Posted 8 years ago
whyatt
(63 items)
not sure of the age on this 1 guys. the fella I bought it from at the flea market , was from Bulgaria. says he bought it when he was very young. its for sure a Bulgarian made knife. its only 6.5 in. long overall. the handle is either alloy or silver. I cant tell the difference from just looking. any thoughts on its contents would be greatly appreciated.
I assume its alloy. which was quite expensive during ww1 if it be that old. if its of silver, then it still holds monetary value.
I like it a lotttt either way. it was easily sharpened to a double edged razor. .... .. ive viewed a few similar looking knives that date to ww1.
what you guys think ? got it for 4 bucks !
I love that knife. Simplistic, small, nicely shaped handle. Just charming, a great find!
I've seen a number of fixed blades with aluminium handles.
Its blade is 3.5 in. long.and legal to carry. ill be purchasing a sheath on short notice for this 1. itll be a great work partner on 3rd shift. much easier to gain access than my old azz 3 blade tree brand,if ever I needed it. I hope I never do, but itll be there razor sharp if I ever do. id been looking for a smaller boot knife that was well made and didn't break the bank. I believe ive found it.
thanks for the love guys . this 1 actually will have to be pried from my cold dead hands.
theres 1 posted on ebay right now that's 20 x higher than I paid.
guy says its a tin blade... good conversation pc fer sure. perhaps some one with a little more knowledge will chime in and shed some light... I hope so.
The knife appears to be "home-made" or by a small shop. The handle appears to be aluminum and I doubt too many private concerns had access to aluminum during WWI. This is the kind of knife anyone with a decent small furnace could make by casting the handle onto the blade. Many were made in the US at the opening of WWII for GIs going overseas because the military just couldn't keep up with the need for "combat" knives. Small shops all over the US made them in the dozens or hundreds and sold or donated them to their local boys. I'm sure the same thing happened in Europe although there is no reason to assume that this one was made for the war. It could have been an after-hours project for a guy who couldn't afford a "real" knife. It's not hard to do if you work is a casting shop. The blades were often made from worn-out industrial hack-saw blades, auto springs, files, or anything laying around, so durability is erratic.
Actually Ron, some of the best knives I've known, were made from files. Aluminium was almost as costly as gold when 1st developed but the price soon dropped. Many well balanced knives have been made with aluminium grips, from my experience. May not look expensive, but serve the purpose/need.
File steel is too hard for the best blades. It has a high carbon content so it is harder than other metals, otherwise it would be useless as a file. It can be re-tempered and sharpened to a razor-edge but it will break more easily than a good knife should. One of the tests an applicant's blade must pass to become an ABS journeyman bladesmith is to bend in a 90 degree arc (this is about a ten inch blade) and spring back with not more than (I think) a 15 degree permanent bend. You'll never get file steel to do that no matter how you temper it. It will either stay bent or break.
cheap made knife worth a million words. and to some, quite a few dollars , apparently. to me, priceless.