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An E.G. Waterman knife


Patchcollector
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Patchcollector

Hi all,
I have here this E.G Waterman knife.Looks to have been "customized" by an owner.The sheath looks to be postwar(?) and has strange black marks on it.I'm wondering if the mods were done for "battle" or hunting?

 

I noticed in this thread that the E.G Waterman knives were turned down for use by the Navy:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/231841-egw-waterman-knives/?hl=waterman

 

 

 

Did these knives make it to War as private purchases or were they ever issued?

 

Did E.G Waterman make these knives postwar?

 

All thoughts comments info etc.. are welcome and appreciated.

 

 

Thanks!

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Wet iron or steel will produce black stains on wood or leather, as well as some other natural materials. This maybe a possible explanation for the staining on the sheath. Sailors and knots are almost synonymous with each other. The presence of a variation of the Turks head knot almost shouts sailor. Just a casual observation here.

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The EGW knives came in 3 lengths (5, 6, and 7-inch blades), two types of grips (leather washers, wood with grooves), and either a "saw blade" along the spine or clean. That would make 12 basic variations and there might be others as some seem to have the can opener space near the guard and others don't. Also seems that some were not marked but are assumed to be EGWs. All were private purchase knives.

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Patchcollector

Thanks everyone for the comments and info.I do like these knives as they are a bit unusually designed.From what I read E.G Waterman did not make sheaths,but "offered" them from different sellers.

Maybe I'm thinking(hoping :) ) too much because I was thinking the black spots were put there as a type of "camo",and the white rope looked,to me anyway,not so much dirty but intentionally darkened,making this more of a "combat" than a hunting rig.

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When are too many not enough? I had been accumulating a number of the two larger versions. EGW continued into the 1950s, at least that is my understanding. My hunch/opinion is that the examples with red spacers are post WWII. All the pointier without a "clip" I have encountered are sterile. I had one of the other predominate model marked on the other side and one sterile. I have never adopted a wood handle one. It is the blades without the bottle opener that I pay the most attention to. All the wood grip examples I am aware of sport the bottle cap lift blade.

 

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Scabbards have varied, as shown here and what we see on other knives of the era.

 

Cheers

 

GC

 

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Patchcollector

When are too many not enough? I had been accumulating a number of the two larger versions. EGW continued into the 1950s, at least that is my understanding. My hunch/opinion is that the examples with red spacers are post WWII. All the pointier without a "clip" I have encountered are sterile. I had one of the other predominate model marked on the other side and one sterile. I have never adopted a wood handle one. It is the blades without the bottle opener that I pay the most attention to. All the wood grip examples I am aware of sport the bottle cap lift blade.

Scabbards have varied, as shown here and what we see on other knives of the era.

 

Cheers

 

GC

 

 

Hi GC,

 

Now that's a fine bevy of E.G Waterman blades that you have there.Thanks for posting them.

 

 

Here is a copy of a document that was posted in the thread I linked to in post # 1

 

 

There is a list of model #'s being submitted for USMC inspection and approval(which,unfortunately,did'nt happen)

 

 

The model #'s are:

187

197

207

247d

267

 

 

Do any of your examples have model #'s on them?

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None I have ever seen have an actual model number marked on the knives. My dad was black gang on a cruiser during WWII but he never mentioned whether he had bought it independently, issued or gifted.

 

There had been on Ebay a longer blade variant and I have seen a number of the seven inch blade examples with more bowie looking clips, so if you add up the two main versions, add these two just mentioned and the wood handled, that adds up to five. The mess kit ensemble almost certainly post war. I am forgetting where I saw a printed ad for sportsmans sales of the wood handle version. bBut then you have tooth and no tooth versions as well.

 

Be sure to search both EGW and Waterman knives on Ebay. There are currently several of both main patterns for sale

 

It is also possible that some of the multiple alloy spacer examples were one of those model #s but usually just three metal spacers or different leather washers, with others I have definitely modified that way.

 

In the end, I just don't know about the model #s and factory examples but the more bellied blade with no blade notch and those with just the angled (not a cap lift) notch appear the most often as relics of WWII.

 

Cheers

 

GC

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  • 6 years later...

I was told that Atlantic Cutlery reproduced the EGW knife a few years ago, I know that is what everyone wants to hear. Does anyone have any information about them.

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