All About Pocket Knives

galvanic1882 wrote:Had a nice visit from Fran yesterday and we did some show and tell which was really great. While Fran was here I got 2 knives in the mail that I got off ebay which are posted here.

Thanks Fran for coming to see me and showing me your great knives. I really like that Ken Coates custom that you opened while you visited.

Eric, ask Fran to tell you about the pearl KK in the picture!!

Mike is too kind. After seeing his wonderful collection, I came home and hid mine in the back of the closet. ( Except the Coats, which is going with me today ! )

Don't worry Mike. I rattled Eric's chain as soon as I finished hiding my other knives.

Who, but a guy that really deserves it, could buy a knife from a listing like this, and find out it's a salesman's sample when he opens the box ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... %26fvi%3D1

Fran

I thought this would be a good place to ask what a Jackknife is instead of starting a new topic on Q&A.
What separates a jack knife from any other pocket knife?
What pocket knife is not a jack knife?
Interestingly, the word is losing its original meaning and is now more frequently applied to lorry accidents or high diving.
I think AAPK may be the only place left that still calls a jack knife a jack knife.

In other words, has the Jack Knife been finally granted Official Pedigree. ( like the Jack Russell )

Edgie,

A jack knife is usually a folding knife with one or more blades at one end. It's also usually larger than a pen knife.

But then, there are double-ended jack knifes, little jack knifes, and big pen knifes.

Hope this helps.





Fran

Your visit to Mike's must have been like going to Wonderland, Fran, from what I see of his posts!
Nice going on the KeenKutter, Mike. Cheap at twice the price!!

Sauconian wrote:...there are double-ended jack knifes, little jack knifes, and big pen knifes.
Hope this helps. ...

It helps a great deal.
It confirmed my suspicion that the term "jack knife" is generic (as shown by your word "usually"), which is why it sometimes is qualified by specifics like "double-ended".
How else can we end up with a word like "canittler".
The question is whether a Moose is a double-ended Jack knife, or a Jack knife a single-ended Moose?
Thanks.

A moose is a sub-type of a double end Jack, IMO.
"Jack" covers a large family of knives, that branches out into sub-types. Names like Moose, English jack, curved, swayback, balloon etc. give us better descriptions. But if the one, two or (rarely) three blades pivot on the same end, or if it falls into the double end category, it's a Jack.
Multi-blades like Cattle knives, Stockman and Whittler knives are not called Jacks.

Mike,

Fran did give me the lowdown on the trip, all I can say is I'm very sad . He also told me about the Keen Kutter, I tell ya, your a salesman sample magnet!! I'll bet if you stand out on your front lawn for a day or so, you'll have a bunch stuck to you by the end of the day! . We've definitely got to get together soon though , I'm dying to see all that paperwork along with those knives!

I did get something pretty cool recently that I know you'll get a kick out of. I'll post it as soon as I scan it, plus I'll throw a few jacks in to keep it on theme

Stand by....

Eric

here's a queen and a wards

Both nice jacks Johnnie, but I do tend to favor the Wards a bit.

Fran

me too fran, here is another old one. a robeson that has seen some use.

Beautiful knives Johnny! That Robeson still looks pretty full to me

Here are a couple, a Schrade Cut. serpentine jack, quite full but with some storage issues on the blades, and a well used Ulster. Both of them are flanked by the print blocks for the Schrade-Walden stationary, both top and bottom portions. Not sure if these were used for invoices, letterheads, or both. BTW, this is a mirror image so you can read the blocks, the knives are backwards:

Eric

Nice Cut. Co. Eric !! Reminds me of a certain Wolfie I'm fond of.

Are those printing blocks from your streetwalker friend ?

Fran

AAAAAHHHHH !! Backwards knives ; So weird looking!!

Fran, yes in fact they are. I sure hope she can find me some more

Charlie, what's even stranger is trying to read the backwards tangs. Here are a few "normal" ones. The top three are Walden Knife Co., the bottom is a Keen Kutter easy open. This one, a K95, has a German silver (nickel silver) bolster and cap, which dates it to the 1905-1920 period, and likely made by Walden as well:

These are jack knifes also. The first one I've shown before, but I just got a second one from the same maker, with an etch.

Swell Center hunters, also called ' coke - bottles.'

Fran

Nice swell center Sauconian!
Never knew they made knives in Allentown.

Nice buncha Jacks Eric! That Keen has a nice teardrop shape!
Great etched knife for your collection, Fran. Did that come from, ummmm . . . . . . . . . . Bruce Voyles?

well if cokebottles count

nice ones all around

yall know what this is

old cleveland ohio EO teardrop, my favorite jack pattern

nice one muskratman, great jigging on that bone.

EOs are cool. Nice one, MM.

Time to bump this thread up, and see if we can catch a few more Jacks! This guy should wake up the thread, and it has those little numbers on the back that Mike likes so much!
Iroquois, by Utica! Classic Utica punch, with matchstrike.

Charlie,
Is that a psychedelic harness jack?
Refugee from the 60's?

Dale

Charlie that is wild
Randy