Repurposed knife

[jrdavis]

I took and old table knife and re shaped it

 

[hanshi]

Very nice. I have two old knives that I'm slowly working on; carbon steel butcher knives.

 

[necchi]

Ok,, how does a 1930's bread knife fit in a forum about shooting accessories of a forum dated to pre-1865?
Gee, you found an old timey thing,, and made it work for,, even older timey thing,,?
It's really cool. Thanks for sharing photos of cool old timey stuff.

 

[Carbon 6]

You did an excellent job reworking that old knife into some fine tableware.....The style resembles a lot of 18th and 19th century continental designs.

 

[necchi]

The style resembles a lot of 18th and 19th century continental designs.

No. They don't at all. They look like 1930's butter knifes,, ground up to look different,, then 1930's butter knifes,,

 

[Artificer]

The history of “table” knives and forks made from sheet Iron/ Steel does indeed go back to the 18th century. They were not “common,” but they were known and normally owned by the more wealthy. Sometimes known as “Traveling Knife and Fork Sets.” One from the Colonial Williamsburg collections is listed as :
“Travelling fork and knife set
1750-1800

Maker: George Patten
Origin: Sheffield, England
Knife: Length: 7 1/8" Width: 5/8" Thickness: 7/16" Fork: Length: 7 1/16" Width: 5/8" Thickness: 3/8"
Steel, pewter and ivory
Gift of Beatrix T. Rumford

http://emuseum.history.org/view/objects/asitem/search@/117/title-asc?t:state:flow=7b129c00-1062-4b8f-bfab-5c17385d7e3e

The Traveling Set George Washington used on campaign during the AWI is similar, though most of the images of it are on pin interest and I’m not a member.

They were also known as “Sleeved Cutlery Sets.” Scroll down in the following link to see three rather plain sets and one tortoise shell set.

https://www.scribd.com/document/245277887/Food-Service-Cutlery

However, the manufacture of Steel Knives and Forks in this country began with the “Meriden Cutlery Company,” originally founded in 1832, but went into huge production from about 1855 onward

https://books.google.com/books/about/1832_Meriden_Cutlery_Co_1878.html?id=ezMMHAAACAAJ.

And

https://www.artdesigncafe.com/meriden-cutlery-co-design-catalogues


I am not entirely sure the following pieces are Civil War era, but that is the way they are listed;

https://www.rubylane.com/item/712219-T125060816-3/Civil-War-Era-Tableware-made-Meriden

Having lived in Fredericksburg, VA since the early 1970’s and having done quite a lot of UnCivil War Reenacting, I have been fortunate to see many of the HUGE collections of excavated/dug Civil War Artifacts/Relics and those in local museums and Gettysburg and other places. Though earlier knives and 2,3 and even 4 Tine Forks and Knives (sometimes silver plated from the 1840’s onward) have been excavated In Situ at both Federal and Confederate Camp Sites; one of the most common were Sheet Steel, 3 tine, plain wood grips and with two or three pins holding the wood scales on and may or may not have had a bolster near the blade. The other common ones were Sheet Steel, 3 Tine, wood handle, two or three pins, pewter bolsters on both ends of varying styles and some kind of “melted in” inlaid pewter designs. Less common were these Knives and Forks with Bone handles, though they also show up in the archeological record. What I did not know before looking for more information was the following information:

“Lamson & Goodnow Mfg. Co.,” Shelburne Falls, MA began cutlery production in 1847

http://industrialhistory.org/histories/lamson-goodnow-mfg-co-shelburne-falls/

Here is some really good information on the types used during the Civil War, though their reproduction forks are not the best.

https://sutleroffortscott.com/product/lamson-and-goodnow-knife-and-fork/

Though still not a great copy of originals, the “#443 19th Century Fork & Knife Set $16.75” set offered here shows one of the designs of “melted in” inlaid pewter designs I mentioned earlier. (They have a huge collection of Dug and Non Dug Artifacts they use as the basis of the reproduction items they make or sell.)

http://www.jarnaginco.com/CWUtencilsboxescans.html

Now of course the Wood or Bone Handled, Pewter Mounted, Sheet Steel Knives and Forks with 3 or 4 times continued to be manufactured in large quantities right up through the end of the 19th century and possibly into the early 20th century. So it is most likely that “most” of the originals still extant were made after the UnCivil War and almost certainly those that are in the best shape. Personally, I don’t care as a reenactor if an original Knife/Fork I use was manufactured 20 to 30 or more years after the UnCivil War, as long as it is “correct” for that time period. (I have been using earlier/original forged 2 Tined Forks that probably were not made until the late 18th century or early 19th century FOR YEARS when doing earlier FIW and AWI events.)

Oh, I also have re-shaped one of my original knives somewhat similar to the knife on the far right in the picture that jrdavis posted in his first post. I also sharpened mine so I could use it to cut meat and not just butter bread or use it “the old way” to scoop up other things to eat. Of course I always ate MUCH better at reenactments than Soldiers normally did during the UnCivil War.

Gus

P.S. I also have three Lancashire Pattern Hack Saw Frames that are “correct” for most of the 18th century onwards and I used at re-enactments in my “Artificers/Armorers” Tool Kit. Two of them are most likely from the 19th century because of the odd saw blade length and the one I used most often was made in the 1940’s. Yep, that hack saw was made over 200 years AFTER they were first used in the 18th century, but except for the markings on it, it is virtually the same as the original ones.