Knife ID

Hi Nick

You might be able to help me identify a knife i nearly brought while i was in Belgium a couple of weeks ago.

I decided against purchasing it in the end as i wasn't convinced i could get it past Eurostar security.

Anyway i was at a flea market in Brussels when i came across a stall that had a couple of weapons. Among them was a dagger type blade but it had a knuckle duster type grip. In other words you slipped the knife of your fist like a knuckle duster.

Do you have any idea what type oif knife it could have been?

Thanks

Paul

Maybe not my place to post here, but Nick can delete this reply if required.

Sounds to me like a First World War trench knife. My brother was presented with one by a friend 'in the business' before he went to fight PIRA.

my grandfather had one on his wall as part of his knife collection when i was a kid..

Did a web search for World War 1 tench knife and came up with this image. Unfortunetly it isn't the knife i'm talking about. [/img]

If you imagine a knuckle duster handle. Were's the blade on a trench knife come out of the side, like the above image, the blade on the knife i saw came out of the top.

The blade itself was more of a dagger then a knife. Obviously designed for stabbing then slashing.

...

The deaths head push dagger isn't far from it but the blade is longer and thicker and the handle is different. Their are no seperaters between the fingers.

Paul,

Is there any way you can post a picture of it mate?

Nick

Nick Hughes wrote:Paul,

Is there any way you can post a picture of it mate?

Nick

Sorry Nick, i've been looking for ages for a pic without success.

Paul mate,

Might be totally out here but how's this?

thebristolbloke wrote:Paul mate,

Might be totally out here but how's this?

Phil i could kiss you, but i'm not gay so i won't.

Yes basically that's it, although the knife i saw had an extra grip.

Any idea what it's called?

It was just a guess but it sounded what you were describing mate


It's known as a Katar, it's a Kalaripayit (Indian Martial Art) Push Dagger.


Extra grip like this?

thebristolbloke wrote:It was just a guess but it sounded what you were describing mate


It's known as a Katar, it's a Kalaripayit (Indian Martial Art) Push Dagger.


Extra grip like this?

Cheers mate.

It's a shame i couldn't get it into the country but i was damm tempted to try.

Paul mate,

They turn up in this country but very rarely, when they do they are normally battered, rusty and in hideous shape or are pristine works of art. Either way you are looking at well over a hundred quid to buy.

They have good handling and are an excellent design which is surprising as the concept was never copied into the other eastern arts. There were a few sword designs in Germany which had similar grips but nothing exactly the same.

Current security measures would have meant a pull for sure if you'd tried bringing it back. The design is in a "grey" area and might mean it falls foul of the prohibited weapon (push dagger section) of the 1958 Offensive Weapons Act. It all depends on who's doing the interpreting I suppose. A good find anyway mate!

Phil, I am impressed. Good detective work, bud.

There's a good picture of one and some description of how it's used (if memory serves) in Donn Draeger's incredible "Asian Fighting Arts"

N

PS: BTW, that's a book everyone should have in their library.

thebristolbloke wrote:Paul mate,

They turn up in this country but very rarely, when they do they are normally battered, rusty and in hideous shape or are pristine works of art. Either way you are looking at well over a hundred quid to buy.

They have good handling and are an excellent design which is surprising as the concept was never copied into the other eastern arts. There were a few sword designs in Germany which had similar grips but nothing exactly the same.

Current security measures would have meant a pull for sure if you'd tried bringing it back. The design is in a "grey" area and might mean it falls foul of the prohibited weapon (push dagger section) of the 1958 Offensive Weapons Act. It all depends on who's doing the interpreting I suppose. A good find anyway mate!

It was a good find but i thought i'd play it safe and not risk trying to get it in the country.

Got a - newly produced but good quality - dagger like that for a mates birthday. It was so sexy i was sorry it wasnt MY birthday!

/Narco