so the fishing group is live!!

http://iknifecollector.com/group/gone-fishin

Does anyone know when the inexpensive style of "bowie" made by Imperial, Colonial , Utica etc was first made? Im just guessing but early 30's or do you think earlier. Has anyone got any old ads for them? Like the one below or the more common with black plastic scales. They seem to be hard to date acuratly. 

my latest Rough Rider is a Cotton Sampler.  Many knives are used for sampling cotton, typically sheepfoot and hawkbill styles but I've always found this style the most interesting!

The knife wasn't used in the field but buy potential buyers of bales of hay.  The blade is designed to worked into the bail and then cotton is somehow twisted around that dull section of the blade at the tang.  Somehow the  experienced cotton buyer could then determine the grade of the cotton based on this sampling.  Don't ask me how they do it because I have no idea!  All I know is it is cool looking knife and I've finally got one I can afford!  I hope Rough Rider makes it a couple other handle materials!

Details:

Rough Rider 1422  Cotton Sampler

·440A stainless steel blade

·Brown appaloosa smooth bone handles

·Brass pins and liners

·Nickel silver shield and ringed bolsters

·Lanyard hole

·3" Blade

·Blade width: 7/8

·Blade thickness: 1/16"

·4-1/8" Closed

·Made in China

Very cool Tobias, a rather unknown and unappreciated frame IMHO.

I grew up in a town in the middle of a cotton growing area, so I've seen a few of them. When I was a kid a friend's father, who worked at the local gin, (where raw cotton was processed and bales made), he had an old fixed blade version he carried in a belt sheath, always had it on him. I remember asking him about it and he said he used it to check that the bales were being processed by the machinery correctly before doing a  full "run". Didn't think much of it at the time, just an old funny looking knife, but I can't think of that man without remembering that knife. Wish I had paid more attention at the time, but who knew? It looked a lot like that RR except it wasn't a slipjoint.

Vintage versions still show up at the local swap & yard sales in that town from time to time. However, it being an arid area, (cotton likes arid)), I seldom haunt those locales these days, I'm just too acclimated to a coastal climate now.

I do have a fixed blade Sampler that is made by Old Hickory (Ontario)

Have you all ever checked out this pattern page?

http://www.jayfisher.com/Patterns_Knives_Custom.htm 

Tobias, welcome back from the "fishing fever" thread(s).

That is exactly like the knife my buddy's dad had & used. Wood handled, weird looking wide blade, only his was more beat up, and had more "patina" than yours. I have no idea if it was an Old Hickory or not, but yours looks the same to me as his did. Thanks for the photo.

Neat page Jan. His knives are very nice, not my taste for most of them, but check out those sheaths!! very nice work there too. Thats some noce craftsmanship there, knives and sheaths.

Picked up this Kinfolks Gentleman's knife recently. Very nicely made...has GERMANY etched on the pen blade. I'd appreciate any info on this one.

All I can offer is that the pattern is sometimes called a "lobster knife" and often their are scissors instead of the smaller pen blade.   (I've also heard them called Toledo's as the fancy scales were very popular among lobster knives made in Toledo, Spain.)

I might also add that is a really beautiful example!  I don't know enough about Kinfolks to even take an educated guess on if this is pre or post WWII but I know a great looking knife when I see one!

Toby, you pretty much nailed it. It could easily be called a lobster style gentlemen's folder with Toledo scales. As far as dating it goes it would just be a shot in the dark. From the looks of it you really got a beauty there. Congratulations, Doug! 

One final note. I have seen Kinfolks just like yours go for between 75 and 100 dollars in Ebay auctions. You have a real treasure!

Here is a link to a Kinfolks collectors webpage with old catalogs: http://kinfolksinc.com/ 

Perhaps you can find info on your knife there.

These were also remade by Case in the 70's or 80's.  Alec has a good many of them, lets see if he can tell us how to date them

My first pattern that got me into knives was the trapperlock, but later I got hooked on the toothpicks. Don't know why, but the slim style and slightly menacing look just appealed to me.

Something like this, perhaps? I picked up this Falcon about the same time I was into my toothpick phase. I like the larger ones,as well. The GECs are a bit small for me, but are still nice. The Case mini ones I just don't understand. Collectable for the handle material, maybe?

It's a 3.5" blade, so about 4" closed. It doesn't ratchet, just opens normally and the lock is very similar to a GEC bull lock where you lift the lever to release it. It's ok, my main gripe is the blade is off center and doesn't sit in the groove in the brass end pin (you have to move it over and pop it in. Fit and finish is so-so. Very different, though

Richard-I was beginning to think I had the only Falcon in existence ( LOL)   Mine was given to me, so don't know much about it, other than it is marked Spain under the stainless stamp. Mine has a  3" blade  and 4" closed-Looks pretty nice but is slow as heck opening & the blade etch is blurring at the edges. Anyhow, here it is--

Ha! Interesting that it has a different etch. Also that it says Spain, I thought Falcon was an Italian company? I think they were called the Falcon Toro. I have a couple other Falcons (a stiletto lockback and a fish-shaped one in stag) and none of them are what I'd call great as far as quality is concerned.

Richard-I'd bet money your Navaja also says Spain under the stainless stamp on the obverse side-You have to put the blade at half stop to even see the Spain marking. Mine has the Falcon written in the same Gothic style script-- Maybe tWo different companies??

Huh. Could be. I know you were gifted yours, but did it come with a cheesy wood stand? Here's another I found online:

http://paulsdeals.com/Sporting-Goods/Falcon-El-Toro-Lockback-Horn-K...

and it does say "Spain" under "Stainless" and the etching matches mine (I think, it's hard to see). BTW, I did NOT pay $200 for mine! Mine was $15 out the door.

Richard- Mine was gifted to me by my oldest brother- He normally gifts me knives from SMKW and are in the under $20 range. (Rough Riders and the like). I, too, saw that listing & found it laughable !!.However, mine did  NOT come with a cheesy wood display or an arbitrary serial #. Aww golly gee whiz !! ROFL

Sounds like your brother's been holding out on you...That stand was worth more than the knife itself! I may have considered it for 10, maybe even 15 whole seconds before throwing it out.

Nah---- My oldest brother is just my knife enabler who feeds my knife addiction. Now, on the other hand, my middle brother has a knife collection as large as mine !!  Him, I might suspect as a cheesy knife display purloiner !! ROFL

Falcon Knives is an Italian company of pretty good quality

http://www.falconknives.it/

There have been numerous models called Falcon and there is another Chinese company called Falcon as well as a Red Falcon that trades on Ali Express (may they rot in Hell)

Anybody here into Congress knives? It's my favorite pattern -- I had 35 at last count; my prize is a 12-blade Bulldog, but I've also got a couple of Parkers that I'm proud of. My favorite carry knives are a 6-blade Hen & Rooster, a medium Case, and a small Case "pocket worn," which was my first Congress knife 20 years ago. PIcs are pending...  I'm fond of Case knives too, and I probably have enough of them to be termed a Case collector.  

Hi Charles, I have one nice Congress, but that one is a doozie, (doozy?); Buck #322 Congress, a 1995 SFO for Smokey Mountain Knife Works and only sold in their catalog that single year; never marketed by Buck. I keep this one in a glass display case with my other Buck SFO's.

I had a couple of Rough Rider bone handled Congess knives too, but ended up gifting those. The only other Congress I have is a no-name Pakistani knife not worth showing that I carry occasionally.

 I HAVE A VERY NICE BOKER TREE BRAND PEARL. AND COLLECTED CASE SO HAVE A FEW OF THEM TOO ALSO HAVE AN OLDER BUCK. I'M AN OLD FART SO I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO POST PICTURES FROM MY PC

DATING CASE KNIVES IN THE 70'S WAS DOT SYSTEM IN THE 80'S THEY USED LONG TAIL C AND THE DOT SYSTEM IN THE 90'S THEY USED DOT AND SQUARES EVERY YEAR THEY REMOVED A DOT OR SQUARE (90'S)

If you follow iKC on Facebook then this is almost a repeat.  After quite a while, I finally got a 5" toothpick in the White Smooth Bone.  What is even cooler is it is a limited production (1 of 100) SFO that was made for SMKW by Bear & Son. 

Awesome looking knife with a wicked blade.  Totaly excellent California Clip with a razor sharp saber grind.  Blade if 420HC with a titanium coating.  Brass pins and liners, nickel silver bolsters.  Fit and finish is excellent.  blade has a great snap, nice and tight with no wobble.  Got it all, Papers, tin, the works. 

A close up of the shield, 019 of 100 etch on bolster and B&S tang stamp

The full 9 inches (well 8 7/8 inches)

That makes four so far.  The India Stag and White Smooth Bone both have Titanium coated blades.  All but the Green jigged are  1 of 100 numbered SFO for SMKW.  The bottom is Green Jigged Bone has a distinctive Kentucky Shield.  Not sure how many were made but it was also an SFO.

My latest video discuss the difference between a Toothpick and Fish-Knife.   I know many people will argue that they are the same but for me the Toothpick is a distinct knife pattern.  The fish-knife has at least one key difference to the standard Toothpick.  Essentially it is a battle between form vs. function.

Even if you disagree with me, I hope you like the video.

And the latest addition to my ever growing collection is yet another  5" Toothpick.  My latest is another Bear & Son; this time it is from their Kodiak line.  The knife features Autumn Feather Jigged Bone scales.  Essentially that is burnt orange bone with sort of a pocket work texture to the jigging.   I managed to get it for around $25 shipped!   (I was willing to go quite a bit higher.)  I've yet to be disappointed with a Bear & Son toothpick.

Tobias,
I too really like the handle material. It does not look smooth but has that worn look which I find normally feels well in hand. I am also very happy to hear that you have been pleased with all the Bear & Son toothpicks. I have not recently ordered any of their product but the quality comments I have been hearing are all positive.

An updated video on the 5 inch Large Toothpick:

Hey Tobias, just watched both your toothpick videos. Very nice. I've been collecting toothpicks for a few years now (selling a few now, actually) and there's something about that slim pattern I've always enjoyed. It's interesting how much the blade can vary, even within the same brand. I have two 5" Case knives and one has a fantastic sabre grind and the other more modern Case XX has a really exaggerated clip flat grind. A question...do you know anything about candy stripe toothpicks? I was looking to get one back when I collected more often and it seems they were very popular for a while, so much so they had sort of a do-it-yourself kit to make them. I've seen a couple at flea markets and the celluloid scales always seem to be falling off or gassing out, so I decided against getting one (no particular brand). Just wondering if you had any history or insight on them.

I had a lapse in judgement the other day and bought one of those cheap Pakistani Damascus knives.  Turns out it really wasn't that bad, at least for the $35 I paid for it.  This is a Trophy Stag  (Jim Frost)  "Navaja" Hunter.  Well the box says Navaja but it really is closer to a traditional Italian Fiorentina folder; at least in profile.   However, this knife has no locking mechanism.

Anyway, the Damascus looks better than I thought it would.  The blade is quite thick.  It came less than sharp but was easy enough to sharpens and has been cutting decently for a week or so.

The fit and finish is better than expected for a Pakistani knife but not as good as similarly priced knives out of China.  I've drooped it, accidentally on the rug and nothing broke.  The only major problem with it is when the blade closes part of the cutting edge comes in contact with back spring.  That, in my opinion is a serious design flaw.  Unfortunately I see this in a lot of powder horn designs.   It seems like some knife makers don't grasp the concept of a kick.

Despite its flaws, I'm kind of happy with it. The handles is white smooth bone and buffalo horn.  The bolsters are supposedly Nickel silver but they look very brassy. The liners are brass.  Spacers are some weird red stuff and brass.  The file work is simplistic but probably is by hand using a jig as it is uneven.  Pretty sure the photos catch most of the flaws but also its unexpected rugged beauty.  It is a solid knife. The sheath sucked. Last few photos are comparing it to my Rough Rider 5" toothpick that I EDC.

That is one seriously thick spine!  When you sharpened, did you have to reprofile the grind?  Fit and finish continue to be an issue with Paki knives.  Even if the steel is good they tend to give the knife a "cheap" appearance, in my opinion. 

i have the exact same knife, i picked it up back in 2014 and it took me a few years to in it down, the story goes like this, jim parker bought case & sons and was buying up other brands that were either hurting for money or going out of business, he bought the solingen kinfolks plant and i guess when they opened to clean it out there was leftover materials for around 300 knives. his son also named james parker tells the story a lot better but these are part of those 300 or so knives they're not numbered but they did come with a small plain sheath, its a one of 300 and i think but i'm not sure the one like this is still available to look at, and the story by parker who was selling a small collection went along with the picture. that was how i found out about mine. when i bought it i thought it might have been a part of some walmart or target gift set but i was wrong it is rare and if i were you i would hold onto it. sorry it took 5 years for a reply but good things come to those who wait