Working By Hand

I grew up with Swiss Army knives at home. My father and grandfathers were all in the Swiss Army, so the knives were ubiquitous at home. But not the red plasticky type ones, the real Swiss Army knives with the handles made of aluminum and four basic tools. There were two of them, and they always came with us, be it for camping or walking. I think in all those years they were never once sharpened. The fancier knives, with a myriad of tools attached were never really a thing. Sure a corkscrew was nice for picnics, but it wasn’t really practical for anything else.

The soldiers version of the Swiss Army knife likely had its origins in the tools used to maintain and disassemble the Swiss Army’s Vetterli rifles, in use from 1869 to 1889. In 1889 they introduced a new rifle, the Schmidt–Rubin (M1889), which also required a screwdriver to disassemble for cleaning. So the Swiss Army decided to purchase a folding pocket knife for its soldiers as part of standard issue. At the same time, canned food was becoming a common ration, hence the need for a can-opener.

(Soldiers’ pocket knife) The Federal Council’s decision regarding the introduction of the pocket knife (also a screwdriver for the 1891 rifle model and a can opener) for our militias is as follows: 1. Adoption of the model with four blades. 2 Free distribution to recruits as an item of equipment. This knife, like cartridge pouches, waist belts and other items, is procured by the federal government itself and distributed to the cantons for the recruits or to be distributed in kind to those enlisted. 3. The option for the enlisted men to keep the old screwdriver when exchanging their rifle or to receive the soldier’s knife for 1 franc in exchange for it. 4. Note of the knife distribution in the service booklet, proof of possession of the same at every official inspection, payment of the full price if a second distribution is made. 5. Equal treatment of special weapons with the infantry. 6. Delivery to the officers on their request also at the price of 1 Fr.

A notice announcing the soldiers pocket knives from Allgemeine Schweizerische Militärzeitung, Nr.6, Basel, Feb.7, 1891.

The resulting knife was designated the Model 1890, and had a blade, reamer, can-opener, screwdriver, and a handle made of dark oak wood. The initial order was for 15,000 knives, which was beyond the production capacity of any Swiss company, and so they were manufactured by the German company Wester & Co. from Solingen.

Fig.1: Schematics of the 1890 Model (designed by the Army)

The company which would later become Victorinox started life in 1884 by Karl Elsener (1860-1918) in the town of Ibach in the Swiss canton of Schwyz. In 1884 Elsener he opened KARL ELSENER Messerfabrikant to manufacture knives and surgical instruments. Elsener began production of the Model 1890 in 1891.

Elsener was not really satisfied with the design of the knife. In 1896, Elsener created a design in which tools were attached on both sides of the handle using a spring mechanism which allowed multiple tools to be attached using the same spring. The original soldiers knife was rather heavy and so Elsener designed his first folding knife, an officers model, patented on 12 June 18971 as “The Officer’s and Sports Knife”, and featured a second smaller cutting blade, corkscrew, and wood fibre grips (although this was never part of any Army contract, and the patent number seems to be missing).

I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland to see what the army does with those wee red knives.

Billy Connolly

In 1893, the Swiss cutlery company Paul Boéchat & Cie (which would later became Wenger), received its first contract from the Swiss military to produce Model 1890 knives. It was situated in Courtételle in the Delémont valley in the Canton of Jura. In 1908 the Swiss Government agreed to buy half its knives from Victorinox, and the the other half from Wenger. While Victorinox laid claim to being the “Original Swiss Army Knife”, Wenger touted itself as the “Genuine Swiss Army Knife”. Interestingly, research shows that there were other manufacturers, for example some of the 1901 versions of the knife were made by Anton Stadler from Zug.

Fig.2: 1890 Soldiers’ Knife ca.1891

In 1909, Elsener provided all pocket knives with the emblem that is still used today (a shield with cross). In the same year his mother Victoria died. He named the factory after her and soon added “inox” (French for inoxydable, rust-free), to the name Victoria, and “Victorinox” was born. Prior to this, knives were marked ELSENER.

How was the knife branded as the ubiquitous “Swiss Army Knife”? Early on the soldiers knife was primarily a tool used by soldiers, and “Swiss Army Knife” was a term coined by American soldiers post-WW2 who had difficulty pronouncing the German name “Schweizer Offiziersmesser”, or the Swiss-German term for a pocket-knife, “Sackmesser” (German Taschenmesser).

Fig.3: The most recent soldiers models

In recent years the Soldier’s Standard Issue knife has been updated, for only the fourth time in 120 years. The metal handle was replaced by a dual density handle, and more implements were added. The standard blade has been replaced by a one-hand serrated locking blade, and a Phillips Screwdriver and wood saw have been added. Wenger was acquired by Victorinox in 2005, and the company makes an incredible range of different knives. My favourite Swiss army knives are those with the least amount of tools.

1 Searches on both the German patent database, and the Swiss Historical Patents database do not show any patents related to Elsener’s officers knife. There is however a 1894 patent for a “Device for cutting cheese into measured portions“.

• Swiss Army Knife Identification
• SAKWiki – Swiss Army Knife Encyclopedia
• Les couteaux du soldat de l’armée suisse – a compendium of Swiss Army soldiers knife variants

“When not convenient to obtain ready-sawed lumber from the dealer, the carpenter can play sawyer, and with a saw two feet in length and often over one foot wide, he can easily rip an old water-soaked cedar log into boards and strips. Where Western men working in lumber think it necessary to season it as soon as possible, in Japan splendid cedar logs are kept anchored in large rafts along the rivers or in ponds for years. Thus the wood retains its natural colour and beauty – this none will doubt when examining the lovely interior woodwork of the high-class dwellings, planed to a fault, but never painted and rarely oiled.”

By Nippon’s Lotus Ponds; Pen Pictures of Real Japan, Matthias Klein pp.195-196 (1914)

We have two kayaks, which are stored outside on a large privacy wall in my backyard. When we first bought them, I bought two sets of standard kayak racks – and they worked, for a while anyway. Because most of these racks are made of painted steel, there is a point where they start to rust, and fall apart. The last thing I wanted to do was buy another set of mediocre racks. The problem is that there aren’t really any good kayak racks that are made for outside locations. Powder-coated steel, has a short lifespan, usually about 3-4 years in a cold climate, and wooden racks have to be maintained.

I investigated at a number of solutions – construct the racks out of 2×2″ Ipe, or 1.5″ copper pipes – all of which had limitations of one form or another. I found a nice stainless steel set of kayak racks from a company in the U.S., but 2 sets would have cost me C$600 with shipping and taxes.

One part of the pair

A pair of holders create a rack for the kayak

The solution I chose was to construct the kayak racks out of 1″ metal electrical conduit, using connectors from Maker Pipe. Using this approach I could easily construct racks that mimicked the shape of the existing racks. For each end of the set, I ordered one Top Rail T Connector, two Adjustable Angle Flanges, and a Conduit End-plug. I liked these connectors, because essentially the only tool needed to connect them is a 5mm hex wrench. The electrical conduit is easily obtainable from any DIY centre (and for some reason, I already had more than enough 1″ conduit lying around).

One Adjustable Angle Flange used for the base of the diagonal

The second Adjustable Angle Flange is used at the top of the brace

Two pieces of 1″ conduit are required for each end of the rack. The diagonal is 23.5″ long, while the brace is 7″ long. The two adjustable angles flanges attach the brace and diagonal to the wall. The Top Rail T Connector connects the brace to the diagonal. Note that all connectors have a holes on the side which could be used for a split pin, or a self-tapping screw.

The Top Rail T Connector is used to connect the brace to the diagonal

The conduit End-plug is just used to seal the top of the diagonal

When installed, I used some neoprene pipe insulation as a temporary cushion on the diagonal and brace, until I can find some more appropriate neoprene material.

Some pipe insulation foam to cushion the brace.

A kayak sitting in the rack.

The great thing about these DIY racks is that you can really modify them to fit your particular needs. Perhaps using an Adjustable Angle Hinge Connector to join the diagonal and brace to provide different angles. The connectors are made of steel, and have a corrosion resistant coating, and like metallic electrical conduit, I imagine they will last for years. In the future I may put the lower rack onto hinged back-plates to allow them to be folded out of the way (the wall is along a walkway).