Blade Nail Nicks and Long Pulls – Old and New

[Rookie]

those are cool. I don't think I own any with a tapered long pull like that, something I'll have to keep my eye out for now.

[FRJ]

Here's a nice old used Southington Cut Co. with some very nice pulls.
Thanks for looking.

[Rookie]

I like that "pull through the tang" style. I wonder why nobody still makes them like that today?

[KnifeSlinger#81]

I'm quite partial to the long pull and swedge combo on cut co and earlier waldens. Notice how the cut co is more pronounced, sheer perfection

I like that "pull through the tang" style. I wonder why nobody still makes them like that today?

I'm curious why they did it at all? Was there a functional reason or just the way they did it?

[Tsar Bomba]

I like that "pull through the tang" style. I wonder why nobody still makes them like that today?

Not sure, but I do know that Southington (who picked the most unfortunate big ol' name to have to stamp across the small tangs of pocketknives) cut their long pulls both ways: Through-tang and not-through-tang.

[FRJ]

Just a theory here. Some look like they were stamped. Some look like they were cut. Concerning the cut pulls I think it was a matter of simple convenience, not seeing the need for a certain length pull.
Concerning the stamped pulls. There was some discussion about tapered pulls. I wonder if the stamping was just a little off square and developed a tapered pull.

[dcgm4]

I like that "pull through the tang" style. I wonder why nobody still makes them like that today?

I've seen some where the pull has chipped at the end of the tang. Maybe the "pull through the tang" style is prone to chipping. Another possibility could be because it's not pocket-friendly. I knew a guy who carried an old Sheffield jack with those kind of pulls. He loved how they looked but complained they got caught on the fabric of his pocket sometimes when he went to fish out his knife.

Here are a couple of interesting ones. This Parker mini bulldog has double match striker pulls. And the Boker has a short pull to give the blade a sweet long swedge.

[FRJ]

Nice pull on that Boker. That's a sweet knife.

[dcgm4]

Thanks, Joe.

[Tsar Bomba]

Some long pulls go through the tang. Some stop at the tang.

Occasionally, however, a long pull can't decide which it wants to be...

This George Lawrence Co. HOK has been in my EDC rotation recently and I noticed today that the pull was cut/stamped just a wee bit into the tang. Probably a mistake or a lack of precision, since the swedging allows for enough room for a pull of that length to fit without intruding into the tang.

Incidentally, it seems this Geo. Lawrence Co. of Portland is the same one that was famous for leatherwork/saddles in the 1800s. I'm not sure if that means this was a contract knife, if Lawrence made pocket knives as well as leather goods and tools, or if somehow this is completely unrelated to the "other" Portland George Lawrence Co.

[Rookie]

Very cool, I like it! And I like the bone handle on that one too. I love the old bone on 60+ year old knives. The bone on knives made today just aren't as cool as the old stuff. 60 years from now, a goofy neon blue jigged bone isn't going to show the character of that old classic Case greenbone, or a Rogers jigged brown bone.

[FRJ]

That's a very cool old cattle knife with a name I'm not familiar with in knives.
That would be a cool connection with the leather folks though.

The pull looks like it was slightly miss struck doesn't it.
They weren't going to toss the blade for that.

[Tsar Bomba]

Very cool, I like it! And I like the bone handle on that one too. I love the old bone on 60+ year old knives. The bone on knives made today just aren't as cool as the old stuff. 60 years from now, a goofy neon blue jigged bone isn't going to show the character of that old classic Case greenbone, or a Rogers jigged brown bone.

I don't much mind some of what Case and others are doing with dyed bone these days, although they do go overboard on occasion. But it's true that there's just no reproducing the classic, warm, organic look and feel of the old bones. And there's certainly no chance Case could mass-manufacture bone that is truly as "pocket worn" as this.

That's a very cool old cattle knife with a name I'm not familiar with in knives.
That would be a cool connection with the leather folks though.

The pull looks like it was slightly miss struck doesn't it.
They weren't going to toss the blade for that.

Glad they didn't toss it. It got a whole lot of use in its earlier life and even now that old carbon steel holds a wicked edge you wouldn't want anywhere near a finger. It's a odd little knife, it has a punch and a file/stripper/pry (or screwdriver?) blade in addition to the spear so I think of it as a "carpenter's knife" but it makes a lot of sense if it's a leatherworker's/saddler's knife instead.

The punch is a big honkin' one compared to the size of the frame. I wonder if the "stripper" edge has some sort of function in old west leatherwork, or if the big file has some sort of function in dealing with saddles or other leather items...

Edit: The links to the company history which led me to ruminate about the Lawrence Co's involvement with knives are as follows:

https://www.vintagegunleather.com/compa ... story.html
https://www.gorgediscovery.org/george-lawrence-company/

[FRJ]

Interesting .............. I hope you can find out something about the other tools.
I wonder if Orvet (Dale) would have any take on it.

Those are great links.

[Tsar Bomba]

Thanks, Joe, there wasn't much overall on this company from Portland and the overwhelming trend was in the direction of a notable saddlemaker, so I'm inclined to think this knife might have been some sort of SFO from a typical cutler, for redistribution by G. Lawrence Co. along with their primary products - leather saddles and accessories.

The tools are anyone's guess. Here is an older photo of the knife with all blades open. I believe the file/scraper blade might be slightly tipped, though not much judging by the room in the blade well - maybe 1/16th" or less unless the tip was rounded. Arched Geo. Lawrence Co. Portland, Oreg. stamps on the spear and file blades.