Argentinian and Brazilian Knives

Argentinian knives are among the most treasured pieces traditionally used in South America by the Gauchos.

The Argentine knives were mostly used as cutting weapons and they were very useful multi-functional knife as the gauchos used it to hunt meat, for protection, in making other tools and they also used it as a razor. It is the Argentinian silversmiths who were in charge of making the Argentinian knives among other several items.

The Facon Knife

The Facon knife was used by the gaucho as an instrument of work as well as like a weapon. It is actually difficult to imagine a gaucho who does not own a Facon knife. There are several versions of stories explaining the origin of its name but the version of the story that makes sense is one suggesting that word originates from the Portuguese language. In the Portuguese language “faca” means knife while the word “facon” refers to a big knife.

The dagger

This is one of the several knives crafted by the gauchos. The knife has a thin and long double-edged blade. The dagger was used as a weapon and was much greater than a normal knife but inferior to Facon. The knife was usually made from old bayonets.

Caronero knife

The knife is similar to a dagger but its blade is longer than that of a normal dagger. It is named Caronero because it is transported between “caronas”. The Caronero knife is mostly crafted from a sabre.

The Verijero Knife

The Verijero knife is characterized by its small blade and is usually used in situations where facon knife would be uncomfortable to use. Its utility is however very limited. The knife is among the classical dagger-like knives.

Another country renowned for its collection of traditional knives in South America is Brazil and any knife collector interested in classical knives may also consider choosing from Brazilian knives. The most famous knife from Brazil is the Tramontina knife. The knife is usually purchased as kitchen cutlery manufactured with precision to suit kitchen requirements. This knife is designed from high-carbon stainless steel making it one of the strongest and highly durable knives. The manufacturing process involves heating a bar of steel and pounding it into a mold until the shape of the knife is formed. Forging the knife requires that the designer goes through various processes which include grinding as well as honing the edges.

To harden the knives they are put under very high temperatures then dipped into ice. As a result, their cutting edges are usually very long-lasting. The handle of the knife is designed from a special nylon injection that is usually molded onto the tang directly.

The most incredible features of this Brazilian knife include: it has a precision-honed fine edge, it is taper ground-serrated and has a nylon handle among other features.