Second Hand Knives.

I am not a fan of modern blades, especially those dual purpose blades. Traditionally you purchased a knife for a specific purpose, among the many uses cutting down trees & splitting logs was NOT one of them!
18th & 19th century butcher knife handles were pinned, not riveted. Early 20th century butcher knife handles were riveted. Some knives such as the French style Sabatier, used a rat tail tang with no pins in the handle. My Hunting knife was one of these, but I drilled & fitted a single pin in a handle of Osage orange.

I think the most I have ever payed for a second hand butcher knife was $17.00 aust. The majority of these knives can still be found in good usable condition & they are in my opinion the best knife for skinning & butchering game & for defence. The butcher knife was a common blade in the 18th century & woodsmen & Indians preferred this knife to any other.



A beautiful Sabatier that I picked up second hand. It has an ebony handle. The sheath I made from the bark of a Stringybark tree & then covered it in leather & decorated with French #7 white glass beads.


An early to mid 20th century butcher knife.



Two butcher knives with steel or iron pinned handles still in a good usable condition. These are easy to sharpen & they hold a good edge using a whet stone.


This is another knife that I purchased many years ago which I use as a legging knife.