New Member Intro and a picture(I hope)

knife7knut · 27th February 2005, 06:55 AM

Greetings to all:
I joined the forum a couple of weeks ago and have been checking it out slowly as there is a lot of material to digest.Enjoyable though.
My name is Ray and I'm a 61 year old semi-retired pinstriper/sign artist living in Southeast Michigan(USA).Have been fascinated with all manner of edged weapons and tools since the age of eight. Purchased my first knife at ten(which I still own but was MIA for 25 or so years)and haven't stopped yet.
My collection(accumulation) runs the gamut from miniature folding knives of the early 1900's to vintage English knives of the mid-1800's and encompasses probably every type of handle material known to man.
My other interests include collecting vintage wristwatches(kind of in limbo now)and working on a couple of vintage American station wagons(estate cars)and still decorating various types of vehicles including motorcycles,hot rods,and antiques(the last couple included a 1935 REO,a 1931 DeSoto roadster,and a 1928 Marmon V-16 roadster).This has been slowed a bit by the onset of some more health issues but I'm still trying.
I have a couple of pieces that I have owned for many years but have very little(let that read no)information on.I thought perhaps someone on the forum might be able to enlighten me.
The first is either a sword or a VERY long knife.I will try and post a detail pic or two but doubt I can include the full picture as the blade is fully two feet long.I will try to describe it as best as I can.
The blade is approximately 3/8ths of an inch thick at the base and tapers gradually to nothing at the point.The top and bottom of the blade run parallel to each other(approx.1 1/2" wide)until about an inch from the end when the bottom curves up quite sharply to meet the point.There is a fuller(groove)on either side right at the top that runs approximately 3/4ths of the way down the blade.The blade appears to be convex ground.
Where the crossguard would normally be the steel is formed into a rather complicated octagonal segment about an inch in diameter and is one piece with the blade. The fluting is decorated(as is the top of the blade and two crescent shaped pieces one on either side of the blade)with what appears to be a silver wire inlay.
The handle is horn(looks to be a piece near the tip)and nearly solid except for a small area on the end where I assume it attaches to the blade.The handle is not in very good shape(a crack on one side,some chipping,and some crude file marks on it).The blade is decent except for two spots about 6" from the end(it looks like someone tried to cut a bolt in half or something)and has a nice brown patina.
I've owned it for many years and except for an initial rubdown with oil I have made no attempt to clean it.I rarely clean any find that is showing advanced sign of degeneration except to stop the travel of rust.

The second item is a jambiya that was a gift to me about 25 years ago.It came wrapped in a brown paper bag that had deteriorated horribly(it spent many years prior in a laundry).What I found to be unusual about it(other than the carved ivory handle,damascus blade with gold inlay work,and the wooden sheath covered in some type of skin resembling lizard)was that it had a companion dagger with it also of damascus with a carved ivory handle.
The picture shows it with the sheath and companion piece on a tray I found at a yard sale last summer which is a unique piece in it's own right.It appears to be made of some incredibly tiny pieces of wood inlayed onto the main pieces. I can provide close up pictures if desired.
Sorry for the long rant and so many questions,but this forum has re-ignited my interest in these(and other)pieces I have neglected for so long.
I thank you for your patience and hope that I will be able to add something to the forum in the future.
Sincerely
Ray Smith aka knife7knut

27th February 2005, 06:55 AM	#1
knife7knut Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 31	New Member Intro and a picture(I hope) Greetings to all: I joined the forum a couple of weeks ago and have been checking it out slowly as there is a lot of material to digest.Enjoyable though. My name is Ray and I'm a 61 year old semi-retired pinstriper/sign artist living in Southeast Michigan(USA).Have been fascinated with all manner of edged weapons and tools since the age of eight. Purchased my first knife at ten(which I still own but was MIA for 25 or so years)and haven't stopped yet. My collection(accumulation) runs the gamut from miniature folding knives of the early 1900's to vintage English knives of the mid-1800's and encompasses probably every type of handle material known to man. My other interests include collecting vintage wristwatches(kind of in limbo now)and working on a couple of vintage American station wagons(estate cars)and still decorating various types of vehicles including motorcycles,hot rods,and antiques(the last couple included a 1935 REO,a 1931 DeSoto roadster,and a 1928 Marmon V-16 roadster).This has been slowed a bit by the onset of some more health issues but I'm still trying. I have a couple of pieces that I have owned for many years but have very little(let that read no)information on.I thought perhaps someone on the forum might be able to enlighten me. The first is either a sword or a VERY long knife.I will try and post a detail pic or two but doubt I can include the full picture as the blade is fully two feet long.I will try to describe it as best as I can. The blade is approximately 3/8ths of an inch thick at the base and tapers gradually to nothing at the point.The top and bottom of the blade run parallel to each other(approx.1 1/2" wide)until about an inch from the end when the bottom curves up quite sharply to meet the point.There is a fuller(groove)on either side right at the top that runs approximately 3/4ths of the way down the blade.The blade appears to be convex ground. Where the crossguard would normally be the steel is formed into a rather complicated octagonal segment about an inch in diameter and is one piece with the blade. The fluting is decorated(as is the top of the blade and two crescent shaped pieces one on either side of the blade)with what appears to be a silver wire inlay. The handle is horn(looks to be a piece near the tip)and nearly solid except for a small area on the end where I assume it attaches to the blade.The handle is not in very good shape(a crack on one side,some chipping,and some crude file marks on it).The blade is decent except for two spots about 6" from the end(it looks like someone tried to cut a bolt in half or something)and has a nice brown patina. I've owned it for many years and except for an initial rubdown with oil I have made no attempt to clean it.I rarely clean any find that is showing advanced sign of degeneration except to stop the travel of rust. The second item is a jambiya that was a gift to me about 25 years ago.It came wrapped in a brown paper bag that had deteriorated horribly(it spent many years prior in a laundry).What I found to be unusual about it(other than the carved ivory handle,damascus blade with gold inlay work,and the wooden sheath covered in some type of skin resembling lizard)was that it had a companion dagger with it also of damascus with a carved ivory handle. The picture shows it with the sheath and companion piece on a tray I found at a yard sale last summer which is a unique piece in it's own right.It appears to be made of some incredibly tiny pieces of wood inlayed onto the main pieces. I can provide close up pictures if desired. Sorry for the long rant and so many questions,but this forum has re-ignited my interest in these(and other)pieces I have neglected for so long. I thank you for your patience and hope that I will be able to add something to the forum in the future. Sincerely Ray Smith aka knife7knut Attached Images