All About Pocket Knives

Good morning all . This one is for Muskratman and all other appreciators of the Hawkbill form. I recently put together my Old Sheffield Hawkbill knives. The two in the middle of the photos you will have seen here before and two recent acquisitions. From top to bottom in the first photo the makers are Saynor, J. (James) Howarth, Harrison Bros & Howson, and F. (Francis) Newton. The middle two are just over 4 inches closed for size reference. Hopefully this will inspire a number of posting on the topic. Thanks for looking. s-k

S-K Nice old stuff

Stockman

Thanks Stockman.

Here is my latest addition. This was made by Thomas Turner & Co.

s-k

S-K,
Most excellent old stag
It is hard to find such good stag today on a new or used knife, at least in my part of the country.

I would imagine that that quality stag was quite common in Sheffield in the past, given the UK's historical association with India. Is that so or am I reading something into history that wasn't there?

Thanks for sharing them (I would love to see more),
Dale

Thanks for the feedback Roger and Dale. Dale, yes I think you are right. The Sambar stag antlers were imported from India and were a staple in the Sheffied knife industry during the 1800s and ealy 1900s. I read that it was estimated that 72,000 stag handles were required weekly by the Sheffield knife industry in the late 1880s. Most of the supply came from the colony in India. I think you are also right in that we don't see stag like this on modern knives. s-k

great stuff S-K, I love that top little hawk that is just a nice looking little knife, but you gotta love that stag, WOW , you sure don't see handles like those anymore. Thanks for posting those, I'll try to dig out a couple of my better hawkbills to post pics of.

Thanks mm and sunburst. Your feedback is much appreciated . MM Here are a couple of close-ups for you. The handle is smooth bone and feels great. s-k

now that was just uncalled for Boy, I love the shape of that blade and the smooth bone looks equally good, you got a good one there.

Thanks very much MM. Here is my latest addition. Not really a Hawkbill per se but a nice old pruning knife. It is 3.75 inches closed and marked Venture Slater. It has a nice carbon steel blade that has great snap and 1/2 stop. I think the handle is stag with a nice pocket worn look. It has a thick, flat brass piece on the butt end. Anyone know the specific purpose of that? s-k

thats a nice one S-K, I spotted a nice I-XL pruning knife at a swap yesterday, but it was pretty rough and the spring was bad and he wanted $50, I didn't come home with it. This I think is my latest addition. A Schrade Walden, 186 with a craftsman etch made from 1948-1950. I have never seen such strong springs in a hawkbill, and they are one of the only hawkbills I have ever seen without a half stop? Gotta love that old stag, I really need to find me an old english hawkbill

Hi MM. Thanks. I like your Schrade. It looks to be in good condition. Are you looking for a Sheffield hawkbill in good condition for your collection or one on which to work your special kind of magic? I come across some from time to time that might make a good restoration project for you. Please let me know if you are interested. s-k

Restoration would be fine. Most of my knives were junkers that I fixed up. The nice thing is you can usually get them cheap and you can have the fun of fixing them up. Thanks S-K!

I only have few Hawkbills in my collection but this is one I just picked up. It has 4 interchangeable blades plus 2 saw blades. The handles are stag. 2 of the bladeds are deep etch GILLES LONDON and the smaller saw is marked the same on the tang. The other 2 blade and the larger saw are unmarked. The case is old leather.

way cool!

Two recent additions to the Hawkbill collection. The Needham has seen alot of the sharpening stone but I like the bone scales. Can anyone identify the type of wood used on the Lockwood Bros (2nd photo) please? s-k

Just a guess, but if it is over 50-60 years, it is probably Cocobolo.
Most of the older knives I have seen from that time frame either used Ebony or Cocobolo.

I must say it is a bit lighter than most Cocobolo, but there can be a lot of variations in Cocobolo.

Very nice knives.

Dale

Hello SK,

It looks like you snuck into the museum again.. I have to hand it to you once again on more great looking knives. My favorite is the fantastic bone handled hawkbill..Great show of knives..

Sunburst

That is some wonderful bone on that old hawk there S-K. My best guess is either cocobolo or rosewood. It looks alot like propwood to me!

I agree with MM, a Rosewood of some sort. Cocobolo is in the Rosewood family.

When I am buying wood at Gilmer Wood, I often go to the salesman and ask him what kind of wood is this? He will then tell me what it is. There are some that he cannot identify for sure, and he says, "a Rosewood of some sort." Rosewood seems to cover a lot of different species, all in the same family.

One of the most popular of the Rosewood family is Cocobolo. I have examples of Cocobolo from several different countries and they all look different. A fascinating wood! Interestingly enough, a lot of people are allergic to it. When I first started working with it he would give me a running nose, but now I seem to have built up an immunity to it. But some people have told me that toxins in it are cumulative.

Dale

I just got this `bill' in the mail. it's going right off to Muskratman for the `works'
She's an older Schatt from fleabay

Dave

Thanks for the responses everyone. Much appreciated. Knowtracks, be sure to post the new and improved MM version for us please. s-k

Here you guys have been posting great examples of one of my favorite patterns, and I have been asleep at the switch! Allow me to contribute, and thanks MM, s-k, et.al!
One of my faves; I love the curve of the stag on this one. It has a nice round cross section!

I love the shape of that hawk blade upnorth. Very nice!