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Knife trivia- Feel free to answer or post a new challenge--

I'll start with an easy one- You probably all have seen this tang stamp or a variation there of on a Remington knife- What does UMC stand for??

A little tougher one- What famous author mentioned a particular style knife in two of his most famous works and helped make the knife famous ?? Name the author and / or the knife ??

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Permalink Reply by Ricky L McConnell on September 12, 2014 at 19:26

Yes it is Bluegrass, I could not remember if it was a hardware line or cutlery , John Primble was one of their knives they carried. The year Belknap closed their doors was 1986.

Michael D. said:

If this is the Belknap company I heard about then it wasn't a cutlery company to my knowledge but a large hardware company like Lowes. Their knives were made by other companies.

I'm going to guess then. They made a lot of barlows and Bluegrass bought them (the cutlery name?) in 1968.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on September 13, 2014 at 7:25

History records what city as housing dozens of firms employing 3000 workers. It is said to have been the Cutlery Capital of the US for nearly 100 years.

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Permalink Reply by Michael D. on September 13, 2014 at 10:38

I cheated. I looked it up. If it's that place in Ohio then I don't believe it! I'm a "doubting Thomas" in this case.

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on September 13, 2014 at 18:38

I was at first on this one also Michael. BUT, there was a slew of old cutlery companies in Ohio

The Ohio Knife Company

International Saw & Knife Inc

The Christy Knife Company

Sandusky Knives

Handy Twine Knife Company

Clauss Cutlery

Novelty Cutlery Company

I found it very interesting that Ohio is not some place most of us think of for knife history but it certainly has it

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on September 13, 2014 at 19:05

The answer as Jan asked it is Fremont, Ohio-- However, other cities have also claimed the title--- Walden & the Wallkill Valley, Little Neck, NY, and believe it or not, Portland, Oregon ???-- Go figure ~~~~~

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on September 13, 2014 at 19:21

A new knife challenge that I'm sure will open a can of worms-- LOL-- Who invented the Balisong knife-??--- Not sure if there is a right answer, but the countries involved are not the ones you are probably thinking about--- Some fascinating stuff to be found in the hunt !!

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on September 15, 2014 at 22:05

Well OK John we are looking for the inventor of the Balisong Knife

John McCain said:

A new knife challenge that I'm sure will open a can of worms-- LOL-- Who invented the Balisong knife-??--- Not sure if there is a right answer, but the countries involved are not the ones you are probably thinking about--- Some fascinating stuff to be found in the hunt !!

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Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on September 15, 2014 at 22:13

The French also claim to have invented the butterfly knife design. The oldest dated evidence I know of that supports this is a French book clearly showing a sketch of the balisong design. That book, "Le Perret", was published in 1710. A copy can be seen at The Museum of Thiers, in Thiers, France. I hope to post a picture soon and I'm trying to locate other copies of that book (hopefully, I won't have to go all the way to France to see it).

This book, clearly dated 1710 and clearly French, really tends to indicate that the balisong originated in France in the late 1600s or early 1700s. It certainly disproves the popular myth that the balisong was invented in the Philippines in the early 1900s.

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Permalink Reply by Tobias Gibson on September 16, 2014 at 6:03

Perhaps but I find this a tad suspicious. This was the age of conquest and colonization, with England France and Spain building global empires. It is just as likely they stole the design from some island peoples in the Pacific. The Filipinos have been said to be using since the 19th century, however that is is basically since the Spanish American War and subsequent US involvement in the Philippines. I suspect that the design originated in South Pacific and Western nations that discovered it either claimed it as their own (France) or ignorantly claim it as dating back to their time of conquest. Remember French Polynesia dated back to the 1600s, around the time the 1710 book claims they designed the Balisong.

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on September 16, 2014 at 19:38

I am sticking with the Philippines as well and here is why, Europe was much more advanced so making more sophisticated knives.They wanted a knife they could use and store, not just a fixed blade.

A better approach might just be to answwer this question: When was the first folding knife using a spring made?

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Permalink Reply by Brad T. on September 16, 2014 at 20:07

I have a tendency to think it is Balinese origins. It is possible yet unprovable. Bali is a part of the Indonesian chain of islands and with the most diverse religious population during that time, it is another possibility. But wherever it was concieved doesn't change the fact that the Filipino martial arts perfected the manipulation of the style knife.