pocket knife
A pocket knife is a knife whose blade can be folded into a groove in the handle for safe transport . Other designations are folding knives , pocket knives , Fixiermesser in Austria Feitel (formerly Veitel) and in Switzerland and southern Germany pocket knife and bag Hegel .
history
The oldest folding knife discovered so far comes from the time between 600 and 500 BC. The Celtic knife was found in Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut in Upper Austria and had an iron blade with a handle made of bone.
In the first century the Romans used bronze pocket knives. These did not yet have any locking mechanisms and had to be held open by hand.
In the Middle Ages, folding iron peasant knives were used, which consisted of a blade with tang , which were both movably connected together with a wooden handle. In the unfolded state, the tang lay on the handle so that both could be held together by hand. When folded, the blade of the knife lay in a slot in the handle so that it could be carried around safely.
The earliest Navajas come from Andalusia in the 16th century. From the Navaja, the Laguiole knife developed in southern France , which was manufactured in the town of the same name, Laguiole .
In January 1891, the Swiss Army ordered the introduction of a pocket knife suitable for all soldiers. Since no Swiss company had the necessary production capacities at the time, the first 15,000 knives were delivered in October 1891 by the German knife manufacturer Wester & Co. from Solingen . At the end of 1891, the company Karl Elsener from Ibach , Canton Schwyz , later called Victorinox , took over the production. The model from 1891 had handles made of blackened oak . The term Swiss Officer's and Sports Knife was registered as a trademark on June 12, 1897 .
Advantages and disadvantages of pocket knives
Pocket knives are small, handy and safe to transport. The advantage of a folding knife is that it is easy to transport. The blade can be folded in quickly and the knife does not need a sheath. Associated with this is the disadvantage of the lower stability of the joint. Sideways pressure on the knife jaws or burr-sided pressure on the cutting edge and back can cause the blade to sag and wobble. Under extreme loads, the locking mechanism can even fail and the risk of injury is higher than with fixed knives.
Genera of pocket knives
Pocket knives are broken down according to various characteristics. The locking and opening mechanisms are often used.
Classification according to locking
There are various mechanisms for folding knives that prevent the knife from accidentally closing during use. In this subdivision, the knives are simply named after the respective mechanism, for example lockback knives for knives with lockback locking. For further mechanics see section Locking.
There are also knives without a lock that are kept open by other techniques.
Swivel knife
Schwechat guy diameter ( English friction folder ) have no locking mechanism. They are only kept closed by friction. They have a tang that rests on the handle when open. The thumb presses on this and thereby holds the blade open.
The swivel knives include the medieval peasant knife with its modern replicas with a long tang and the Japanese higonokami knife with a short tang.
Slip joint knife
Slip joint diameter ( English slip joint knives ) have a spring which presses on the joint. When open and closed, it increases friction and thus holds the blade in position. It is not a secure lock, since only the spring tension has to be overcome to close.
Diameter without this mechanism as freely articulated ( English free joint knives ), respectively.
Classification according to the type of opening
A distinction is made between knives that can be opened one-handed and two-handed.
Two-handed knife
Two-handed knives are knives that need both hands to open. One hand holds the knife by the handle, the other hand opens the blade either with the thumb nail slot (nail nick) on the back of the blade or with the blunt end of the blade.
One-hand knife
One-hand knives are knives that can be opened with one hand, whereby the blade is then firmly locked by mechanical safety devices. In the narrower sense, it is primarily understood to mean folding knives that are easily opened by pressing the thumb into a hole (thumb hole, eye, eyelet) in the blade, onto a knob (thumb pin, pin) on the blade or onto a lever (flipper) can. Knives that can be opened with one hand and in which the blade is not firmly locked in place by means of a mechanical lock when opening are not one-hand knives within the meaning of the law (cf. § 42a, Paragraph 1, No. 3 WaffG ), as the feature of lockable blade "is missing.
construction
blade
Blade shape
An important criterion when choosing a knife is the shape of the blade and should be adapted to the requirements of use. Commonly used profiles are drop-point or clip-point . Tactical knives often have a spear point or tanto shape , which allow easier piercing.
The blades are always single-edged and ground smooth or wavy. The blade is often divided into a smooth front part and a wavy rear part. Wavy blades are advantageous for pulling cutting of fibrous clippings. If the blade is very short, however, the serrated edge is hardly useful, as it can only show its strength when pulling faster. In addition, the small teeth have less edge retention and are more difficult to grind than smooth cutting edges. But they can also be sharpened on a whetstone.
A recurve cutter is suitable for carving or cutting round cut material. The cutting edge is concave. A major disadvantage is that it cannot be ground on a bench stone.
Opening aid
On the basis of the opening aids, a distinction is made between knives that can be opened one-handed and two-handed. If there is no help at all or just a groove for the fingernail, the knife can only be opened with two hands.
Folding knives that have a knob (thumb pin, pin) or a hole (thumb hole, eye) for the thumb near the joint on the back of the blade can be opened without a spring with the pressure of the thumb of one hand. The same applies to folding knives that have a nose (flipper) near the joint on the belly of the blade, which protrudes from the back of the handle when closed. When open, the flipper serves as a short crossguard . These so-called one- hand knives are subject to special restrictions in many countries with regard to ownership, import and use.
Other elements on the blade
Often there is a thumb rest on the back of the blade near the joint , which helps to improve the hold. This consists of a corrugation or an increase in the back of the blade.
The so-called fillet is a groove-shaped depression in the upper area of the blade surface. It serves as a decorative element and makes the blade lighter.
joint
The blade of a folding knife can either move freely when the folding knife is unfolded or it can slide along the back of the handle. In the first case one speaks of an articulated folding knife, in the latter case of a non-slip folding knife.
The free-articulated knives include the Opinel knife as well as all swivel knives (medieval peasant folding knife , Japanese Higonokami knife) and all drop knives ( Balisong knife, Jacob's ladder knife, pantograph knife).
All other folding knives have a slip joint which, due to the frictional force between the blade joint and the back spring, makes unintentional folding up more difficult, but does not prevent it entirely. A definite safeguard against the unintentional folding of a knife can only be achieved by firmly locking the blade to the handle.
Locking
To prevent accidental re-folding the blade, many pocket knives have a locking (eng. Lock ). The folded out blade of jack knives can be locked with a slotted ring, a back spring, a rocker, a side spring or the handle shell.
Slot ring lock
The extended blade is locked by turning the slotted ring (ring with a transverse slot) over the hinged joint at the front end of the handle, so that the blade can no longer slide through the slot. It is unlocked by turning back the slotted ring so that the blade can be folded back through the slit of the slotted ring into the blade bay of the handle. An example of a folding knife with a split ring lock is the Opinel knife. Opinel calls the slotted ring a rotating safety ring or Virobloc . The advantage of this lock is that the knife can be locked both in the unfolded and in the folded state. The English name for the slot ring lock is after the English word for slot ring slotring lock .
Opinel knife
Blade slot
closed
Blade slot
open
Back spring lock = lever lock
The extended blade is locked by teeth on the blade hinge that fit into a slot in the back spring, which springs back into the slot after the teeth have locked. The tooth lock is unlocked by lifting the back spring either by pulling a ring or by pressing a lever, so that the blade joint can rotate freely again. In some Spanish Navaja knives, the teeth have been expanded to form a toothed ring, which works like the toothed ring in a ratchet (span. Carraca) and emits a warning creak when the knife is opened and closed. The English name for the back spring lock is called lever lock after the English word for lever (because of the lever-like function of the back spring ).
Rocker lock = back lock
The unfolded blade is locked by a long rocker behind the folding joint, which is housed between the plates inside the handle, so that a hook on the front bar of the rocker can snap into a groove on the folding joint of the blade. The blade is unlocked either by lifting the front bar of the rocker with a ring or lever or by pressing the rear bar into a dent in the back of the handle. Depending on the position of the dent on the back of the handle at the front (eng. Front ), in the middle (eng. Mid ) or at the back (eng. Back ), a distinction is made between a front lock , mid lock or back lock knife. Backlocks are also called lock backs . Both names are common. Most knives with a rocker lock are back locks, as a long lever arm requires less force to unlock than a short one. Correctly, you should really not lock, but by unlocking (eng. Unlock ) speak. The English name for the seesaw lock is after the English word for seesaw lock .
Side spring locking = liner lock
The unfolded blade is locked by a lateral leaf spring next to the folding joint, which is housed between the plates inside the handle, so that the side spring can snap into the blade. It is unlocked by pressing the side spring (either directly or with a push button) so that the cam is pulled out of the groove again. The English name for the side spring lock is called the liner lock after the English word for side plate .
Grip lock = frame lock
The frame lock is a variation of the liner lock. A part of the handle serves as a side spring. It is unlocked by pressing the handle. The English name for the handle shell lock is called frame lock after the English word for handle shell .
Bolt locking = Axis-Lock
The folded out blade is locked by a transverse bolt above the folding joint, which engages in a groove on the folding joint of the blade by means of a U-shaped spring. It is unlocked by moving the bolt by pulling the transverse bolt out of the groove. Since the bolt is transverse, it can be operated on both the right and the left side. This type of locking is therefore equally suitable for right and left-handers. The English name for the bolt lock is called axis lock after the English word for axis (because the bolt is located close to the axis ).
Handle
The handle consists of at least two plates , between which blades and tools lie folded. These are surrounded by the handle shells , which can be framed with jaws at the front and rear ends . There are also possible levers, rockers, springs and other locking mechanisms. All of these parts are held together or glued together by rivets or screws. Furthermore, fittings and decorations can be present.
In the past, the handles of a pocket knife were made of wood, bone or horn. More noble models used mother-of-pearl, ivory, brass, silver or gold. Handle scales made of nickel silver , anodized aluminum and plastic were added later. Cellidor ( cellulose acetobutyrate ), Kraton ( polystyrene - polybutadiene - polyisoprene - block copolymer ), Micarta ( phenolic resin ) and Zytel ( nylon resin ) are used as plastics for the handles . The red handle scales of the Swiss Army Knives are made of Cellidor.
If available, fastening mechanisms are placed on the handle. Larger knives often have a clip to attach the pocket knife to the belt. Key rings or holes are also common.
Even if pocket knives generally do not have parrying elements, the front and / or rear ends of the handle of larger pocket knives are widened to form grip beads, which in turn include a recessed grip that prevents the knife-gripping hand from slipping. The recessed grip can in turn have finger recesses. The grip of the booklet is also increased by the material, nubs and corrugation of the handle scales.
Special blades and tools on pocket knives
Mechanical tools
- Large knife for cutting (knife edge can be smooth, wavy or jagged)
- Medium knife as a spare blade
- Small, short, narrow knife (feather blade) for sharpening nibs or pencils
- Carving knife with a short concave blade and pointed tip for carving wood
- Scissors for cutting paper and cardboard
- Saw for sawing wood
- File for filing wood and metal
- Chisel for chipping wood
- Awl ( awl ) for pricking and drilling holes
- Sack needle (= awl with eye ) for threading a cord through coarse fabric to tie sacks
Container opening tools
- Corkscrew for pulling out stopper corks on bottles
- Bottle opener for decapsulating bottle caps on bottles
- Champagne hook for cutting through the container of a champagne bottle
-
Can opener for opening food cans
(with Wenger pocket knives backwards clockwise, with Victorinox pocket knives forward counterclockwise) - Scissors for cutting the spout on beverage cartons
- Awl for poking holes in condensed milk cans
Toiletries tools
- Nail cleaner for cleaning fingernails (at the end of the blade with the nail file)
- Nail file for filing fingernails
- Tweezers for removing splinters
- Toothpicks for removing food particles from between the teeth
- Ear spoon for cleaning the ear canal from ear wax
Tools for the gentleman
- Button clasp for easy buttoning of shirts and leggings is passed through the buttonhole, placed around the knob and pulled back
- Rose blade for cutting a flower for the buttonhole on the left side of the collar of the jacket of the men's suit ( boutonniere = flower on the lapel )
- Pocket watch key for winding a pocket watch
Tools for the smoker
- Cigar cutter for cutting off the ends of a cigar
- Pipe cleaner (awl = round awl) for scraping out tobacco and ash residues from the pipe
- Pipe tamper for tampering a pipe
Rescue knife
- Window breaker for breaking window panes
- Disc saw for sawing through car windows made of safety glass
- Belt cutter (1st version) made from a short hook with a sharp, hook-shaped blade for cutting through seat belts in the car
- Belt cutter (2nd version) made of a concave knife with a serrated edge and a blunt button at the end for sawing through seat belts in the car
Technical tools
- Slotted screwdriver
- Phillips screwdriver
- Hex key
- Incant key
- Pliers
- Etc.
Electrotechnical tools
- Wire stripper for stripping and bending electrical wires
- Sleeve crimper for pressing sleeves on electrical wire ends to prevent the wire ends from fraying
Gardening knife
- Hippenblade with a strongly concave curved blade for cutting and tearing off stems and branches
- Scoring blade with sharp, straight edge for T-shaped incision of the bark ( oculation ) or oblique cutting of the stem ( copulation )
- Bark loosener with blunt spike on the back of the blade for removing the bark on the back of the grafting blade
Mushroom knife
- Mushroom knife with a small, concave blade for cutting the mushrooms
- Mushroom brush for cleaning the mushrooms
Equestrian knife
- Hoof scraper for scraping dirt off horses' hooves
- Hoof groove knife (gutter knife) for scraping out the hoof groove
- Mane comb for combing the horse's mane
Hunting knife
- Opening blade (woad blade) with a narrow, concave blade and a blunt button at the tip for breaking open the abdominal cavity of haired game , in order to remove offal, which can contaminate the meat, in one piece without piercing or damaging it (blunt button point)
- Lock saw for sawing through the lock ( pelvic symphysis ) to the Waidloch ( anus ) to break open the pelvis for easier removal of the rectum when eviscerating the wild animals
- Skinner blade with a wide convex blade and a pointed tip for skinning wild animals
- Gamsnadel (= with awl eye ) for piercing and threading through the legs between the cannon bone and flexor tendon and then shackles of all legs for safe wearing the hunted chamois on the shoulder in steep terrain
- Duck hooks (duck hooks, chicken hooks) with hooks on a long handle for pulling out the innards in one piece from game birds , in order to keep the stomach and intestinal contents clean of the meat
Fishing knife
- Blackjack to smash the skull to kill the fish quickly
- Hook release to remove the fish hook (located at the end of the fish scaler)
- Fish scaler for the descaling of fish
Rigging knife
- Marlin spike for opening cardels and knots
Ship knife
- Shackle opener for opening shackles (rope bolts)
Golf tools
- Pitch fork for inserting pieces of lawn ( divots ) that have been knocked out in golf
- Shoe spike wrench for screwing spikes onto golf shoes
Other tools
- Cut and picker blade (cut and picker blade) for cutting through the plastic packaging around medicine cans and picking out the cotton filling for padding from the neck of the medicine can
- Orange peeler for peeling oranges
Legal situation in Germany
Handling jackknives is generally allowed in Germany. However, one-hand knives with a lockable blade are subject to a ban on use regardless of the blade length in accordance with Section 42a (1) No. 3 WaffG. These may only be transported outside of your own home in a locked container. Exceptions are permissible in accordance with Section 42a (2) WaffG if there is a legitimate interest, such as the practice of a profession, the maintenance of customs, sport or a generally recognized purpose. The use of the knife for self-defense, however, does not represent a legitimate interest.
At public events such as folk festivals, sporting events and markets, the carrying of weapons is generally prohibited in accordance with Section 42 (1) WaffG. Owners of domiciliary rights such as schools, restaurants and discotheques can also prohibit the carrying of weapons in their respective area. Knives that can be opened with both hands, such as B. the Swiss Army Knife may be worn without restriction with the exception of the above.
The following prohibited knives belong to a similar class, but not to the folder knives:
- Fist knife , exceptions apply to professions processing leather and fur in accordance with Section 40 (3) WaffG
- Since spring knife with a blade length of over 8.5 cm
- Balisong knife
- Front spring knife
- Drop knife
Well-known places of manufacture
Germany
In Germany, the city of blades Solingen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is known for the quality of its knives and jackknives. Numerous medium-sized knife manufacturers are based in Solingen, such as Böker , Eickhorn, Hartkopf, Hubertus , Klaas, Linder, Lütters, Otter and Puma. Solingen knives have been protected as a protected brand name by the Solingen Ordinance since 1938 .
Austria
In Austria, the center of knife production is in the Trattenbachtal near Ternberg in the Eisenwurzen region . This is where the Trattenbacher Taschenfeitel is made.
Switzerland
In Switzerland, the Swiss Army Knife with several blades and other tools is manufactured by the Victorinox companies in Ibach , Canton Schwyz , and Delémont , Canton Jura (formerly Wenger ).
France
The well-known brands Opinel and Laguiole come from France . Opinel knives are articulated folding knives with a rotatable slotted ring and are made in Chambéry in the Savoie department in the eastern French Alps. Laguiole knives are pastoral knives that are derived from the Spanish Navaja knife and are based on the slim design of the Turkish Yatagan saber. Laguiole knives were initially only made in the town of the same name in Laguiole in the Aveyron department in the foothills of the Pyrenees, until they were later reproduced in the blade town of Thiers in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne due to their success . Both cities share the Laguiole brand, which, however, is not legally protected like the Solingen brand. Typical of Laguiole knives and their trademark is the flipper in the shape of a fly (fr. Mouche) on the back of the knife handle, which traders like to dress up as a bee , although its shape and French name clearly indicate a fly . However, there are some Laguiole knives that actually show a bee instead of a fly. This is called the Napoleon bee. Further decorations on Laguiole knives are chiselling of the back of the handle and decorative rivets in the form of a shepherd's cross.
Other countries
Great Britain
- Sheffield Knives from Sheffield , County South Yorkshire , England
Italy
- Fox from Maniago , Friuli-Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region
New Zealand
- Svörd from Waiuku , New Zealand's North Island
Spain
- Joker from Albacete , Castile-La Mancha Autonomous Region
- Navaja Artesanal from Albacete, Autonomous Region of Castile-La Mancha
- Nieto from Albacete, Castile-La Mancha Autonomous Region
- Muela from Argamasilla de Calatrava, Castile-La Mancha Autonomous Region
South Africa
- Okapi from Isithebe, KwaZulu-Natal Province
Czech Republic
- Mikov from Mikulášovice , Ústí region , see: Rybička
United States
- Benchmade Knife Company from Oregon City , State of Oregon
- Buck Knives from Post Falls, Idaho
- Case & Sons Cutlery Co in Bradford, Pennsylvania
- Columbia River Knife & Tool from Tualatin, Oregon
- Gerber from Tigard, Oregon
- Great Eastern Cutlery from Titusville, Pennsylvania
- Kershaw Knives from Tualatin, Oregon
- Leatherman Tool Group based in Portland , Oregon
- Spyderco is located in Golden , Colorado
literature
- Swiss National Museum (ed.): The pocket knife. A tool becomes a cult. Brochure accompanying the exhibition. Zurich 2009, ISBN 978-3-908025-77-1 .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Pocket knife. In: Duden. Retrieved April 9, 2015 .
- ^ A b The History of the Pocket Knife. Retrieved April 9, 2015 .
- ↑ Replicas of the early Celts "Hallstatt Period". Retrieved April 9, 2015 .
- ↑ a b Youtube video for the replica of the medieval peasant knife from the Svörd company
- ↑ YouTube video about a Higonokami knife
- ↑ Blade shapes. Retrieved April 13, 2015 .
- ↑ needle knife with sparkling hooks of the company Hubertus
- ↑ Wenger and Victorinox cigar knives
- ↑ a b c Rescue knife from Victorinox
- ↑ a b c Youtube video on the use of the rescue knife
- ↑ a b Rescue knife from the Hubertus company
- ↑ a b c Garden knife from the Victorinox company
- ↑ a b Waldhausen rider's knife
- ↑ a b c d e Hubertus hunting knife
- ↑ Sport fishing knife ( Memento of the original from April 18, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from PUMA
- ^ A pitch fork from Victorinox and Wenger
- ^ Shoe spike keys from Victorinox and Wenger
- ^ Cutting-and-picking tool from Victorinox
- ^ Orange peeler from the Victorinox company
- ↑ Weapons Act, Annex 2. Accessed on December 2, 2015 (Section 1 No. 1.4.1–1.4.3).
- ^ Ordinance on the protection of the name Solingen
- ↑ Wenger pocket knife is now called Victorinox. In: 20min.ch. January 30, 2013, accessed December 6, 2018 .
- ↑ Forge de Laguiole: " The Laguiole (PDF file; 84 kB)"
