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This Old Knife Here is a little forum dedicated to talking about, but not limited to, vintage and antique knives. Pics and stories of special knives or your favorite patterns are encouraged. No experts here. Just guys chattin about old knives and the legends we hav

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  #1  
Old 10-11-2009, 10:53 PM
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TexasJack TexasJack is offline
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Strange knife - look familiar??

A friend of mine has a relative that wants an old knife re-handled. He sent me this picture. Does this kind of knife look familiar to anyone? May have come from the Philippines.
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Old 10-12-2009, 08:11 AM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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If it didn't have the guard, I'd say it looked like the blades that they use to harvest and trim the agave used to make tequilla--certainly looks to be a utility blade given the lack of a point.

Most likely a chopper given the 'weight forward' orientation and the hooked butt-end...

It's the guard that looks out of place. Perhaps a fancied up version of an otherwise common harvesting blade... sugarcane... bamboo... what do they grow in the PI anyway?

Have fun with it. If you find out where it's from for sure, be sure to select a native wood.


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Old 10-12-2009, 10:22 PM
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TexasJack TexasJack is offline
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Yeah, that's kinda the read I had on it. Without the "S" guard, it looks like something for harvesting sugar cane/coconuts/bananas? Something. But if someone has seen a similar knife, I'd like to see one in reasonable condition.

This guy's f-in-law had a weird knife that he'd been using to cut watermelons for many, many years. It had a really cool patina (from the watermelons??), but the handle had been wiped out. It had been in the family for a long time. I fixed it up and they were pretty happy with how it turned out. Not sure how far back this one goes.

The curved handle has me a bit intrigued. Sorta cries out for something more than just 2 slabs of wood.

Any ideas out there??


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Old 10-17-2009, 01:39 AM
CWKnifeman CWKnifeman is offline
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Texas Jack has it right on the nose on that one. I Spent three years in the P.I. and say many of the sugar cane knives simular. The ones for coconuts and bananas mostly had a pointed blade tip and were longer, around 28 inches on average. Normally handled with Phil. Mahogany.
Curtis Wilson


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Old 10-22-2009, 12:35 AM
Cameron House Cameron House is offline
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What you have appears to be what remains of a US Army model 1904 or 1909 Bolo. 1904 had 12 inch blade 1909 had 14 inch blade. Blades Guide to Knives page 371. You guys are correct about the Philippine connection. Those knives were developed for jungle use after we battled the Spanish in the philippines.

Last edited by Cameron House; 10-22-2009 at 12:42 AM.
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Old 10-22-2009, 06:40 AM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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After a bit of research, I concur with Cameron. It looks like a 1904 'bolo' or 'Smatchet' as it was also called.

The original handles had four finger grooves.


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  #7  
Old 10-22-2009, 11:23 PM
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Thanks for your input! The guy is supposed to be sending me the knife next week.

Some pics from internet search for 1904 bolo:
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File Type: jpg 1904bolo1.jpg (14.4 KB, 63 views)
File Type: jpg 1904bolo2.jpg (18.0 KB, 54 views)


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Last edited by TexasJack; 10-22-2009 at 11:35 PM.
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Old 11-10-2009, 06:32 AM
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I would be remiss if I didn't post what I did with the knife that started this thread. The blade was deeply covered in rust and the spine had deep dents where someone had pounded it with a hammer to cut tree roots. (The spine is very thick.) The edge had plenty of chips as well. I wanted to keep as much of the original intact as possible. I gently sandblasted most of the rust off, then worked on the blade by hand with files and sandpaper. The original stampings (invisible under rust) came out beautifully.

The handle on this is tough to work with because it is both curved and tapered. I used 3 pieces of cocobolo held together with hidden pins, then held onto the handle with epoxy and visible pins (and brass thong hole). I started to make a new "S" guard, but decided to preserve the old one by rounding off the badly damaged top part. (Looked like it was melted.)

The sheath marks the first time I tried to make a frog. The snake skin appearance is thanks to a stamp made for me by the Sandy Morrisey (Thanks, Sandy!) I wanted it to come out looking old and a little beat up, like the knife.
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File Type: jpg Restored1904knife 001b.jpg (152.6 KB, 76 views)


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Old 11-13-2009, 01:05 AM
CWKnifeman CWKnifeman is offline
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You did a really good job, for the way that it started out. Thanks for sharing your work. Also the sheath looks great as well.
Curtis Wilson


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Old 11-13-2009, 06:42 AM
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Got a call yesterday that they had received the knife and were ecstatic about the way it turned out. In the end, that's what counts.


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Old 11-13-2009, 01:36 PM
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Chris Daigle Chris Daigle is offline
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Rick, I really like how you kept the character of the blade and didn't remove more than necessary. Great job on the sheath as well!

Chris
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  #12  
Old 02-08-2010, 10:18 PM
alex_champ alex_champ is offline
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Yes that's a bolo alright, widely used in the Philippines when they were ruled over by Spain. History has been told that a bolo which doesn't look life-threatening at all and seems to be easy to deal with is a myth. This weapon was used to "slaughter" Filipinos way back then.


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Old 02-23-2010, 02:15 PM
iheartweapons68 iheartweapons68 is offline
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That is a cool knife. I have never seen one like that before. Very unique.
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