Interesting J Russell Knife

[44-henry]

Found a rather interesting Russel Green River knife. This one with the cast bolsters and rosewood handle looks a lot fancier than others I have seen. Any ideas how common they were?
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_store/item909-26778.html

 

[Stophel]

I've seen quite a few of them on this here internetz, so they're not that uncommon. I don't know exactly what the bolsters are made of, nor how they are attached... :hmm:

 

[44-henry]

My first thought were that they were cast in place of tin/pewter, but it looks like the bolster is pitted about the same as the blade so maybe they are steel. They look quite thin on the side view.

 

[Rifleman1776]

Found a rather interesting Russel Green River knife. This one with the cast bolsters and rosewood handle looks a lot fancier than others I have seen. Any ideas how common they were?
https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/knife_store/item909-26778.html[/quote]


Interesting site. He sure is proud of his knives. But, this is America, free enterprise rules. atriot: If people pay those prices, good for him.

 

[crockett]

Sort of unique. Looks more like sheet metal bent to shape than cast bolsters. Bernard Levine has some examples from the very late 1890's but I think the bolsters were cast in place and had more of a fancy pattern.

 

[Stophel]

I always figured they were sheet iron, and pinned/rivetted onto the wood handles, but I've never seen them up close.

 

[crockett]

In the Bernard Levine knife book the photographs look like the bolsters are pewter cast with a Fleur de lei(sic?) type decoration. Late 1890's. The blades were of the sheep skinner type.

 

[LaBonte]

They were done both ways - sheet metal as done in the pictured item as well as cast pewter.

I'd recommend "The Skinning Knife Book" by M. H. Cole - it has lots of info on these types of knives including the plethora of makers. Not cheap but a very good resource.

 

[crockett]

Chuck, do you recall the dates on either? I was just working from memory on the late 1880's and 1890's.

 

[PaulN/KS]

It looks a lot like an old knife that I got from my wife's cousin. It was used for killing the hogs by their grandfather. Mine is a Star Cutlery knife though, not a Russell.