All About Pocket Knives

I'm not much of a collector, per se, and am relatively new to the 'hobby' of interest in pocket knives. One thing that fascinates me is the names given to patterns of knives. What makes it a copperhead? Why is it called a congress? Why is it called a seahorse? List goes on and on. Where do these names originate? Does anyone know a website or book that is a good reference for this topic?

I don't know of a reference on this topic, but here are a couple explanations I've come across, purely anecdotally:

Congress: So named because it's equal on each side and each end, which I take as a reference to the two party system, and the bicameral structure, i.e the house and senate.

Stockman: Literally designed for the needs of working with livestock -- a spey blade for castration, a sheepfoot for cleaning and trimming hooves, and a clip main blade for general utility. The "cattleman" would be the same explanation, with a leather punch, a spey or sheepfoot, and a spear main blade.

Hi good topic.

I think we had the congress discussion at some point in the past on this site. Longbeechbum has added something that we didn't previously consider. Althought the 'congress' style knife was made in Sheffield before it was in the US, it was widely exported to the States from the early 1800s onward and was much more popular in the South than the North. At what point and why the pattern took on the Congress name is wide open for debate. Lincoln had a six-bladed pearl-handled Sheffield made 'Congress' knife in his pocket on the night he was assassinated. Coincidently, it resides on display in the library of Congress.

'Jack' is an old English term for sailor and Jack knives started out as fairly stout one-bladed knives used for cutting everything a sailor needed from food and tobacco to rope. Many early jack knife blades had rounded or square ends rather than points supposedly to prevent them from serious injurying (i.e. killing) each other in fights.

Pen knife, simply one small blade, originally fixed and later folding, designed to sharpen the quills used for writing. Subsequently evolved to refer to most any small knife most often now with a blade at each end.

I was wondering the other day about the Senator knife. Does anyone have and idea re the origin of this name? Maybe attributed to a specific American Senator?

s-k

Perhaps the senator was designed in Chappaquiddick and has floating handles

smiling-knife wrote:Hi good topic.


I was wondering the other day about the Senator knife. Does anyone have and idea re the origin of this name? Maybe attributed to a specific American Senator?

s-k

CarlM wrote:Perhaps the senator was designed in Chappaquiddick and has floating handles

Sorry CarlM, that one went right over my head Translation please
s-k

sk, he's referencing our great senator mr. kennedy who had an accident involving the death of his female aide. went into the chappaquiddick river. she died, he got out and did not report it till much later. liquor and drugs were suspected. another one of our countries monied coverups. i don't think it was named for him or the pattern would be called #**&^#@.

Smiling-Knife posted: "Many early jack knife blades had rounded or square ends rather than points supposedly to prevent them from serious injurying (i.e. killing) each other in fights."

This is a great discussion! I had heard, again purely anecdotally, that sailors knives, or rigging knives are equipped with a sheepfoot blade (without a sharp point) due to the frequent occurrance of sailors dropping knives from high in the rigging down to the deck. With the blunt tipped sheepfoot blade, injury was less likely to result.

Also on the topic of blunting knives to prevent people killing each other, I've read in actual histories that Louis XIV of France was the first to institute round tipped, dull edged knives (i.e. butter knives) at the dinner table due to the problem of his guests at table killing each other with the dinner ware. That I believe is well substantiated.

Minor digression. Now, back on topic...

Thanks for the explanantion Johnnie. Sorry for ruining the joke CarlM by needing it explained to me . More interesting knife facts thanks longbeach. : s-k

I was wondering if anyone knew the origins of the Balow knife. I have heard that the name is older than 150 years, just like that pattern. Originally designed to be inexpensive I believe, now many seem to fetch premium prices.

Story I've heard on the Barlow...

Obadiah Barlow seems to have started his cutlery business in Sheffield around 1667. Several of his heirs continued the business after he passed on. It appears as though they used the name BARLOW on their Jacknives as a trademark. However, the shape, as we recognize it today, seems to have morphed from a bearhead, curved handle Jack during the 1800s.

Bill

Too good to be true. Hukk Finn mentions a "bran-new Barlow worth two bits in any store" Things were alot cheaper in the 1880s.

The knife pattern goes back to the 1700s in Sheffield and was made famous by Obadiah Barlow. The Barlow family co went out of business at the very end of the 1700s but the knife had caught-on with several other manufactures by then. It was marketed primarily as a relatively inexpensive and sturdy knife for boys. Info paraphrased from Tweedale (1996) Sheffield Knife Book. s-k

el lobo beat me to it.

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. I had heard of the jack knife variation. I did not know who and when. I have a few Bulldog Barlows and I notice that they seem to sell for over book for the most part lately. I do like them quite a lot, especially the stag handles.