Shaving Kit by Scott Summerville

 

Photography by Jan Riser.

Folding Pocket Knife by Scott Summerville with Engraving by Chuck Edwards

 

Photography by Jan Riser.

Pocketknife by Scott Summerville

 

Photography by Jan Riser.

CLF 2022 Auction: Mid-Eighteenth Century Folding Knife by Scott Summerville

 

In early America, the humble pocket knife could be found from the drawing rooms of Tidewater estates to the farthest reaches of the frontier. George Washington is known to have owned a number of folding knives, and famed explorer Meriwether Lewis famously carried a pen knife all the way the Pacific Ocean and back.

For the 2022 CLF Live Fundraising Auction, perennial auction supporter Scott Summerville has donated another stellar example of a colonial folding knife which is sure to garner competitive bidding at the live event.

Summerville describes the knife as a mid-eighteenth century folder with a locking blade. “The locking mechanism,” explains the artist, “is a flat spring that is attached so it lays along the knife's back. The spring has a square hole that snaps over a lug on the blade when open. To close you just push the spring up and close the blade.”  

 

This fully functional gentleman’s knife is also a handsome work of art. The handle's graceful shape is found on a number of original knives, and sports steel liners and beautifully patterned ash burl scales.

For more information on the work of Scott Summerville, contact the artist directly: summerville1757@yahoo.com

Text by Joshua Shepherd 

Photography by David Wright

2021 CLA Live Auction: Eighteenth Century Folding Knife by Scott Summerville

 

Scott Summerville is an excellent knife smith.  His most popular product is his authentic 18th century folding knives.  The 18^th century traveler carried his own knife.  Taverns and public houses did not furnish cutlery.  Provisions came in chunks, slabs and sausages; and the baker did not slice your bread. This knife has a bolster copied from an original that is believed to be Dutch.  The blade has an 18^th century flared tip, where the tip is slightly wider than where the blade meets the handle.  The style of the finished knife is appropriate for the second half of the century, or even a bit earlier.

 The scales are made of kingswood and are cut using an 18th century method to make the grain stripped.  Scott discovered this method in a knife maker’s book printed in 1771.  It makes a spectacular looking handle.  Scott’s knife assembly and fitting are always the best quality work. This is a fine example of a gentleman’s knife, and not cheap trade goods.

 Scott is a long time CLA member and regular auction supporter. He appreciates the CLA and the opportunity it offers artists for camaraderie, marketing, and recognition. 

Scott Summerville’s contact information is:

summerville1757@yahoo.com

Photography by David Wright

Text by Heinz Ahlers

CLF Auction Artist of the Day: Scott Summerville

 

2020 CLA Live Auction: 18TH CENTURY FOLDING KNIFE By Scott Summerville

Length: Open 9”  Closed 5”

Whether you’re headed to the backcountry for an 18th century trek or bound for a desk job in the big city, a reliable pocket knife is a gentleman’s necessity. Perennial auction supporter Scott Summerville has once again generously donated a top-quality reproduction folding knife for this year’s CLF fundraising auction.

Summerville explains that this knife is based on an original piece from his collection which was found in upper Michigan near the colonial fur trade routes along Lake Huron. Summerville’s knife is copied closely from the original, and is a French design from the mid-eighteenth century which features a spear point blade typical of the era.  Since the original knife handle was incomplete and the material is not known, Summerville chose richly aged sheep horn for the scales of his reproduction.

Collectors can do no better than this exquisite blade by Scott Summerville, who is one of the nation’s top authorities on 18th century folding knives. A veteran bladesmith, Summerville has been crafting knives since 1993 for collectors and public institutions across the nation, including Colonial Williamsburg. An expert in the technical aspects of his craft, Summerville nonetheless stays true to the classic designs of early America. “My drive”, he says, “is to produce historically accurate knives in construction and appearance.”

For more information on the work of artist Scott Summerville, contact the artist directly at summerville1757@yahoo.com 

To see all the Artists' contributions to the 2020 CLF Live Fund Raising Auction, visit our website at http://www.contemporarylongriflefoundation.org/2020-live-auction/

2019 CLA Live Auction: Eighteenth Century Folding Knife by Scott Summerville

In November of 1766, the English firm of Robert Cary & Company issued an invoice for miscellaneous goods to an up-and-coming Virginia planter who was largely tethered to the mother country for the manufactured goods necessary on his plantation. For various items including silk, nails, buttons, and cheese, George Washington was billed the respectable sum of £161. Included in the shipment was one item clearly intended for a gentleman of standing: 1 fine pocket knife, “London made”, for the price of ten shillings and sixpence.

Attendees of this year’s CLF fundraising auction will have the opportunity to own a fine folding knife, fit for a gentleman of any century, by noted bladesmith Scott Summerville. An accomplished knife maker who crafts a wide variety of cutlery, Summerville specializes in the precise art of colonial era folders. The artist maintains a collection of original 18^th century originals, and, as he explains, uses them as study aids in replicating knives “that look like a brand-new knife did 200 or so years ago.”

Summerville’s offering in this year’s auction is based on an original knife in the collections of Colonial Williamsburg which he was able to photograph and measure a few years ago. The artist chose 1095 steel for this fine gentleman’s knife, and the blade is entirely hand-filed. The piece is fitted with bone scales, which were left untreated, Summerville explains, “to allow the bone to develop a natural patina.”

Summerville is an experienced artist with more than two decades of experience crafting knives. “I find the CLA humbling and inspiring,” he says. “The amount of talent that is always on display at the Lexington show completely awes me.  And I am grateful for the opportunity it gives me and other artists to showcase our talents and help to encourage and preserve arts that might otherwise be lost.”

For more information on the work of Scott Summerville, contact the artist directly at: summerville1757@yahoo.com 

Copy and photos supplied by the CLF.

Gary Ganas Collection

Canoe Scoop

Double Powder Horn by Gerald Dukes

Knife and Sheath by Wick Ellerbe

Knife is 12 inches long overall. Stag handle. Well made sheath by Ellerbe. 

Decorative Pole Ax

Well done pole ax that is marked, but the maker is unknown to me. Lots of decorative filings. 

Ax head is 5.5 inches across. Haft is 13.75 inches long. 

unknown mark

Knife and Sheath by Scott Summerville

Knife is 13 inches overall. Antler handle. Well made sheath. 

$150. plus $15. shipping in the continental USA.

Contact artriser@mindspring.com

more images here

Beaver Bill War Club

Gunstock club with iron spike. Nice beads and horsehair drops. 24 inches long. 

$100.00 plus $20. shipping in the continental USA.

Contact artriser@mindspring.com

Photos by Jan Riser.