All About Pocket Knives

Thought I would start a thread on all old Rope knives.................

I have quite a few and have always liked them, mostly because they were a large knife with stag or jigged bone handles.

If you have any post them here


This is an early Maher & Grosh rope knife, rat tail steel bolsters, brass liners and a flat brass butt cap, and attractive jigged bone handles.

MB;
Your knife has double rat-tailed bolsters! One big rat and one little rat drug their tails across those bolsters.

Here's a big Robeson 197 with bone handles, steel liners, butt cap and single rat-tailed bolsters.
Also Robeson's version of the WWI Navy issue knife.
Charlie Noyes

Charlie,

I like that Robeson 197 model!

Never seen one of those before.

Here are some more early English made Rope Knives and a Case WWI issue knife.




M.B.

MB;
Robeson 197's turn up on Ebay with some regularity. I'll try to let you know if a nice one shows up.
They made the knife with ebony handles, too. I wish I had one.

I like all those English knives. I suspect that just about every Sheffield firm made that pattern at one time or another. I especially like that snakey looking thing in the middle!
Charlie

A few from my collection.I'll try and post more tomorrow.

Buck;Camillus;Camillus USCG;Coricama;ECS;I*XL;JM;KB;and a Kutmaster.

I always like the old stock Schrades with the big square ends I picked one up for a little love a year or so ago, lately I've had the urge to do another one. Sadly, I won't be doing anything for a while.

Schrade 163 rope, Madrone handles, soooooo nice.

A few more:
A Joseph Rodgers made for Abercrombie&Fitch which has a pair of scissors,a folding fish weighing scale,a pair of tweezers and a hook disgorger that slide into the checkered horn handles;a Schrade riggers knife;a Schrade Bosun's mate;a couple of Schrade Walden rope knives;one marked Stainless Steel;a Taylor's Eye Witness marked 1939;a Warriss marked 1940;a Whittingslowe Adelaide;and an unmarked yachtsman's knife.

Miller Bros

Tmwsiy,

My favorite brand!

Here are a couple more oldies.

First one is a Holley.

Second one is a Thomas Fenton, early U.S. Navy knife. Deeply stamped blade with some gnarly stag!

M.B.

Here's a modern example of the genre - a Myerchin Offshore Crew.

Here are a few more:
First is a 4-blade knife with a sheepfoot master blade,saw blade with a pierced nail mark,a marlinspike and a screwdriver blade on the spine.Only markings are a gemstone(diamond?)on the master blade and what looks like 2 letter H's hooked together within a square(may be an Asian cypher).
Next is a Jet-Aer yachtsman's knife.
Next is another KA-BAR rigger's knife.
Next are 2 Klein miniature rope knives.
Next is a Schatt&Morgan mini.I also have a Case Bradford that is the identical knife but the master blade is ground into a spear point.
The last two are broken but unusual enough that I keep them around.
The first is marked,"ECK"and all the parts are numbered.The one piece handle is hard wood with nickel silver liners and held together with screws.
The last one is marked,"Henri Renaud Paris" and has a one piece horn handle.The finish is absolutely first class but unfortunately the lock spring is broken.One of these days I'll get around to repairing it.The guy I got it from also had a Schrade double end switchblade with butter and molasses handles and a clip master blade instead of a spear with the original leather purse.It belonged to his grandmother who kept it in her sewing basket and used it to cut thread.The edge was flattened from years of use and there are grooves worn into the handles from thread being rubbed across them.I left it exactly as I got it and will likely never sharpen it.Too much history!

The "IXL Sailor's Knife" pictured above is actually a soldier's knife. Pre 1939 I believe. I was given a slightly later model by Watts of Sheffield.





I found the story on this type knife over at britishblades.com posted by our good friend S-K.
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/sho ... hp?t=63126

More old Rope knives..........................






M.B.

all the knives exhibited here are quite nice. I have a few rope knives myself that i'll show later on.
But M-B the stag on that last wostenholm riggers is absolutely stunning. thats the way stag should look

muskrat man wrote:the stag on that last wostenholm riggers is absolutely stunning. thats the way stag should look

M-M,

That stag on the Wostenholm Riggers knife is some of the nicest I have ever seen on and old knife.

I would like to see more stag handles like those on knives!




M.B.

A Few More.................................................................

I only have two rope knives.They are both Miller brothers and I am especially proud of the smaller one. Jim Sargent looked at it and told me it was the best example of this pattern that he had seen. The lanyard is original to the knife although it has been cut.

Jljr1944,

Well, if you are only going to have two rope knives, then you picked two real beauties!

I see more Miller Bro`s rope knives than any other single patten they made, and they made just about everything. They made two sizes as shown here, the large model 4 7/8" closed and the rarer smaller one which is 4 1/4". Miller also made a gravity knife for the U.S. government on contract during the Spanish American War era. I am sure they also sold the Navy folders as well. The gravity knives were deeply acid etched "U.S. NAVY", these also came in two sizes.

The handles were jigged bone, some were ebony wood. Occasionally you will see the gravity knives turn up for sale, but not very often. I have seen the folding rope knives with the blade acid etched "U.S. NAVY".

Another Kabar

Unused G. Ibberson sheffield Rope knife...........................



M.B.

Here is the largest old rope knife I have ever seen or owned.


Length: 5"
Width: 1 1/4"
Weighs: 14 oz.
Blade Thickness: 5/16"

The knife has integeral steel bolsters/liners. The handles are 1/4" thick Rosewood slabs secured with 5 brass pins on each side.

No makers mark can be found. Tremendous blade snap, don`t get your fingers in the way of this blade when closing it!

I have shown it next to the WWI Case rope knife for comparison in size.


M.B.

some more miller bros





a small one thats been re-shaped

Tmwsiy,

Those are some nice old rope knives you have there!

I like the nice early tang stamp on the first one.

Also it has the early jigged bone, the second one has the later jigged bone.

Different patterns but very attractive.


M.B.

Yeah, what M.B. said. Those are beautiful.

M.B.!! That big, whackin', monster of rope knife looks pretty dangerous. probably ought to send that to Texas so it don't explode and take out the southern half of that beautiful state you live in.

Just kidding.

You gents have some awesome knives.

Owd Wullie wrote:M.B.!! That big, whackin', monster of rope knife looks pretty dangerous. probably ought to send that to Texas so it don't explode and take out the southern half of that beautiful state you live in.

Willie,

No need to open this knife for self-defense!!

As far as shipping it to Texas, you will have to hire the tractor trailer and pay the freight charges!

M.B.