Knives

[guad42]

For sure there has long been an extreme lack of options for those of us interested in campaigner quality edged weapons. Whether its pocket knives, belt knives, larger "Bowie" type knives and even swords; there are not many options out there or makers (other than a few good fellows like "Swamp Fox"). Long story short I've endeavored recently to gain a better knowledge of knives of the period and while doing so I've come up with something I just can't answer. At what point did "blood grooves" become common on American knives? You almost never seem to see them on Bowies, dirks, or riflemen's knives of the 19th Century, but they've been common for the past 100 years or so. Were 1850s/1860s knives completely devoid of grooves?

-Sam Dolan

[FloridaRanger]

Re: Knives

The "fuller" to give it its technical name never had anything to do with blood. It's a structural technique to lighten and stiffen blades that goes back to Roman time. I have seen period bowies and daggers with fullers, but they were not common. Perhaps because many American knifemakers were 'country blacksmiths' rather than dedicated bladesmiths, and didn't have that technology in their repertoire. The fuller didn't become popular in big American knives until the 20th century when knifemakers started emulating earlier work done by European and Asian bladesmiths. I believe that the development of rigid thrusting blades for bayonets is what spurred the transferral of that technology to other blades

[Cyclesmith]

Re: Knives

Fullers were not that common on knives historically, yes there were knives with fullers... but the majority of common utilitarian knives were fuller-less. Fullers were designed to cut weight and strengthen the blade, which was very important on long blades like swords and such... but the effect of fullers on smaller knife blades is rather insignificant. Also, the Bowie was heavily influenced by Spanish knife designs common in Mexico and areas of the south with Spanish influence. Fullers are further more not very common in Spanish knife styles. I imagine as more modern machinery made it far easier to make fullers... they became more popular.

[Secesh]

Re: Knives

I have to look at it again, but if not mistaken I believe my original Enfield bayonety has a slight fuller on it...

[Prodical Reb]

Re: Knives

Hey Tom, he's asking about American knives and not English imports.

[Secesh]

Re: Knives

Thanks...I thougt he was speaking in general...good point!

[guad42]

Re: Knives

Thanks for the feedback from everyone. Indeed, fullers on most American made knives prior to the 1870s at least, seem to be very uncommon. RL Wilson has did a nice job of including many American knives in his books in great detail and by far most if not all do not feature fullers or other grooves at all.

-Sam Dolan