All About Pocket Knives

I saw this knife early this morning while cruising the bay.
It looks to me like a palandrome knife....... it's the same on the mark side and the pile side.....
This is a conundrum.....

Meridian_Mike wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 3:53 pmIt looks to me like a palandrome knife

A man a plan a canal - ulster 68S.

You can find this one in the '53 catalog here:
https://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us ... K-53-4.htm

jxr1197 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 4:20 pm

Meridian_Mike wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 3:53 pmIt looks to me like a palandrome knife

A man a plan a canal - ulster 68S.

You can find this one in the '53 catalog here:
https://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us ... K-53-4.htm

Yes sir ..... it sure is!
Thanks Jason!!

Not sure I understand your conundrum.

Have you never encountered a Congress with two sheeps and two pens?

Charlie Noyes

RobesonsRme.com wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 5:22 pm Not sure I understand your conundrum.

Have you never encountered a Congress with two sheeps and two pens?

Charlie Noyes

WOW.... nope this is my first. I had no idea there was such an animal.
Hmmmm....... I just wonder why they would do such a thing.... Is there a special purpose for this knife ????

Carl Schlieper and Eye Brand have made several congress models with two sheepsfoot and two pen blades for many years.


Joe D.

EyeBJoe wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 7:30 pm Carl Schlieper and Eye Brand have made several congress models with two sheepsfoot and two pen blades for many years.

Joe D.

Interesting.....
So.... I still wonder.... why the need for a double set of blades in one knife?

Was it like getting 2 knives in one?

I have a couple of older Bokers in that configuration. Must be a German thing.

Queen and GEC's large Congress' are made that way.

knife7knut wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 8:01 pm I have a couple of older Bokers in that configuration. Must be a German thing.

peanut740 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 8:16 pm Queen and GEC's large Congress' are made that way.

Hmmmmmm.........
I still think this is an unusual blade complement.... Isn't it?
Ed-jer-kate me.

Well, I googled and found a little something....
Seems the original design was from the 1880s....

"The Congress knife was originally designed in the 1800's and aptly named for shaping quill pens and whittling."

OK... so the original knives were for shaping the quill pens while a congressman was working and the whittler while he was loafing....LOL.

"However, these days it's a favorite among carpenters and woodworkers because its Coping blades are perfect for scribing/grooving, the Pen blade is good for drilling/notching, and the Spear blade for carving/shaping. This double-hinged pocket knife is produced with many blade configurations, the most popular of which are the 4-blade and 2-blade designs."

SO, maybe the 4 blade complement with 2 sets of the same blade would be a "Traditional Congress"..... maybe??

Just throwing some stuff against the wall to see if anything sticks......

In the southern US during the 1800's the congress was fairly popular. It was used for cutting plug tobacco (among other things) and I think I've seen some with ''tobacco knife'' etched or stamped on one of the blades. Lincoln carried a six blade ivory congress and had it with him when he was murdered. I don't know why they have multiple blades that are the same but they are pretty cool.

KnifeSlinger#81 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:30 pm In the southern US during the 1800's the congress was fairly popular. It was used for cutting plug tobacco (among other things) and I think I've seen some with ''tobacco knife'' etched or stamped on one of the blades. Lincoln carried a six blade ivory congress and had it with him when he was murdered. I don't know why they have multiple blades that are the same but they are pretty cool.

Yes, they are cool....
I just looked my files and I don't have one... I guess I just never went to the trouble to try and find myself one.

This one might be a nice to have..... (If I can snag it)

Meridian_Mike wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 7:36 pm Interesting.....
So.... I still wonder.... why the need for a double set of blades in one knife?

I an easily answer half that question. The sheepsfoot is the most useful blade there is: so if you are putting four blades on a knife, why not have two good ones? As for the pen blades ... a lot of folks like symmetry.

By the way, rats live on no evil star

I’ve carried a Congress pattern knife off and on for years. My Boker has two sheepsfoot blades along with one pen and one coping blade. My Canal Street has two sheepsfoot and two pen blades. I agree about the usefulness of the sheepsfoot blade. It’s nice having two so I don’t have to resharpen as frequently.

I’ll second what the others have said. Congress patterns are one of my absolute favorites. I have some like you have shown, and I have them with small pen, small coping, large sheepsfoot, and large spear. I know personally I use the sheepsfoot blade way more than any other, and if there’s a coping blade it’s a close second. I find a Congress is the perfect knife for working in the shop too.

BTW, one of the reasons the frame is shaped the way it is, is to use it for drawing the blade toward you. Like when you’re paring it’s making fine cuts in wood.

And, at least one cutlery, Western of Boulder, Colorado made a knife with four blades, ALL sheepfoot, which some have called a 'dynamite knife' and it was used by blasters for that work. However, I do not recall whether it was a congress knife or not.

tongueriver wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 1:51 am And, at least one cutlery, Western of Boulder, Colorado made a knife with four blades, ALL sheepfoot, which some have called a 'dynamite knife' and it was used by blasters for that work. However, I do not recall whether it was a congress knife or not.

I’ve heard of that one. But never saw it. I’d sure like to run across one!

Wear out a sheep and pen, then wear out the others.

Charlie

Mike this thread is severely lacking in examples of the knives we are describing. I just went through my congress knives and I do not currently have one like the one you’ve shown. But here’s what I do have.

3 Boker jumbo Congress knives (my favorites) as you can see from the blades they’re all using knives. The rosewood one is my favorite because of those very thin scales. It disappears in the pocket and feels some kind of wonderful in the hand.

1 Boker 3 5/8 stag congress.

1 Queen 4” congress with two large sheepsfoot blades (one has a buggered up tip), and two small clip blades.

1 Camillus 40 “half congress” 3 1/2” real thin with a single spring.

1 Camillus Old Smokey 3 1/2” black bone with two pen blades, one large sheepsfoot plain edge, and one large serrated sheepsfoot.

I really appreciate everyone's input on my Congress knife education!
.
I have a new appreciation for the congress pattern and now, I need to go get myself a couple for my collection. They are great knives!
I am really glad I saw the knife in my original post because it opened my eyes to these beauties.

AND..... by the way....
Do geese see God?

Colonel26 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 2:10 am

tongueriver wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 1:51 am And, at least one cutlery, Western of Boulder, Colorado made a knife with four blades, ALL sheepfoot, which some have called a 'dynamite knife' and it was used by blasters for that work. However, I do not recall whether it was a congress knife or not.

I’ve heard of that one. But never saw it. I’d sure like to run across one!

That is so cool to know..... Never heard of it and never saw it....


and....
Murder for a jar of red rum

I hate to admit it, but I have only one Congress knife, a Boker China knife. It is not a perfectly symmetrical knife, but it does have two sheepsfoot blades. I would like to come across one of those knives with four sheepsfoot blades. If I were getting someone to mod a knife for me, I could go for a stockman with three sheepsfoot blades, or maybe a whittler would be even better.

Able was I ere I saw Elba

Dinadan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:26 pm I would like to come across one of those knives with four sheepsfoot blades. If I were getting someone to mod a knife for me, I could go for a stockman with three sheepsfoot blades, or maybe a whittler would be even better.

Able was I ere I saw Elba

I saw several on the net that have the blade complement like yours. Those seem more normal no me....LOL.

Hmmmmmm.....
That comment about a modded knife is very interesting!

Red Roses run no risk, sir, on nurses order

Meridian_Mike wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:39 pm

Dinadan wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 9:26 pm I would like to come across one of those knives with four sheepsfoot blades. If I were getting someone to mod a knife for me, I could go for a stockman with three sheepsfoot blades, or maybe a whittler would be even better.

Able was I ere I saw Elba

I saw several on the net that have the blade complement like yours. Those seem more normal no me....LOL.

Hmmmmmm.....
That comment about a modded knife is very interesting!

Red Roses run no risk, sir, on nurses order

I am out of Congress knives to post and also out of palindromes ... this was a fun thread!

Live on time, emit no evil