sailor – knives of France

The Montpellier knife gets its name from the city seating in South of France, next to the Mediterranean Sea.

It was primarily a sailor knife, created around the seventeenth or eighteenth century.

The knife itself is really simple, a 2 pins friction folder, like a Capucin, no spring or locking system here, it can’t be simpler.

The blade shape is difficult to define, between a clip point and a wharncliff. The straight cutting edge is typical of the sailor knife, like a sheepfoot, mainly dedicated to cut ropes.

The handle is faceted, slightly trapezoidal and with sometimes a hole at the end to affix a lanyard

Very popular with the sailors, it was produced in big quantities by many manufacturers, including Soanen Mondanet, that became Cognet. It lost popularity at the beginning of the Twentieth century, replaced by slipjoint knives, more modern, and the type was forgotten.

But recently some old books and blades were found in the attic of Cognet’s workshop and the knife re-made.

The new version is faithful to the original with an XC75 carbon steel blade.

An interesting piece, remnant from the past and full of character.

Find some on http://knives-of-france.com

The Colonial knife was born in 1873 from specifications from the French war ministry. It was an attempt to provide a utility knife to the troops.

It was the very first folding knife officially adopted by the French armed forces.

The term “colonial” comes from the fact that it was first adopted by the colonial troops, before the Navy.

The description was pretty simple:

– A 9cm (3.55in) blade in the sheepfoot style for a total length of 20.5cm (8in) when open

– A steel spring for the slip joint mechanism, with a hole at the bottom to fix a lanyard.

– 2 wooden sides riveted to the steel liners.

The pins were often mounted on rosettes, to avoid breaking the handle.

The description added a rounded tip blade in 1939, the last year of the knife being distributed to the troops.

Late example with rounded tip. Each dent on the handle represents a month of service.

The knife is like a sailor knife, with its typical sheepfoot blade, supposedly to avoid stabbing in case of a fight between two soldiers.

Knife belonging to a soldier form the Marine artillery, service number H.1711

Pradel-Chomette was the first and most prolific manufacturer, but many others provided the knife.

Its official distribution to the troops stopped in 1939, but the type was simple, cheap, sturdy and popular and its fabrication lasted until the late 1960’s for the civilian market.

A good example of a simple yet sturdy sailor knife!

Tag: sailor

Montpellier knife

Colonial Knife