capucin – knives of France

All the wood handled friction folders, like Opinel, Capucin or even Nontron might have the blade stuck in the handle.

Wood is a living material and change in humidity or temperature might make it swell, or even dirt can be stuck in the mechanism.

Clog handle Nontron — Nontron No25 with clog handle

The “coup du savoyard” or Savoyard’s hit or tap is a simple technic to get it free, it is mainly used for Opinels (hence the Savoyard name) and it is even part of the quality checks at the end of manufacturing.

It is a technic known since the first Opinel (maybe before?) and the best way to get the blade free without damaging the knife like by trying to pry on the nail nick.

-For a recent Opinel, make sure that the lock ring is open (!!!)

-Hold the knife by the axis side

-Tap the other end on a hard surface. The best would be a wooden table, avoid any uneven or hard surface that would damage the handle, like concrete for example. Avoid also fragile surface like a glass table of course.

The blade should move a little, enough to be able to open it.

If it is still stuck, you can apply a bit of oil on the axis.

Now, the best way to avoid using that Savoyard’s tap is to take good care of the knife, always wipe the blade after use and store it in a dry place.

Find Opinel and Montpellier knives on http://knives-of-france.com

The Capuchin monks (Capucin in French) gave their name to a coffee in Italy, the famous cappuccino, and to a knife in France! Not that it was used by the monks, but because the shape of the tip of the handle looks like the hood of the monks’ robe.

Cognet even made few of these knives figuring the actual face

It is one of the oldest knife styles and one that almost did not change since the medieval age.

It is in the category of the primitive knives or friction folders, and more specifically a “2 clous”, or 2 pins. The first friction folders were of a piedmontese style, like the famous higonokami for example, but the lever at the end of the knife is protruding when closed and can be uncomfortable or even dangerous when the knife is in the pocket.

Classic piedmontese style knife and Japanese Higonokami

The solution came with the “2 clous” where one pin is the blade axle and where the end of the blade rests on a second pin, making for a sleeker shape once folded.

The design cannot be simpler. The handle was originally in wood, with just a saw kerf to fold the blade and that specific Capuchin hood at the end to be able to grab the blade, as it does not have a nail nick.

Later the handle was made in a horn tip, from a ram or a bovine.

The blade has a “sage leaf” shape, very wide and thick, designed for heavy work.

The axle is often mounted on a rosette, to avoid braking the handle.

If the handle looses its tightness and the blade opens too easily, which can be dangerous in the pocket, there are 2 different techniques: hammering the pin or, for a wooden handle, dipping the handle in water and let the wood swell a little.

Those knives were very popular with the shepherds of the South-West France, in the Pyreneans. Some were even assembling the knives themselves. They were buying a blade, often sub-par, from a knife maker, selecting a horn and shape it and then simply installing the blade.

A classic piece, still popular today with some interesting modern interpretations.