Real American Knife Lore

This forum is dedicated to the discussion and display of old knives. The rich history of all the many companies that made them through the early years will be found here as well as many fine examples of the cutlers art. Share pictures of your old knives and your knowledge here!
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LongBlade
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by LongBlade »

CONTINUED FROM ABOVE:
Page 5.jpg
Page 5 - Finishing Room.jpg
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Page 6 - Ware Room and Finishing.jpg
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Page 7 - Service Floor.png
Page 8.jpg
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Lee
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by Duffer »

Lee thanks for posting this! I enjoyed reading it ::tu::
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by JAMESC41001 »

Thanks for posting this lee. Super helpful for me with my little project. I’m having trouble finding the September 1927 addition of the journal can you or someone her help??
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LongBlade
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

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JAMESC41001 wrote:Thanks for posting this lee. Super helpful for me with my little project. I’m having trouble finding the September 1927 addition of the journal can you or someone her help??
Glad it was helpful Jay ::tu:: ::tu:: .. Sorry but don't have any issues from 1927... I wish I had found others but nothing later than 1923 at least on the internet - The few annual compilations I found on the internet are huge pdfs... anyway I wonder as the industry started to decline during the 20s if the journal also went under - I am just thinking and really don't know... It was a monthly journal and quite enjoy looking at them (The American Cutler Journal), a few interesting articles and the advertising is very cool 8) ..
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danno50
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by danno50 »

Lee, any chance you could post a link to where you find the American Cutler Journal? I am about to pop a gasket here trying to search for it. Even google books gives me nothing. The internet is really starting to tick me off!
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

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danno50 wrote:Lee, any chance you could post a link to where you find the American Cutler Journal? I am about to pop a gasket here trying to search for it. Even google books gives me nothing. The internet is really starting to tick me off!
Dan - I found a few when searching other topics so it was serendipitous - don't feel frustrated :wink: - I saved the few I found as a pdf so been searching through saved bookmarks on my computer - Hope this helps Dan ::tu:: and of course anybody who is interested....

I found at least these links so far to issues -

1921
https://books.google.com/books?id=IZs1A ... 17&f=false

1922
https://books.google.com/books?id=m3kiA ... er&f=false

1923
https://books.google.com/books?id=6SgdA ... er&f=false

I have the pdf for 1917 but can't seem to find the link ::dang:: - but I'll post it if I find it!!
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danno50
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by danno50 »

Lee, I added two google DNS servers to my network settings and found the link below. It has access to the full year's journals from 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1923. It will load the full journal, but it is slow, took me 15 minutes or so to go through Jan, Feb and Mar of 1923. I cannot download the full PDF, but can save individual pages as PDFs to my desktop. As an example below is a page of adds from the Jan 1923 issue.

https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012306931

I believe that with the googlebooks links you need to sign up with an account to download the PDF??
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LongBlade
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by LongBlade »

Dan - Yes those are under google and I was able to download the full pdf... I did find that link you provided at hathitrust but was unable to get the full pdf... either way some interesting info - BTW - I find the ads rather interesting - Among the many company ads there is a few for Warwick Knife Co of Walden (which from my understanding are rare knife finds) and it was interesting to me that a claim in the ad was Warwick has all American employees except for two in addition to the pitch for their knives..
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by danno50 »

Lee - with the google locations, it would not let me download any of the PDF, unless I signed up for an account with google books?
With the hathitrust website, I could view the full PDF. However, it is slow as it loads and comes up as one scrolls through it. Last night it took an hour to scroll through the entire of the 1919 journals. That was without any detailed reading.
The ads are interesting, I did notice the ad for Warwick and also a couple of other cutlerly companies I have never seen mentioned on here.
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LongBlade
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by LongBlade »

Dan - I think maybe you need an account - as I found out if you have gmail than you already have one...
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by Robo »

RobesonsRme.com wrote:MB; I saw this when you first posted it, but I've delayed reading it until today.

Fascinating, poignant and sad all at the same time.

Killing a young grinder at twenty-four years of age with aspiration consumption (not the same thing as TB) is nothing for anybody to have been proud of.

As much as we love these things we cherish, knives, we must never forget the sacrifices of those that built them.

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Hear, Hear, Sir!

Sometimes I'm as guilty of romantisizing America's Knife manufacturing past as others are because the beautiful little piece of edged art I hold in my hand doesn't in and of itself speak of the pain and suffering--the alcoholism, drugery and often poverty-- of the folks who were it's creators. I'm grateful to find stories like these and I actively seek them out in order to remember there was a great price paid for the knife I paid a great price for.
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by cudgee »

Just discovered this thread, fantastic reading, but so sad in a lot of ways. Not only the hardship these people went through, but the demise of knife manufacturing, tools and most things that were made by machines, tools AND hand. My grandparents and parents and many relatives went through these tough and they were tough times, but i think they came out as better people for it. I know times have changed and will not go back to what they were, but importing a lot of things and the throw away society attitude means quality hand made products are are a rarity and not the norm now, which i find very sad. But that being said, i think there is a growing brand of new purchasers out there, that are prepaired to pay for bespoke and hand made goods, if and when they have the money. You only have to look at some of the fantastic work being done by custom knife makers. So thanks everyone who had a hand in putting this thread together, well done. ::nod::
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danno50
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

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I have been in communication with the Village of Walden historian. She sent me this write up, also from the WPA project. It is by a Herbert Mason, who worked as a cutler for 7 different companies over 32 years, quite a few of them in Walden. I tried copy and paste from the word document, but couldn't get it to work, so made jpegs out of each page. Clicking on them will enlarge and make them easier to read. He speaks about the Upper and Lower Shops and names the Lower Shop as New York Knife Co. However, this is wrong, the Upper Shop was New York Knife Co. and the Lower Shop was Walden Knife Co. The article states that the Upper Shop closed in 1927. The historian believes that whoever wrote up the write up got the two shops confused, it was the Lower Shop (Walden Knife) that closed in 1927.
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by Duffer »

Thanks Dan for acquiring and posting this! I love reading these personal memories by old cutlers regarding the knife making business of yesteryear. Makes collecting these old knives we all like more personal and real. Thanks again ::tu::
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by edge213 »

Thanks for posting. I love reading the things written by the old cutlers.
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by wlf »

Thanks Dan, I appreciate your time, interesting letter.
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by orvet »

Great story Dan! ::tu::
Thanks for posting it.
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by Working Edge »

Absolutely wonderful and valuable reading...!!
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by edisdead »

The history of Sheffields Cutlers emigration to the States is something I'm eager to learn more about, this thread has it all, what a great read.
The hardships of working conditions and the lowly appreciation and pay for their skilled work was a strong motivation to look to the new world, where principles of fair play for the working man were perhaps more achievable.
This humble example may sit well here?
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IMG_20211227_190544.jpg
IMG_20211227_191525.jpg
Facinating to think these knives share DNA
IMG_20211227_190711.jpg
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Miller Bro's
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by Miller Bro's »

edisdead wrote: Mon Dec 27, 2021 7:30 pm This humble example may sit well here?
Very well, thanks for showing it ::tu::
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Re: Real American Knife Lore

Post by Ridgegrass »

m-------sarah. Very nicely written. J.O'.
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