Small Knife ID Help Needed

Robert · 29th October 2008, 11:13 PM

Just picked this up and would like help with identifying where it is from and possible its age. Nice steel blade with some damage to the spine where it looks like someone was pounding on it to help cut through something. Grip is wood with brass wire binding. It is split on the top from shrinkage. The tang goes through the hilt and a small square steel plate and is then peened over. I don't know if the white dot is supposed to represent an eye or not as it is only on one side of the grip. It does have a marking on the blade and I hope that the picture is clear enough to help. Thanks for any help offered on this.

Blade Length = 6-1/8"
Blade at Thickest = 1/8"
Blade at Widest = 1-3/8"
Total Length = 10"

Robert

KuKulzA28 · 30th October 2008, 03:29 AM

perhaps it is a less-ceremonial version of a wedung? just a gues based on its shape

VANDOO · 30th October 2008, 04:33 PM

REMINDES ME OF A WEDUNG FROM INDONESIA, LOMBOK IS. PERHAPS. MOST YOU SEE ARE THE FANCY ONES OR FANCY TOURIST MODELS. PERHAPS THIS IS A POOR MANS WEDUNG THAT WOULD BE THE TYPE ACTUALLY SOLD LOCALLY AND USED BY THE LOCALS.

ausjulius · 31st October 2008, 08:55 PM

hmm this is interesting, i would say ,, it is from the philipines.. as is looks to be made in a style of knife from mexico but the finish and stamp on the blade looks like it is from the philipines,
also the shape looks les mexican and more asian..

but the whole knife and its construction is spanish colonial..from mexico

Lew · 31st October 2008, 09:51 PM

Viva Mexico!

The knife has been shortened and reground

Lew

ausjulius · 1st November 2008, 12:48 AM

yes , id say mexico for shure. but could be philipines.. and normaly the mexican would make some stamp with a name or such not just this letter or symbol..
but ive never seen this style of mexican knfie in the philipines, so id say it is mexican then .

Robert · 1st November 2008, 06:38 AM

My thanks to everyone who has answered this thread with their thoughts on where this knife is from. The only thing that I can say with any conviction is that it has been repeatedly sharpened and the last time it looks like it was done with a grinder. The blade is only slightly over 1/8" at the hilt and tapers evenly to the tip. If it has ever been cut down the entire blade would have had to been reground to keep this even of a shape. Without being ground, anything past the existing tip would have been paper thin. Can anyone show another example of one of these knives? Thanks again.

Robert

Gonzalo G · 1st November 2008, 08:13 AM

Robert, it could perfectly be mexican. I have seenmany times this kind of old knifes here, secured with wire, when I was a child. And they were already old. There have been many manofacturers of this type of knives along the time, and along the country´s territory, so it is not strange to find a stamp previously unknown. I think the curved edge was made along the resharpenings. Sometimes this can happen when a portion of the edge is broken and there is a need to remove this part to get a continous edge again, sometimes only a part of the edge is resharpened because it is the most used and continuosly dulled. Those knives were treated as tools, and not as a collector item. This kind of knife was an unexpensive and common working tool in the old times, when Mexico was an agrarian country. I don´t know if in other countries had very similar knives, but it is no impossible.
Regards

Gonzalo

Robert · 1st November 2008, 07:37 PM

Again my thanks to everyone for their help in identifying where this knife is from. The grip I just found out is horn and not wood as I originally thought. There is also a very small bolster between the blade and grip. I agree that the curve in the sharpened edge was done by either repeated sharpening / honing or was ground away to remove a broken or chipped portion. Because of its size and overall design I did not think that it was ever intended to be used as a weapon. Just an interesting old knife well worth finding some history on.

Robert

29th October 2008, 11:13 PM	#1
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	Small Knife ID Help Needed Just picked this up and would like help with identifying where it is from and possible its age. Nice steel blade with some damage to the spine where it looks like someone was pounding on it to help cut through something. Grip is wood with brass wire binding. It is split on the top from shrinkage. The tang goes through the hilt and a small square steel plate and is then peened over. I don't know if the white dot is supposed to represent an eye or not as it is only on one side of the grip. It does have a marking on the blade and I hope that the picture is clear enough to help. Thanks for any help offered on this. Blade Length = 6-1/8" Blade at Thickest = 1/8" Blade at Widest = 1-3/8" Total Length = 10" Robert Attached Images Last edited by Robert Coleman; 30th October 2008 at 07:35 AM.

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30th October 2008, 03:29 AM	#2
KuKulzA28 Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: between work and sleep Posts: 731	perhaps it is a less-ceremonial version of a wedung? just a gues based on its shape

30th October 2008, 04:33 PM	#3
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	REMINDES ME OF A WEDUNG FROM INDONESIA, LOMBOK IS. PERHAPS. MOST YOU SEE ARE THE FANCY ONES OR FANCY TOURIST MODELS. PERHAPS THIS IS A POOR MANS WEDUNG THAT WOULD BE THE TYPE ACTUALLY SOLD LOCALLY AND USED BY THE LOCALS.

31st October 2008, 08:55 PM	#4
ausjulius Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: musorian territory Posts: 422	hmm this is interesting, i would say ,, it is from the philipines.. as is looks to be made in a style of knife from mexico but the finish and stamp on the blade looks like it is from the philipines, also the shape looks les mexican and more asian.. but the whole knife and its construction is spanish colonial..from mexico

31st October 2008, 09:51 PM	#5
Lew (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: East Coast USA Posts: 3,191	Viva Mexico! The knife has been shortened and reground Lew

1st November 2008, 12:48 AM	#6
ausjulius Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: musorian territory Posts: 422	yes , id say mexico for shure. but could be philipines.. and normaly the mexican would make some stamp with a name or such not just this letter or symbol.. but ive never seen this style of mexican knfie in the philipines, so id say it is mexican then .

1st November 2008, 06:38 AM	#7
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	My thanks to everyone who has answered this thread with their thoughts on where this knife is from. The only thing that I can say with any conviction is that it has been repeatedly sharpened and the last time it looks like it was done with a grinder. The blade is only slightly over 1/8" at the hilt and tapers evenly to the tip. If it has ever been cut down the entire blade would have had to been reground to keep this even of a shape. Without being ground, anything past the existing tip would have been paper thin. Can anyone show another example of one of these knives? Thanks again. Robert

1st November 2008, 08:13 AM	#8
Gonzalo G Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Nothern Mexico Posts: 458	Robert, it could perfectly be mexican. I have seenmany times this kind of old knifes here, secured with wire, when I was a child. And they were already old. There have been many manofacturers of this type of knives along the time, and along the country´s territory, so it is not strange to find a stamp previously unknown. I think the curved edge was made along the resharpenings. Sometimes this can happen when a portion of the edge is broken and there is a need to remove this part to get a continous edge again, sometimes only a part of the edge is resharpened because it is the most used and continuosly dulled. Those knives were treated as tools, and not as a collector item. This kind of knife was an unexpensive and common working tool in the old times, when Mexico was an agrarian country. I don´t know if in other countries had very similar knives, but it is no impossible. Regards Gonzalo

1st November 2008, 07:37 PM	#9
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	Again my thanks to everyone for their help in identifying where this knife is from. The grip I just found out is horn and not wood as I originally thought. There is also a very small bolster between the blade and grip. I agree that the curve in the sharpened edge was done by either repeated sharpening / honing or was ground away to remove a broken or chipped portion. Because of its size and overall design I did not think that it was ever intended to be used as a weapon. Just an interesting old knife well worth finding some history on. Robert