Mike Ameling Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 (edited) Here's a pic of the first replica I made of an iron-handled clasp knife. It is based on descriptions of several crates of them that were recovered from the 1685 wreck of la Salle's ship la Belle, which sank of the coast of Texas near Corpus Christi. A gentleman working with the recovery/conservation work described it to me, and I made this one up. I sent him pics for his ... critique. He said that the blade could be a "tick" wider, but other than that it was dead on - except that I had made it WAY TOO NICE! He said the original knife makers had made quick/simple/cheap knives to trade to the Indians. It sounded like the handles on those originals were more like tin-can material. And he said my copy was way nicer than that. Too nice? Here I thought I had made it too crude! I posted several other pics in my photo Gallery of it and other similar ones with different blade shapes. I've made a couple dozen so far. I checked with a number of people who collect early French clasp knives - by shape, style, geographic region - including several in France. And they all haven't heard about iron-handled ones so far. So where did la Salle get them originally? He sailed directly from France on that voyage. But I've been finding more references to them as "sailor's knives". And also to them as "tobacco" knives in the southern US in the early 1900's. But there are also examples from early Roman times - 1st to 3rd century. So there still is some mystery associated with them. The one pictured is the first one I made, and is my personal knife. I make the blades from old crosscut saw blades. Chisel out to rough shape. Profile on a grinder. Punch the pivot pin hole. Then grind the bevels. All while keeping the steel cool to preserve the original heat-treat of the saw blade. Then hammer that U shaped handle from 14 guage sheet, drill the pin hole, assemble, and "tweak". It makes a nice knife to carry in the pocket or pouch. I made up a handle out of 20 guage sheet once, but I couldn't bring myself to put it on a blade - just too flimsy. I also posted a pic of a sheep shear I made into a knife. Fun project, and this one turned out pretty good. Thanks. Mikey - that grumpy ol' german blacksmith out in the Hinterlands Edited March 7, 2009 by Mike Ameling bad spellin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 Thanks, I really enjoyed browsing through your gallery pics. I'm especially taken with the nail clippers. Thanks again. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dablacksmith Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 nice simple folding knife! i also like the viking and fur trade items! the iron smokeing pipes are interesting... i made one or 2 ..the bend is the hard part ... tough to get it to look nice...good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ameling Posted March 8, 2009 Author Share Posted March 8, 2009 nice simple folding knife! i also like the viking and fur trade items! the iron smokeing pipes are interesting... i made one or 2 ..the bend is the hard part ... tough to get it to look nice...good job! Thanks for the kind words. They are appreciated. Yes, those sheet iron pipes are interesting. And they have a long history. That bend is the tricky part. You need it to narrow down the bottom of the bowl to keep the tobacco in the bowl, but not "pinch" it off too much that it won't draw. I hammer form it up as a long tapered tube, then bend the bowl and "tweak" to final shape. A couple passes with the belt sander smooths things up. I give the seam an initial "seal" with a bead of elmer's glue. It dries clear and seals it up air-tight. In use, the seam will gunk up naturally. Historical iron work. Those iron-handled clasp knives are another historical item I found along the way. I am always looking for new "ideas" of historical iron work to replicate. Then the HARD work begins - finding documentation for it and its time period. Thanks Mikey - that grumpy ol' german blacksmith out in the Hinterlands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWooldridge Posted March 8, 2009 Share Posted March 8, 2009 My great uncle had one which was very similar in appearance but it had a one piece brass handle. He called it a "cape knife" but I don't know where he heard the term. I do know it belonged to his father so it probably was made no later than 1880 and may have been even older. Before immigrating to the Americas in the mid-1800's, the men on that side of my family were Danish mariners so it could have been an old ship's knife. I remember uncle Bill kept it very sharp and used it primarily to eat with. It disappeared after he passed away and I have no idea where it is now - his daughters didn't value any of his things so may have tossed it in the trash. I really like your version - I would sure carry and use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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