All About Pocket Knives

I think I enjoy the handles and bolsters on these old knives as much as the blades and other parts.
What if..
What if I take this knife with a missing tip, build a new blade and put that in the old stag handle?
Is this a no no in the knife community way of doing things ?

Gary

Boy that's a question!!! You should get different thoughts on that one. For me I would say before you take it apart and modify it sell it to me but then again I love it just the way it is.

Well it's your knife to do with as you wish but if it were my knife, I'd leave it as is. There's a nice etch on that blade.

I'm going to parrot Phil. It's your knife to do with what you please but since you're asking, I wouldn't touch it.

.........if I did anything to it, I would reshape the back of the blade, not the cutting edge!!!....love the handles on that one!!!............. ...................

I agree with Mike, Phil, Jerry & Tommy.
If I did anything I would do as Tommy suggested, reshape the back of the blade.
It might look a bit odd, but it would still be nice.
There are just some old pieces that should be preserved as they are found.
That knife is unique enough that I would just pretty much clean and oil the knife & the stag and leave it alone.
It is nice as it sits.

...if you reshape the blade, I would start just forward of the nail nick!!!........ ................

Yikes but thanks. So the first mod to consider would be to re-grind the border, to create a new apex.
This will be obvious to the viewer after it's done but ...
Sure do love those handles. I guess it is a stag material. That is what is on the description and that is always accurate right?

Gary

See Gary. That's not super obvious and you would still have that beautiful old knife in somewhat it's original configuration.

garyflorida wrote:Yikes but thanks. So the first mod to consider would be to re-grind the border, to create a new apex.
This will be obvious to the viewer after it's done but ...
Sure do love those handles. I guess it is a stag material. That is what is on the description and that is always accurate right?

Gary

..I may be off-base gary, but the handles look more like brown jigged bone than stag!!!...... .............

Gary, You beat me to the reshape but that is the most I would do. It's a nice looking old piece and I wouldn't do any more than that.

Wayne

carrmillus wrote: ..I may be off-base gary, but the handles look more like brown jigged bone than stag!!!...... .............

The handles bothered me too Tommy.
They look like an old IXL hawkbill I have that has pressed horn handles.
They look like perfect stag until you look closer.
I think mine has some shrinkage too like his do.

Thanks guys, that is actually not bad Wayne. I think that will be the plan.
I am not sure what the heck this material is?
The knife is currently on the Bay so it's up for grabs by the way.
Good Luck to all of us.

btrwtr wrote:Gary, You beat me to the reshape but that is the most I would do. It's a nice looking old piece and I wouldn't do any more than that.

Wayne

Yup, what he said.

The handles are definitely stag and one that seems to be peculiar to knives made in England;usually before 1900.I have a couple with that particular pattern;one of which is an I*XL whittler.It resembles what is commonly referred to as,"popcorn" stag;where the surface has a lot of rounded projections,but is smoother and almost grainy.Here is a pic of the whittler and a pic of a Puma White Hunter handle with popcorn stag.

Very good. It is very interesting to read how deer grow antlers. One of fastest growing biological cells control their growth.

Gary

From what I can see the handles are pressed horn

The texture on the handle is a bit repetitious.
Examples of pressed bone and pressed leather from an English site.

Here is my IXL hawk bill with pressed horn handles.

Interesting, from Oregon knife club notes.
Sheffield in mid 19th century went through enormous amounts of horn, bone and tusks (teeth).
Raw horn was heated or warmed to ensure pliability and elasticity.
Horn is placed in die and subjected to heavy pressure and allowed to cool.
Horn will attain its exact modeling form from die.
Nice knife Dale. Hard to believe it made it all this time in good shape as it is.


Gary

As I am not able to see the handles up close I cannot be certain but they look like stage to me.I have seen pressed horn before on straight razors but they were mostly clear horn and had lettering and designs impressed on them.I have a couple of George Wostenholm razors that feature such work.
Here are some closeup pictures of an I*XL whittler that features the stag of which I was speaking.As can be seen the convolutions are very unusual for stag but definitely not pressed. I also am enclosing a pic of another old knife with similar but not quite as pronounced features.
Also a picture of a razor with pressed horn scales(2nd from the bottom).Notice the transparency of the horn.

Stag from different deer must produce different textures. I see what is called 'black forest' stag.
Have no idea the species of deer but it appears to be detailed in a different way. Smaller nodules suited for smaller scales as described on IXL knife above.

Gary

garyflorida wrote:I see what is called 'black forest' stag.
Have no idea the species of deer but it appears to be detailed in a different way. Smaller nodules suited for smaller scales as described on IXL knife above.

Gary

Most likely the 'Red Deer' which is predominate in Europe and Asia.

A.W./ Wadsworth/& Son/Germany Back of master marked XLNT in a X. Small blade marked the same. Repair mark side lower end and a chip on pile side at center pin. Has corkscrew. I always called this snake skin bone. Don't know what it is but do think it must be bone. Look somewhat like some of the knives posted
in this thread.

Harold

Red Deer antler (black forest stag) seems to come in many textures. Here is one that seems familiar. I believe it has been dyed. I think if this was sanded it could appear to have the 'snakeskin' look Harold.
Nice knife!

Gary