Oiling the Ivories.......................

gmusic · Post by **gmusic** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:26 pm

I had my Ivory handled knives out yesterday giving them their quarterly lube job. I shot this picture, thought it was kinda cool.

It's very important to keep your Ivory handles oiled. I use my wife's cuticle oil (combination of four different natural oils) some use peanut oil, others just plain old corn oil. I think using any natural oil is better than nothing.

I even oil my stag to keep it from drying out, just not as often as the Ivory.

Gary

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 9:30 pm

dry cuticles are bad er.... i mean...er yeah i use mineral oil on all my natural handles. no additives.

sunburst · Post by **sunburst** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:11 pm

Thanks for the reminder Gary, I will break out the Formby's Lemon Oil tomorrow. How about starting an ivory thread so we can see those beauty's your protecting, I'll put on one or two..

Sunburst

MITCH RAPP · Post by **MITCH RAPP** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:16 pm

Gary, Very Nice!

Since you have double of some of those

Ivories, you might want to give some away for Christmas!

singin46 · Post by **singin46** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:29 am

Hey Gary, I like that one second from the front of the left. NICE IVORY MY FRIEND!!!!!!!

Singin47

Blade Runner · Post by **Blade Runner** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:29 am

Very nice knives Gary, and your right just about any natural handle material like ivory, bone, stag etc. need this from time to time. Like Johnnie I use mineral oil, I think the real old pieces really love a good soaking in the stuff periodically.

Take Care
Gary

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:37 am

Here's a close-up of an ivory handled knife I own.I've owned it for nearly 25 years and the 20 years prior it sat in it's wooden sheath inside a paper bag in the back room of a steam laundry.I've never put anything on it and as far as I know the previous owner didn't either.BTW when I had it appraised it was said to be approximately 350 years old.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:48 am

they don't make ivory like that anymore!

sunburst · Post by **sunburst** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:50 am

knife7knut wrote:Here's a close-up of an ivory handled knife I own.I've owned it for nearly 25 years and the 20 years prior it sat in it's wooden sheath inside a paper bag in the back room of a steam laundry.I've never put anything on it and as far as I know the previous owner didn't either.BTW when I had it appraised it was said to be approximately 350 years old.

That is a great looking piece knife knut. Can you tell what the engraving is supposed to be or the country of origin?

Sunburst

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 2:04 am

looks middle eastern to me.

knife7knut · Post by **knife7knut** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 2:29 am

sunburst wrote:
knife7knut wrote:Here's a close-up of an ivory handled knife I own.I've owned it for nearly 25 years and the 20 years prior it sat in it's wooden sheath inside a paper bag in the back room of a steam laundry.I've never put anything on it and as far as I know the previous owner didn't either.BTW when I had it appraised it was said to be approximately 350 years old.
That is a great looking piece knife knut. Can you tell what the engraving is supposed to be or the country of origin?

Sunburst

According to the appraiser,who was the head of the Middle East department at a university the knife was from the Oman province of Syria and made sometime between 1630 and 1680(he couldn't narrow it down any closer than that).

He was unable to read the cyphers on the handle(they were too worn to translate accurately)but there are cyphers inlayed in gold on either side of the blade which is the opening lines of the Koran;roughly translated,"There is no god but the one god Allah and I am his prophet".

He theorized that whomever it belonged to was held in high stature but was not royalty as the handle would have been embellished with precious stones and made of gold or silver.The engravings he said were probably of the owner and his family.

The workmanship of the Damascened blade has to be seen up close to really be appreciated.The sheath is constructed of wood and has a type of pebble grained skin(maybe lizard)covered in raised designs.There is a small companion dagger(also ivory handled and made of Damascus)that looks like a sharpened table knife in profile.In all my years of collecting I have never seen another jambiya with a companion piece.It is rare to find them even with a sheath.

Strangely enough it was a gift to me from a friend to whom I had given a Buck 110 folder;which had been given to me with a broken blade tip.I repaired it and never particularly liking 110's gave it to my friend.

The appraiser must have liked it because the first thing he asked me was if I was interested in selling it.After I told him that I wasn't in the habit of selling gifts he said,"Well if you did,I'd be willing to give you $1500 for it"!

Anyway that is essentially how I came by it and I just hope my kids will be sure that it gets a proper caretaker when I'm gone.

BTW here is a picture of it with the sheath and dagger on a Syrian plaque made from tiny pieces of inlaid wood;a gift from another friend who was originally from Syria.

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 3:21 am

beautiful and a treasure.

gmusic · Post by **gmusic** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 7:49 am

Nice piece and very interesting story KK. You can be assured if the appraiser offered you $1500.00, it was worth twice that................................