and a stabby blade. Lock up open or closed too.
There are Latin letters on the upper knife, which has never been 40-80 years. But the lower knife is almost an ideal sample. But again, chemical etching of the pattern appeared at a much later time. We will not argue about the time of manufacture of these knives, but all three knives in shape and content correspond to the concept of "zekprom".
"zekprom" is a playful concept, translated as prisoners' industry
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1967redrider
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Re: Knives of Russia(early and later)

Post by 1967redrider »

Rostovsky wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2023 4:58 pm
1967redrider wrote: Wed Oct 04, 2023 11:21 pm I thought for sure I had posted my RPK trio before, but I can't find it anywhere. So here they are, straight outta Russia via Ukraine. Sharp? Not really. But they do have excellent springs and a stabby blade. Lock up open or closed too.
There are Latin letters on the upper knife, which has never been 40-80 years. But the lower knife is almost an ideal sample. But again, chemical etching of the pattern appeared at a much later time. We will not argue about the time of manufacture of these knives, but all three knives in shape and content correspond to the concept of "zekprom".
"zekprom" is a playful concept, translated as prisoners' industry

Thanks for this information and this is the picture you have linked above.
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image.jpg
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
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