Small sickle. Bukhara, 19th century

ariel · 19th February 2023, 12:02 AM

The overall configuration of the blade of a pen knife is largely irrelevant: all it needs is to have a thin and sharp blade and a sharp point to make a slit in the tip of the pen.
In fact, the edge on that knife is either straight or minimally concave. Either, or especially the latter, will be very convenient for the task. Oriental cutlers were artistically more inventive than their European colleagues: witness the fancy blunt side with golden decorations: both are absolutely unnecessary for any cutting function but are very pretty. Reed pen, quill pen,- the principle is the same: they need re-sharpening, i.e. re-newing the tip.

As to peeling apples, pomegranates or oranges ( alas, not being grown in Central Asia), that's what servants are for:-)

19th February 2023, 12:02 AM	#33
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	The overall configuration of the blade of a pen knife is largely irrelevant: all it needs is to have a thin and sharp blade and a sharp point to make a slit in the tip of the pen. In fact, the edge on that knife is either straight or minimally concave. Either, or especially the latter, will be very convenient for the task. Oriental cutlers were artistically more inventive than their European colleagues: witness the fancy blunt side with golden decorations: both are absolutely unnecessary for any cutting function but are very pretty. Reed pen, quill pen,- the principle is the same: they need re-sharpening, i.e. re-newing the tip. As to peeling apples, pomegranates or oranges ( alas, not being grown in Central Asia), that's what servants are for:-)