jan3ll3 Report post Posted February 12, 2016 (edited) Hey guys, I've recently purchased a vintage wood and brass swivel knife. I don't know who the maker is... the knife itself is pretty heavy. (pics attached) All I know is it was sold from Texas but I'm not sure that's where it originated. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks Edited February 12, 2016 by jan3ll3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted February 12, 2016 It looks homemade. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chrstn53 Report post Posted February 12, 2016 That is a unique looking swivel knife. I agree with King X in that it looks like an homemade attempt at a swivel knife. Cool piece though... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jan3ll3 Report post Posted February 12, 2016 Thank you , I thought it was different (: It was a fun sk to polish up too Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted February 12, 2016 Typically, a unique and one of a kind knife will usually include its own blade. Not one that can be usually found on other market SK. Looking at the rough grind marks, it looks like the person wanted to make one that would probably fit their hand. The maker did not take the extra steps of fine sanding and polishing of this item. It was made for work....not art. The wood on the saddle looks like it was added later.....probably because of the rough finish of the saddle......may have been cutting into the finger when applying downward pressure. Just my opinion. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TinkerTailor Report post Posted February 12, 2016 Typically, a unique and one of a kind knife will usually include its own blade. Not one that can be usually found on other market SK. Looking at the rough grind marks, it looks like the person wanted to make one that would probably fit their hand. The maker did not take the extra steps of fine sanding and polishing of this item. It was made for work....not art. The wood on the saddle looks like it was added later.....probably because of the rough finish of the saddle......may have been cutting into the finger when applying downward pressure. Just my opinion. If you look close at where the saddle meets the barrel, there appears to be a bunch of grime there. Also, is the saddle copper? Those scratches could easily be from ham fisted cleaning. The wood is too well fitted to be an afterthought in my opinion. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jan3ll3 Report post Posted February 12, 2016 Here's a better description since there's only pics to go from: The wood on the saddle is really smooth, fitted & matches the side so I think it was planned... no dirt was left under it after I'd cleaned it (weird shadow maybe from pic taken in direct light). The sk was described as being made of brass, so I cleaned it up carefully with a small brush using ketchup (trick I learned to polish brass without being abrasive) only on those parts and oiled the wood. It made a huge difference. The wood does seem to have been exposed to some humidity.. it's sort of puffed out on the barrel but I'm not sure that I want to sand it down. Being vintage, it probably was sanded in the beginning because I'm not getting splinters from it. I took a long time to clean the whole thing including removing rust from the tiny screws with apple cider vinegar. Took it all apart and used q-tips to get off any dirt inside & out. I almost like finding these older tools just to clean them up... The rough marks on the side of the yoke must be from whoever ground the brass initially, but the surface and edges still feel smooth, not sharp -even as squared off edges. I don't know if an original blade was ever made for it or even possibly lost.. it came with an old ruby Tandy blade. I've bought original sk's from makers who don't make their own blades, so I dunno about that. There doesn't seem to be any reason why you couldn't carve whatever you need with this swivelknife & if no one knows who made it, there's no telling what it was made for...except leatherworking, which to me is art. lol The inside parts weren't crudely made or anything...looked like other sk's I have. Whoever built this tool knew what they were doing and put a lot of care into it. Maybe there's a few scratches and the wood got weathered, but they did a solid job. I wish I knew what kind of wood was used...but can only guess. Unless someone finds another one, it's definitely gonna be a one of a kind for me. (: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
King's X Report post Posted February 13, 2016 Well there you go......the only one that this SK matters to is you. You found something unique for sure! enjoy! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jan3ll3 Report post Posted February 13, 2016 Thanks, I suppose that's true now ~though it was a popular tool when it sold at auction... so someone may still know about where it came from. Could be a secret old treasure... (: maybe an old, original Stohlman ~ ? lol just teasing ...but that would be awesome- Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
