Massive Clip Point Knife

Unclebob · 6th December 2017, 07:05 PM

I found this very large knife recently; It's 2 ' long and weighs 4 1/2 lbs. It has a nice convex cross section and the false edge is sharpened.
I don't believe it's a machete, with the clip point. Any ideas?

Ian · 7th December 2017, 05:12 PM

Hi unclebob,

Welcome to the Forum!

That's an interesting old knife you have there. The shape of the blade is vaguely reminiscent of an old Thai blade form, commonly called an enep today. That said, this is not a Thai knife IMO. I think what you have is a western interpretation of an old knife form--the integral guard and hilt suggest western manufacture to me. Perhaps this is someone's version of a "scimitar."

Hopefully one of our members will come along with a more specific answer for you.

Ian.

mariusgmioc · 7th December 2017, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unclebob

I found this very large knife recently; It's 2 ' long and weighs 4 1/2 lbs. It has a nice convex cross section and the false edge is sharpened.
I don't believe it's a machete, with the clip point. Any ideas?

Welcome to the forum!

I would say it is a modern blade somehow corroded.
The very uniform and spongy corrosion points towards an intentional exposure to some kind of acid.

My two cents...

Robert · 7th December 2017, 06:14 PM

Hello Bob, If would not mind could you post another photo of this knife? A new photo taken from directly above would help as the one now shown looks as if it was taken at a slight angle and appears to show a distorted view of the piece. That being said, this looks to me as if it might be of Mexican design and origin. Thank you for posting this unusual piece. I too am very interested in seeing what other members have to say about it.

Best,
Robert

Unclebob · 7th December 2017, 07:25 PM

Thanks for your comments, chaps; The Gentleman whom I got the knife from said his neighbour had been using it as a wood chopper, indeed, the spine had a flattened spot where it'd been hit a few times!
There are the remains of rivets in the handle area, which is slightly more corroded, as you would expect with something which had been used outdoors for many years, with water being trapped behind the, presumably, wood grips.
The photo is actually taken from directly above; I've included another photo, taken at the same time, together with a Mk1 Kukri for size, in case it looks better.
I have undertaken a simple restoration of the blade and installed a new handle.
The blade is harder on the cutting edges, than near the crossguard (checked it with a centre punch!)
I'll do a photo of how it looks now and maybe get the lighting better....

Roland_M · 8th December 2017, 11:41 AM

Hello,

I think it is possible, that we see an old Bowie-Knife style blade. If so, it comes probably from a very small manufactory or a special order or selfmade.

I personally think it was self made by the user or exactly after his wishes.

The shape of the blade reminds me in a Bowieknife, the crossguard looks like European or American style, the shape of the hilt also.

The integrated crossguard excludes an Asian production (imho).

So if you are from the United States, we probably have a kind of very heavy Bowieknife here (woodchopper knife), similar to this one, which I found on pinterest.

Roland

Unclebob · 8th December 2017, 03:30 PM

Certainly a similar shape blade to that Bowie! I'm in the UK, so still not sure of its origins.
Another photo after a sympathetic cleanup. There were faint marks on the 'tang' showing where the original grips ended, so that was handy when making a new one!

Ian · 8th December 2017, 07:31 PM

Quick question Bob. Is the edge V-ground or a chisel grind?

Ian

Unclebob · 8th December 2017, 09:39 PM

I'd say it has a convex grind to the edges.
It's got to be a one off blade, but was certainly well made.
At the end of the day, I don't suppose we'll ever know what it was all about, you'd certainly have to be a big man to wield the thing with any effect

Ian · 9th December 2017, 05:59 PM

One possibility, given it is so large and heavy, is that this was once an advertising display for an old cutler. We have seen examples of oversized pieces before that were used for that purpose. Just a thought.

Ian.

Unclebob · 9th December 2017, 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ian

One possibility, given it is so large and heavy, is that this was once an advertising display for an old cutler. We have seen examples of oversized pieces before that were used for that purpose. Just a thought.

Ian.

And a good thought it is too! That never occurred to me, you could be right!

6th December 2017, 07:05 PM	#1
Unclebob Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 21	Massive Clip Point Knife I found this very large knife recently; It's 2 ' long and weighs 4 1/2 lbs. It has a nice convex cross section and the false edge is sharpened. I don't believe it's a machete, with the clip point. Any ideas? Attached Images

7th December 2017, 07:25 PM	#5
Unclebob Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 21	Thanks for your comments, chaps; The Gentleman whom I got the knife from said his neighbour had been using it as a wood chopper, indeed, the spine had a flattened spot where it'd been hit a few times! There are the remains of rivets in the handle area, which is slightly more corroded, as you would expect with something which had been used outdoors for many years, with water being trapped behind the, presumably, wood grips. The photo is actually taken from directly above; I've included another photo, taken at the same time, together with a Mk1 Kukri for size, in case it looks better. I have undertaken a simple restoration of the blade and installed a new handle. The blade is harder on the cutting edges, than near the crossguard (checked it with a centre punch!) I'll do a photo of how it looks now and maybe get the lighting better.... Attached Images

8th December 2017, 11:41 AM	#6
Roland_M Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Germany Posts: 525	Hello, I think it is possible, that we see an old Bowie-Knife style blade. If so, it comes probably from a very small manufactory or a special order or selfmade. I personally think it was self made by the user or exactly after his wishes. The shape of the blade reminds me in a Bowieknife, the crossguard looks like European or American style, the shape of the hilt also. The integrated crossguard excludes an Asian production (imho). So if you are from the United States, we probably have a kind of very heavy Bowieknife here (woodchopper knife), similar to this one, which I found on pinterest. Roland Attached Images Last edited by Roland_M; 8th December 2017 at 11:53 AM.

8th December 2017, 03:30 PM	#7
Unclebob Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 21	Certainly a similar shape blade to that Bowie! I'm in the UK, so still not sure of its origins. Another photo after a sympathetic cleanup. There were faint marks on the 'tang' showing where the original grips ended, so that was handy when making a new one! Attached Images

7th December 2017, 05:12 PM	#2
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,194	Hi unclebob, Welcome to the Forum! That's an interesting old knife you have there. The shape of the blade is vaguely reminiscent of an old Thai blade form, commonly called an enep today. That said, this is not a Thai knife IMO. I think what you have is a western interpretation of an old knife form--the integral guard and hilt suggest western manufacture to me. Perhaps this is someone's version of a "scimitar." Hopefully one of our members will come along with a more specific answer for you. Ian.

7th December 2017, 06:14 PM	#4
Robert EAAF Staff Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Centerville, Kansas Posts: 2,196	Hello Bob, If would not mind could you post another photo of this knife? A new photo taken from directly above would help as the one now shown looks as if it was taken at a slight angle and appears to show a distorted view of the piece. That being said, this looks to me as if it might be of Mexican design and origin. Thank you for posting this unusual piece. I too am very interested in seeing what other members have to say about it. Best, Robert

8th December 2017, 07:31 PM	#8
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,194	Quick question Bob. Is the edge V-ground or a chisel grind? Ian

8th December 2017, 09:39 PM	#9
Unclebob Member Join Date: Dec 2017 Posts: 21	I'd say it has a convex grind to the edges. It's got to be a one off blade, but was certainly well made. At the end of the day, I don't suppose we'll ever know what it was all about, you'd certainly have to be a big man to wield the thing with any effect

9th December 2017, 05:59 PM	#10
Ian Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: The Aussie Bush Posts: 4,194	One possibility, given it is so large and heavy, is that this was once an advertising display for an old cutler. We have seen examples of oversized pieces before that were used for that purpose. Just a thought. Ian.