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Blade Identification.

Keith

Keith

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Age
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This knife belonged to my Father. Can anyone tell me what this knife is & what is its function please.
Thank you.
Keith.

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The cutting edge is only beveled on one side of the blade.
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This part is not sharpened at all.
 
It's a new one on me Keith, I've never seen one like it before. Could it be an unfinished alteration?
 
At first I thought a filleting knife...then thought it may be a knife for cutting linoleum Kieth as the tip is hooked up the way. The only thing I can find with a hook like this is a cane knife and the hook was used to pick up the cut cane but your knife lookes much smaller and it doesn’t explain why it’s only beveled on one side which suggests a shaving tool (chisel like). It has me stumped keith
 
It doesn't have the pronounced hook of a gutting knife and that doesn't explain the blade only being ground on one side. It doesn't look like a grass hook either.
My best guess (and it's only a guess even after a lot of scrabbling through my collection of country craft books) is that it is a boot maker or leather workers knife called an uppercutter, used for separating and cutting seams. There is also a similar tool used by sailmakers.
 
mark wilson said:
Did your father have a trade or what did he work as Keith ? May be a clue in that mate
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He used to be a mechanical engineer, owned his own shop. But he did a lot of his own maintenance at home. Resold his own shoes, anything about the house.
Keith.
 
Keith said:
He used to be a mechanical engineer, owned his own shop. But he did a lot of his own maintenance at home. Resold his own shoes, anything about the house.
Keith.
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Talented man then:thumbsup:

am guessing it’s a specialised tool then Keith.
 
I am wondering if it is a flensing knife, for removing fat from skin, sometimes within the body. A very similar profile can be seen on whalers' flensing knives (albeit much larger). So, could it be to do with leather preparation in shoemaking?
 
Sorry BB, nothing like that, flensing or flenching knives come in a wide variety of shapes but they've got one thing in common, they're all razor sharp with long edges, often more like a medieval pike. If I'm correct this one has only the very short cutting edge on the top of the blade. Nothing like it shown in my books in the sections on Tanners tools either but I suppose it could have been adapted from an old butchers knife. I'm sticking with "uppercutter".
 
ystranc said:
Sorry BB, nothing like that, flensing or flenching knives come in a wide variety of shapes but they've got one thing in common, they're all razor sharp with long edges, often more like a medieval pike. If I'm correct this one has only the very short cutting edge on the top of the blade. Nothing like it shown in my books in the sections on Tanners tools either but I suppose it could have been adapted from an old butchers knife. I'm sticking with "uppercutter".
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Okey dokey - it was just a thought :)
 
The thing that’s throwing me? When you look at the bevels in the picture they run on different sides. This means it cuts in different directions?


@Keith do we get a prize for the right answer :rofl:
 
ystranc said:
Sorry BB, nothing like that, flensing or flenching knives come in a wide variety of shapes but they've got one thing in common, they're all razor sharp with long edges, often more like a medieval pike. If I'm correct this one has only the very short cutting edge on the top of the blade. Nothing like it shown in my books in the sections on Tanners tools either but I suppose it could have been adapted from an old butchers knife. I'm sticking with "uppercutter".
Click to expand...
The full length of the blade is sharpened. The part on the back that stands up is not sharp.
Keith.
 
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