Vintage Penknives

Over the years i have acquired a few vintage penknives..

I have restored a few for EDC purposes but then i decide they are too good for opening boxes and put them to one side..

Today i was in the loft and found a bunch i never knew i had..

There is nothing like that first look for a makers mark ..

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Harrods This one is heavy with strange tools.

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Rodgers / Jonathan Crookes / Wostenholm
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A few restored.
Henckels / Ibberson / G Ibberson / Sheffield / Perry & Co.
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Next to be restored
Rodgers & a Sovi Inox, Portuguese i think..
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Very interesting thread. I'd like to know more about the restoration part. So far i've only ever found one vintage case knife in good shape during my searching. Always good to have another skill though!

The restoration is quite simple, unpin them and polish..
Not quite so easy though..
Yesterday i drilled out the pins on the Sovi Inox, they were steel and left a thin steel tube behind which was nearly as strong as the whole pins...

The scales are plastic, i considered swapping them for wood or horn and maybe make a case but the knife is not worth the effort and this one i can use everyday..

I have to say that the build quality of these knives surpases what i have seen with modern day penknives,, so far..

This one is an Ibberson and the quality is excellent.

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This is an interesting knife..
Marsh Bros & Co. Pond Works.

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Is the George Ibberson pen knife made of Firth Stainless steel as some of their straight razors were?

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

Is the George Ibberson pen knife made of Firth Stainless steel as some of their straight razors were?

Bob

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Hi Bob,
That one says Stainless Steel
It also says TWW The Ward Group .. I think they were a steel company so maybe they provided the steel for this..I have numerous TWW penknives

What i like about this one is that you cannot see the pins because they knurled or patterned the surface after pinning.

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Bailey Bridge, erected in 2006 at the rear of Albion Works, Sheffield

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Did a quik dive and came up with this for TWW The Ward Group https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Thomas_W._Ward . If it is the same company then they sound more like scrap metal merchants. I am wondering if they had these George Ibberson pen knives made to give to customers. Just as other companies had straight razors made with their name on it as a promotional item.

Bob

Ship dismantling, I do recall now..I read that some time ago..
Makes sense that they made them as you suggested.. Giveaways maybe..

Bit of a long shot but does anyone recognise this name..

It pains me when i cannot find info on a razor/knife maker but it's even worse when you cannot read it..

Maybe: **ALL AND *OO*

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I think penknives are one of those items where the quality hasn't really changed too much if at all imo, as long as you're buying a reputable brand, Case, GEC, Schieper, Boker (German made) etc. You get people on the knife forums who make it out like none of the vintage knives ever had gaps in the liners and the scales always felt flush with the bolsters but that's just as much nonsense if you've ever handled a lot of old knives or just perused antique stores.

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Originally Posted by thp001

I think penknives are one of those items where the quality hasn't really changed too much if at all imo, as long as you're buying a reputable brand, Case, GEC, Schieper, Boker (German made) etc. You get people on the knife forums who make it out like none of the vintage knives ever had gaps in the liners and the scales always felt flush with the bolsters but that's just as much nonsense if you've ever handled a lot of old knives or just perused antique stores.

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I do have one modern knife a CJRB Ria which i gave some nice Ox horn scales and it does seem like it has no soul although that could be because it is a cheap one?
What i do like about the vintage penknives is that they have a connection to straight razors , all your favorite makers :)

I was trying to figure out who this guy was on the knife below.. Without being racist i can only think of Muhammad Ali or Malcom X? I do know the style is that of a Barlow knife..

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Originally Posted by JOB15

and it does seem like it has no soul

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I don't think we're all in this "hobby" (cringe) because we have this complete rational reason. I know for me personally that a kind of nostalgia played and still plays a part in why I shave, either with a straight or a DE on occasion. As far as soul goes after having a fair few old razors go through my hands I don't really get that kind of feeling anymore, or at least I know it's just my own imagining in a sense. Would my grandfather or great grandfather have thought the knives or razors they were buying new at the time had soul? I think our perceptions of these things actually say more about the present than the past, that maybe we've taken a wrong turn. Too much to go into here so I'll leave it at that.

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Originally Posted by thp001

I don't think we're all in this "hobby" (cringe) because we have this complete rational reason. I know for me personally that a kind of nostalgia played and still plays a part in why I shave, either with a straight or a DE on occasion. As far as soul goes after having a fair few old razors go through my hands I don't really get that kind of feeling anymore, or at least I know it's just my own imagining in a sense. Would my grandfather or great grandfather have thought the knives or razors they were buying new at the time had soul? I think our perceptions of these things actually say more about the present than the past, that maybe we've taken a wrong turn. Too much to go into here so I'll leave it at that.

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The CJRB feels like a few flat pieces of metal sandwiched together and it is uninspiring , could be that it is just the feel of a low cost knife? I do not have much experience with knives although i am now finding an interest.

The vintage Sheffield penknives have a feel in the hand and because they are worn they have a history, their past owners have lived and died with complex lives and stories. Then there is a makers mark by known razor makers and i love old straights..
That is why i make the no soul comment :)
Cheers

Sleepless Nights are over

I found a makers mark on the tang Bennett & Heron This meant that the wording on the blade was not a maker but instead a phrase.
I showed this to my Mother who knows about old stuff and her family name is Bennett. When i mentioned that the shape of the blade was called a Lambs Foot she pointed out the word Lamb on the knife.

The wording reads "Real Lambs Foot" Mystery solved..I should have been a detective with my mother as a side kick :)

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Thank goodness for mums aye. :)

Probably a young Nelson Mandela. He boxed in his youth and was portrayed as a fighter, the shirtless pose.

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Originally Posted by JOB15

Sleepless Nights are over

I found a makers mark on the tang Bennett & Heron This meant that the wording on the blade was not a maker but instead a phrase.
I showed this to my Mother who knows about old stuff and her family name is Bennett. When i mentioned that the shape of the blade was called a Lambs Foot she pointed out the word Lamb on the knife.

The wording reads "Real Lambs Foot" Mystery solved..I should have been a detective with my mother as a side kick :

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I believe this side of the pond they are referred to as "Sheepsfoot" blades. Most of the folding rigging knives I have seen are that style blade. I guess it is a little harder to stab yourself when doing rope work.

Bob

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Originally Posted by BobH

I believe this side of the pond they are referred to as "Sheepsfoot" blades. Most of the folding rigging knives I have seen are that style blade. I guess it is a little harder to stab yourself when doing rope work.

Bob

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The have Sheeps foot and Lambs foot.. The Sheeps are a larger more curvier version .Medics favour them to cut away clothing without stabbing the patient..Mine or most also have a Swage or Swedge..Tapered top , toe end. More lingo :)

Finished up this Lambs Foot today..It took some effort but i learnt untold.. I will use these types of penknives to practice my spine work on.. This spine is a bit of a mess but it was a first attempt and again i learnt a lot..
The scales are Ox Horn.. The originals were Bone pretending to be Stag and worth re using but i have spare Ox which is not suitable for straights ..

The blade face went Satin but everything else is polished, even the spine..I have yet to put an edge on it ..Cheers

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Turned out beautifully! do you intall the pins with a hammer (as with a SR) or is there a special tool?

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Originally Posted by tintin

Turned out beautifully! do you intall the pins with a hammer (as with a SR) or is there a special tool?

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I use my peening hammer but i have grinded my hammer down to a fine-ish point for razors and that is perfect for penknives.

Dealing with the pins is a whole new ball game for me....One set of pins is just from the outer to the inside of the liner..If you pin that part incorrectly it fractures the top layer of horn, in fact avoiding that on all the pinholes is an issue especially with Ox horn, washers would fix that but washers on a penknife is not correct or maybe a countersink could be the answer..

There is only one pin holding the spring , the middle pin, i think modern penknives have 3 pins in the spring.. The top pin in the bolster needs to be changed for a thicker steel rod, it needs some force holding everything together ..

Another mistake i made was just willy nilly grinding off the rust..Everything has to be straight and flush to get it all tight and centering..

As i said , i did learn a lot.. I will get better..
Cheers

seems that i saw once a special tool they use for knife scales that spins in a drill press forming the pin. Is anyone familiar with such a thing?

Oh I found it, it's called a pinhead spinner!

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Originally Posted by tintin

seems that i saw once a special tool they use for knife scales that spins in a drill press forming the pin. Is anyone familiar with such a thing?

Oh I found it, it's called a pinhead spinner!

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This is the best tool I've been shown in months. Thanks.

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Originally Posted by WalterWombat

This is the best tool I've been shown in months. Thanks.

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yeah, here's video explaining their use. Seems like the ideal tool for pocket knives.