Knife help please

[greatwhite]

Hi folks thought id ask for help this time, i have been offered both these knives which i am told are ww2 period they seem pretty common commercial knifes to me, anyone seen them before
Steve



thank you.

[bigmacglenn]

The top knife appears commercial and not military at all, the bottom one may be a Hitler Youth Dagger with replaced grips (Markings?)...Nothing special here I'd want to pay good money for, that's for sure...
cheers, Glenn

[HARRY THE MOLE]

The top knife is of a type which was commonly used by Boy Scouts. But that was back in the days when we could be trusted to carry a knife without sticking it in someone! Bottom knife looks German with non-original grips.

[harryamb2]

the lads have got it correct.

[greatwhite]

Cheers guys may take second one just because of what it used to be

[rbminis]

The top knife is of a type which was commonly used by Boy Scouts. But that was back in the days when we could be trusted to carry a knife without sticking it in someone!

Close, but not quite. Here is an example of the early Boy Scout knife that is in my collection.
Ralph.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

As I said in my other posting, the top knife is of a 'type' used by Boy Scouts. The two knifes in the first picture were the property of my wife's late cousin who had them as a Boy Scout. The uppermost knife has a blade length of four inches, and was his knife when a Boy Scout. The lower knife has a blade length of just under 3.25 inches and was used when my wife's cousin was a Cub Scout. Upper knife is marked... WILLIAM RODGERS, CUT MY WAY. And the other is just marked WILLIAM RODGERS, SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND. In my experience, back in the 1950's, most Boy Scouts were just happy to own a William Rodgers knife.

The Bowie knife was the property of a late friend of mine. I know nothing about it - other than the fact that he too used it as a Boy Scout. It has a six inch blade which is marked... J. KNOWLES & SONS, SHEFFIELD, ENGLAND, ESTABLISHED AD 1700. It is further marked 'Bowie Knife' in stylish script.

[greatwhite]

interesting that neither of the scout knives have a groove set in the blade.

[HARRY THE MOLE]

interesting that neither of the scout knives have a groove set in the blade.

There were loads of different designs. The one common feature being the construction of the handle. I would hazard a guess that the lack of grooves in the blade was because they were not actually designed for sticking in flesh. My wife used to play 'Split the Kip' with her cousin using the larger bladed of the two knifes in the first picture. Just imagine the outcry these days if anyone saw that going on!

[Scout]

Top knife looks like a vintage Marbles knife - but then many made knives in this style.

Are there no markings on the blade next to the guard at all - try cleaning off the grime/rust/patina with for example BreakFree?

interesting that neither of the scout knives have a groove set in the blade.

Why?


(Oceans of blades dont).

I would hazard a guess that the lack of grooves in the blade was because they were not actually designed for sticking in flesh. !

The groove is called a 'fuller' after the tool used to make the groove.

Fullers have nothing to do with whether or not the knife was meant for sticking in flesh.

A fuller will not make it easier nor more difficult to extract a blade from flesh.

Fullers are made to lighten. A comparison often used is that of an I-beam meant to lighten and reinforce and which allows for strength with less material.

Fuller are often used on longer blades. The effect on a small blade can be debated. I strongly suspect, that its there for visual appeal on a blade this small.