From: tonto59
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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Green River knives. This company started sometime in the 1800's In America. And is still selling knives today. They were the knife to have if you were a Mountain man or Trapper back on the day. Who still finds these knives very useful today? The two I have. I like to use for cutting up my deer.
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From: Iwander
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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I didn't know they are still made. Imagine that, an American icon that's still available! Thanks, Steve
https://www.trackofthewolf.com/List/Item.aspx/453/1
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From: tonto59
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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What I'd like to find out is how do you date these knives. I heard possibly by the number of pins or rivets. The more modern ones have two or three rivets in them.
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From: StikBow
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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Still use mine. Easy sharpened with a steele
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From: PECO
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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I made this belt knife from a Green Rivers blank. Osage scales, green spacer, brass pins. Great knife, inexpensive USA quality.
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From: Spartanbuck
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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I have a Hudson Bay knife that I just purchased custom made . I love it! I can’t wait to give it a little character.
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From: Scoop
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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I've had several over the years that are the style like peco's blade and have bought them made up because they are so cheap and just picked up four more to hoard going forward. They are a good utility do about everything knife. It is the only knife my older son carries in his pack and has boned numerous mule deer and eight or 10 elk with one in the field to pack out. He is also a beaver trapper and neither he nor I like the sheep skinner upswept blade for beaver skinning. They have another skinner blade that works a bit better on deer and elk hides, but I knew a slew of old-timers who used their skinners to pelt beaver and skin cattle and sheep.
They aren't going to hold an edge like a Helle or Bark River. But for a survival knife, backpacking, hunting, in the kitchen--Green Rivers can do it all quite well for a light weight 5-inch knife at price that is still plenty reasonable. Everybody ought to try one.
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From: Knifeguy
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Date: 13-May-18 |
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Donald, Post a photo of the Russell stamps in the blades and the tang and I can get close to some dates for you. I can tell you that with the 5 pins in the scales that they are probably at least 60 years old. Thanks, Lance.
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From: tonto59
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Well done PECO and Spartanbuck! Those are some good looking knives. I agree with Scoop everyone should give these time proven knives a try. Thanks for the help Lance. Been trying to find out how to date these knives. This skinning knife I just picked up at a recent gun show in PA. Was surprised that the vendor never cleaned the blood and hair off of it. Crazy right?
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From: Knifeguy
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Here's an old one from the early 1900's, just to show you that bone saws on the spine of the blade is nothing new! Deeply diamond checked ebony scales and a pewter bolster. I made the ugly sheath when I was first learning how about 35 years ago. Thanks for letting me share the thread Don. Lance
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From: tonto59
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Nice knife and sheath Lance. Never saw one with a handle like that. Whats it made out of? And only two pins in that one? Did you drill the hole in the end? That is an unusual one with that saw on top of the blade. Thanks for posting the picture.
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From: Knifeguy
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Don. The knife is all factory. As I said above; Ebony scales. The bolster helped secure the scales so I think that's why the 2 pins. Lance
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From: tonto59
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Well that bolster is pretty unique too. Never came across one with a bolster. Sharp looking knife!
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From: White Falcon
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Some G.R. blanks I scaled and sheaths I made for thm.
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From: tonto59
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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That's a nice trio of GR knives you have there White Falcon. You did a very nice job on those sheath's as well. Green River knives made in America. Has got to be one of the best deals out there for American made items.
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From: Longcruise
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Green River blades are almost the only ones I use. Somehow I lost my buff Skinner and boning knife and just ordered replacements from crazy Crow. They are on sale right now.
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From: Ron LaClair
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Here's my two Green River knives still doing the job they were intended for.
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From: The Whittler
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Up the green river was a whole different meaning back with the Mountain Men.
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From: TrapperKayak
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Date: 14-May-18 |
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Tonto, I have two just like that smaller curved skinner. Gets and stays very sharp. Skun some elk with um. :)
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From: Benbow
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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Gotta like a blade with some character! This one has seen some action, but it has plenty of life left in it. Nothing cuts like a thin blade! Ben
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From: Vtbow
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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I've got one in a beautiful sheath and matching belt that I got from White Falcon--I love it--functional and holds a good sharp edge so far. I"m sure it will cut up quite a few deer in the coming years!
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From: Vtbow
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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:-) I was going to shoot a pic and make sure it got up when I got home-- It is DEFINITELY worth the pic and bragging rights!
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From: nybubba
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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I have 3 of them. I love them. My dad used to work on the kill floor in a packing plant back in the 50s. We used to have about 7 or so. They were all around the farm used to cut bales and such. Then when I got the black powder bug I realized what we had so I snagged them up. nybubba
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From: Longcruise
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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Just got these and thinking about handle material. Osage might look good.
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From: tonto59
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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Well there you go. If these guys say these Green River knives are good. You can take their word for it. Sounds like they all tested them out pretty well. Thanks gentleman for all your input.
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From: tagalong2
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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Cherry burl makes a nice looing handle.
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From: Lowcountry
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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If you read up on the history of the original J. Russell knives, it is pretty interesting. As I remember it, J. Russell was not satisfied with the existing knives available to the common folk moving west. The only mass produced knives available were expensive European (French I think) knives that were out of the price range of the common folk. Russell thought he could do better, and came up with a quality, inexpensive, mass produced quality knife that was perfectly suited to the tasks required by settlers moving west. The original knives (top knife in the original post photo) had a full tang that thinned as it neared the end of the handle. Nobody knows if the tang thinning was done for balance, weight savings, or what, but whatever the reason, the knives were cheap, fit the hand well, were easily sharpened, and held and edge. Virtually every settler that went West carried a J Russell knife.
The original knives ARE awesome. They are easily sharpened to hair shaving, razor sharpness. They are pretty easily (or at least they used to be) found on eBay for $50.00 or so, and they are worth every penny.
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From: tonto59
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Date: 15-May-18 |
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The Mountain man spirit lives on in the one who carries a green river knife into the wilderness with him...Who hasn't dreamed about being a mountain man...
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From: Vtbow
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Date: 16-May-18 |
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Needed to post my own pic to shown the beauty of white falcons work on this one.
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