The art of the cutler ... by Mr. Jean-Jacques Perret, Master Coutelier de Paris

https://books.google.fr/books?id=1kviKw1ybSAC&pg=PA335&hl=fr&source=gbs_selected_pages&cad=2#v=onepage&q&f=false

PDF on period knives and handles.

http://www.manuellisaparty.com/articles/pfd's/Some%20Thoughts%20on%20Butchers.pdf

18th Century Clasp Knife from Scratch.

You will remember my first attempt at making a friction clasp knife, it turned out okay, but not the best. It was a good learning experience for me, and I said at the time I would make another one. Well I made it yesterday.
Unfortunately I had to work in good light for the video camera, this meant that when I had to heat the tab on the blade to bend it, I could not see the colour of the steel and it was not hot enough and broke off!!!
This I corrected by fitting in a pin in place of the tab, but it is not an 18th century method as far as I know. So today, I removed the pin and fitted a ring, which is an 18th century method. I think it turned out well, and I am pleased to have it and use it. It is much lighter than my present period clasp knife.

The blade I made by cutting it out of a saw blade with a cold chisel and then final filing. The handle is deer antler. I found a diagram of original 18th century blade shapes on the net, printed them out, and transfered the design I wanted onto an ice cream container lid using my awl. Then I cut the shape out.
I placed the cut-out on the saw blade and scribed the shape onto the steel with a stylus. The part I cut out I used to mark where the blade hinge pin goes, and this I transfered to the steel blade using a center punch. Only hand tools were used in the making of this knife. See what you think of it.

The design of blade I used is marked with a tick.

The pattern I made with the stylus and just to the left the circular saw blade I cut the knife blade from.

My anvil is a piece of railway iron.

The finished knife with the stop pin.

The same knife with the steel ring I made and fitted this morning in place of the pin.

A Little More On Knives.

I have done a little more research on knives of the period, but from what I have found it seems there is little to no difference between 18th century trade knives and early 19th century trade knives. Trade knives in general were simply inexpensive butcher knives. I have read that the number of pins in the handle do not date the knife, but only serve to identify the type, e.g. the 6 pin butcher knife having 6 pins in the handle. However, in my experience those knives with more than 3 securing pins tend to be 19th century. Rivets of course as I mentioned in an earlier post are a 20th century type.
Some handles such as the 6 pin are two separate slabs which enclose the full tang. I have two original 19th century knives that only have 5 pins, but they are identical to the 6 pin style.

19th century butcher knives.

Some blades only had a very short tang which was inserted into a sawn slot handle and secured with 3 pins. 

Another type had a short pointed tang made for pushing into a handle, the same as a metal file. I also managed to purchase two of these in a second hand shop.

This lower one I use as a hunting knife. When I made a handle for it I drilled through handle and tang and inserted one brass pin to help secure the blade.

Found at an Iroquois site.

http://www.meadwildlife.org/index.php/mead-area-history/fur-traders/

http://www.wwnorton.com/college/english/nael/18century/topic_2/owen.htm

http://www.manuellisaparty.com/articles/butcher_knives.htm

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/18th-century-dug-knife-iroquois-site-ny

http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=a1ARTA0003112

http://www.canadacutlery.com/product/facts_about_history1.pdf

http://www1.umassd.edu/euro/2007papers/brock.pdf

http://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=13261.0

This article is copyright Keith H. Burgess.