Mexican Dagger

[Aurangzeb]

Hello All!

I got this from Therion a while ago. It has made in Mexico crudly wrote on the blade as well as a even cruder inscription that says LPF'Z. Strange? Is there a proper name for this type of Mexican knife? Any idea on age? Any comments are welcome!

Mark...

[The Double D]

Car springs are a favorite material for knives in Mexico. That has all the earmarks of a typical Tourist pattern. I have a friend that has a Bowie like pattern made in Mexico and from a car spring. He uses it for cutting kindling wood and chopping chores around camp. He says he has never sharpened it and it is very sharp. The may not all be pretty, but they can be very functional.

I am surprised it says made in Mexico and not hecho en Mexico.

[Nagawarrior]

I like these Mexican knifes Mark. I have one too. They sure have a mean look.
Steve
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Nagawarrior/Mexican/IMG_1059.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v229/Nagawarrior/Mexican/IMG_1060.jpg

[Aurangzeb]

Yes, These certainly have a vicious look to them, I wonder if this is more than just a tourest knife. I wonder if these are made by cutlers but are popular amongst tourists like Shibriyas? The blade is good quality steel so leaf springs seem like a good source of steel, I have a Talibon made from a leaf spring. Double D- Se habla Espanol?

Mark...

[Ian]

Very similar knives can be found in areas of Luzon in the Philippines. Hardly surprising given the close historical ties these two Spanish colonies had.

The Philippine version was being produced well into the late 20th C. and may still be made.

Ian.

[The Double D]

Double D- Se habla Espanol?

Mark...
Un poco, sufficiente por mi trabajo, y nada mas...Border spanish and very poorly spoken. More properly Border Spanglish-English/Spanish mixture of words.

You see these knives all over the mercados in the border towns. I would call them part of the border culture.

[Aurangzeb]

Gracious Double D! I am in high-school and I am going on my third year of Spanish lessons.

Mark...

[tom hyle]

The name is bowie or bolo. Note that many of these have a reverse wedge section at the ricassoe; possibly evidence of intended edge-up thrusting. Typically well-made and of traditional native styling. THe whole concept of tourist blades is, as I've often said, exaggerated in a number of ways, including that, as recently mentioned by another member, they must derive from something?............

[fenlander]

Yes, These certainly have a vicious look to them, I wonder if this is more than just a tourest knife. I wonder if these are made by cutlers but are popular amongst tourists like Shibriyas? The blade is good quality steel so leaf springs seem like a good source of steel, I have a Talibon made from a leaf spring. Double D- Se habla Espanol?

Mark...
Not disputing what you are saying about the quality of the steel but just interested as to how you know it is "good quality steel" ?

[Lew]

Not disputing what you are saying about the quality of the steel but just interested as to how you know it is "good quality steel" ?

Most of these knives are forged from recycled truck leaf springs which are made from 5160 steel. So yes it would be consider good steel.

Lew

[fenlander]

Ok thanks :)