gaucho knives

Gonzalo G · 15th July 2008, 06:07 AM

A. G. Maisey you have some brazilians facas over there, and mostly puñales criollos. The puñal usually have a drop point with a false edge, and a button where the blade ends, at the beginning of the hilt. No guards. There is silverwork from the Olavarriense school, and the Rioplantense School. The facas look like made from bayonets, but I´m not sure. The last puñal criollo on the photo, below, has a piece of silver or alpaca covering the ricasso of the blade. This piece is called "empatilladura", and it has similar functions as in the yataghans: it is an ornament, but also a pice which gives more rigidity to the blade and absorbs part of the vibrations when you chop with the kife or parry another knife. It also serves to avoid rubbing the blade against the metal entrance of the sheat and secures the knife in there.

The blade from Adolfo Panizza & Cia is from the end of the 19th C to the beginning of the 20th C. Panizza was an importer.

The sixth is Scholberg, Joucla & Silva, a variant of the Broqua & Scholberg, a Liege, Belgium, blademaker. Probably the knife is from the fist quart of the 20th C

The seventh is a Juca, Tandil, an argentinean blademaker from the mid of the 20th C, still working today.

The others I can´t remember right now, I must search in Abel´s books.
My regards

Gonzalo

Gonzalo G · 15th July 2008, 06:21 AM

Kronckew, your first is a free interpretation of the criollo, not really a criollo, but a modern style knife inspired on. The puñal criollo has no guard, but it has always a button. This kife was mounted by poor children in a kind of special institution in Argentina (Misiones). The second is a verijero and the third a puñal, those last made in the real tradition of the puñales criollos.
My regards

Gonzalo

A. G. Maisey · 15th July 2008, 07:30 AM

Thanks for your comments, Gonzalo.

The two RHS vertical knives could be from bayonets, but if they are, they have been extensively reworked, as both have a strong distal taper and some spring in the blade.

The bottom knife that looks as if it has silver over the ricasso is in fact a early European knife, not a South American knife. What looks like ornamental silver is in fact an ornamented steel ricasso, an integral part of the blade

15th July 2008, 06:07 AM	#1
Gonzalo G Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Nothern Mexico Posts: 458	A. G. Maisey you have some brazilians facas over there, and mostly puñales criollos. The puñal usually have a drop point with a false edge, and a button where the blade ends, at the beginning of the hilt. No guards. There is silverwork from the Olavarriense school, and the Rioplantense School. The facas look like made from bayonets, but I´m not sure. The last puñal criollo on the photo, below, has a piece of silver or alpaca covering the ricasso of the blade. This piece is called "empatilladura", and it has similar functions as in the yataghans: it is an ornament, but also a pice which gives more rigidity to the blade and absorbs part of the vibrations when you chop with the kife or parry another knife. It also serves to avoid rubbing the blade against the metal entrance of the sheat and secures the knife in there. The blade from Adolfo Panizza & Cia is from the end of the 19th C to the beginning of the 20th C. Panizza was an importer. The sixth is Scholberg, Joucla & Silva, a variant of the Broqua & Scholberg, a Liege, Belgium, blademaker. Probably the knife is from the fist quart of the 20th C The seventh is a Juca, Tandil, an argentinean blademaker from the mid of the 20th C, still working today. The others I can´t remember right now, I must search in Abel´s books. My regards Gonzalo

15th July 2008, 06:21 AM	#2
Gonzalo G Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Nothern Mexico Posts: 458	Kronckew, your first is a free interpretation of the criollo, not really a criollo, but a modern style knife inspired on. The puñal criollo has no guard, but it has always a button. This kife was mounted by poor children in a kind of special institution in Argentina (Misiones). The second is a verijero and the third a puñal, those last made in the real tradition of the puñales criollos. My regards Gonzalo

15th July 2008, 07:30 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Thanks for your comments, Gonzalo. The two RHS vertical knives could be from bayonets, but if they are, they have been extensively reworked, as both have a strong distal taper and some spring in the blade. The bottom knife that looks as if it has silver over the ricasso is in fact a early European knife, not a South American knife. What looks like ornamental silver is in fact an ornamented steel ricasso, an integral part of the blade