iKnife Collector
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When were 'Stewart's Hand Made' knives made?
I had a knife given to me little while back. It was pretty nasty looking, but I thought from the shape and stuff, it was just an Old Hickory knife. One of those cheapo kitchen knives. As I was cleaning it up, I saw it was not what I thought, but rather a 'Stewart's Hand Made' knife. Yes, Hand Made is in two words.
It looks a LOT like the Old Hickory knives. This one has two (2) rivets in the handle not the three that I have found examples of.
The blade is obviously a plain jane carbon steel. it takes a nice edge, but I do not know yet about the edge retention.
Does anyone have any information of these knives? When were they made? Why the 3 rivet vs 2 rivet handle? is there a date of manufacture that corresponds to the number of rivets?
I am not expecting this to be worth much at all, but I really want to know more about the company, but for whatever reason, I am not finding much at all so far. I need your help! :)
"Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, You're my only hope!"
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kevin D on
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The rivets were recessed into the handle .015 - .020". Besides the difficulty in cleaning the rivet heads, I really didn't like that look much. So I sanded the top surface of the handle down so that the rivet heads are now flush with the wood.
In my opinion, it looks and feels better!
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Just finished cleaning and sharpening this knife tonight. Before I started cleaning it, I thought it was an Old Hickory knife. Old Hickory is not known for their out of this world, top notch materials and quality.
Barely into the cleaning I discovered that this was NOT an Old Hickory, but rather a Stewar5ts Hand Made knife. From what I have gathered so far this was a small time, short lived company that did not do much in the mass production world.
It is my speculation (speculation only! not verified) that the aluminum rivets are indicative of a war time manufacture. Brass and copper were in very short supply during WWII and even the penny was made of steel in 1943. The brass adjustment knobs on the Type 17 Stanley Bailey Hand Planes were made of steel or rubber (Mine is made of rubber).
Anyway. Here is my cleanup and restoration of my SHM knife.
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I have been in contact with Brandon from Birch Bark Steel in Wisconsin He has restored a few of these knives in the past, and my inquiries for more details evidently has rekindled a little interest in this knife brand. He put some stuff into AI and here is what AI spit back out for him.
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"A knife stamped “Stewart’s Hand Made” sits in a strange corner of American cutlery history: widely found, clearly used, but almost completely undocumented. What we can piece together paints a picture of a small, likely regional maker active from roughly the 1930s through the 1950s, producing working‑class butcher and kitchen knives in the same ecosystem as Old Hickory, Lamson, and the many hardware‑store house brands of the era.---What’s Known from Surviving ExamplesThe most reliable information comes from collectors who’ve handled multiple specimens.🪵 Construction Traits- Full‑tang carbon steel blades with a simple, utilitarian grind.- Wooden handles, usually hardwood, secured with heavy brass rivets.- Rivet patterns vary: some knives have two rivets, others three. Collectors have noted this but no one has found a date‑correlation.- Blades tend to be butcher, boning, or general‑purpose kitchen patterns, not hunting knives.🔨 Marking Style- The stamp is typically “STEWART’S HAND MADE”, with Hand Made as two words.- The script varies slightly between examples, suggesting small‑batch or hand‑stamped production rather than factory dies.🕰️ Estimated Era- Multiple collectors and sellers place these knives around the 1930s/40s, with some possibly earlier or later.- The overall construction style—carbon steel, simple riveted hardwood, no synthetic materials—fits 1930s–1950s American working knives.---What’s Not Known (and Why)❓ Who was “Stewart”?No records exist of a commercial cutlery company by that name.Knife forums describe the brand as a “black hole” with no catalog, no ads, and no known maker identity.❓ Were they factory‑made or truly handmade?Evidence points toward small‑shop or individual maker, not mass production:- Inconsistent rivet counts- Slight variations in blade profile- Hand‑stamped markings- Lack of any corporate documentationThis aligns with the era’s many regional butchers, farmers, and small smiths who produced knives for local hardware stores or meat shops.---How They Compare to Old Hickory and Similar KnivesCollectors often mistake Stewart’s knives for Old Hickory at first glance. Even the iKnifeCollector discussion begins with someone assuming theirs was an Old Hickory until cleaning revealed the Stewart stamp. ( <== sound familIar? lol! )Shared traits:- Carbon steel- Hardwood handles- Simple, rugged profiles- Working‑class price pointDifferences:- Stewart’s knives show more variation in handle shape and rivet layout.- The stamp is more artisanal than Old Hickory’s standardized factory marks.---Market Presence and RarityStewart’s knives appear occasionally on eBay and estate sales:- Butcher knives, 8–10" blades- Fishing/utility knives- Prices typically $10–$30, reflecting working‑knife status rather than collector prestige.However, collectors note that despite low prices, they are uncommon—not rare enough to be high‑value, but scarce enough to be intriguing, especially if they are in good condition -which is not the trend. Those are the rare ones.It’s the kind of knife a small‑town craftsman might have made for local butchers, farmers, or hardware stores."
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