Knife makers in unsuspecting places

Earlier today, I was looking through the new catalog from my favorite clothier – Orvis. My wife calls them old man clothes, but what can I say…I am an old knife collector.

Even though I don’t fly fish, or get decked out in my Orvis hat to boots outfits to go deep woods, I really like the look of their clothes. This day, however, I was causally skimming through the pages not looking for anything in particular and whala- a custom knife maker’s knife pops right off the page.

Yes, Daniel Winkler is an entrepreneur/marketeer as much as he is an award-winning custom knife maker. The exposure value of having a third page in their catalog, plus the Orvis endorsement is tremendous. Good job, Daniel.

The knife is a rugged Limited Edition Elk antler handled Damascus.

Now I like Orvis all the more…but I still can’t bring myself to order the “Winter coat without an equal.” It’s a casual, oh, so cool looking, leather jacket for a meager $2750.

Image credit: winklerknives.com and Orvis.com

Case Brothers Knife History- An extremely rare find

Had an opportunity to buy a knife recently. Well, I didn’t really get a knife, only a part of it. A blade actually. But at least it was the masterblade.

It looks like an elephant toenail blade, or does it?

Case Brothers Standard Style Ebony 2250 Toenail 3 7/8"

A friend  sent a pic of this blade telling me it was a toenail blade, in case I was interested. It was a Case Brothers Cutlery Co. of Little Valley, NY (c.1900- 1915)- one of my all-time favorites.

When I opened the picture attached to his email, I thought- that isn’t a toenail blade. I expected to see the typical CB toenail blade – short, fat and with a long pull like the one pictured here.

While it was a spear point type blade, and it did resemble an old toenail blade, it clearly wasn’t for the typical CB toenail. “Wait a minute, could it be…..?” flashed in my head. Case Brothers was one of the very few firms to make toenails in two different styles. The most common was the “standard style” – the ’50 pattern (2250, 5250, 6250, 7250 & 8250), but they also made a longer version called the ’51 pattern.

Everybody and their brother(s) made the standard style toenail back in the early 1900s, but the longer variety was another matter.

Case Brothers Ebony 2251 4 1/2"

You should have seen me dart to where I keep my Case Brothers toenails. Grabbed my ’51 patterns and ran back. Couldn’t get them open quickly enough and when I did- it was a match– the same swedge, the single pull and even the TESTED XX matched one of mine.

Case Brothers 2251 pictured in 1904 Catalog

Do you know how rare it is to find an old blade that is full? I’m talking about the fullest of full. And yet, this blade represented so much more than simply a full toenail blade to me.

OK, call me nuts if you want, but I value this baby right up there with the best of the best I have. It has it all- my favorite brand, a significant artifact from cutlery history, a toenail masterblade and the rarest of the two varieties at that. It also represents the fullest ’51 pattern masterblade I have ever seen.

The Case Brothers Ebony 2251 Pattern Toenails

In case you are wondering….

Popular Swiss Knife Maker Diversifying Product Line

What does a knife manufacturer whose brand is known worldwide do when times get tough? It diversifies.

Victorinox, the 125 year old Swiss knife maker, is now offering watches, shirts and perfume to bolster profits.

This old cutlery firm is the maker of the original Swiss Army Knife, first issued to the Swiss military in 1897.

In an recent interview with Reuters News Service, Victorinox Chief Executive, Carl Elsner said the new product line is breathing new life into the brand.

Two recent episodes- 9.11.2001 and the current credit crunch caused the firm to look outside cutlery for revenue by capitalizing on it brand’s recognition.

The firm posted a net profit of $436 million in 2008 evidencing its recovery from the decline in its knife sales resulting from the war of terror, and then came the current “credit crunch.” Mr. Elsener said in his interview this year has been the hardest year in the history of Victorinox.

This old firm hasn’t rested on its laurels though. If you are a Swiss army knife fan undoubtedly you have noticed their recent innovations. Here’s my favorite-

iKnifeCollector Grand Opening Announcement

Grand Opening Announcement of iKnifeCollector- The Next Generation Knife Collector Community.

CNJ Audio Interview Series- Custom Knifemaker Mr. Tony Bose

For this edition of the CNJ Knife Show we are pleased to bring you a one-on-one conversation with legendary knifemaker, Mr. Tony Bose.

He has received many awards for his high quality knives and is recognized as one of the top custom makers today.

Tony Bose

Tony tells us why he started making knives, in addition to candid advice for aspiring knife makers. He also provides an insider’s perspective on the custom knife market and today’s prices.

I invite you to listen in as he shares with us the knives he finds the most challenging to make and why he chose to bring vintage patterns back.

If you don’t know Tony, he is a very humble man with a tremendous passion for knives and wonderful sense of humor. It was a pleasure to have him as our guest.

The buffering time typically varies from 11- 20 seconds based on your connection speed, so please be patient as the show loads.

https://cutlerynewsjournal.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/cnj-ais-episode-06-knifemaker-tony-bose.mp3″

Tony in his shop

He also has made a very few of my all time vintage pattern- the Elephant Toenail. He will share with us his experience making this treasured pattern and why it is so difficult to make.

Check out his website and photo gallery of his knives.

BoseKnives.com

T. Bose Platts MOP Jumbo Toenail

T. Bose MOP Platts Jumbo Toenail