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Old 09-15-2005, 01:12 PM
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Carbon Blade Pics

I thought it might be more appropriate to post this in the Off Topics forum.
As mentioned here are some pics of the Murphy kitchen users I use every day.
First a pic of one of the small Murphys I use for everything everyday. The blade shows
staining after over two months of use. It is cleaned only with abrasive sponge, soap
and water, then kept dry.


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Old 09-15-2005, 01:18 PM
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Second pic is the same blade after I clean it, again with sponge, then buffed with Buff compound in powder form and a rag. (then lightly honed) of note: this knife is over 65 to 75 years old!


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Old 09-15-2005, 01:21 PM
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Next is the large Murphy I use every other day, after one month. Only cleaned after use with
water and sponge.


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Old 09-15-2005, 01:28 PM
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Now here is a pic of my 1930's?/40's? Murphy knife set. It's the largest set that was ever available at the time
and very rare. This set I restored painstakingly to it's old glory. I also restored the original box, lining, and support bridge.


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Old 09-15-2005, 02:07 PM
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Cool. Did Murpy name the knives? The top and second pic looks like a Gerber Pixie, I think it was called.


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Old 09-15-2005, 02:17 PM
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Very cool set, Marc! :cool:

Great job on the restoration!

The sleek, plain design is so "modern" for knives that are almost as old as Seussbrother.

(Sorry, Allan, I coudn't resist.)

Cheers!

David


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Old 09-15-2005, 02:55 PM
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Murphy co-founded the Gerber Co. Before Gerber ever existed, Murphy was forging knives himself under Murphy knives. He used aluminum blocks of old engines of airplanes to cast the handles. Then he preffered the Tungsten tool steel as blade material. I recall Murphy operated under it's own name un til late 1940's early 50's.

These are original pre-Gerber Murphy knives which are rare. If you look closely the difference between a Gerber and a Murphy is predominantly the angle of the butt end. The Gerbers angle of the butt is opposite. Also the Gerbers (which were a cheaper copy of Murphys) plate the handle with chrome, making it very difficult to restore. The blades are also chromed, which makes it nearly impossible to restore, unless you remove all the plating. Murphys are solid blocks of aluminum, and original finish tool steel. Technically the Murphys are hand forged, and have a Moran convex edge. The blades are also thicker.
I believe the Gerbers are ground stock tool steel, then chromed. Good knives, cut well, but not Murphys.
(thats Murphy's law! )

Murphy called the knives " Frontier Blades" Blades built in the tradition of the West... where a man's life depended on his knife" He advertised his blades as multi function for food or defense against a Bear if necessary. The set I am showing was called "The Master set" and was the largest.

The 10" blade is "the Roaster", The 8" blade is the "Fowler", The 6" blade is the "Steaker"
The 9" fish blade is the "Filet Knife", The 3" blades are the " Small steak knife".

Under care of the blades the brochure states: "Wash off the grease and foods under very hot water and apply a coarse household cleanser to be sure all grease has been removed. Do not be afraid of scratching the finish. Wipe dry and replace in the hardwood box provided"

That is what I basically do with these blades and it works for me. The finish does not scratch!.

Moose,
you are correct that the Murphy blades were way ahead of their time in design, and extremely competitive even in this market. Just like Seuss was, when he was in his prime back then??
thanks for the compliment! restoring the set was pretty time consuming to say the least!.t


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Old 09-15-2005, 03:20 PM
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I wonder if we would be aware of Murphy's talent today if he had not hooked up with Gerber the businessman. Depending on how you look at it, its a classic tail of artist exploited by a shrewed marketeer. When would you date that set? Pre or post war? I would guess post.


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Old 09-15-2005, 07:32 PM
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The beauty about finding this set, although it was in sorry shape when I first got it (felt was powder, blades were in bad need of restoration, box finish was flaking and powdered etc.) the big surprise was that the original brochure was intact inside the box. Unfortunately the brochure does not show a date anywhere. Maybe Seussbro. could give us a clue as to the age of the set , since most would agree that he is the expert in fossil history.

Looking at the fonts, pics and design, what do you guys think?


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Old 09-15-2005, 07:34 PM
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Back side..


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Old 09-15-2005, 07:37 PM
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Looking at the prices.. the felt Master set was $100 at the time!


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Old 09-15-2005, 09:05 PM
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Marc,
....Just a very uneducated feeling on my part but the style of the brochure reminds me of the 1950s. That is a wonderful set of knives. GOOD on you for taking the time and putting the effort into restoring them so nicely.
Jeff
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Old 09-16-2005, 07:55 AM
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Hi Jeff, thanks for the nice comments. My guess would be late 40's, early 50's??


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