Oak leaf #7 cleaver

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Timber II

Smoking Fanatic
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SMF Premier Member
Oct 15, 2023
656
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Swamp east Missouri
Picked up a nice cleaver for my collection…..thought some of ya would like to see it!
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We have one much like it. Ours is also very old. It was used in the grocery store by my wife's relatives, back when, in the old China town section of Watsonville. The stamp shows Buffalo, NY, 1887.

We just had it "sharpened" by one of those folks in a tent outside the local grocery store. $10. They didn't do a very good job. We'll need to find someone who can put a proper edge on it and not just run it through a few passes on 1" belt sander.

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We have one much like it. Ours is also very old. It was used in the grocery store by my wife's relatives, back when, in the old China town section of Watsonville. The stamp shows Buffalo, NY, 1887.

We just had it "sharpened" by one of those folks in a tent outside the local grocery store. $10. They didn't do a very good job. We'll need to find someone who can put a proper edge on it and not just run it through a few passes on 1" belt sander.

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get a whet stone and learn how to do ALL your knives.
 
i have an old Briddell. its of similar size, weighs 2-1/4#. dont know the age but old for sure.

it had hammer marks from miss use also on the back. you can gently peen those back down and into shape. the back isnt treated. just work on the side a lil on a anvil or similar block. i was surprised at how it moved back into shape. i then took to sanding it. i just use it to split my small chunks for the smoker.
 
cool knife jim!
the edge on that cleaver isnt made to be razor sharp. its made for strength to chop bone. if you look its rolled to the edge convex. a sharp edge would chip off easily.
 
I just like old stuff chopsaw chopsaw ….most is hunting related, calls, decoys, wood bows, traps etc. but we have a bunch of food / restaurant related things too. Grinders, tables, a bit I’ve posted here. No shapleigh tho
 
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I just like old stuff chopsaw chopsaw ….most is hunting related, calls, decoys, wood bows, traps etc. but we have a bunch of food / restaurant related things too. Grinders, tables, a bit I’ve posted here. No shapleigh tho
Same here . Shapleigh was a hardware staple for years in St. Louis . You probably know that .
A lot of people collect anything from Shapleigh . I have an old racing bicycle that was my Uncles . Has a Shapleigh head badge on it , and this grain mill . The one on the right is a Griswold meat grinder .
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I have some fishing lures that were my Grandpa's on my Dad's side .
I'll have to get them out and snap some pics .
I have some old tools , brace and bit , levels ,, hand drills . I still use the hand drills sometimes .
That steel is far and above better than today .
Also an old gas light fixture ( interior ) that came out of my Grandma's house .

Can't forget about my Patio light . Uncle was an electrician for the city . He was on a recovery crew for the converted gas street lights after the drunks ran them down on the weekend . They didn't all make it back to the yard .
Says October 31st 1895 on the upper ring . That might be a patent date . Not sure , but it's old either way . Has hand blown glass .
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A lot of people collect anything from Shapleigh . I have an old racing bicycle that was my Uncles . Has a Shapleigh head badge on it , and this grain mill . The one on the right is a Griswold meat grinder .
This got me curious enough to dig out Mom's old meat grinder, which also likely came from the St. Louis area. It's a Polly Prim, another common grinder from that era. We've only got the one plate for it, I suspect it originally came with a set. One of these days I have to try it out.
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See , I think that's a grain mill .
Mine looks like this .
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Oooohhhh. I hadn't considered that. I remember Mom and some German relatives who came out to visit from where she grew up outside of St. Louis making pork sausage on the farm when I was young. I assumed this was part of the process. I don't recall her ever grinding grain, but that would have made much less of an impression on a young boy than converting pig into sausage links.
 
Old stuff is cool! We live on my grandparents farm where my dad grew up. Bought it when my dad was 6 months old, he's 89 now. House had been abandoned for over 20 years when we decided to remodel it.
Got so excited one day as I saw an old cast iron pot out in the grove... like 30 gallon . Sadly, broken and missing a big piece. But we did get back the 25 gallon stone crock that had been buried in the basement floor... my sister and BIL dug it out just before we started working on the place . Also found grandpa's high school diploma from 1907 in the attic. Was rolled up like a bunch of the wallpaper that was up there... something told me to open that one up. Had one small tear about an inch long. Probably about 20 inches square. And framed, hanging on our wall. I'll have to add some pics of them after while.

Ryan
 
NICE FIND, THAT'LL SERVE YOU WELL! I HAD ONE THAT'D BEEN HANDED DOWN IN MY FAMILY FOR OVER A CENTURY. HAD SOME ELECTRICAL WORK DONE IN MY GARAGE AND IT LATER CAME UP MISSING. BEST PZZA CUTTER EVER, I HOPE THE KID THAT BAGGED IT WHACKS OFF A FEW FINGERS, F-ING POS!

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Ray, we all have our faults… was just raised that way and knew everyone including myself had them! Me probably more than most!!

But one thing I have always detested is a thief! Makes me so angry when someone has such a high disregard to others and their hard earned belongings or fam heritage! I could just spit nails some days as I have been a victim to that as well!
 
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