"Sliders"(not the TV show)and other ways to open a knife...........

[Ray S]

   Ever since man created the folding knife he has been trying to devise easier methods of opening the blades safely.Women like the idea as well because it saves them from breaking a fingernail.So let us examine the various methods that have been dragged out over the years.........
   As the title of this post deals with sliding blade knives let us examine those first. These fall into two distinct categories:The first operates by depressing a button on the side of the knife and pushing it open or closed.Some of these have notches on the slide to allow the blade to be extended to different lengths;presumably for different tasks.The most popular of this type was produced by the Gits Knife Co. and the Christy Knife Co.
   The Gits version used a plastic handle that also could contain advertising for a particular product and was a popular giveaway type knife.The Christy knives are all metal and had no provision for advertising.
    The second version of this type is also known as a "gravity" knife in that the opening is done by again pressing a button while holding the knife in a point down position and allowing the weight of the blade to let it slide open.Turning it point up and pressing the button allows it to close.In this type the blade will lock in both positions either by a notch cut into the blade or a tweezer type mechanism that grasps the blade on it's sides and is released by pressing the button.The Eagle Pencil Co. knives used this feature.They also had a model that had a sleeve that fit over the handle that was attached to the blade and could be slid back and forth.Friction pressure kept it from sliding by itself.
    For some obscure reason these knives have been deemed illegal in many places as being classified a form of "switchblade".Although there are switchblade knives that open by a spring propelling the blade open and/or closed these will not be addressed here.
    There are several other methods of getting a knife blade open without resorting to use of the nail nick;some of these are:
    The "ring turn" knife.This has a small folding ring attached to the blade pivot pin which when twisted will open or close the blade.These knives usually have a nail nick on the blade should the ring be lost or broken.These seem to have been popular in Germany and England in the 1920's and 30's but disappeared after WWII.
    Another late 19th and early 20th century design was the so-called,"pellet" that consisted of a small disc attached to the top of the blade allowing it to be gripped between the thumb and forefinger and lift the blade.
   Another design had small tabs located at the ends of the knife that when pressed snapped the blade open to about 15 or 20 degrees which then allowed it to be opened by hand.This was made by the Automatic Knife Co. of Middletown CT around 1893.
   A similar type used a button affixed to the side of the knife and pushing up on it opened the blade a like amount.This was featured on a knife by Schmactenberg Bros. of Germany
   Still another style utilized a tab at the rear of the handle that was attached to a toothed rack that engaged teeth on the tang of the knife blade.When pulled the rack slid back and the blade swung open.
   Some other methods include a housing that slides open to release a spring loaded blade to about 20 degrees and then to be pulled open manually.The housing is then slid back to form the handle and keep the blade from accidentally closing.
   The last version is the so-called,"funny folder".A bit more complicated to explain so see the picture sequence of the Stanley 10-059 knife. Another version has one handle side rotated 360 degrees and as it opens it pulls the blade around to the open position.Slight spring pressure on the handle side keeps it flush and from accidentally opening.
   So that is about it description-wise.I will try and group them together with explanations as best as possible so please be patient.
 #1 A Gits slide blade knife with advertising.
 #2 A Christy slide blade in the original box.
 #3 & #4 A Dur-O-Lite mechanical pencil with a slide knife housed in the top.A small cover protects the blade.
         
   

[Ray S]

Mo' sliders
#1 A military issue gravity knife issued to paratroopers.Notch in the top of the blade locks it in the open or closed position.
#2 An Anton Wingen metal handled gravity knife from the 1950's.This one depends on friction between the blade and lock to hold it in position.
#3 & #4 a custom slide blade.Buttons on both sides have to be depressed to open and close the blade.

[Ray S]

Page three
#1 A group of Eagle Pencil Co. gravity knives.The bottom one opens by sliding the ring around the handle back and forth.
#2 Tabs on the end snap the blades open to about 20 degrees and then they are pulled open.Made by Automatic Knife Co. of Middletown CT circa 1893.
#3 A ring turn opener by Humphrey's Radiant of Sheffield.
#4 A gravity knife marked only,"Rostfrei";a gift from a friend in Germany.

[Ray S]

Page four
#1-2-3 A B&B ad knife.The handle opens allowing the blade to spring up and then be pulled open completey.
#4 A group of slide blade knives by various makers.Some are two blade.

[Ray S]

Page five Another version of the B&B knife requires manually opening the knife and then the handle is slid closed(picture not chown)

[Ray S]

Page seven
This knife is opened by pulling one handle slightly apart from the side and rotating it.As it rotates a tab picks up the blade and places it in the open position while the handle continues to rotate until it locks into the closed position.

[Ray S]

Page six(out of sequence)
Sliding rack knife marked Hickok.
Jet-Knife
Unmarked sliding rack knife #1
Unmarked sliding rack knife #2

[Ray S]

Page eight
#1 A small metal handled ring turn knife by Bonsa Germany
#2 & #3 An Italian multi-blade that has a small pair of scissors that slide out one end and a pair of tweezers that slide out the other side.
#4 Not sure what this was used for.There is a patent date of March 29 1910 marked on it and the blade is nickel plated brass.

[Ray S]

Page ten
#1 & #2 An unmarked manicure tool that has four tools inside.A button on the edges slides them out either way.
#3 Schmactenberg Bros(ClimAX)button open knife. Button is pushed down to lever up the blade to about 20 degrees and then pulled open manually. Sadly the small blade and part of the horn handle are broken.
#4 A ring turn knife by Sperry & Alexander.

[Ray S]

Last one! This is the so-called,"funny folder". A custom knifemaker named Ted Dowell is usually credited with the design or at least the name of it.Briefly it consists of a knife blade encased in a folded piece of metal held in place by a bracket that pivots at 90 degrees to the blade. This is opened 180 degrees allowing the knife blade to rotate to the open position and then the bracket is folded back locking it in the open position. This particular knife was made for Stanley Tools.There were many makers of this knife;Executive Edge made them with advertising on them as did B&B.

Hope you enjoyed the presentation and please feel free to post any unusual opening mechanism knives you might have.

[enki_ck]

A very interesting collection odmf knives.

Some of them I'll have to ask you later about as I'm not sure how fall into the slider category. Bookmarked for later more thorough viewing and reading the description.

[Echotech]

Great collection very interesting : tu:

[pipedreams]

Very cool!  I especially love the Christy knife. I remember my grandpa using one.

[Ray S]

Some of them I'll have to ask you later about as I'm not sure how fall into the slider category.

That is why I titled it as I did;to indicate other methods of opening a knife.

[SteveC]

Thanks for posting Ray.  Your collection is awesome !   

[old Lefty]

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing!

Lähetetty minun SM-T515 laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[Aloha]

Another great post.  I have the Christie knife.  I also have an orange handled paratrooper knife that a push button.  The creative ways makers came up with to open a knife is very interesting.  My partner has a CRKT Fulcrum which is fun to open.