"Inherited" a VERY nice sheath knife from Finland. Info, anyone?

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Hand_Rifle_Guy

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Here's where I got it. A long story.

It's a "puukko", a Finnish belt knife similar to a tanto. This one was apparently a semi-custom collabaration by a cutlery firm and a designer of some repute I've never heard of, but I'm not aware of when it was made, what kind of steel it is, or what it's worth.

It displays master-quality workmanship and materials, and it's definitely a keeper. I'm curious to know how rare it is, it's original purchase price, distributor, approximate date of manufacture, and whether it's a collectible piece.

Specifications: Stainless blade about 5/32" x 4 1/2", heavy brass bolsters, ebony/ironwood/other? grip, finely-constructed natural-colored leather sheath embossed with a bearclaw footprint.

The only mark is an acid- or laser-etch on the blade, "HACKMAN FINLAND STAINLESS" over "TAPIO WIRKKALA", arranged parallel to the back edge.

I'm sorry, but I haven't got a picture. Rest assured that this blade is of the finest craftsmanship you'll see anywhere. It's nothing short of impressive.

Anyone know anything about this slick slicer? It gets viciously sharp! If there's a story behind the design, I'd love to hear it. Any information or links to point me at would be much appreciated.
 
Wirkkala was the designer, pretty famous Finnish designer. I believe he started working with the puukko's in the '60s.


Edit : google "TAPIO WIRKKALA puukko"
 
Is it this one ?- http://homepage.mac.com/leitmotif/pf/hw/hw3037.html


Modernized version of the traditional suomi puukko incorporating glass composite handle and sheath. Blades may be single piece or sandwich laminate. Yours sounds like the standard with the leather sheath.

Anywhere from $50 to $450 depending upon materials, ornamentation, condition.
 
Hey! we have a winner!

Yes indeed, that's the exact one. Sheath and everything.

Condition's about the same as the one in the pic, too.

Un-ornamented, AFAIK. Non-laminate blade, presuming laminate means some sorta damascus. Leather sheath, check. The grip material is still a mystery to me. Black Micarta?

It's been a bit roughly sharpened, resulting in some cross-grain scuffs (Not scratches, scuffs.) that I'm in the process of removing.

When I'm done, it'll be as-new. I wonder what they're selling for now, as this one's a base-model?

I Googled a bit, but didn't find that set of pics, and found very little history on Tapio Wirkkala. Little short bio-bits that didn't satisfy. I'll do some more digging when I get back from working.

Were these made in the 80's? Or do they date from earlier? Are there a bunch of 'em?

Curious about how this designer/artist tumbled into knife design. For an artist, he made a delightfully functional blade. I don't have a lot of use for "art knives".

Another thing I'd like to see is a higher-end version, if they exist. One of those $450 specimens. If someone knows a link or perhaps a knife forum I oughta go look at, lemme know. I'll check Bladeforums right off, but that's the only one I know about.

History of the puukko is also on my 'need-to-know' list.

Not planning to sell it, mind you. Treasure stays home.
 
I have one of those and in addition to being a very attractive knife it is very practical and was my hunting knife for many years.It goes back to about 1970. Yours is the larger one there also was a smaller one.I'm not sure who marketed it , maybe Brookstone ? Don't know the collecters value but it makes a great user.
 
If you are intrested in nice Scandinavian blades, visit Ragnar's Ragweed Forge. I am a lover of Scandinavian blades, and Mr. Ragnar is a very fine fellow to deal with. He has a very wide selection, including some higher end stuff.

ragweedforge.com

Oh yhea, about laminated steel... It is not damascus, it is hard steel sandwiched between two softer slabs. The stainless knives are not laminated, only the carbon steel ones are, at least the ones I've seen...

Nice knife by the way. :)
 
Puukos are hunting and utility blades. Very functional and well built.Sounds like you got a nice one.
 
Non-laminate blade, presuming laminate means some sorta damascus.
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As has already been said, it doesn't mean damascus. Laminated Finnish (and Norwegian and Swedish) knives are usually a sandwich laminate, for function, not for looks. A piece of softer, tensile steel is wrapped around a harder piece of steel for the edge. This can be difficult to actually see if the blade has been polished. Look for a line a few millimeters from the edge. With modern steels, better "compromise" alloys are available for non-laminated blades, but a lot of Scandinavian knives are still laminated. In handmade knives, the steel may have been beaten and folded several times before the edge-steel is included in the final wrapping. Damascus also occurs, but that's for artistery and fancy looks, not for function.

Skofnung, stainless knives can also be laminated. I think that for exampel the Norwegian manufacturer Helle uses laminated stainless in most of their knives.

I don't speak Finnish, but as I understand it a "puukko" is the same thing as a "tollekniv" in Norwegian. Both names are derived from wood or woodworking, but the knives are not specialized woodworking tools. They are more like all-purpose sheath knives, good for working with wood, but also useful for gutting fish, cleaning game, campfire cooking - and pretty much anything else a knife may be used for. In short a tool no Scandinavian man or woman should be without, and most have one or a few. Although this doesn't mean we can't own other, more specialized knives as well... :)

Curious about how this designer/artist tumbled into knife design. For an artist, he made a delightfully functional blade.
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I don't know anything about him either, but the man was a Finn. I just can't imagine a Finn, artist or not, design a knife that wasn't functional. Finns know knives.
 
DCP_0929.jpg


Beautiful knives those Finns make...

Here's the closest I can come. It's a Marttini that my kinda, sorta ex-friend has. I think he has three or four others. If you can buy them in Finland or have someone buy them for you in Finland, they are very economical and the quality seems almost unbelievable for the price.
 
Puukko originally means a wooden handle knife, but has since become a general name for Finnish or Scandinavian style knife which has a straight back, single bevel, mostly full tang blade. Finns have made this type of knives for thousands of years and the style has changed very little, since it has proven to be very practical and durable knife in harsh environment. The single bevel makes these knives extremely sharp and easy to sharpen when needed.

True Finnish puukko knives are mostly carbon steel knives, Norwegians prefer the laminated steel and today large part of Swedes prefer Sandvik stainless steel. Puukko makers are still highly respected in Nordic areas and a good knife has always been essential tool for people in North. They had to be made to stand any kind of weather conditions and tasks… those knives can even be “abused”.

Here is a good link for more info…

http://finnish-puukko.blogspot.com
 
Swedish Steel

One of the things talked about on Ragnar's page is
The naturally superior Swedish steel, combined with skilled craftsmanship, resulted in knives that became famous for their ability to hold a superior edge and sharpen easily.
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WHY was Swedish steel superior? Did they develop an alloy that was better than that of any nation, or like the Japanese steel used in swordmaking, did it contain An ideal combination of impurities?
 
Scandinavia has historically been a source of very high grade iron ores useful for making knives and tools.
 
Ancient thread.

Anyway, I seem to remember reading that Sandvik 12C37 (or some bunch of numbers something like that) is one of the very few steels designed specifically for cutlery. ATS-34 (or something like that) was originally designed for certain jet engine parts, for instance.
 
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