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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,716
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Hello dear members,
I've bought my first navaja but my knowledge about this knives is very rudimentary and I hope that I get some answers to my questions from more knowledgeable members. So far I know are this sort of navajas associated with France but this one is stamped clearly with Zaragoza which is in the North of Spain. The other inscription I can't read. ![]() My questions: Is it a Spain navaja? How old is it? What is the scales material? Could it be celluloid? The knife is opened 40,5 cm long, closed it is 22,3 cm, blade 19,5 cm and 4,5 mm thick at the base. Weight is 247 gram. Thank you in advance for all comments! Regards, Detlef |
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,716
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Have found by youtube a very similar one, stamped with Zaragoza at the blade and the handle/scales material seems to be very similar.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vhDaJExEB4 |
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 731
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The blade is engraved Jun Valero, in some spanish forums says that valero imports this types of navajas from Thiers, France, to the spanish market.
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,716
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Thank you Carlos,
Very valuable information! ![]() Regards, Detlef |
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 675
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Detlef
As Carlos said, the current informed consensus is that they were made in France and distributed in Spain by Valero Jun. I am inclined to believe that this was indeed the case. Cheers Chris |
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#6 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,284
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Is there a particular reason that some of these French navajas do not have a positive lock when open?
Wouldn't inadvertent closing be a problem in a fight? |
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#7 | |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 675
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![]() Quote:
The long answer is somewhat more complex and perhaps you may look up the posts I made years ago on navajas, as this subject was discussed at some length time and again. Have a look at post #9 and #11 of this thread http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...anual+baratero Cheers Chris |
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#8 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,284
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Thanks for jogging my memory with that thread, Chris.
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#9 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,716
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Thank you Chris!
So it's a "Spanish" navaja in French style. ![]() Age early 20th century? Handle scales from celluloid? Thank you for sharing your knowledge! ![]() Regards, Detlef |
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#10 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Chino, CA.
Posts: 217
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Time/place of creation I can't help with. Usage I can help with. You want a book called Manual Of The Baratero: The Art of Handling the Navaja, the Knife, and the Scissors of the Gypsies. It's the oldest and really the only exclusive old treatise on knife fighting, using knives of this type.
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#11 | |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 675
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![]() Quote:
This knife was made, according to Forton and other sources, late in the 19th century. The handle scales were usually bone. I'll add that Forton's books are the definitive resource on these knives and no other extant work even remotely approaches their content. Unfortunately they remain untranslated. Cheers Chris |
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#12 | |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 675
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![]() Quote:
Cheers Chris |
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#13 | |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Chino, CA.
Posts: 217
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![]() Quote:
One is not well advised to read any old instructional with complete faith in it. You take what seems practical, applicable, and reasonable; You criticize and dismiss the rest. An actual hoax would be if it were written say 10 or 20 years ago and is pretending to date from the period that it does; Not simply being below the standard one subjectively expects or questionable as to some of it's prescriptions. |
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#14 | |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,716
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![]() Quote:
Regards, Detlef |
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#15 |
Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Australia
Posts: 675
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Detief,
Worth considering this superb book of Forton's. It presents 237 high quality photographs of antique navajas, Spanish, and others. The captions are in Spanish but at the back of the book these are reproduced in English:http://www.libreriagaudi.com/navajas...colecci%C3%B3n If you shop around, you may get it at a better price. Cheers Chris |
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#16 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,716
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Thank you again Chris!
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#17 |
Member
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 7
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Love your navaga ,I don't know much about these knives so if you and other members can help identify this one I have I would be very greatfull.
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