Choils and "Spanish Notches" on Ethnographic weapons

[Ian]

Just to throw some shades of gray onto the choil-notch thing, here is a 19th C. corvo that appears to have a choil, or is it a notch? What would you call it?


.

[Ian]

Thanks Detlef. Those are pretty odd looking choppers. Does the narrow section on some of these between the blade and the hilt qualify as a ricasso (even though it is much narrower than the blade itself)?. Some of them obviously have finger notches (not the typical Spanish Notch however)--do they also have a choil?

[A. G. Maisey]

A good idea to open up this discussion Ian.

In respect of the choil & notch thing, I feel I was on pretty solid ground in what I wrote in the other thread, but now I'm just floating an opinion.

I doubt that we can include the finger stop feature that is found on the Canary Island knives, on gaucho knives, on the Javanese choppers, and on similar blades, as either a choil or a Spanish Notch.

Even the unsharpened length of blade on that little Bali knife that I posted a photo of should perhaps be questioned as to whether or not it is legitimate to call it a choil. On the Bali knives this unsharpened, thicker length of blade is a design feature that is intended to permit the blade to be held to facilitate delicate work, this knife is designed to perform very delicate operations --- as an aside I have used these knives for many years as bench knives, and the design, which includes a chisel grind, is superlative for delicate operations.

So, if a choil is by definition a design feature that is put in place to facilitate the sharpening process, is it legitimate to name a design feature that has been put in place for a different reason to be named as a choil? I think not. That feature may serve a similar purpose to that of a choil, but is it a choil? No.

Applying a similar line of thought to the finger stop, or hand stop, found on Canary Island knives and other Spanish influenced knives, even though this finger stop appears in a similar position to that of the Spanish Notch, what is its primary purpose? Certainly not the primary purpose of the Spanish Notch.

Then we have the ricasso, something that I feel certain we all can recognise with ease at a distance of 20 paces. But can we? The ricasso comes in many forms, and when it declines from edge to hafting area, what do we call the section of decline? Is it a choil?

I tend to be a slightly pedantic in the use of words, I guess this sort of attitude might be forced upon one by virtue of profession or calling, but careful use of language can help to avoid problems after words have been spoken or written. I have developed the habit that when in doubt I ask Oxford, that is "The Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles".

If I do this with choil the entry tells me this:- First recorded use of the word "choil" was in 1888, origin is unknown, usage is related to cutlery, " The indentation in a pocket-knife where the edge of the blade adjoins the 'tang' or thick part by which it is hafted."

So it seems that the original use of the word "choil" was in the English cutlery trade and it was applied in particular to pocket-knives. The later more general use descended from this beginning. Usually the choil on a pocket-knife blade is just a little V or semi-circular shaped notch, so it would seem to me that in original usage the word 'choil' varied somewhat from the way in which this word is used at present.

This variation in use must direct our attention at the perhaps unanswerable question of just exactly where we draw the line in definition of the various names given to blade design features.

Pursuit of clarification in respect of this element of blade terminology could well see a new and better understanding of notches, choils, ricassos and finger stops --- and perhaps some other elements of blade design, the names of which presently escape me.

[Ian]

Something else to consider, Alan. Modern blade makers have added a further term to confuse the issue--a "finger choil"--set behind the "sharpening choil."


.

[A. G. Maisey]

Well Ian, that's a new one for me, but logically appropriate.

[Ian]

Elsewhere on this web site, Abel Domenech has posted a masterful essay on the knives of the South American gauchos. Here is what he has to say about the treatment of the ricasso area on many of these knives, and specifically the "Spanish notch" and the finger-stop structure:

"... Much has been written regarding the true purpose of the so-called "Spanish notch." As a matter of fact, on page 7 of ABKA Newsletter # 4 there is an interesting paragraph about Mr. Sterling Wortham's tracing of an old "Toledo" marked Spanish scissors and a discussion about the possible use of its "notches" when working with twine. Another interesting discussion on this issue was written by the late noted collector and writer Mr. William Williamson on the occasion of the publishing of a special work for the famous Exhibition of La Commission des Avoyelles (Bowie Knives/Origin & Development, October 1979 - pages 24 & 25). The two Spanish daggers shown on page 25 of that work show several features usually associated with gaucho puñales, including round bolsters and half-moon cuts on the ricasso, confirming the common roots of Bowies and gaucho knives. I have often asked myself if we can really link the purpose of those notches with the menacing rompe puntas (point breakers) of those Spanish left hand (main gauche) daggers used in the past, as has often been suggested; I really doubt it. It is possible that its intended use was that of catching the opponent's blade, but the shape of the notch present in some Bowies suggests another use to me. For example, the knife pictured in the book Bowie Knives by Robert Abels (The Ohio Hist. Scty, 1962), under number 3-K1A3c 10 1/2, depicts a corresponding hole in the sheath. This feature suggests an intended use to secure the knife to its scabbard by means of a leather thong. The notch in a well known Samuel Bell knife could have accommodated some quick release retention device, like a small short chain with a ring secured to the belt. Truly, it is a thrilling view that we get when we think about a duel occurring in those far gone days, during which the duelists try to break or catch the other's knife blade. But I think that we have to remember that the fighting methods of our ancestors were more dictated by their natural instincts, survival desire and personal skill than by formally educated and learned esgrima technique, like that of the different European swordsmanship schools. Thus, it is my personal belief that the presence of the "Spanish notch" responds to a less romantic or thrilling reason: it was more a cosmetic touch of the artisan who made the piece, reminiscent maybe of those European knives he might have seen, than a feature intended to be used in parrying techniques.

I also wish to point out that the ricasso of most puñales shows a "half-moon cut" whose use, it is generally accepted locally, was for the placement of the index finger when grasping the knife. This half-moon cut is especially useful when the owner intends to make a thrust with his knife, by preventing his hand from slipping onto the blade and cutting the fingers. Do our readers remember the story of Rezin cutting his fingers in the calf episode? The primitive knife Rezin was using on that occasion didn't have a guard and when Rezin Bowie stabbed a calf to kill it, his hand slipped onto the blade edge producing a severe wound. It is said that this accident led to the use of a guard in the knives subsequently ordered by Rezin. Gauchos used to place their index finger in that cut whether using their knives as cutting tools or as weapons. The finger inside the "half-moon notch" prevented the forward movement of the hand towards the blade edge and it also allows better control of the knife. (The blade notch on a Samuel Bell knife pictured on page 25 of The Antique Bowie Knife Book shows exactly the same shape of the ones present in several gaucho puñales).

As I said before, the blades for South American puñales came from Europe. Some of the most well regarded brands were "Arbolito" (Boker), "Defensa" (Weyesberg) and "Herder" from Germany; "Dufour" from France and "Joseph Rodgers & Sons" from England (By the way, we all know that Joseph Rodgers produced very high quality cutlery, including Bowies!!) The list of blade brands used in the making of gaucho puñales is very long and it is never complete. Local importers ordered blades from German cutlery firms and requested the stamping of special markings, usually in Spanish, and/or with prominent figures of related objects or animals well known in the South American region: a mate (small gourd or pumpkin used as a vessel to contain the typical local hot beverage sipped with a metallic straw), a running ostrich, a sheep, the sun, a hunter firing his gun, a bull, a stirrup, a tree, etc., etc... Generally, local consumers of knives of those bygone times were incapable of reading or writing, so they needed the logo on the blade to recognize their favorite brand. ..."

Ian

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

Thanks Detlef. Those are pretty odd looking choppers. Does the narrow section on some of these between the blade and the hilt qualify as a ricasso (even though it is much narrower than the blade itself)?. Some of them obviously have finger notches (not the typical Spanish Notch however)--do they also have a choil?

I would describe it as finger notch, after the finger notch is a ver small section what you can describe as ricasso, I am unsure if you can describe this area as choil. When my time it allows I will take some close-ups.

Regards,
Detlef