Excavated knife/dagger for ID please.

[Gavin Nugent]

I would continue with investigations before I considered conservation, It may just be an early 1900s English or German bowie knife lost by a traveller?

I am interested in hearing what others have to say and perhaps your local museum in the area, they may have other examples and be able to tell better who roamed the areas that it was found.

Gav

[Pukka Bundook]

I would tend to think fairly modern, really.
The shoulders on the tang still look nice and square, and being a comparatively small blade, think if it was Saxon, would have been much more corroded.
I know on the farm we have found dateable items, that looked as rough as if from the Viking age, yet can only be from the 1880's at earliest.
(Here in Alberta, there was no-one farming west of Red Deer river 'til 1880's)

When still 'home' in Yorkshire, my dad lost and found a pocket knife after about 30 years. the blade was half eaten away,...and the knife was stuck in a beam in the mill-house.....not buried or anything. (He'd been working on a grain grinder when he lost it.)

Just my thoughs.

Re. conservation, I'd soak it in a bath of Olive oil. This oil has something in it that really lifts rust, but in a gentle manner, and doesnt leave the finish looking like it'd been in vinegar or anything.

All the best,

Richard.

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by Pukka Bundook

I would tend to think fairly modern, really.
The shoulders on the tang still look nice and square, and being a comparatively small blade, think if it was Saxon, would have been much more corroded.
I know on the farm we have found dateable items, that looked as rough as if from the Viking age, yet can only be from the 1880's at earliest.
(Here in Alberta, there was no-one farming west of Red Deer river 'til 1880's)

When still 'home' in Yorkshire, my dad lost and found a pocket knife after about 30 years. the blade was half eaten away,...and the knife was stuck in a beam in the mill-house.....not buried or anything. (He'd been working on a grain grinder when he lost it.)

Just my thoughs.

Re. conservation, I'd soak it in a bath of Olive oil. This oil has something in it that really lifts rust, but in a gentle manner, and doesnt leave the finish looking like it'd been in vinegar or anything.

All the best,

Richard.

Thanks Richard!
I think it must be worth an oil oil dip!
I'll do it and post results cheers Matey!
Gene

[kisak]

Looks like a clip point to me, something I wouldn't expect on a seax. In addition I've gotten the impression that it's the straight side which is the sharp one on a seax, whereas in this case the edge seems to be one the curved side (ie down in the first pic). The part about the blade-tang transition being a bit too well defined seems to make sense as well.

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by kisak

Looks like a clip point to me, something I wouldn't expect on a seax. In addition I've gotten the impression that it's the straight side which is the sharp one on a seax, whereas in this case the edge seems to be one the curved side (ie down in the first pic). The part about the blade-tang transition being a bit too well defined seems to make sense as well.

Yes this one is sharp on the curve in a bowie way. Theres a similar blade described as a sax in a book I have with the sdge on the curve etc, but it does have less defined shoulders on the blade/tang as you say.
I was hoping someone would come forwards with some later than a sax but earlier than a bowie ideas?

Perhpas Richrars idea of olive oil will help clarify it a bit.

[Pukka Bundook]

Gene,

I've found fencing pliers that looked worse, but as I knew they weren't That old, I just dumped them in white vinegar for a few days, and from a corroded lump appeared as if by magic, a pair of again useable pliers!
Trouble with this knife, is you just don't Do that to something if it Is rather old, and herein is the dillema.
It doesn't appear to have the modern bolster, so it Does have some age.

I guess if when it's cleaned up a bit, it says on it; "Wm Rogers, Sheffield"...then you'll know what you have!

Cheers,

R.

[ausjulius]

i see a false edge on the clip of the blade, i suspect it is a recently made knife,
ive not seen any knives of this form with a clip blade produced in england till the 18th century..

[ausjulius]

i think it is likely a knife from the last 150 years.
mainly by the clip sectio of the tip being ground as it is,
by the rust alone one cannever tell as a knife 1000 years old can be no more rusted than a knife 50 years old when left in the ground if it is in the right area

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by freebooter

I would continue with investigations before I considered conservation, It may just be an early 1900s English or German bowie knife lost by a traveller?

I am interested in hearing what others have to say and perhaps your local museum in the area, they may have other examples and be able to tell better who roamed the areas that it was found.

Gav

Well thats the problem.

Its a detector find from a field that was worthy of interest because it turns up objects from the medieval period back to the roman.
Theres no way of definatively IDing its period from the location sadly.
Could be a genuine rarity or a random loss from the 1960s!