The above pics of maker family vertical photos next to ivory Shilin Cutter are pics of the wrong family (Kuo, made Shilin Cutter since 1869)...
Two different families. Both make very similar Shilin Cutter knives. I'm gonna have to straighten this out.
The actual maker family name is Chiu (made Shilin Cutter since 1928). I have some pics, and family history from the maker, and I will try to post them if I can figure out how. If nothing else I can take photographs of the screen.
Chiu Xian Yao made the knife with the ivory scales pictured above over 20 years ago.
Shilin Cutter, chinese slipjoint, pics
Link, email rec'd today from Taipei, employee of maker: Chiu family
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/ ... hiu001.jpg
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b188/ ... hiu001.jpg
Chiu Family, Shilin Cutter makers: Seven men, no photo for first generation, unfortunately. Listed from past to present.
_______________________________________________________________
Chiu Zhen Fang = Great Grand Father (no photo), first generation
Chiu Jian Zhi = Grand Father, second generation
Chiu Xian Lun = Father, third generation
Chiu Xian Yao = second uncle, maker of ivory Shilin Cutter shown
Chiu Xian Gui = 3rd uncle
Chiu Xian Cheng = 4th uncle
Chiu, Jason = fourth generation
_______________________________________________________________
Chiu Jian Zhi
Chiu Xian Lun
Chiu Xian Yao
Chiu Xian Gui
Chiu Xian Cheng
Chiu, Jason
_______________________________________________________________
Chiu Zhen Fang = Great Grand Father (no photo), first generation
Chiu Jian Zhi = Grand Father, second generation
Chiu Xian Lun = Father, third generation
Chiu Xian Yao = second uncle, maker of ivory Shilin Cutter shown
Chiu Xian Gui = 3rd uncle
Chiu Xian Cheng = 4th uncle
Chiu, Jason = fourth generation
_______________________________________________________________
Chiu Jian Zhi
Chiu Xian Lun
Chiu Xian Yao
Chiu Xian Gui
Chiu Xian Cheng
Chiu, Jason
3 Shilin Cutters, all Cowry-X blades, arrived today
They all look new, like just from the maker. They each have the two Chinese characters, airplane and twin dancers (what they look like to me). I did a quick cleaning but they need more detailing. The hidden backsprings are all like the ivory, 20 year old, knife. I think that I see PB washers in the pivots. All have centered blades, when closed. All are razor sharp. The slipjoint opens and stops half-way and stops again at full open. It takes some strength to open and close. They really want to stay open. The smallest one, 3" blade, has a brass bail while the others have stainless bails. All bails are tight and don't swing on their own.
The fit and finish is good. There are no proud scale pins. They all look like they have working kicks. The layers in the Cowry-X are all tight and bright. I suppose etching with some sort of acid would pronounce the layers but maybe later. The blade surfaces are all really really bright. Almost like chrome. Dang. I feel like I hit the jackpot. Inventory: 4", 3 1/2" and 3" blades. I have another, Cowry-X, 2 1/2" in the mail to me now (I couldn't leave it on the table).
Note: The little bowie is a gratuity, "Biohazard 3" is the name on the blade in red, from Johnny Chiu @ Mascot. Thank you kindly Johnny. You are all right.
OK. Excellent. Thank you jzmtl. Very helpful.jzmtl wrote:Just to give you a reference of what stuff on blade means.
Here is the site, who's email address contacted me, with the 271 address. This is the Chiu family maker store linked here (they won the trademark battle 20 years ago): http://shilin-cutter.com.tw/
Kuo made Shi-Ling Dao
A few pics of Kuo's work, 3" and 4" blades, horn scales, brass hardware & clad blades. It took some doing but these just arrived, Taipei to Boston to Oregon.
Link to good quality video of Kuo, Shilin Daos and his shop in Taipei: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rjVibk9Ms
Link to good quality video of Kuo, Shilin Daos and his shop in Taipei: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9rjVibk9Ms
Just arrived Taipei yesterday hoping to visit one of the Shilin Cutter shops. Bad news according to the hotel concierge that made some calls for me. One shop is closed until the new year due to an ongoing family feud about running the company. The website says under reorganization. The other factory/shop requires advanced reservation and is scheduled out to 2014. The hotel concierge was shocked after making the two calls, but admittedly they have never heard of this product before. Anyone have updates that might confirm or otherwise enlighten on current status?
Thanks
Thanks
Sorry to hear that you are out of luck with Chiu family knives because they are closed for reorganization.
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Please visit, take some pics if you do, Ming Jang Kuo @ his shop on Tapei Street which is just a few minutes walk from the busiest section of the Shihlin Niight Market (he is a one-man operation). Put your order in now and wait your turn. I am not surprised that the wait is many years. He is one of a kind.
A short film featuring Kuohezi (so you can recognize him by sight): http://biztube.taiwantrade.com.tw/en/video.htm?vid=583
To gossip about Taipei cutlery shops and makers you might give Johnny Chiu a buzz, Mascot Collection Cutlery shop in Taipei: 886-2-2596-7979. Ask him if he still has the Buck knife and please tell him I have the good luck charms in my car. He is brilliant, good fun and capable.
Keep up posting.
Utube video of a trip to Kuo's shop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb6UKOAx ... re=related
All the best,
Steve
(AKA "oregon" on the forums)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Please visit, take some pics if you do, Ming Jang Kuo @ his shop on Tapei Street which is just a few minutes walk from the busiest section of the Shihlin Niight Market (he is a one-man operation). Put your order in now and wait your turn. I am not surprised that the wait is many years. He is one of a kind.
A short film featuring Kuohezi (so you can recognize him by sight): http://biztube.taiwantrade.com.tw/en/video.htm?vid=583
To gossip about Taipei cutlery shops and makers you might give Johnny Chiu a buzz, Mascot Collection Cutlery shop in Taipei: 886-2-2596-7979. Ask him if he still has the Buck knife and please tell him I have the good luck charms in my car. He is brilliant, good fun and capable.
Keep up posting.
Utube video of a trip to Kuo's shop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bb6UKOAx ... re=related
All the best,
Steve
(AKA "oregon" on the forums)
Hi all, this is my very first post, and I created an account just to post in this thread. I only have my phone with me to post, so please bare with me. Dont know if anyone is still interested in this knife, but I over at the Shilin Cutter shop in Taipei on December 14th 2013, and managed to grab a 3" folder. Like others here that have the knife, I absolutely love it. But there is some bad news, and I hate to be the barer of it.
When I went to the address of the store to check it out, it was closed and the steel door was rolled down. On the door was taped a note (I couldnt read all the chinese in the note, sorry) with a phone number. I called the number and a woman ansered. I asked if this was Shilin Cutter (in chinese), and she confirmed. She asked me what I wanted in kind of a wary tone, and i told her i wanted check out some knives. She told me to wait at the front of the store and that she wolud come get me. About a minute later an old woman in her 70s came and led me around a corner through a sketchy looking ally to the back of the store. She led me up a fligt of stairs to what looked like living quarters, but it was full of dusty looking shelves, with boxes and kitchen knives on them. An old man greeted me in the room, and asked me what I was looking for. I told him i wanted to see the Shilin folders, and with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, he grabed a large tin can from off a shelf, and handed me the knife from the can. It was the 3", and he pointed at another can with the 4 inchers in it.
He told me that he hand made the knife with Japanese steel and that he's been doing to for 60 years, and told me about cowry x steel and how he gets the folds in the blade. Now here's the bad news. He said he was the only one in his family making knives now. He told me that they use to have the store open downstairs with his bothers and nephew(s?), but his brothers don't make knives anymore, because their sons are all doctors now so he's the only one left with the shop and the only one left in his family making the knives traditonally or even at all, which is why the store is close indefinitely. After talking with him, I promptly bought the knife. He handed me his card, and I realized I was talking with Chiu Xian Gui, the 3rd uncle and last maker of the traditional Shilin knives.
The knife cost 3500 Taiwanese dollars, and the 4" cost 4000, which is about $118 usd and $135 usd respectively. I didn't bother haggling, because I basically only paid for the steel! I bought 1 of 4 of the 3" knives in the can. I didn't look in the other can with 4" knives so I dont know how many of those are left. I forgot to ask him how often he makes the knives too, which I can of regret. Anyway, thought maybe some of you guys here would like this little adventure and the news. I've added a picture with the card.
The address of the now closed shop is 271 wenlin road in the shilin district of taipei. The address on the card is the factory, I think.
When I went to the address of the store to check it out, it was closed and the steel door was rolled down. On the door was taped a note (I couldnt read all the chinese in the note, sorry) with a phone number. I called the number and a woman ansered. I asked if this was Shilin Cutter (in chinese), and she confirmed. She asked me what I wanted in kind of a wary tone, and i told her i wanted check out some knives. She told me to wait at the front of the store and that she wolud come get me. About a minute later an old woman in her 70s came and led me around a corner through a sketchy looking ally to the back of the store. She led me up a fligt of stairs to what looked like living quarters, but it was full of dusty looking shelves, with boxes and kitchen knives on them. An old man greeted me in the room, and asked me what I was looking for. I told him i wanted to see the Shilin folders, and with a bit of a twinkle in his eye, he grabed a large tin can from off a shelf, and handed me the knife from the can. It was the 3", and he pointed at another can with the 4 inchers in it.
He told me that he hand made the knife with Japanese steel and that he's been doing to for 60 years, and told me about cowry x steel and how he gets the folds in the blade. Now here's the bad news. He said he was the only one in his family making knives now. He told me that they use to have the store open downstairs with his bothers and nephew(s?), but his brothers don't make knives anymore, because their sons are all doctors now so he's the only one left with the shop and the only one left in his family making the knives traditonally or even at all, which is why the store is close indefinitely. After talking with him, I promptly bought the knife. He handed me his card, and I realized I was talking with Chiu Xian Gui, the 3rd uncle and last maker of the traditional Shilin knives.
The knife cost 3500 Taiwanese dollars, and the 4" cost 4000, which is about $118 usd and $135 usd respectively. I didn't bother haggling, because I basically only paid for the steel! I bought 1 of 4 of the 3" knives in the can. I didn't look in the other can with 4" knives so I dont know how many of those are left. I forgot to ask him how often he makes the knives too, which I can of regret. Anyway, thought maybe some of you guys here would like this little adventure and the news. I've added a picture with the card.
The address of the now closed shop is 271 wenlin road in the shilin district of taipei. The address on the card is the factory, I think.
EroJiji,
You are a champion to visit the maker, buy, photograph and tell the story here.
Congratulations for finding a Shilin Cutter and meeting the maker. Was it much
trouble getting to the maker or do you live nearby? Thank you kindly.
I am interested and others around the world are too.
I have my Shilin Cutters displayed in a place of honor. What marvels they are
to have existed for so many years.
You are a champion to visit the maker, buy, photograph and tell the story here.
Congratulations for finding a Shilin Cutter and meeting the maker. Was it much
trouble getting to the maker or do you live nearby? Thank you kindly.
I am interested and others around the world are too.
I have my Shilin Cutters displayed in a place of honor. What marvels they are
to have existed for so many years.