A little navaja

[fernando]

A bit damaged. The handle plates are bull white and rose horn. The brass parts are the real basic handcraft, the file work is pretty rough. The 8 cms. blade is missing the tip, and the maker's mark was hard to identify.Forton's was the key: Valero Jun from Zaragoza, XIX century. However and again according to this book's illustrations, this shape could be French or, in the least, Franco Spanish. I wonder what the experts think about that ... Chris ?
Thanks
fernando

[ingelred]

Hello,

the maker's mark is most probably

Valero Jun(ior) Zaragoza

Nice find.

Greetings, Helge

[Chris Evans]

Hola Fernando,

That navaja style is most definitely French, more specifically from Thiers.

I always wondered whether those sold with Valero Jun stamped into the blade, were made in Spain or under contract in France and merely retailed under his name.

The ones that I have seen appear to be of above average quality, for Spanish knives, strongly suggesting that they were actually made in France. A few were of poor quality, more consistent with Spanish folders, and suspect that these were local copies of the French made navajas.

Cheers
Chris

[fernando]

Olá Chris.
Thanks a lot for your remarks, .
What do you say about Helge's aproach on the Jun(ior) thing?
Forton doesn´t seem to observe this,although it looks quite plausible.
fernando

[Chris Evans]

Hi Fernando,

I must admit that I also wondered about the "Jun" quite a lot. I am afraid that I can only speculate. To even attempt answering that question we would need to know more about that cutler's genealogy, as well as family and business history.

You know, it is very hard to add much that is meaningful to Forton's work, save perhaps on contemporary navajas. It is my opinion that Forton pretty much wrote down what knowledge is readily available on navajas in olden times. To go beyond his work would require and enormous amount of research, and not just within Spain either, for the story of the navaja takes in Portugal, France and Italy as well.

With the above said, we very much need an update on his book, perhaps one with better technical descriptions, for example on the origins and function of the "carraca", the design and fuction of the "virola" (ferrule/bolster) and so on.

Cheers
Chris

[Rafael_S_O]

Hellow gentlemans.

This is almost a miniature of the very common Valero Jun brand models. The most usual was in the 6"-7" blades even if you can found in the 9"to 10" they are not common at all. You can find models made in Zaragoza (where is the place of this family) and others made in France. Some of the best I have seen were made in Zaragoza with "solid" parts and not the more common "hollow plates" models that was the usual way to make the navajas in Thiers and Chatelrault. This one look definitly french made. That way of doing the things was quite "normal" in these times. Is like Nike making shoes in Asia nowdays. So they are as indicated the easiest one to be copied or imitated in these times.

In others matters....

Jun is a Family name not so "popular" as Fernández o Díaz but nothing more than that. Forgot about Junior or others "complicated" solutions to a simple matter.
The ratchet system (la carraca) is, in his origins, a matter of safety. When you are using anithing from nails or files to horseshoes to obtain the blade of your knife be sure to put more than one "tooth" on the spine. If the first, main one, break apart you can be sure that at least you will not cut your fingers out with a heavy 8-9" blade closing over. Later was more a aesthetic function that keep in place this system.

The virola must be seen as a natural evolution of the "cierre de fieles" that was one of the first "almost lock" system used or a reinforcement of the handles made in horn or wood in these times.


And finally, allow me to try to explain why I said this especific knife is almost a miniature. The 10-12 " blades quite common in a period before this knife in about 50-100 years, was not a slow, heavy and difficult to use "romantic invention" like a lot of people think. I´ve seen someone draw a big 8-9" Expósito navaja in a so fast manner that someone could think that was a italian automatic stiletto. With the same technique you could have drew the biggest one even faster and easier (because the weigt of the blade). And even today is quite easy to find really big, common navajas in flea markets that were not "display models". Is not so easy as to find the usual Valero Jun but you can find. Even the very apreciates Navajas Sevillanas (Isabelina model) were mades as long as 9", so quite large also.
Is a pleasure to talk about navajas with people who appreciate the subjet.
If my words sound rudes, please let think is my poor english that is not good enough to expouse mi point of view in a more correct manner.

Saludos cordiales desde Sevilla.

Rafael S.O.