ratcheting mechanism on Spanish Navajas

[Chris Evans]

A. G. Maisey:

According to Forton the bulk of the navajas were relatively small, if I remember right, six to nine inches in blade length. The larger ones were show pieces, many destined for the souvenir market.

And yes, the ones with very large blades, especially if a bit loose, could be flipped open.

As an aside, the technical problem with navajas once the blade length exceeded nine inches was that their weight went up significantly and they remained very weak at the pivot point.

I had assumed that they were weapons, rather than tools, and as weapons they required a very positive locking system to prevent the blade being closed on the user's hand by an opponent

This is another thesis for explaining the ratchet. If the main tooth failed, then there were others as `back-ups'


Machinist: I think that what you are describing with the rattle snake pommels are large folding knives made in France, mostly for the Spanish market.

Cheers
Chris