Thrift store find today, an Ula walrus jaw handle knife

[Tripplebeards]

I didn’t know what it was but thought it looked pretty interesting for $2.99. I figured I’d buy it and take it home and do some research. I thought it looked homemade and cheesy and really didn’t know what it was. Figured I could use it for a fleshing knife on coyote , fox, and raccoon pelts. When I got home I started googling it. Turns out to be a vintage Ulu knife. The handle is thick bone. I started researching that the handle could be made out of whale, walrus Peter or jawbone, moose, or Caribou antlers. After much liking it definitely has to be a walrus jawbone. I don’t think it’s petrified Though. Pretty cool fine though! I’m guessing I probably shouldn’t use it for skinning and put it up since I’m guessing it’s antique?

Here is a picture of a walrus jaw bone example





And my knife







Any idea of the origins and the date? I did some googling and found an old one on invaluable.com but I’m not a member there to see the information about it. I’m just kind of curious how old it is and who manufactured it. I sure want to go out and skin something with it. It’s sharp but not real sharp I can feel the edge rolled over to one side. My guess it was probably made for a display piece and not an actual knife to cut with?

Every once in a while I find something good at the store. I bought a couple old fishing poles and fly rods for 4 and a half bucks apiece A couple years ago. The bamboo fly rod I sold for 150 bucks on eBay since I figured I would never use it. The other fishing rod and reel I put to good use. There was an old vintage Abba Garcia bait caster and rod combo. I also picked up a collectors Brett Favre action doll new sealedin the plastic container for $15.99. Gave that to my dad for his birthday he was pretty tickled.



I didn’t find any pewter which is what I was out for. I did find one little container for four bucks that I passed on. It looked like an ashtray or a flower container that couldn’t have been more than 3 ounces. Oh well there’s always one more shopping next week to make the circle again. I also checked out of town during Christmas where I normally find piles of pewter and there was zero to be found this time around. I have to head back there in a week. Hopefully the pewter fairy will visit.

[armoredman]

Nice find. I know absolutely nothing about it, though.

[Winger Ed.]

It wasn't built just for display. It's the real deal.

I have two, that are more or less handmade up in Alaska by a place that probably gets blades stamped
out by the hundreds, and puts their different kinds of hand grips on them.

Ulus go WAY WAY back in history as being among the first knief designs ever.
The oldest ones found so far go back to about 5,000 years ago... and it might have been old then.
Up in Alaska, they still make them, and good ones too starting around $20 bucks.

They were a 'do-all' working knief design. Skinning, butchering, cutting cloth or leather....
I have two I use mostly for chopping vegetables, the rolling action works better and faster than a straight blade.
If you have joint problems or arthritis they are way easier to use than standard kitchen knives.
I skinned out a raccoon a year or so ago with it.
I haven't done it with one before, and it's so sharp, I cut through/pierced the skin a couple times.

Yours looks like it was made by a small shop tradesman that used blade blanks to put it together rather than coming from a factory.
(Pretty much like they still do)

It probably ended up at Goodwill from when they cleaned out Grandma's house and nobody knew what it is.

I show ours to people sometimes, and so far, over the years, only two have been able to identify them.
Here's one that looks exactly like mine. Except Mine has a whale picture stamped in the handle instead of the cabin.
Both have the edge made on just one side, sort of like they do a lawn mower blade.

Edit:
You got bit by inflation.
I got my first one at Goodwill for $2. about 10-12 years ago.
And it was new, with the plastic edge protection still on it.

Your handle is probably whale bone.
Watch some of those nature shows and you'll see in various places in Alaska,
there is still tons of them laying around on the ground from 'the old days'.

I use it all the time, but didn't know what it was called.
When a buddy walked through the kitchen and saw it, he said, "That's a ulu! Where did you get it"?
Then I dug around and researched them.
I figure somebody bought it as a souvenier on a trip to Alaska, brought it home, and never used it.

[GhostHawk]

My wife brought home one from second hand store, had an attractive cutting block for it which I do not use.

I like to use it when making a pot of Vegitable beef soup. It works awesome on a whole stalk of celery, big carrots, turnips, potatoes etc.
I use mine with a large plastic cutting sheet. I love the rocking action, easier on my wrist than a big kitchen knife that slams into the cutting sheet.

Mine has all the grind for the blade on one side. But as long as you keep the flat side to the material you are cutting it cuts straight.
So I just put a large magic marker dot on the side of the handle that faces me.

I would have bought the one pictured above in a heartbeat.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

…easier on my wrist than a big kitchen knife that slams into the cutting sheet.

Try leaving the tip of your big knife on the cutting board and do your cutting under the part of the blade near the handle. Similar to how a paper cutter would work. Lots more control and no slamming.

[CastingFool]

That's a cool find! I've been wanting an ulu for quite a while, but just haven't found one at a good (read low) price

[Tripplebeards]

My blade has been ground on both sides and looks like it’s never been sharpened after originally made. I also figured it was probably made by some small place completely handcrafted. I’ll have to wipe the blade down with vinegar and oil it later today or tomorrow. It’s old enough (and has whale or walrus bone) that I don’t know if I wanna use it or just put it on the shelf. Makes me wanna go buy a modern one to use it and put it up. Figure I’ll have to make a base for stand it up in eventually. Wish I had a flat piece of bone to do so. Maybe I’ll use one of the bones I saved from a deer leg?

[ascast]

Nice find 1 I have a couple that are modern made, meaning in the 50;s. My mom had one and used it a lot for chopping nuts, etc. Still hangs on its hook. I think Marbles made one a few years ago. It was more than I wanted to spend. I would use it. You maybe dont want it sharp for fleshing. We never sharpened ours. They chop nuts just fine.

[rbuck351]

Yours is not a one off Eskimo built Ulu but it is fairly old but I believe uses a stamped blade. I lived in AK for 32 years 6 in Nome and never saw one with a rivited handle attachment. I believe it is an older small shop built Ulu. $3 for a good kitchen tool is a good deal. Most made after white men started arriving in AK were made by cutting apiece of steel from a large crosscut saw. Most were made with the blade being cut as one piece with either a single wide top piece or two separated top pieces the were fit into the handle. Many were made with handle scales similar to a full tang knife handle. Most of the newer "tourist" Ulu knives are made like the picture Winger Ed shows and have fake Ivory handles. You don't find a lot of any kind of Ulu in the lower 48 let alone one as unique as yours. Nice find. We have one of the modern "tourist" Ulus with a wood display stand but I'm not sure where it is at the moment.

[stubshaft]

Nice find!

[Tripplebeards]

Well I just put one together yesterday to go with it! A caveman would be jealous! Lol. One of my FFL dealers gave me a Damascus knife blank a few years ago. He was given a bunch of blanks by a wife of an knife maker who passed away. I would assume the guy must’ve bought a bunch of commercial blanks and had fun making them. I got to pick one and I like the looks of this Skinner. I had to file, sand, and stone down the blade as it was pretty rough looking. I smoothed it out and it’s been sitting ever since. The other day I etched it in vinegar and then soaked it in instant coffee for a half a day. It never really did get dark but I don’t care it’s just was something to do for fun. I don’t have knife making tools or a “kit”and was looking for some type of brass to protect my hand that would go between the knife and the handle. I never had any luck finding anything. I was debating on taking a deer antler and making a handle out of it. I also had a couple of humorous bones that I boiled from a buck I shot bowhunting a couple seasons ago laying around. I thought well since I don’t have any type of brass stopper to go between the blade and the knife handle. I figured I would use a humerus bone to keep my hands from accidentally sliding up onto the knife. So I used my Dremel tool to cut a long narrow slot in the end of the bone and pounded the knife blank in using a couple of 1x3’s. I epoxied the knife in place when doing so. I also rubbed some black walnut stain on the bone. It looked just to new and bright white to me. Wanted make it look old and petrified. What do you think???

[Winger Ed.]

A caveman would be jealous!]

That's way cool.

If I had one, I'd go around to every purple haired, soft headed 'save the planet', vegan I could find and show it to them.