Only, I can't read Chinese, and have found little help online with letters and symbols of Chinese origin.
It may just be a cheap, throw-away tool, but I can't help being curious of what the symbols mean. Is it a Chinese Walmart logo - bought by a chef in LA at a $4 clearance shelf? I would guess THAT over a dynasty heirloom at this point. The other side of the rusted
9 1/4" x 3 1/4" blade has nothing evident but pitting from corrosive elements. I'm sure I can take the side grinder and buffing wheel to the blade to get to good metal, oil and sharpen it, it could make a nice meat cleaver for HITWRA BBQ frenzies! I look forward to chopping your meat!
The knife is kinda cool/scary. Was it a murder weapon? Leftovers from oriental takeout? A chef's dropped tool when having a smoke by the grease-lined dumpster?
None of the creepy thoughts that have gone through my mind seem to bother me as much as not knowing what the symbols mean.
Help me, oh great, vast, knowledgeable internet patrons of my senseless garble!
New pop quiz : Find the answer before I post it
4 opinionated prattle:
I would say that you have come across a real "find" here, something rare and unusual that avid antique collectors would like to have, however, that is not the case. Being a avid fan of "old", what you have here is a standard issue meat clever that was used in the slime lines in early Alaska canneries. Predominantly the cannery workers were Phillipinos (sic) working the slime line and the clever was used to cut off salmon heads. The clever itself is of Chinnese origin, the inscription on the blade reads as follows from top to bottom: "Made In China". Some information and pictures is included in the book, "Early American Cutlery" by Blade Sharp.
COME ON, PEOPLE! I have determined that the second symbol down means "Door", and the third (alone) means "three". The rest escape my 5 (or so) hours of web search. I have emailed 2 different translators and am expecting a reply in the next 6 months.
Do you mean that I identified the clever wrong as well as the inscription? I thought that it was to easy.
Check yer blogs, man!
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