Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: osage outlaw on November 26, 2016, 08:43:31 pm
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I bought a box of rusty treasures at an auction today and this knife was in there. I can't figure out what it would be used for. My first thought was machete but the shape of it is all wrong for that. It's shaped like a kitchen knife but its 25" long. Any clues on what it was used for? I can't find any markings on it.
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20161126_192210_zps05hlbfkp.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20161126_192210_zps05hlbfkp.jpg.html)
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I don't know why I posted this in the bow section. ::) Could a mod please move it to the campfire page. Sorry
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Might sound ridiculous but due to it's length I would guess it's a pizza knife. Probably been sharpened so much the blade has curved inward like that.
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I always cut up cabbage for our church diner. I quarter them before I shread them. We have some almost that long. I would agree the shape of edge is from repeated sharpening. Looks like someone used it a lot at some point in time.
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I don't think its a pizza knife. It was from a rural area. I was thinking it was for farm or slaughter use.
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Thanks for moving it Pat.
I drove a long way for this auction and didn't end up getting much. I brought home some hatchets, a heat gun, 3 blacksmith forging tongs, and some other junk that was in the box. I was regretting the long drive until I found a bonus along the road on the way home. It's a big male coyote with a reddish color. It will make a nice quiver.
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/20161126_151326_zpsxjydtdk3.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/20161126_151326_zpsxjydtdk3.jpg.html)
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I've got one similar to it and was told it was just a big, Butcher knife.
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Clint I got some like that they were my grandfather's he would always use them to cut hind quarters into steaks with them when we were butchering deer.
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I think the boys have identified the possible uses.
How does it feel in your hand? I hope it always
reminds you of the folks from the past. I think
we all love these things because we don't want
to lose our connection with them.
The coyote is an awesome plus, Sweet
Zuma
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Back in the day a lot of people did their own butchering.Could explain all the sharpening done to it too.
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Nice looking yote
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I sent a picture of the knife to a farmer friend of mine and he said it was a corn knife. It was used to cut the ears off of the stalks.
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I gotta disagree with your farmer friend.I'm a farmer from a farmer from a farmer etc.Back in the day corn was harvested by hand called shucking.Here's a corn knife.Used for cutting thick stemmed weeds/chicken,duck and turkey heads off etc.Some may want to call this a matchete but it's not called that here.
(http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad41/Beadman1/DSCN1436_zpsxowz6gvy.jpg) (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/Beadman1/media/DSCN1436_zpsxowz6gvy.jpg.html)
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Ed, it looks almost like a sod knife or cane knife down in these parts.
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It's pretty sharp. I sliced through some 1/2" thick brush with it today.
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The whole premise about a corn knife is the weight in the blade to cut through things thick as it's very very sharp.I've cut tons of large dried sunflower stalks 1.5" thick through like butter with a corn knife like I showed walking bean fields.They don't do that any more nowadays.It's all done with chemicals.I'm sure it would cut sugar cane too.
OO...Why would your knife show a taper on the tip at the point?That's for stabbing and butchering.
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Didn't they use knives similar to that for cutting tobacco?
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Yup, that's a corn knife beadman, you can still buy them new on brown county Indiana. What you have OO an old butchering knife. Been used a lot too. Probably for more than butchering. Looks like a good old knife w lots of it's own memories. When you process cattle or hog, generally they used a bigger knife then we do today to cut up a deer or goat or sheep, whatever we are butchering today on our own. If it were mine I'd sharpen it up and put it w the rest of my kitchen knives. I'll send you a pic of the one I use to cut up hog or cut pizza. 😃 You can choose to post the pic or not. Good find in my mind.
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Here is a picture of Derik's knife. Looks like a good quality old knife.
(http://i666.photobucket.com/albums/vv22/Outlawstaves/IMG_3515_zpstggpbpfr.jpg) (http://s666.photobucket.com/user/Outlawstaves/media/IMG_3515_zpstggpbpfr.jpg.html)
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Since I've had er, she's cut 'er's share of fresh meat and pizza. 😃😃
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The first knife looks for all the world to me like an old trade knife, such as what we would consider a "scalper." My thoughts for that are the wear pattern on the blade from repeated sharpenings. The Natives preferred softer metal knives, as they would sharpen up with just regular rocks, but when the traders introduced better quality metals they balked, as the knives ate up their grindstones.
I don't have it in my hands, or I might could tell you a little more. I'm not even stating specifically that's what you have-merely that is immediately what came to mind when I saw it. Kinda felt like staring at a ghost.