sheepfoot – knives of France

The barrel knife (tonneau in French) gets its name from the shape of the handle, pretty round, that reminds the shape of a barrel.

Its origin is in the eighteenth century, from West Center France.

It is the typical worker’s knife. When farmers were hiring workers, they were giving them this knife as a sign of goodwill and good relationship.

It’s a simple knife, with a main blade in the sheepsfoot style and large bolsters on each side, but it was often on a multiblade style with a coping blade, an awl, a saw and sometimes a corkscrew.

It is one of the oldest multiblade.

The handle can be made of wood, horn or ivorine, a synthetic polymer that mimics ivory.

2 pieces barrel ivoirine — Barrel knife with an ivorine handle

Today, some modern versions are still made, often in carbon steel

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: sheepfoot

Barrel knife

Colonial Knife