Tag: history

The Sharp History of the Fruit Knife (Melon Tester), Vegetable Knife

The original folding fruit knife was made of silver and mother-of-pearl in the late

Watermelon Testing Plug Obtained With a Fruit Knife
Watermelon Testing Plug Obtained With a Fruit Knife, But It Looks Like They Are Doing a Little More Than Just Testing!

1700’s in England. Why those materials? Silver is relatively soft, but it is resistant to the citric acid that would eat away at steel. Also, silver has anti-microbial qualities, which would tend to keep the knife free from harmful growths of bacteria. Mother-of-pearl is also impervious to citric acid, and it adds to the beauty of the knife. The less expensive fruit knives had celluloid handles, which would also be resistant to the acid content of fruits.

Today, most fruit knives are made of stainless steel. Sometimes plastic handles are used, to make the knife handle last longer.

In America, the fruit knife became popular in the 1930’s. Many companies would have their logo imprinted on the plastic handles in their corporate colors. They would give these as advertising products to their customers. Many are found in the possession of knife collectors today.

 

PURPOSE:

These specialty knives are made with very long skinny spear blades. Some blades are serrated. They are used by fruit and meat inspectors to get a sample from deep inside the product. The inspectors can then examine the smell, texture, and color of the product.

Credits: Some of this information is from the book Advertising Cutlery, Richard D. White, 1999.

Engraved Pocket Knives Worth Over $600 Each

Boker Leopard Damascus II Knife 111054dam
Boker Leopard Damascus II Knife 111054dam

This is a pocket knife that encases a piece of history. But why is it worth over $600?

  1. These Engraved Pocket Knives are made from recycled steel from the barrel of the German battle tank Leopard I. So, the material is in short supply.
  2. They have historic value, and are cherished by collectors.
  3. The Damascus blade is made by a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. That design is not laser engraved. It actually shows the layers that were made by forging, folding, forging, and folding again, many times.
  4. This knife comes with a certificate of authenticity.
  5. The aluminum handle is hardcoated 6061-T6 and has Ziracote wood insets.

This knife makes a unique retirement gift for a seasoned employee.

Fun With A Fruit Knife

Fruit Carving Masterpieces
Fruit Carving Masterpieces

 

Carving with a fruit knife has become an art. It may have started in Thailand. If you have been on a cruise ship, you surely have seen some buffets decorated with carved fruit. It is time consuming, and requires great skill and patience. Here are some fine examples of the handiwork of the best fruit and vegetable carvers…..

Carved Apple
Carved Apple
Apple With Carved Hearts
Apple With Carved Hearts
Carved Orange Rind
Carved Owls
Carved Owls
Carved Apple Butterfly
Carved Apple Butterfly
Carved Fruit Buddies
Carved Fruit Buddies
Carved Fishes
Carved Fishes
Carved Watermelon Fishes
Carved Watermelon Fishes
Decorative Apple Skin
Carved Watermelon Display
Carved Watermelon Display

 

Click here for more on the history of fruit carving.

 

My Quest For The Best Pocket Knife

Case Knives, now owned by Zippo, has an interesting knife museum in Bradford

Case Knife Museum
Case Knife Museum in Bradford PA

Pennsylvania. The museum has samples of the early knives and the stories behind them. My nephew, Tim Pike accompanied me since he has been a knife fan for years. His grandfather, Thomas Pike, used to have Fort Tuscarora on Route 172 in Lisbon Ohio. History, guns, and knives runs in the family.

My quest for the best pocket knife was easy at the Zippo/Case Museum, because of the abundance of knives there. This place is open to the public, and I highly recommend it to knife collectors. These pictures were taken in 2006, so things might have changed since then. According to their website, the place is open 7 days a week, and boasts of 100,000 visitors per year, from all over the world.

Zippo Repair Clinic
Zippo Repair Clinic

 

 

Historical Case Knives
Historical Case Knives
More Historical Case Knives
More Historical Case Knives

 

 

 

 

Dave Navoyosky
Dave Navoyosky
Tim Pike
Tim Pike
Tim Pike
Tim Pike

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case Display
Case “Wall of Fame” Display

 

 

 

What is the Best Pocket Knife of All Time?

How to Find The Best Pocket Knife of All Time
How to Find The Best Pocket Knife of All Time

How do you choose the best pocket knife? Some of the new tactical knives have really cool designs. But, since they don’t have a history of popularity, they can’t be considered in this contest. They may be popular now, but that might be short-lived.

The winner must have a history of popularity for many years. How about 1964? If a knife style was invented in that year, like the Buck 110 Folding Hunter, would that be a long enough history? What about the 1600’s? That time frame would certainly be a long enough history. That’s 400 years, or 4 centuries. If a pocket knife style is still as popular now, as it was 400 years ago, that would make it the winner. So that’s how I came up with the winning knife. If you don’t agree, please post your comments here.

I believe the Best Pocket Knife of All Time is the Barlow Knife. Once used by George Washington, and Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer.

SCH278CP Schrade Jackmaster Barlow

Barlow Knives Company Gets Sold For the Third Time

65010 Small Rosewood Pocketknife-Gold
65010  Barlow Small Rosewood Pocketknife-Gold

Quick History of the Barlow Knife Co.

The famous Barlow Knives are well-known by people who appreciate a well-made, quality business gift. They were originally made in the USA by Barlow, a company that was based in Los Angeles CA from 1930 to 2005. Barlow made pocket knives, key chains, and money clips and imprinted the customer’s logo on them. This was very popular for businesses to promote themselves to their customers. Barlow products had a lifetime Warranty. If the if the items broke, or failed, the end user could just mail it to Barlow for a repacement. The shipping both ways was paid for by the end user. After 12 years, we still get inquiries about this warranty, which is no longer available.

Barlow Consort Knife
Barlow Consort Knife
  1. In 2005 the promotional product industry giant, Norwood bought them. Production was kept in China, where Barlow transferred it in 2003, just 2 years before the sale.
  2. Then in June 2009, the Great Recession forced Norwood Promotional Products Holdings, Inc. to declare bankruptcy. So the Barlow Knives brand was once again sold. This time, BIC Graphic North America, another giant, bought Norwood at auction for $162.5 Million. BIC kept the Norwood brand and the little Barlow brand.
  3. Probably the inability to make enough profit forced BIC to sell in June 2017. HIG Capital bought BIC Graphic North America and its Asian sourcing Division for a mere $80 Million. The sales at the time were over $300 Million, according to Bizjournals.com. So this is the third time that the Barlow brand was sold. HIG Capital of Miami FL is a huge company with $21 Billion in equity capital under management. Promotional products are not new to them. They bought Halo, a promotional product distributor, in 2003, and sold it in 2007. The selling price was $62.5 Million. So the $80 Million price it paid for BIC was a real bargain.

It is expected that HIG will continue the same service and products, and do well in this market. Hopefully, the Barlow brand will continue.

9 Barlow Knives That You Didn’t Know Existed

When you hear the words “barlow knives”, most people think about the old fashioned knives that were invented in England in 1670. More of their background is shown here on “History of Barlow Knives“. These knives were built rugged, with an over-sized brass bolster, so the blade was firmly secured in its cradle. They were, and still are, 3 3/8” long closed. Their familiar slight tear-drop shaped makes it comfortable in the palm of your hand when using it. They come in all prices, and are made by many knife manufacturers around the world.

But here are 9 Barlow knives that you may not have heard of. They aren’t fashioned after the famous barlows. They used to be made by the Barlow company in Los Angeles, California until the turn of this century. Barlow was bought out by another company, which kept the trade name. This company, Norwood, was bought out by Bic Graphic about 10 years ago. These Barlow knives, some of them renamed, are sought after by people who remember the original LA company, and like their quality and economy. So here are the 9 popular Barlow knives that you may not have known existed until today…..

20207_Z.jpg Consort Knife

 

20256_Z.jpg Adventure Knife

65080_Z.jpg Small Rosewood Pocket Knife-Silver

65010_Z.jpg Small Rosewood Pocketknife-Gold

65028_Z.jpg 6-Function Pocket Knife

21044_Z.jpg Lynx Pocket Knife 21044

 

21086_Z Cushion Grip Knife 21086

21174_Z Framelock Folding Knife 21174

21050_Z Pocket Knife/Carabiner 21050