Old Cattle Knives

[peanut740]

Dave,I really like the Wards and that stag Utica.

[FRJ]

A very nice group of knives, Dave. I like em all!!

[treefarmer]

Dave, what else do you have hidden in your safe? Those are great old knives!
Treefarmer

[Duffer]

Wonderful/beautiful group of knives Dave! I like photos showing groups of knives

[OLDE CUTLER]

This is an old Wards cattle knife I have. Not in the best shape, but serviceable. I always wondered if there was a Wards cutlery company or is this referring to Montgomery Wards products? I really like these spiral awls like this one. This one has steel bolsters and liners, so it was a cheaper knife. Sure sharpens up to a fine edge though.

[tongueriver]

Good old Monkey Wards. Those spiral punches usually signify Camillus as the maker.

[FRJ]

Nice knife, Olde Cuttler.

Here's an old Wards.

[OLDE CUTLER]

FRJ
That's a lot nicer Wards that mine. When I got this one it was so rusted the blades wouldn't open at all. I use a product called "KROIL" on the hinge pins to loosen things up. I don't know if you have ever used or heard of KROIL, but the claim is that it will penetrate into spaces a small as one millionth of an inch!! I heard a funny story last winter at a gunshow, when I was standing at a table talking to a dealer and he happened to sell KROIL in one pint cans. As I was standing there a fellow came up to the table and wanted to buy a can of KROIL. The dealer recognized him, and said "You went thru that can I sold you 2 weeks ago already?" The guy said "sort of". He stated that he took the can of KROIL home, and to make it more convenient to use, he had poured the whole thing into one of the old fashion "farmer style" oil cans, the kind with the flexible spout and the lever you pump with your thumb. He left it sitting on his workbench overnight, and by the next morning the whole can had leaked out thru the crimped on bottom of the old oil pump can. Seems the bottom of those are made to hold in thick oil like would be used on farm equipment, but not something like KROIL with molecules one millionth of an inch!!

[Duffer]

OC, that is a funny story I have used Kroil for many many years. Just a super penetrating/creeping fluid or oil. Use to mix it with gun cleaning solvent and it worked great to loosen up hard to get out carbon crud in my rifles. It works wonders on really gummed up or hard to open pivots on folding knives. If I have a stiff or hard to open old folder I submerge the pivot end in Kroil overnight and a lot of times it really loosens up the pivot and greatly improves the action. It is used a lot or most often on bolts or other metal to metal fasterns frozen by corrosion or rust. A great product to have on hand when you need it!

[FRJ]

Thanks guys. Now i'm going to get some Kroil.

[peanut740]

I found this post... with the same pattern knife.

HERE IS A UTICA THREE BACK SPRING WHITTLER WITH SLANTED GROOVED PINCHED BOLSTERS, ETCHED MASTER BLADE WITH LONG PULL SPEY AND PUNCH BLADE. THE HAR-MAC ETCH IS A HARDWARE CHAIN HARPER MCINTIRE WITH A WAREHOUSE IN OTTUMWA IOWA.

It appears to be the same knife, not just the same pattern. And it's a good one!

Challenge also had knives with the HAR MAC etch.All though not a cattle knife.

[djknife13]

Here are two Ulster Knife Co. (pre 1941) knives I picked up today along with a pile I showed in Knife Finds of the Day.___Dave

[FRJ]

Nice knives, Dave and Roger.

This old knife has the unusual small clip blade but I think it could be a cattle knife, no?

3 5/8"

[steve99f]

Another user of Kroil. Can't recommend it enough. Hard to find but I know Dixon's Muzzleloading sells in their shop in Kempton, PA.

[djknife13]

Joe, I would say that's a cattle knife based on Levine's description of cattle knives. ____Dave

[FRJ]

Thank you, Dave.

[RalphAlsip]

Here is an old Cattle knife with a punch marked "Wester Bros Warranted New York" that is now in my herd thanks to Harold stockman.

[FRJ]

That's a very nice knife, Jerry. The blades look like they have very little use.
They look so well seated in the well.

[royal0014]

Very nice Ralph .

[TripleF]

Beauty Jerry!!!

[peanut740]

Jerry,nice knife.Has the look of an early Schrade Cut.

[RalphAlsip]

Jerry,nice knife.Has the look of an early Schrade Cut.

Good observation Roger. (See picture below). Harold had the same observation when he was giving me his sales "pitch" (lol). There are differences in bolsters, blades, jigging, etc., but the shield looks identical. I added a NYK into the picture for good measure to show similarity between the Wester Bros bone and the NYK bone.

Thanks everyone for the gracious comments. In addition to looking nice, the operational characteristics of opening and closing blades are like a new knife.

Harold sent me a few more knives that will get posted over the next couple of days. Everyone should realize I'm joking when I mention "Harold" and "sales pitch" together. Harold is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet.

[OLDE CUTLER]

Amazing how many of these you see, old knives with no makers mark on them except sometimes like this cattle knife, just stamped USA. I picked this one up at a fleamarket for $2 and have used it as an EDC for a while. I suppose it's possible that some of these unmarked knives were originally etched on the blade only, but after years of use that disappears along with any idea of who made them. This one could have been made by Camillus, Schrade, or who knows. The double stamp "USA USA" is kind of interesting.

[Miller Bro's]

Joe, Jerry, and OC nice old knives

Here's one I have had for a long time, don't think I ever posted it.

[peanut740]

Jerry,nice knife.Has the look of an early Schrade Cut.

Good observation Roger. (See picture below). Harold had the same observation when he was giving me his sales "pitch" (lol). There are differences in bolsters, blades, jigging, etc., but the shield looks identical. I added a NYK into the picture for good measure to show similarity between the Wester Bros bone and the NYK bone.

Thanks everyone for the gracious comments. In addition to looking nice, the operational characteristics of opening and closing blades are like a new knife.

Harold sent me a few more knives that will get posted over the next couple of days. Everyone should realize I'm joking when I mention "Harold" and "sales pitch" together. Harold is one of the nicest people you could hope to meet.

Jerry ,early Schrade Cut jigging is very similar to NYK.Also the punch looks like a Schrade.