Arctic? knife/tool? ideas?

[Tim Simmons]

Or a tourist paper knife? Curios car boot buy £1.

Bone blade antler handle. Blade set into the handle. I have no idea as to the adhesive material except it looks like a dried animal substance rather like bone marrow. Decorated as can be seen. Has a patina of prolonged use, which my picture only give a hint of. The blade shows signs of heavier use than opening letters. Total length 164mm, blade 96mm. Lots of pics to follow.

[Lew]

Tim

Moose or caribou antler I think? Most likely a letter opener the tip chipped off at some point.

Lew

[Tim Simmons]

Yes I would think a late 19th early 20 century quality tourist piece would by now have an old patina of use. The chips are worn smooth but I suppose they are polished from years of opening letters.

[Henk]

Nice find Tim.
When antler is heated in boiling water the inner part becomes soft. When the tang is put in its place and the antler is cooling down the knife is thight in the gripp.
In the bronze age the tang of bronze knifes where heated and stuck into the antler and in this way attached to an antler gripp.

It has a scandinavian look to me. A letter opener could be. But bone knifes where used in the past.

[Tim Simmons]

Thanks Henk. It does have good age my pictures do not really show that well. The blade does have that "Peuko" or what ever shape. A paper knife was my first thoughts to. It may well be a paper knife, whoever had it cut paper all day long, every day like a filleter cuts fish all day, judging by the polish, wear and patina?

[Tim Simmons]

I am starting to think more seriously about this paper knife. It just does not smack me as a tourist item because it has been well used, also although decorated it is very understated. Look at this link. It does not down load fast or well for me but note-

63571 Bone snow cutter
60896 Bone implement
35169 Bone implement

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...%3Den%26sa%3DN

[Tim Simmons]

No idea what the red dots were, I just pushed them off with my thumb nail.

[Tim Simmons]

There are more Arctic people in the Eurasian continent than the Sami.

[Henk]

Tim,
From the beginning i was convinced it isn't a tourist knife. This knife has a story and didin't started its life as a letter opener. I think it is a bit to short for a snow cutter. Those knifes are longer.
I suppose you don't have the scabbard?

The more i look at it the more i see an older knife and most probably from the arctic area. Antler and bone is there more avaible than iron.

Look at this knife. I bought it in Sweden on a fair during a summer holiday. It has a bit the same look like your knife. That's why I think you have to look in the scandinavian area for its origin.

[Lew]

Tim

Ice knives usually have much longer curved blades.

http://www.athropolis.com/arctic-fac...gloo-build.htm

Lew

[Tim Simmons]

Perhaps a food knife. Or a knife like a tool as in sail makers knife/tool? or a fisherman's net repair tool? It could have a specific function? Cutting paper I dare say I will try and get a few better pics then contact a Finnish Lapp museum that specialises in Sami culture and heritage.

[Lew]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

Perhaps a food knife. Or a knife like a tool as in sail makers knife/tool? or a fisherman's net repair tool? It could have a specific function? Cutting paper I dare say I will try and get a few better pics then contact a Finnish Lapp museum that specialises in Sami culture and heritage.

Tim

You forgot this could have been used as a spreading knife for jam or peanut butter or to smear caribou fat on a bagel or toast .


Lew

[ausjulius]

snow knives.. inuit

[Tim Simmons]

Lew what a good Idea. A fat spreading knife, food utensil for sure, used almost daily even three times a day? Also the fact of being handled with fat and other food stuffs would help polish and patina the knife. Without a skidu in the late 19th early 20th century to find a shop selling you a butter knife would far away and a waste of time and fuel .