Antique Knives Made In England

[Miller Bro's]

It's very hard to find any information on how they went about making pressed horn scales anymore? It seems to have been lost to time?

This information was taken from an 1844 Cutler's magazine:

"Horn handles have a peculiarity in their mode of manufacture, which places them in a distinct rank. When horn is made hot, it becomes so soft and ductile that it may be pressed into moulds; and this circumstance is taken advantage of to give an ornamental device to horn handles....The mould for pressing is in two halves which close together like a pair of pincers. The mould is heated in a fire; the piece of horn is cut nearly to the requisite size, and put into it; and the mould is pressed in a powerful vice, whereby the horn receives the impress of the device. "

[Waukonda]

[galvanic1882]

Beautiful knife

[Miller Bro's]

Super horseman's knife

[edge213]

Wow! Ike what a beautiful knife!

[woodwalker]

That is a very beautiful knife!!

[BWT]

Ike you never cease to amaze me,another beauty

[FRJ]

Fabulous knife, Ike.

Beautiful knives on this thread lately.

[Jacknifeben]

This is a real worn out stag lock back whittler from England in about 1890. Never seen another one like it. All three blades stamped A.L. BABCOCK HARDWARE Co. History says he come to America, settled in BIllings Montana and built hotels and hardware stores and ended up strong in politics.

[galvanic1882]

Old lockback whittlers are very hard to find, nice piece.

[BWT]

Very nice Thanks for sharing it with us, I can’t remember ever seeing one before? I like it!!

[Mason]

Some wonderful examples shown on the past few pages.
Nice assortment of knives from Miller Bros., and a fine IXL lock back from G. Smith.

Nice showings from edisdead, and the Wingfield & Rowbotham is a great example, but I believe the handles are molded synthetic rather than pressed horn. Wostenholm used molded hard rubber or other synthetic material on some of their knife handles in the middle 20th century (example shown). Landers, Frary, & Clark also used molded synthetic handles on many of their folders and fixed blade knives in the early 1900s.

Very nice IXL horseman's knife from Waukonda, and an uncommon lock back whittler from Jacknifeben as galvanic1882 mentioned.

[Mason]

Here is a well preserved lock back folder from John Sellers & Sons which dates to around the 1860s to 1880s.
This model features a clip style blade which was far less common than spear point blades on old Sheffield folders.
The stag handles on old Sheffield knives are generally quite amazing.
Sellers had a great tang stamp that displayed a dagger through the letter "S" along with their name.
An enclosed ad shows that trademark in the center.

[Waukonda]

Here is a well preserved lock back folder from John Sellers & Sons which dates to around the 1860s to 1880s.
This model features a clip style blade which was far less common than spear point blades on old Sheffield folders.
The stag handles on old Sheffield knives are generally quite amazing.
Sellers had a great tang stamp that displayed a dagger through the letter "S" along with their name.
An enclosed ad shows that trademark in the center.

That is a great old knife!

[gsmith7158]

Mason the stag on that knife is just superb!

[Miller Bro's]

Very nice!

[Jacknifeben]

Punch in A L Babcock Billings Montana and get ready for a impressive man.

[edisdead]

It's very hard to find any information on how they went about making pressed horn scales anymore? It seems to have been lost to time?

This information was taken from an 1844 Cutler's magazine:

"Horn handles have a peculiarity in their mode of manufacture, which places them in a distinct rank. When horn is made hot, it becomes so soft and ductile that it may be pressed into moulds; and this circumstance is taken advantage of to give an ornamental device to horn handles....The mould for pressing is in two halves which close together like a pair of pincers. The mould is heated in a fire; the piece of horn is cut nearly to the requisite size, and put into it; and the mould is pressed in a powerful vice, whereby the horn receives the impress of the device. "

Thanks for that information MB. It's always a treat to find data on a topic you previously thought or were told was lost.
I had assumed it was powdered horn bonded together in some fashion but the above makes more sense.

@ Mason apologies I cannot figure how to multi quote a reply, thanks for the tip on the handles being composite. I have examples of bexoid and other early synthetic (casein based?) handle materials, this feels different, harder, but may well be as you described. I must heat a small pin and give it a whiff to confirm and will report back but I imagine I will smell a synthetic one.

Love the John Sellers & Sons, great write up on them on Ken Hawleys site and that one has a full blade, lovely ribbed bolsters and stunning deep stag.

@JacknifeBen looking forward to reading more later tonight on Babcocks history. I've never seen a lockback whittler in person, must keep my eye s out for one. That one looks like it's served two lifetimes of duty. A great find.

@Waukonda the IXL horseman knife is awesome. The stag has beautiful figuring and the piece is in great condition. I'd imagine it's as useful today to a horse owner as it was (170 yrs ago?).

Here is a recent find from a maker I like. It has a small amount of wobble on the main which I piened out and other than a flush, lube and sharpen it's now good to go for hard use.

[Jacknifeben]

Here are better pictures of the lock back on the whittler. It does not lock the blade closed any more and is not flush with the back springs.

[edge213]

It's very hard to find any information on how they went about making pressed horn scales anymore? It seems to have been lost to time?

This information was taken from an 1844 Cutler's magazine:

"Horn handles have a peculiarity in their mode of manufacture, which places them in a distinct rank. When horn is made hot, it becomes so soft and ductile that it may be pressed into moulds; and this circumstance is taken advantage of to give an ornamental device to horn handles....The mould for pressing is in two halves which close together like a pair of pincers. The mould is heated in a fire; the piece of horn is cut nearly to the requisite size, and put into it; and the mould is pressed in a powerful vice, whereby the horn receives the impress of the device. "

Thanks for that information MB. It's always a treat to find data on a topic you previously thought or were told was lost.
I had assumed it was powdered horn bonded together in some fashion but the above makes more sense.

@ Mason apologies I cannot figure how to multi quote a reply, thanks for the tip on the handles being composite. I have examples of bexoid and other early synthetic (casein based?) handle materials, this feels different, harder, but may well be as you described. I must heat a small pin and give it a whiff to confirm and will report back but I imagine I will smell a synthetic one.

Love the John Sellers & Sons, great write up on them on Ken Hawleys site and that one has a full blade, lovely ribbed bolsters and stunning deep stag.

@JacknifeBen looking forward to reading more later tonight on Babcocks history. I've never seen a lockback whittler in person, must keep my eye s out for one. That one looks like it's served two lifetimes of duty. A great find.

@Waukonda the IXL horseman knife is awesome. The stag has beautiful figuring and the piece is in great condition. I'd imagine it's as useful today to a horse owner as it was (170 yrs ago?).

Here is a recent find from a maker I like. It has a small amount of wobble on the main which I piened out and other than a flush, lube and sharpen it's now good to go for hard use.
IMG_20211220_094709.jpgIMG_20211220_094347.jpgIMG_20211220_095158.jpgIMG_20211220_095301.jpg

Great knife!

[edisdead]

Some wonderful examples shown on the past few pages.
Nice assortment of knives from Miller Bros., and a fine IXL lock back from G. Smith.

Nice showings from edisdead, and the Wingfield & Rowbotham is a great example, but I believe the handles are molded synthetic rather than pressed horn. Wostenholm used molded hard rubber or other synthetic material on some of their knife handles in the middle 20th century (example shown). Landers, Frary, & Clark also used molded synthetic handles on many of their folders and fixed blade knives in the early 1900s.

Very nice IXL horseman's knife from Waukonda, and an uncommon lock back whittler from Jacknifeben as galvanic1882 mentioned.

Being inquisitive I headed straight to the hob for the hot pin test.
It's definitely horn would you believe, distinct burnt hair/fingernail smell. Comparison against known horn was identical in smell, very different to composite/cell/bexoid etc.
The whole pattern on the slabs is identical to other examples online so pressed horn it is I'd imagine.

[DM11]

Wonderful old knife Ike!

[Mason]

Some wonderful examples shown on the past few pages.
Nice assortment of knives from Miller Bros., and a fine IXL lock back from G. Smith.

Nice showings from edisdead, and the Wingfield & Rowbotham is a great example, but I believe the handles are molded synthetic rather than pressed horn. Wostenholm used molded hard rubber or other synthetic material on some of their knife handles in the middle 20th century (example shown). Landers, Frary, & Clark also used molded synthetic handles on many of their folders and fixed blade knives in the early 1900s.

Very nice IXL horseman's knife from Waukonda, and an uncommon lock back whittler from Jacknifeben as galvanic1882 mentioned.

IMG_20220102_174036.jpg
Being inquisitive I headed straight to the hob for the hot pin test.
It's definitely horn would you believe, distinct burnt hair/fingernail smell. Comparison against known horn was identical in smell, very different to composite/cell/bexoid etc.
The whole pattern on the slabs is identical to other examples online so pressed horn it is I'd imagine.

Interesting to hear of your test. I was going to suggest that you look closely with a loop at the side of the handle next to the liners.
Rubber or other synthetic materials should be quite smooth in appearance, where horn (pressed or not) should show striations of layers of the horn.

Nice example in your two-blade Butler folder. Butler knives are not commonly found in the U.S.
I've got a few that I will post.

[edisdead]

Some wonderful examples shown on the past few pages.
Nice assortment of knives from Miller Bros., and a fine IXL lock back from G. Smith.

Nice showings from edisdead, and the Wingfield & Rowbotham is a great example, but I believe the handles are molded synthetic rather than pressed horn. Wostenholm used molded hard rubber or other synthetic material on some of their knife handles in the middle 20th century (example shown). Landers, Frary, & Clark also used molded synthetic handles on many of their folders and fixed blade knives in the early 1900s.

Very nice IXL horseman's knife from Waukonda, and an uncommon lock back whittler from Jacknifeben as galvanic1882 mentioned.

IMG_20220102_174036.jpg
Being inquisitive I headed straight to the hob for the hot pin test.
It's definitely horn would you believe, distinct burnt hair/fingernail smell. Comparison against known horn was identical in smell, very different to composite/cell/bexoid etc.
The whole pattern on the slabs is identical to other examples online so pressed horn it is I'd imagine.

Interesting to hear of your test. I was going to suggest that you look closely with a loop at the side of the handle next to the liners.
Rubber or other synthetic materials should be quite smooth in appearance, where horn (pressed or not) should show striations of layers of the horn.

Nice example in your two-blade Butler folder. Butler knives are not commonly found in the U.S.
I've got a few that I will post.

Love to see your G Butler examples, particularly any "ART" trademarked ones which display great build quality imo.
Heres a side shot of the handle.

[Mason]

IMG_20220102_174036.jpg
Being inquisitive I headed straight to the hob for the hot pin test.
It's definitely horn would you believe, distinct burnt hair/fingernail smell. Comparison against known horn was identical in smell, very different to composite/cell/bexoid etc.
The whole pattern on the slabs is identical to other examples online so pressed horn it is I'd imagine.

Interesting to hear of your test. I was going to suggest that you look closely with a loop at the side of the handle next to the liners.
Rubber or other synthetic materials should be quite smooth in appearance, where horn (pressed or not) should show striations of layers of the horn.

Nice example in your two-blade Butler folder. Butler knives are not commonly found in the U.S.
I've got a few that I will post.

Love to see your G Butler examples, particularly any "ART" trademarked ones which display great build quality imo.
Heres a side shot of the handle.
IMG_20220102_205029.jpg

Great clear picture and yes, that certainly looks like horn.