What are the period-blade types?

[TheOtherLeft]

Hi pards,

Other than the bowie blade profile, what are the period knives? Dagger etc? I'm doing a bit of research to find a period-type knife to wear on my gun belt for SASS.

Thanks.

[Major 2]

Off the top of my head

Skinners, Hunters, Butcher, paring blades, Roach belly, even long hunters, dirks and daggers were belt knives..
It depended much on the profession you employed...
A buffalo Hunter might have 3 blades on his belt, a cowboy may have carried a Folder, Barlow or maybe roach style Sodbuster ,
a towns man = a pin knife, a gambler = a dirk or push dagger.

If your buying, Check out Crazy Crow or Track of the Wolf for Russell Green River knives...
Good Carbon Steel will serve you well, holds an edge.
Sheffield is still in Business and still has some of their 19th century blades offered...

Steer clear of the fantasy blades, and I you're looking for authentic , Stainless steel & Damascus as SS is 20th. century and Damascus was extremely rare.

 
Personally, I sometimes carry a Roach belly belt knife ( charcoal forged carbon steel ) other times a Horseman's folder.

[litl rooster]

I like them horseman knifes

[Camano Ridge]

As Major2 stated the green river knives where very prominent as well as the bowie style in all it's variation. The Common butcher knife was popular due to it's size durability and availability. Look At Chuck Burrows Desert Rose Trading Company web site his knife blades are what would have been found in the 1800's, also Swamp Fox makes knives are of the type found in the 1700's early 1800's

Damascus did exist however as stated it was rare . Knife makers such as James Black of Washington Arkansas was documented as having made Damascus, he is also one of the Blacksmiths that reportedly made one of Jim Bowies knives ( there is a lot of discussion as to which one). Damascus did not come into vogue until the 1960's when bill Moran began making it. Stainless is strictly 20th century.

The pictures below show a selection of blade types all are from the 1800's. The Ulu is an Eskimo utensil and probably found it's way down in the later 1800's during the gold rush era.

[Sacramento Johnson]

Howdy!
Besides occupation and  geographic location in the country, it also depends on which "period" you're talking about.  What  was popular in the 1860s wasn't the same as the 1890s, for example.  Refine your character and time period, and the folks here will be able to give you more precise recommendations.
Those 40 years were a period of extensive changes across the boards; from clothing, foot ware, hats, saddles, and firearms, to modes of transportation, communication, and health care, etc.

[Books OToole]

When is the earliest (documented) use of stacked leather handles? 
[Like K-bars, M-4s, Randalls, etc.]

Books



Sorry to hi-jack the blade question; but I though it sorta fit.

[St. George]

Turn of the century.

First popular with Marble's knives.

Scouts Out!

[Octagonal Barrel]

This response might come a little late for the OP, but others might benefit.  If you want to read about fur trade, frontier, and early old west (read cowboy) knife blade types and materials for yourself, you might want to see Carl P. Russel's "Tools, Traps, and Firearms of the Mountain Man."  It is a scholarly book, more in the field of comparative archaeology than of general history (don't expect a "general interest" writing style).  It focuses on fur trade era artifacts, but that's not really too early for those interested in historical CAS appropriate blades.  Knives and axes changed very slowly through that period of American history, as Russel documents.

There is a chapter called, "Knives of the Frontiersman" which is quite applicable.  It has no photographs, but it does have line drawings of museum artifacts which clearly show blade types.  Blade and handle materials are discussed.  Of particular interest would be drawings of several early Bowie types, an Ames Rifleman's Knife from Murphy's Camp, CA, c. 1849, a couple of U.S. military hunting knives c. 1880's, not a few scalping knives, and a number of native American "dags."  Really, the whole chapter would be of interest to a lot of people on this forum.

My copy is for my e-reader, but you'd be better off with a paper copy if you can find it, since you'll be flipping back and forth between diagrams and footnotes.  If you're a scholar at heart, read it.

[Gabriel Law]

I have a three book series by James Johnson called "Accoutrements".  In the back pages of the books you'll find many great images of period knives, of all types.  Great reference material, but difficult to find some of these earlier issues.

[GunClick Rick]

One called "The Fifth Ace"

[Houston]

What would be appropriate for a Texan around 1880-1895?

[GunClick Rick]

Depends on what he did,i have a book gamblers and tools or somethun like that,i'll dig it out and take some pics.gambler would be dagger,dirks,there is one in the book called the fifth ace,probably mostly mother of pearl handles,ivory and such,if they were buff hunters skinners and such,like the Hickorys or Hudson bay company.I will say one thing though i have an old skinner and never liked the look of them till i got one,but if i had to that would be my go to knife for skinnin and fightin,you can lay your thumb on the back of that baby and slice somebodys hade offin his shoulders.It has a beaded pouch also.Know that's just mostly my opinion,Sir Charles will know more than i and Chuck also..All i know is what i have in my collection.The Daniel Boone replica you can find on line,i have one it;s not bad for a replica.All the same but big difference in price.

http://www.amazon.com/Boone-Knife-Daniel-Replica-Bowie/dp/B007C22XZY

http://www.smkw.com/webapp/eCommerce/products/Szco%C2%AE/Daniel+Boone+Bowie+Replica/MIDB1.html

[Houston]

Thanks.  This might be a dumb question, but in Texas there's a 5.5" blade limit and they specifically ban bowie knives.  I know the rules don't apply on your own property, but would they be ok at CAS events?

[GunClick Rick]

Sort of the same thing here,you can own them but can't wear them in the city,but i wear mine to the Sequoias all the time as i am only about an hour away below them..

[Sacramento Johnson]

Howdy Houston!
I went to a  big annual CAS match in Texas a few years back and wore a Rio Grande Camp Knife bowie (definitely more than 5.5 inches!) made by Case for the several day match  and had no problems what so ever; nor did any of the other many, many shooters with knives more than 5.5 inches long.