tsellati Posted July 20, 2014 Share #1 Posted July 20, 2014 ...and this really cool Gunner's Knife was no exception. Came across this copper bladed knife while the family and I were visiting Fort Ticonderoga the 4th of July weekend. Use of copper eliminated the risk of generating sparks while working around black powder. I wonder if they figured this out before or after someone lost their eyebrows using a knife whose blade was made out of steel or iron . Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patchcollector Posted July 20, 2014 Share #2 Posted July 20, 2014 Interesting.I did'nt know that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share #3 Posted July 20, 2014 The photograph may not do the blade justice color-wise, but in person it does have an "orangish" (copper) hue to it. I wonder if these knives were the precursors of the non-magnetic, non-sparking generating UDT knife. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted July 20, 2014 Share #4 Posted July 20, 2014 Is there something on the handle ? Looks like your picture was taken using inside light ? I don't have any proper inside light so I use the shade on a sunny day. That might help get the proper color of the blade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1SG_1st_Cav Posted July 20, 2014 Share #5 Posted July 20, 2014 I learned something new today! Thanks ~ Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share #6 Posted July 20, 2014 Is there something on the handle ? Looks like your picture was taken using inside light ? I don't have any proper inside light so I use the shade on a sunny day. That might help get the proper color of the blade Yes, there was very faded white characters (probably letters) ink stamped onto the wooden handle. Unfortunately, I neglected to write down what they spelled out when I was in the museum. Which speaks to your second point about lighting. Yes, this photo was taken through a glass display case inside the museum whose interior room was not well lit from natural light coming through the windows. This was about as good as I could get of this knife. I did take several pictures of colonial swords of various makers and countries and I will be sharing them shortly in a separate thread. Hope you sword collectors will enjoy them. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manayunkman Posted July 20, 2014 Share #7 Posted July 20, 2014 I'm sorry I thought the knife was in your collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gunbarrel Posted July 20, 2014 Share #8 Posted July 20, 2014 Very cool, Tim! My "powder monkey" knife looks similar, but the blade is made of steel. Made in England, acquired and used by the USN. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/91307-wwi-us-navy-powder-monkey-knife/?hl=monkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyCanteen Posted July 20, 2014 Share #9 Posted July 20, 2014 Is there something on the handle ? It appears to say 'Enterprise'. Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share #10 Posted July 20, 2014 Very cool, Tim! My "powder monkey" knife looks similar, but the blade is made of steel. Made in England, acquired and used by the USN. http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/91307-wwi-us-navy-powder-monkey-knife/?hl=monkey Wow, what a great thread and I love the photographs and period letter. Of course, to have such a knife in your collection must be a real dream as well. Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsellati Posted July 20, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted July 20, 2014 It appears to say 'Enterprise'. Interesting. Good eyes, and the name Enterprise makes perfect sense. Here is an entry for the USS Enterprise (1775), which operated in the Lake Champlain area during the Revolutionary War - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(1775) Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kilian Posted July 26, 2014 Share #12 Posted July 26, 2014 Thanks for showing. Sorry to highjack your thread, but your post of a museum piece reminded me of the Apollo space missions survival knife as shown in the Washington Air & Space Museum. I have a picture I took of it in the museum on my other computer but here is a link to one on the internet: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5138/5469315337_6d952de30f_z.jpg Anybody here who is lucky enough to own one? Kilian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knife7knut Posted July 28, 2014 Share #13 Posted July 28, 2014 Thanks for showing. Sorry to highjack your thread, but your post of a museum piece reminded me of the Apollo space missions survival knife as shown in the Washington Air & Space Museum. I have a picture I took of it in the museum on my other computer but here is a link to one on the internet: https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5138/5469315337_6d952de30f_z.jpg Anybody here who is lucky enough to own one? Kilian Interesting knife that was originally posted.Was there any age given to that specific knife? I know there were tools(and I believe knives as well)that are made from a beryllium-copper alloy that are non-sparking and non-magnetic that are used in hazardous environments. As for the Apollo knives they were made by Case and one of their features was a handle made of polypropylene which was used because it is the only plastic that does not out-gas and is virtually resistant to any chemicals including acid which is why they make storage battery cases with it. I don't know how many were actually issued to astronauts but in 1972 Case released 2,494 of them to the general public mounted in a wooden display case for $75.They sold out very quickly and show up for sale today very rarely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now