KNIFE AND PARTS DEFINED:
An African Blackwood,
also called Mozambique Ebony, it is a rich black
with dark brown graining. Used to make fine
clarinets, this is one of the very best woods
for knife handles.
A clip often used on the
back of ID badges, it is sometimes used for
fastening small knives to the clothing.
A ceramic material
largely made up of Alumina, very abrasive, it is
extruded into rods to make up sharpening tools
like A. G. Russell's™
Ceramic Sharpener. First used in this fashion by
Crock Stick® inventor Louis Graves.
Fossilized pitch from
pre-historic evergreens, much used in jewelry;
now used by some makers of handmade knives; best
known of these is D'Alton Holder.
Sometimes referred to as
padouk, this is a rare, exotic hardwood with a
fragrant aroma which varies in color from yellow
to golden brown to red. It is used in cabinet
making and is an excellent wood for both turning
and finishing. From the Pterocarput indicus tree
of the jungles of Southeast Asia.
Discovered by Europeans
about 1816, these deposits had already been a
source of tools for thousands of years. Until
the development of modern Alumina, the Arkansas
stones were the undisputed leader in knife
sharpening. The black hard will still put on a
polished edge that can be obtained no other way
by hand. The Washita and Soft Arkansas have
largely been replaced by ceramic.
Early name for Bowie
knives, as the first was believed to have been
made in Arkansas and the natives of that state
were thought to be so tough that they picked
their teeth with knives of that size. After the
movie, The Iron Mistress, about 1955, it began
to mean a large dagger with a needle pointed
blade, very unrealistic. Some modern Arkansas
makers apply the name to more sensible sized
knives.
Small knives carried
near the shoulder on the left arm by many tribe
of the Sudanese. Double edge blade about six
inches long.
Portuguese word for
spear, often applied to the Zulu stabbing spear.
The word was never used by the natives.
A. G. Russell's™
name for very old style guard that folds
down when the knife is closed and unfolds
when the blade is opened.
A very old tool, the old fashioned
leather punch is a form of awl. The awl is
sort of a hand held drill.
The smaller of the
two Indian and SE Asian deer that furnish
antler for the knife industry; these are all
shed horn harvested in the jungle by
natives.
The top of the
blade when the knife is viewed properly,
point to the left, handle to the right.
Heavy 16th
Century sabre.
A shoulder belt
or sling for carrying a sword.
A heavy nylon
type material used for gun cases and
knife pouches.
A design that is
not less than 150 years old. This was an
inexpensive knife usually made with iron
bolster and liners, always a one or two
blade jack knife with longer than normal
bolsters; today barlow knives are
usually made in keeping with each firms
standard quality and are much sought
after by collectors.
The combined
tool and weapon of the Moros of the
southern Philippines. The Barong has a
leaf shaped blade of about 15 inches by
three inches wide that curves to the
point and to the handle on both the edge
and the back.
A sword hilt
that entirely covers the hand with
connecting bars from guard to pommel,
best known of these is the Scot's
Broadsword, less well known is the
Venetian Schiavonia.
A knife, sword
or spike intended to be fastened to the
end of the barrel of a rifle or musket.
The first bayonets were called plug
bayonets because the handle was plugged
into the barrel. Bayonets were very
important when the firearm was single
shot, much less important with fully
automatic weapons. The earliest bayonet
was the so-called Plug Bayonette which
was a large dagger with a small pommel
that "Plugged into the barrel of the
musket changing it into a spike.
An axe with the
lower part of the edge hanging below the
principle part of the head as does a
goose wing ax. Many of the northern
Germanic peoples used axes of this type
both for felling trees and for fighting.
Formed in 1976
to produce knives designed by Blackie
Collins.
Bob Loveless and
I tried this steel in the 1970s and
found that it was a very superior knife
steel but that it was really more
trouble than it was wosrth. Bob
continued to use it from time to time, I
never used it again.
1.15 Carbon,
0.50 Manganese, 14.5 Chromium, 1.20
Vanadium, 4.0 Molybedenum.
A coating put on military knife
blades to kill all reflection.
The correct term
is "Black Lip Mother of Pearl". This is
very rare and probably the most
expensive of all mother of pearls.
At one time,
probably the largest of all specialty
knife makers and the only one that
specialized in fixed blade knives rather
than folders. Began like the others with
knives imported from Japan but built a
large factory in Illinois and produced
all their knives in the US. BlackJack
went out of business in 1997.
One who forges a blade to shape.
I hate to tell
you this, because this term really sells
knives, there is no such thing as a
blood groove and there is no sucking
action that will hang up a knife in a
victims body. The term is "Fuller"; this
is a groove that lightens and stiffens
the blade.
The word is
Spanish but has come to mean a large
jungle knife used in the Philippines.
The metal
material at the blade end of knife
handle; today these are usually of
nickel silver or a mild stainless steel.
In older less expensive knives they were
often made of iron or mild steel.
There is no
single historical shape, but today it is
thought to be a blade shaped very much
like the Buck 110 blade.
A large knife
with a blade that might range from 6 to
14 inches; the original had a blade that
was probably 9 inches long with a sturdy
guard projecting from both the top and
bottom of the knife between blade and
handle. Invented by Rezin Bowie and made
famous by his brother James, who died at
the Alamo.
The man who made the Bowie knife
famous, The knife was actually designed
by his brother Rezin.
A company
started by Al Buck whose father had
taught him to make knives. Al started in
his garage and in the 1960s incorporated
and began to make production knives.
These are really nice people who make
good quality knives. The knives of a
special 420HC and better stainless have
developed a reputation for being
difficult to sharpen, if you sharpen
them on ceramic or diamonds you will
never have any problem.
A metal, stag or plastic fixture at
the pommel (the end away from the blade)
end of a knife handle.
The name speaks for itself.
Clip blades have
for Centuries been the main blade in
more knives than not. You have only to
look at these knives to know the main
feature of a clip blade.
Often found as the main blade in
Premium Stockman, Trappers, Jack Knives
and other knives.
The clip is even longer than the
Turkish clip, it starts just in front of
the tang.
Main blade in large folding hunters
and other large knives.
The Sabre grind is one half to three
quarters from the edge with a deep cut
swedge.
The Texas Tickler, also called Fish
Knife (with hook disgorger) or Jack
Knife, in its full size has a 5-1/2"
handle.
The Turkish Clip or Yatagan Clip has
a very long clip and a deeply swayed
edge.
A Carpenter's blade, used to work
close to outlines. Always a second or
third blade.
When shoes
seldom fit well, a person often had
corns on the feet that needed to be
trimmed. This was the blade used. This
blade has not been made in many years.
No longer made for the trade, now
only for collectors. Usually a main or
single blade in a larger jack knife
handle.
Very, very rare except in
Electrician's knives made in the 1930's
and 1940's then later on Government
contract.
This is the most common of all
manicure blades.
Often seen as one of the small blades in
a whittler.
This is the
rarest of manicure blades and found in
the highest quality knives. The tip is
sharpened like a scalpel for trimming
cuticles.
This is more expensive and therefore
harder to find than the common manicure
blade above.
I have been
unable to find who Lawton was, but this
is the most elegant of all manicure
blades and is always seen in the back of
lobster pattern knives.
Pen knives were
designed in the days of quill pens.
Their purpose was to sharpen the points
of the quills. The Pen Blade was the
perfect blade for sharpening and
splitting the point.
A rare variation, can be curved up or
down.
A fairly common variation, often
found in whittlers.
I have never seen one of these and
have no idea of the original purpose.
For removing small branches or limbs.
A standard blade in Scout knives,
cattleman knives, and Harness Jacks,
used for putting holes in leather or
plastic.
Unusual blade, I have only seen them
in Barlows.
Rarely seen in recent years, once a
staple in utility knives
Rarely seen in recent years, once a
staple in utility knives. Includes
cap-lifter.
A strong and useful blade, usually
the second blade in stock knives.
Most often found in Congress pattern
knives and rarely as main blade in Jack
knives.
Often the second blade in Doctors
knives, also for artists knives.
This is second in popularity only to
the clip blade.
This is the Doctor's spear point
blade.
Blades ground half to two thirds from
the edge to the back and the top front
third of the blade with a strong cut
swedge.
A very useful blade for working with
livestock and for carvers.
Smaller version of the Spey blade,
intended for grafting buds onto other
plants.
The second blade in Trapper pattern
knives.
Very unusual blade, found in some
unusual slim trappers and rarely other
knives.
A very useful blade from the 19th
century. Very thick at the back for
strength, tapering to a fine point and
edge.
A pocket knife blade with the
clip beginning far back from the
point perhaps one half inch from
the handle.
Established about 1875 and in
the 1890s and early in the 20th
Century made most of the really
great knives now sought after by
collectors. (Knives like the OVB
and others). Today they are
probably making the Remington
knives; however, they also began
making the OVB knives again.
Good knives are generally much
under rated.
A pocket knife with the
handle ends curve up and make a
canoe.
A knife
designed to do the delicate work
of skinning around the eyes and
lips of trophy animals; this
work is called caping because
you are removing the cape of the
animal.
The metal reinforcement at
the non-blade end of a folding
knife handle.
The
mineral that transforms iron
into steel. High-carbon steel
results when .5 percent or more
carbon is present. Only a bare
.8+ can be absorbed by the iron,
the balance in extremely high
carbon steel goes to add
hardness. Expressed as C.
An old
time term much used by hunters
until the 1940s now almost never
used in the old meaning of a
large folding knife or a fixed
blade with a sheath. Today it
would only be used to mean a
knife made by the W. R. Case &
Sons Company.
Once the
most widely distributed of all
American made pocket knives. Has
passed through several hands in
the past 20 years and is now
making a comeback in the hands
of the Zippo Lighter family.
Look for real improvement.
A knife with a clip or spear
master blade, a spey blade and a
leather punch. Made with many
handle shapes.
See Alumina Ceramic, and
Zirconia
The
first knives were probably
broken pieces of flint or some
other form or chert (jasper,
agate, novaculite, quartz or
other stone with a conchoidal
fracture) exposing sharp edges.
Many people are knapping flint
in the old ways and some are
fastening these blades into stag
or wood handles.
The
smaller of the two Indian and SE
Asian deer that furnish antler
for the knife industry; these
are all shed horn harvested in
the jungle by natives.
The cut
away area between the edge and
the tang of a pocket knife blade
and between the edge and the
guard of a straight knife. The
choil may or may not have enough
space for a finger, it's true
purpose is to allow the edge to
be sharpened all the way to the
tang in a pocket knife and to
the end of the edge in others.
Any reference of choil and
finger space or choil and handle
is improper.
Produces
hardness and better edge holding
when combined with other
alloying materials. Used in
fairly large amounts, it
produces a blade that resists
rust. Takes over 12.5% to
produce high-carbon stainless
steels. Expressed as Cr.
A 15th Century Italian
dagger, very wide at the hilt;
usually used as a left hand
dagger. Name means five fingers
wide.
The two handed sword of the
Scots.
A blade on which the back
line breaks and slants downward
to produce a finer and more
useful point.
Increases strength and hardness,
and permits quenching in higher
temperatures. Intensifies the
individual effects of other
elements in more complex steels.
Expressed as CO.
Founder of the Blade magazine
and the most prolific inventor
in today's knife world.
An old
pen and pocket knife shape, made
with two or four
blades.generally a pen blade and
a larger sheepfoot blade or two
of each. The ends are lower than
the center of the back of the
handle.
Increases corrosion
resistance. Expressed as CU.
Cordia wood is very similar
to Teak and is occasionally used
as a substitute for Teak in
shipbuilding.
Native to the Sonoran desert
(Northern Sonora Mexico and
southern Arizona) it is a
very dense tight grained
wood, takes a very high
polish, tends to darken with
use and age.
Distal taper refers to the
change in thickness from the
base of the blade to the
tip, usually in reference to
a sword blade. Greatly
affects the handling
characteristics and
performance of the blade.
Most often found in a
stiletto or rapier blade.
The
Scottish Dirk is single
edged and is a descendent of
the Kidney Dagger and was
basically used as a left
hand knife while fighting
with the broadsword. There
were also the Dirks carried
by midshipmen in the early
years of the United States
Navy, those usually had
slim, curved, single edged
blades. This was more a
badge of office than a tool.
Today the term dirk is
obsolete, these are made
only for people who want to
dress up in antique clothing
for plays and reenactments.
Prominent Knife maker,
Sheath maker (Kydex®) and
the manufacturer of the
worlds very best belt
grinder for knife makers.
Also
called closed die forging,
the form of the finished
item is built into the die,
the steel is heated and the
hammer forms the plastic
steel into the recesses of
the die.
A blade design made
popular in handmade hunting
knives by Bob Loveless
beginning about 1969, used
earlier by Randall and
others.
Originating in Venice
from Oriental
predecessors the Eared
Dagger was distinguished
by two round plates set
an angle to each other
at the pommel.
Short for "Every Day
Carry".
The cutting portion
of the blade.
Making knife shapes
that work with the
structure of the human
hand. Claimed by many,
achieved by few.
A small metal inlay on
the handle of the knife
to place the initials of
the owner or the
trademark of the maker
or just for decoration,
often shaped as shields,
hence the name, but, can
be of any shape.
Antler from the Red
Deer, a large elk like
animal found throughout
Europe. Has been used
for knife handles for at
least as long as there
have been knives of
metal, and probably long
before that. This stag
has never been a
substitute for the
antler of the axis and
sambar deer of India and
Southeast Asia. The
European Red Deer has a
very coarse and open
center, much like the
American elk. Because of
the large amount of pith
in the center, it mostly
has to be used as handle
scales. The antler of
the Red Deer is a
limited substitute for
the antler of both the
Axis and the Sambar,
that have both been
embargoed by the Indian
government.
A sharpened area
on the back of the
point of some large
knives.
A maker of extremely
fine sword blades
from the middle of
the 16th Century his
work was so
celebrated that he
was counterfeited in
his own time and
after. Many of his
blades and copies
were used in the
basket hilted
broadswords of
Scotland.
Many of todays
thermoplastic
materials are
improved by adding
chopped glass fibers
often as much as 40%
of a product may be
glass. Adds great
strength.
Before the Rockwell
tester, the File &
Wire mark was used
to indicate that the
hardness and
toughness of a blade
had passed the file
and wire test. The
test consisted of
cutting the edge
bevel with a new
file to test the
hardness and then
tapping the blade
edge through a piece
of wire of a known
hardness to test the
toughness. If the
edge was not blunted
by the wire, it
passed the test and
was marked with
"File & Wire
Tested". This method
and mark was used by
Schatt & Morgan for
many years and
evolved into a
brand. Today, the
Schatt & Morgan
brand is produced by
Queen Cutlery in the
old Schatt & Morgan
factory in
Titusville, Pa.
The surface of the
blade is flat from
or near the back of
the blade to the
beginning of the
sharpening bevel.
Most production
pocket knives are
flat ground; most
handmade hunting
knives are hollow
ground.
A tang that runs
through the hilt,
handle and pommel.
A tang which
shows all around the
handle of the knife
between two pieces
of handle material.
A groove that
lightens and
stiffens the blade.
Also known as a
blood groove,
though the term is
inaccurate.
Term used by
A. G. Russell
for the very
pointed
droppoint
designed for his
series of "One
Hand Knives™".
A Portland OR
advertising firm
that decided to
give their
clients
Christmas gifts
of kitchen
knives in the
late 1940s. Very
shortly that
tail began to
wag the dog and
Gerber Legendary
Blades is a huge
company.
A alloy of
copper, zinc and
nickel. also
known as Nickel
Silver.
A stainless
steel with
slightly less
Carbon, slightly
more Chromium,
and much less
Molybdenum than
ATS-34. GIN-1
has no Nickel,
Tungsten or
Vanadium.
Slightly softer
than AUS-8. Also
known as Gingami-1.
Carbon-0.90%,
Manganese-0.60%,
Chromium-15.50%,
Molybdenum-0.30%
The short
stabbing sword
of the Roman
Legions. The
blade was 18-24
inches long.
The most
beautiful of the
Bearded Axes,
most often seen
as a Northern
European axe
sharpened one
side only for
squaring
timbers.
See Hilt.
In pocket
knife
language, to
have the
handle put
on the
knife. In
general
English it
means to
have put on
a handle of
a tool,
including
knives.
Self
explanatory,
a hammer has
beaten
(forged) hot
steel into
shape.
The blade
and handle
are shaped
by hand,
either the
blade or
handle is
held in the
hand and
applied to
the cutting
medium, i.e.
the grinder,
etc. or the
knife is
fixed in a
vise (or
otherwise
held) and
the cutting
medium
(files,
abrasive
strips,
portable
grinder) is
held in the
hand and
applied to
the knife.
The measure
of hardness
for tool
steels is
most
commonly
done with a
Rockwell
tester, see
Rockwell.
The best
hardness for
one steel is
not always
the best for
another.
Generally,
the best
knives with
steel blades
should be
hardened to
the high 50s
or low 60s
on the
Rockwell C
scale. An
exception to
general
hardness
rules is for
Stelite,
(not a
steel) will
be about 42
on C scale.
A highly
complex
alloy rather
than a
simple one.
A steel with
.5 Carbon or
more, the
term high
carbon steel
is often
used to mean
a non
stainless
steel; this
is not a
proper use
as all
stainless
knife steel
is also high
carbon.
Any
stainless
steel used
to make a
knife blade
must be high
carbon to
make a
decent
knife. Any
high carbon
Stainless
steel will
stain. It
stains less
than other
steels but
it will
stain.
Steels
designed to
machine
other
steels.
These
machine
tools will
hold an edge
even when
heated red
hot by
friction.
To a sword
collector
the hilt
encompasses
the entire
handle and
guard; to
the modern
knife world,
hilt and
quillion
mean the
same thing:
the guard,
single or
double,
between the
handle and
the blade.
Made of
brass,
nickel
silver or
stainless
steel,
sometimes of
damascus
steel.
The term
"blue steel"
actually
refers to
the color of
the paper
wrapper in
which the
raw bar
stock is
shipped.
This is a
high-carbon
non-stainless
steel in the
1.4% to 1.5%
carbon range
alloyed with
silica (0.1%
to 0.2%) and
manganese
(0.2% to
0.3%), and
with
chromium
(0.2% to
0.5%) and
Tungsten
(2.0% to
2.5%) added
for
toughness.
This is
significantly
more carbon
than is
found in
most U.S.
steels which
tend to have
about 1.0%
carbon. This
added carbon
allows the
blades to be
hardened in
the mid-60s
Rc. allowing
for a thin
razor edge.
An important
maker of
hand made
knives,
served
almost 20
years as an
officer of
the Guild;
first modern
maker to use
amber in
knife
handles, has
taught many
others to
make knives.
The surface
of the blade
is concave;
if properly
ground to a
thin edge
this is a
very
effective
way of
making a
knife, is
done by
grinding the
blade on a
round
surface
(face of a
wheel) and
forming a
hollow above
the cutting
edge and
below the
top edge of
the blade.
Used as a
noun it
means a fine
stone used
to put a
finished
edge on a
knife or
razor. Used
as a verb it
is the
action of
finishing
the edge of
a knife.
A light
oil used to
keep the
surface of a
sharpening
stone free
of steel
deposits and
debris.
A very
important
maker of
hand made
folding
knives. One
of the very
first to
achieve
world wide
prominence.
A style
of sheath
knife. Used
for hunting,
camping and
skinning.
Objects of metal or other material inlaid into the handles of a knife or it could be the handled material inlaid into an interframe knife.
The hilt and blade are machined or forged from the same piece of metal; the term "full integral" means that the blade, hilt, tang and pommel are all from the same piece of steel.
Ron Lake, another folding knife maker who achieved world prominence about 1972; invented the Interframe® method of inlaying handle material in solid metal handle frames.
The Arab knife, found in every country the Arabs have lived in. Strongly curved blade, double edged with a rib in the middle. Each country has a somewhat different version.
Instead of naming the different blades separately I have decided to list them all here. Jin Tachi, the longest, from about 33 inches. Katana and Tachi 24 to 30 inches. Wakizashi 16 to 20 inches, the Tanto and Aikuchi with lengths of 11 to 16 inches and the Yoroi Toshi having blades of 9-12 inches and the Kwaiken with blades of 3 to 6 inches. A really good understanding of the blades of Japan requires more study than that of all other knives combined. We can only offer the simplest terms.
Bone that has had the surface cut to give a textured finish. Originally done to imitate deer antler, then in many different textures just for beauty and to give a better grip.
Persian knife with straight blade and handle and with no guard, often has an armor piercing point.
The most common of Hindu India's knives double edge blade ranges from a few inches to sword length. The handle is made up of two bars extending from the back of the blade in line with two or more cross bars that make up the handle at right angle to the blade.
A material of great strength used to make bullet proof garments and used to reinforce thermoplastic material sometime used in knife handles.
Arabic for knife, this is generally used for the Persian version, a double edged dagger with a curved or even double curved blade and a handle pistol grip shaped, often of jade or other stone.
The knife of the Afridis and other tribes living in or near the Khyber Pass between Afghanistan and India. With a long straight back that is heavily ribbed on the back and that tapers to a fine point this knife has no guard and the sheath encloses the handle and is worn slid under the sash.
A projection at the bottom of the tang at the end of the edge, by resting on the spring this projection controls the distance of the edge from the back spring when the knife is closed.
Also called the Ballock Dagger, carried in Northern Europe and England in the 14th and 15th century generally across the back for left hand use. It got it's name from the wooden handle with it's carved guard of two lobes.
Like the Persian Shamshir this Turkish Saber is often included in the category Scimetar. The Turkish Kilij generally has the same curved edge intended for the draw cut but the curve stops for the last 8 or 10 inches of the back to the point. None of this class can be used for thrusting.
A tool with a blade and a handle. The blade will have at least one sharp edge. The first blade could have been of bone or stone, the first handle may have been a piece of hide used to protect the hand from sharp edges of chipped or broken stone.
A knife small enough to be concealed in a boot, generally considered a defensive knife.
The K-Bar of WWII shows what a combat knife should be; it can open cans of food, it can dig a foxhole or it can be used in hand-to-hand combat.
A knife that is intended for killing sentries, for hand-to-hand fighting and little else.
Any knife that allows the blade to be folded into the handle. Pocket knives, Folding hunters etc.
Any knife that is trim and elegant in form. something that could be carried without embarrassment anywhere.
A knife used for skinning and butchering large and small game. Originally a kitchen knife carried into the field, now very special knives are designed every year. Today it usually means a knife with a blade of 3 to 6 inches with a guard between the blade and the handle.
Used for trimming the points of quill pens, now a style of knife carried by men who want a very small and unobtrusive knife for dress wear.
Any knife that can be comfortably carried in a pocket, may have several blades, almost always a folding knife.
The forward curved knife or sword of Egypt, carried by Alexander to much of the ancient world.
A man made material resembling rubber that can be molded into knife handles or handle parts to offer better gripping ability.
The most prominent of European makers of hand made knives, trained in the U.S. in the early 1970s.
The knife of the Malay Peninsula, the blade is usually of Damascus with layers of nickel-iron between layers of steel. Offers a unique appearance.
The knife of Nepal and the Gurkha troops from that country. This knife is believed to be descended from the Kopis of Alexander's army. Very heavy point and light handle combined with the forward curve make it very effective in combat or the jungle.
Material used for very strong and convenient sheaths. Must be molded to each individual knife. Best known sheath maker using Kydex® is R. L. Dozier.
Very hard tool steel core, the outer sides are of softer material that gives great strength. Harry Morseth began the use of this material in the U.S. about 1946. It had been used for centuries in Scandinavia and in Japan.
Sometimes used to attach a knife to clothing or belt.
A hole usually found at the butt of a knife handle to attach a thong or lanyard
Using a laser to mass produce scrimshaw designs on knife handles.
Thin sheets of metal between the blade and the handle material of folding knives.
Michael Walker modernized the old use of the center liner for locking a blade open. Never successful outside of linemen's knives until Walker developed a knife with easy moving blade and positive lock and a detent to keep the blade closed.
A folding knife that has a lock release at the rear of the back of the handle.
Material used to keep screws from unscrewing.
Left hand dagger used with a rapier about 17th Century. Very fancy guard around the hand with long quillions.
The thousands of islands found between Indo China and Australia.
In the previous centuries many of the peoples living in the Malay states were pirates and sailing through their waters was very dangerous.
Expressed as Mn. Increases toughness and hardenability.
The side of the blade with the Nail Mark that can be the obverse or the reverse side of the blade.
The short crescent shaped groove commonly seen on pocket knife blades.
A Long Mark with short marks pressed into the steel at the bottom of the mark that look like the top of a castle wall.
The long straight groove often seen on the main blade of stock knives
A tool for working with rope. Often attached to the handles of sailors knives.
Japan's greatest swordmaker b. 1265 d.1358.
A brushed or satin finish, term usually applied to all metal pocket knife handles.
A barlow knife with a Mediterranean shape: the blade at the large end of a tapered serpentine handle. Must have the distinctive long Barlow bolsters.
Phenolic resin and layers of cloth or paper; makes very fine knife handles. Originally a Westinghouse trademark.
Is used to increase hardness in tool steels. Expressed as Mo.
Well know bladesmith, made famous by Ken Warner, Bill Moran is one of the founders of the "American Bladesmith Society".
The firm started by Harry Morseth and continued after 1971 by A. G. Russell. Most famous for use of Laminated Steel and 3 piece stag handles.
Pioneer knife maker, began selling knives in the 1920s.
A method of applying scales to a narrow tang. Used by Marble's and the Swedes in the early part of this Century and by D. E. Henry in handmade knives. Half the thickness of the tang is removed from the inner surface of each scale.
The shell of the pearl oyster from the South Pacific, a popular knife handle material; expensive
A pocket knife usually about 4 inches closed and usually of serpentine shape with a blade at each end, most often both California Clip blades.
Bohler N690, the equivalent of 440F, which is 440C with a bit of Cobalt. It is imported from Austria.
1.07% Carbon, 17% Chromium, 1.5% Cobalt, 1.1% Molybdenum, 0.1% Vanadium
A groove cut or pressed into the back of the blade for the thumb nail to easily open the knife.
Adds strength and toughness. Expressed as NI.
A alloy of copper, zinc and nickel.
Used in place of carbon for the steel matrix. The Nitrogen atom will function in a similar manner to the carbon atom but offers unusual advantages in corrosion resistance. Expressed as N.
The Latin name for the stone from which Arkansas Stones are cut. This stone is found in a wide range of density and ranges from very coarse to very very fine.
Volcanic glass: whenever it could be found it was much preferred to the more common forms of chert. Glass was much easier to work and worked cleaner than any of the other materials available to primitives.
The front side of a knife, with the point of the knife to the left and the edge down, you are looking at the obverse (front) side of a knife.
Walrus, dogs, bears and raccoons and probably whales and seals have a bone in their penis, this bone is called an oosic. The walrus oosic is large enough to make into knife handles and is more popular than pretty.
Malay for Jungle knife, many versions.
The shell of the pearl oyster from the South Pacific, a popular knife handle material; expensive.
A very small spear point blade originally meant for trimming quill pen points.
Originally an alloy of tin & lead, now pewter dishes are made lead free.
A screwdriver meant to fit the philips screw with its cross slot.
Improves strength, machinability, and hardness. Creates brittleness in high concentrations. Expressed as P.
Meant to be by the bedside as the name implies.
A clip intended to keep a knife or other tool at the top of the pocket for easy access. Made popular by Sal Glasser of Spyderco.
The extreme end of the blade where the line of the back and the line of the edge come together.
A Middle English word for the butt end of a sword or knife handle.
A small dagger with a blade of triangular, round or square cross section cannot cut. Fit only for thrusting or stabbing. Also poingard.
An improved sheath, the handle is half covered; friction holds the hilt and or the handle, keeping the knife safely in the sheath. The pouch sheath will not work with double hilted knives.
Patented by Era Steel in Sweden and Crucible Metals in U.S.A. in the 1970's.
This is a method of making steel by blowing finely divided powdered iron, carbon, and other materials into a billet and then applying heat and pressure until a steel is achieved with finer grain, finer carbides, therefore greater strength and better wear resistance.
The Swedes went on to invent a method of blowing the particles into patterns; the result is "Damasteel". It has the look of pattern welded Damascus yet is actually a superior, powder metal stainless tool steel.
German trademark: these knives were made popular in America by importer Kurt Guttman in the years following WWII.
The Georgian national knife, very like the Kindjals of the Cossacks.
A knifemaking firm. First American firm to make heavy use of stainless steel in knife blades.
A bar between the handle and the blade can be either single or double.
Handmade knives by a small firm founded by W. D. Randall in 1938. Owned and operated since 1976 by Gary Randall, son of founder.
Inspired by a Scagel knife in the 1930's Bo, (as he was called) was the second successful maker of hand made knives in this century.
A long thin sword meant for thrusting, Early versions were double edged and could cut as well as thrust, later models were only for thrusting. The art of fence developed and the rapier followed, it got longer then shorter. It began with the "Broad Sword" of the 15th Century and ended as the "Small Sword" of the 18th Century and then the Epee of today.
This is the opposite side of the knife than the obverse side. Knives are usually marked on the obverse rather than the reverse.
The flat area above and behind the hollow or flat ground area of the blade.
The C scale which is used for measuring the hardness of tool steels is measured by pressing a diamond a precisely measured distance into the steel. These measurements can be understood throughout the world.
The handle is spool-like with a round disc as hilt and as pommel.
Man made material. that offers attractive appearance, great strength and durability. Phenolic resin and layers of cloth.A trademark of A. G. Russell™ Knives
For 800 years, the center of Japanese sword making has been located in almost the exact center of the main island of Japan. Seki City of Gifu Prefecture, about half way between Tokyo and Osaka, was blessed with local sources of iron sand and plenty of timber for charcoal.
The swords of Seki City have been highly valued from about 1200 AD until the present. The Japanese Katana, unknown to the west until about 1860, had by the 1920s grown a reputation of mythic proportions. It was widely believed that a Japanese Warrior of sufficient strength could, with a single blow, cut a machine gun barrel in half. It is true that Japanese swordsmanship was very advanced by the mid 19th Century, largely due to the suppression of firearms in Japan until that time. But the Samurai focus on the importance of the sword also had a major impact.
Today the katana is so highly prized that, while still made in Seki City, it is also made in Spain, Taiwan and Red China, as well as by makers of handmade swords all over the World.
A sword with a slightly curved blade, single edge with a short back edge, most often a sword for use mounted.
Blades ground half to two thirds from the edge to the back and the top front third of the blade with a strong false edge or swedge.
A very large, elk sized deer in India and S.E. Asia; the antler is used for knife handles and is commonly called stag or India stag.
Tool steel made in Sweden, Swedish steel has always been a premium steel for tools because the iron ore is very clean, that is to say it has very little Sulphur S or Phosphorus P in it. Carbon 0.6%, Manganese 0.35%, Chromium 14.0%.
Sandvik 12C27Mod is a martensitic stainless chromium steel developed for the manufacture of kitchen tools with high wear and corrosion resistance properties. After heat treatment the steel grade is characterized by high hardness with very good wear and corrosion resistance. Sandvik 12C27Mod is used mainly for kitchen tools, such as different types of knives and scissors, which need to tolerate dishwashing.Carbon-0.52%, Manganese-0.60%, Chromium-14.50%
A finish that is not mirror polished; the lines from the fine abrasive gives a satin appearance.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Bill Scagel was virtually unknown to most of America's growing leigons of knife collectors. But Scagel has become a household word to knife collectors today. He was the first truly great knifemaker of the 20th century. It was a Scagel knife that inspired Randall to begin his knifemaking career and it was a handful of Scagel knives in the Randall Musuem that led collectors to begin searching out knives by this great pioneer. Most of Scagel's production is still out there in old trunks and gun cases, as "Granddad's old hunting knife".
In his book, For Knife Lovers Only, Harry McEvoy said "During his 90 years, Bill Scagel produced more real treasures in cutlery than most other knife crafters, before or since. His hunting knives enjoyed such a fabulous reputation that hunters literally beat a path to his door over a period of some 50 years to purchase,... those beautiful, functional, handcrafted Scagel blades."
To knife people the word scale refers to the handle parts on each side of a full tang hunting knife or the parts on the sides of a pocket knife or folder.
One who performs the art of scrimshaw.
Using a needle or knife point to scratch or cut designs on whalebone or ivory. Sailors on whaling ships made it popular in this country and it has been popular with knife people since the mid 1960s.
The knife or sword of the Saxon peoples.
The sword of the Masai of East Africa, much wider near the point.
The serrations may vary from saw teeth to wide scallops in the edge; helps in the cutting of seat-belts and plastic rope.
A small single edged knife with no guard that the Scots often carried in the stocking or the armpit.
The sabre of the Persian, the name probably led to the word Scimitar we use for all of the deeply curved eastern sabers.
The sword of the Cossacks. straight or slightly curved without a guard.
Has a straight edge with the back of the blade falling in a strong curve to the point of the blade.
The principle element in the new man made rust preventatives.
A term that is used for ordinary folding knives that do not lock.
The rapier evolved into the Small Sword and it remained in this form from the end of the 17th century until men no longer wore swords as part of their daily dress. It was still worn as part of diplomatic dress as late as the 1940s.
Material layered between the handle material and the hilt or guard of the knife. Generally of contrasting color.
The edge and the back of the blade curve to each other and meet in the middle.
Blade intended for the castration of livestock. The cutting edge curves up strongly to meet a very minor clip. Most often found in Stock knives or Cattleman's knives.
Any tool steel that will remain flexible when properly heat treated.
A specialty knife company formed by Sal Glasser about 1978, introducing the concept of an easily opened knife clipped to the top of the trouser pocket. His patent on a round hole in a hump on top of the blade has made his company a huge success.
Deer antler, generally from one of two deer native to India and S.E. Asia; the Sambar and the Chitel. Recently and historically the antler of American white-tail and mule deer.
The only stainless that will not rust is used in sinks and hospital fittings. Any stainless that will hold an edge will be subject to humidity, salt and acid fluids. (Stainless means just that when applied to knives, It stains less).
A dagger with a slim blade intended for stabbing.
Three bladed knife with clip main blade, sheepfoot blade and spay blade.
A second hilt behind the index finger on the lower edge of a fighting knife handle; another R. W. Loveless design feature.
Improves machinability when added in minute quantities. Expressed as S.
A bevel grind on the edge of the back of a blade. If it were sharp it would not be a swedge but would be a False Edge.
That part of the blade that is either fastened between scales to make the handle or goes through a hole in the handle material. Also the part of a pocket knife blade that is between the handles.
A method of grinding a full tang to taper to the butt of the knife, improving balance as well as appearance. Brought to modern knife making by R. W. Loveless.
A hole at the butt of a knife handle intended for a wrist thong or lanyard.
The very safest sheath for fixed blade knives, invented by Blackie Collins; the patent and trademark are owned by A. G. Russell .
A material that can be both hard and tough, widely used to armor jet-fighters. About 1/3 lighter than steel it is very useful for knife parts. It will not hold an edge so is not useful as a blade.
The fighting ax of the American Indian, began as a club with wooden or stone head became a hatchet with the advent of iron heads from the Europeans.
A two bladed knife, most commonly with both blades at the same end, the blades often a drop point and a long spey blade. The exception to the blades being at the same end is the Muskrat Trapper which always has a blade at each end.
Used in small quantities in several steels used in handmade knives. Helps to produce a fine, dense grain structure. Expressed as W.
A very distinctive blade shape that has a very long clip, even more than a California Clip; also has a curved edge.
Expressed as V. Helps to produce fine grain during heat treat.
A blade with a straight edge and an almost needle like point
A serpentine handle with one end larger than the other, often used in three blade whittler patterns.
A stone for whetting, or sharpening edged tools.
The most beautiful of all sabers, with it's forward curved blade it would have been as fine to use as to look at. Said to be Turkish in origin made with out guard and always with eared pommel.
Material of great hardness, (included in ceramic used in making ceramic blades) and used as grain on grinding belts for grinding knives.
A thermoplastic material used in molding handles for knives, generally containing 25 to 50% chopped fiberglas or kevlar" fiber or carbon fiber.
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