Where did the "patterns" come from? - iKnife Collector2024-03-29T02:23:50Zhttps://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/where-did-the-patterns-come-from?commentId=3181080%3AComment%3A902672&feed=yes&xn_auth=noJan said: "I had heard they w…tag:iknifecollector.com,2017-04-27:3181080:Comment:14795052017-04-27T13:07:26.784ZTobias Gibsonhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/TobiasGibson
Jan said: "I had heard they were widely used for small game and that has always made more sense to me than they were used as fighting knives"<br />
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When you consider the muskrat is essentially a skinning knife with the two California clip blades, the style of blade that is found on older traditional toothpicks it makes sense. Today, the larger five inch toothpicks that are made in China use a standard clip. But Case's 4.5 inch and Bear & Sons 5 inch toothpick uses a more traditional Cali…
Jan said: "I had heard they were widely used for small game and that has always made more sense to me than they were used as fighting knives"<br />
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When you consider the muskrat is essentially a skinning knife with the two California clip blades, the style of blade that is found on older traditional toothpicks it makes sense. Today, the larger five inch toothpicks that are made in China use a standard clip. But Case's 4.5 inch and Bear & Sons 5 inch toothpick uses a more traditional Cali blade.<br />
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Smaller Navaja de Muella knives would have been a poor choice for fighting as well but it was not uncommon for the Navajas to be 7-11 inches long folded; making them formidable weapons. This was especially true as they could be opened with one hand and the blade locked open.<br />
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This is why some folks assume they were made for fighting; however their original purpose, like most knives was much more mundane. Camillus may have had to most…tag:iknifecollector.com,2017-04-27:3181080:Comment:14792182017-04-27T02:09:08.610ZJan Carterhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/JanCarter
<p>Camillus may have had to most correct description for this style blade<br></br> <br></br> <cite>Tobias Gibson said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/where-did-the-patterns-come-from?commentId=3181080%3AComment%3A1479478#3181080Comment1479633"><div>Of interest while everyone today seems to call the larger 5 inch toothpicks " toothpick" or "fish knife", Camillus originally called their knife a Switchback and described it as a folding bird and trout…</div>
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<p>Camillus may have had to most correct description for this style blade<br/> <br/> <cite>Tobias Gibson said:</cite></p>
<blockquote cite="http://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/where-did-the-patterns-come-from?commentId=3181080%3AComment%3A1479478#3181080Comment1479633"><div>Of interest while everyone today seems to call the larger 5 inch toothpicks " toothpick" or "fish knife", Camillus originally called their knife a Switchback and described it as a folding bird and trout knife.</div>
</blockquote> Tobias I had heard they were…tag:iknifecollector.com,2017-04-27:3181080:Comment:14794782017-04-27T02:07:56.713ZJan Carterhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/JanCarter
<p>Tobias I had heard they were widely used for small game and that has always made more sense to me than they were used as fighting knives</p>
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<p>Tobias I had heard they were widely used for small game and that has always made more sense to me than they were used as fighting knives</p>
<p></p> Of interest while everyone to…tag:iknifecollector.com,2017-04-27:3181080:Comment:14796332017-04-27T02:03:29.867ZTobias Gibsonhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/TobiasGibson
Of interest while everyone today seems to call the larger 5 inch toothpicks " toothpick" or "fish knife", Camillus originally called their knife a Switchback and described it as a folding bird and trout knife.
Of interest while everyone today seems to call the larger 5 inch toothpicks " toothpick" or "fish knife", Camillus originally called their knife a Switchback and described it as a folding bird and trout knife. I really can't say 100% but t…tag:iknifecollector.com,2017-04-27:3181080:Comment:14794772017-04-27T01:49:28.555ZTobias Gibsonhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/TobiasGibson
I really can't say 100% but the toothpick appears to be much older than the 1800s and could very well be of Spanish or Italian origin. It definitely resembles the old Navaja de Muelle out of Spain as well as the Italian Romano. In which case they have arrived with the Spaniards as early as the 1500-1600s.<br />
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Both knives had locking blades and were popular among fishermen but over time became a popular choice among bandits and cut throats.<br />
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Early large toothpicks found favor as a small folding…
I really can't say 100% but the toothpick appears to be much older than the 1800s and could very well be of Spanish or Italian origin. It definitely resembles the old Navaja de Muelle out of Spain as well as the Italian Romano. In which case they have arrived with the Spaniards as early as the 1500-1600s.<br />
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Both knives had locking blades and were popular among fishermen but over time became a popular choice among bandits and cut throats.<br />
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Early large toothpicks found favor as a small folding skinning knife used for small game and fish -- so even the use of the toothpick was similar to the earlier Italian and Spanish knives.<br />
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And I'm sure we all know how the larger toothpicks have been used as fish knives for the last 100 years. I havent been able to come u…tag:iknifecollector.com,2017-04-27:3181080:Comment:14794752017-04-27T01:28:22.460ZJan Carterhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/JanCarter
<p><span> I havent been able to come up with too much history on Case’s version of the Texas Toothpick, but i did dig up a pretty interesting story on the origins of use for the Toothpick style blades. In it’s dim past, the toothpick was hardly a gentlemen’s knife. It’s origins are in the deep south back long ago. It was the favored knife of cheap tavern knife fighters, and it was a common trick to wedge a matchstick in the blade slot back by the rear bolster to aid in getting it open a bit…</span></p>
<p><span> I havent been able to come up with too much history on Case’s version of the Texas Toothpick, but i did dig up a pretty interesting story on the origins of use for the Toothpick style blades. In it’s dim past, the toothpick was hardly a gentlemen’s knife. It’s origins are in the deep south back long ago. It was the favored knife of cheap tavern knife fighters, and it was a common trick to wedge a matchstick in the blade slot back by the rear bolster to aid in getting it open a bit faster. In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, there was no tactical one hand folders, so the toothpick was the folding fighter of the day way down in the bayou country. It was a handy knife to have for other uses as well. One large pointy blade could be handy for a lot of things in an agricultural area.</span></p> The Patents for different kni…tag:iknifecollector.com,2013-07-22:3181080:Comment:9069352013-07-22T02:33:34.958ZSue OldsWidowhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/SueOldsWidow
<p>The Patents for different knives show up from time to time, with info on the Inventor!! Surf the net...let us know what You find!</p>
<p>The Patents for different knives show up from time to time, with info on the Inventor!! Surf the net...let us know what You find!</p> Well I can tell you where the…tag:iknifecollector.com,2013-07-17:3181080:Comment:9033392013-07-17T23:55:55.237ZTobias Gibsonhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/TobiasGibson
<p>Well I can tell you where the Stockman originated. It began as a the cattle knife and its origins go back to the cattle boom in the United States shortly after the Civil War. Cattlemen need a reliable folding knife that they could use for cattle work.</p>
<p>George Wostenholm (IXL) of Sheffield, England came up with a large frame cigar pattern folder with a spear master and secondary sheepfoot blade at the top. He also offered the same pattern in three blades adding a pen, punch, or spay…</p>
<p>Well I can tell you where the Stockman originated. It began as a the cattle knife and its origins go back to the cattle boom in the United States shortly after the Civil War. Cattlemen need a reliable folding knife that they could use for cattle work.</p>
<p>George Wostenholm (IXL) of Sheffield, England came up with a large frame cigar pattern folder with a spear master and secondary sheepfoot blade at the top. He also offered the same pattern in three blades adding a pen, punch, or spay blade at the opposite end. A third variation offered the Spear and sheepfoot on the top along with a punch and spay (sometimes a pen blade) on the top. As the knives were made to order, there was some variety. The most common however were two blade cattleknives and three blade version with a spay or punch added. So if you like Stockmans or cattle knives, thank George Wostenholm</p> I agree, this can be an amazi…tag:iknifecollector.com,2013-07-17:3181080:Comment:9026722013-07-17T10:15:25.689ZJan Carterhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/JanCarter
<p>I agree, this can be an amazing discussion. I love to hear about this kind of history</p>
<p>I agree, this can be an amazing discussion. I love to hear about this kind of history</p> Jack, don't be sorry for open…tag:iknifecollector.com,2013-07-17:3181080:Comment:9024872013-07-17T10:06:08.149ZChuck Parhamhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/ChuckParham
<p>Jack, don't be sorry for opening this can of worms. It's fascinating!! However I'd suggest starting with your favorite pattern. That makes it more fun and interesting. It also teaches you how to do research. You find a little nugget of info that spikes your curiosity and you chase down that rabbit trail. Then you chase another and another. Before long you have your history finished to the extent you're looking for. Then you choose another pattern and so on. Once you get the patterns done…</p>
<p>Jack, don't be sorry for opening this can of worms. It's fascinating!! However I'd suggest starting with your favorite pattern. That makes it more fun and interesting. It also teaches you how to do research. You find a little nugget of info that spikes your curiosity and you chase down that rabbit trail. Then you chase another and another. Before long you have your history finished to the extent you're looking for. Then you choose another pattern and so on. Once you get the patterns done you'll want to do blade configurations, blade variations, handle styles and materials and on and on and on. Research is fascinating so don't be afraid of it. Embrace it! You'll build your own library of facts so you can always go back and find info and answer questions. Good luck!!</p>