Elusive Schrades

**d.parker** · 02-18-2009, 07:01 PM

Originally Posted by FortyTwoBlades

Beautiful knives! I agree...someone needs to start reproducing pieces like these.

This day and time Sir, someone wouldn't know where to begin to produce such a masterful knife. The art is gone.....

**ken erickson** · 02-18-2009, 07:11 PM

Originally Posted by d.parker

This day and time Sir, someone wouldn't know where to begin to produce such a masterful knife. The art is gone.....

While I agree that the "art" of mass producing these wonderful knifes is gone I think that this forum is lucky to have examples of very talented slipjoint makers displayed here. Todd D, Tony and Reese Bose, Chamblin , Shadley , Ken Coats just to name a few. I am not looking for a plug but feel that every knife I put out , I am honoring the guys and gals that worked in the old cutlery factories. I would wish they get a bit of a smile on their faces knowing that the "art" lives!

Ken

**waynorth** · 02-18-2009, 07:30 PM

I've seen some pretty masterful knives coming from our current crew of custom makers, Ken included!

Ken, the threaded-bolster EJ has a crocus polish on the mark side of the master, and a glaze finish on the pile, as you suspected. The other EJ (plain-bolstered) is glaze both sides.

**VCM3** · 02-18-2009, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by ken erickson

While I agree that the "art" of mass producing these wonderful knifes is gone I think that this forum is lucky to have examples of very talented slipjoint makers displayed here. Todd D, Tony and Reese Bose, Chamblin , Shadley , Ken Coats just to name a few. I am not looking for a plug but feel that every knife I put out , I am honoring the guys and gals that worked in the old cutlery factories. I would wish they get a bit of a smile on their faces knowing that the "art" lives!

Ken

Ken,You said that good & I agree

-Vince

**d.parker** · 02-18-2009, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by ken erickson

While I agree that the "art" of mass producing these wonderful knifes is gone I think that this forum is lucky to have examples of very talented slipjoint makers displayed here. Todd D, Tony and Reese Bose, Chamblin , Shadley , Ken Coats just to name a few. I am not looking for a plug but feel that every knife I put out , I am honoring the guys and gals that worked in the old cutlery factories. I would wish they get a bit of a smile on their faces knowing that the "art" lives!

Ken

Mr. Erickson I'm not here to offend you are any other maker or person. You got the jest of what I meant. I'll state it again the art of old time cutlery making is gone. You and other modern masterful makers have your art and it lives, but it's not to be confused with what once was, for better or worse.. These are my opinions, and I respect yours and others....

**ken erickson** · 02-18-2009, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by d.parker

These are my opinions, and I respect yours and others....

This is what makes this place so special to me. Like wise Darrell.

Ken

**thawk** · 02-18-2009, 10:15 PM

Originally Posted by d.parker

Mr. Erickson I'm not here to offend you are any other maker or person. You got the jest of what I meant. I'll state it again the art of old time cutlery making is gone. You and other modern masterful makers have your art and it lives, but it's not to be confused with what once was, for better or worse.. These are my opinions, and I respect yours and others....

Nice conversation here about "the art". I think it is an honor to see the art from different eras in this forum. I also appreciate the tools, technologies and environments the old cutlers worked in, and to see some new technology used today, along with that old fashioned talent.

I really appreciate the fact these awesome knives are still being made by hand with incredible craftsmanship.

Lastly... Charlie keep bringing it!

**ken erickson** · 02-18-2009, 10:26 PM

Originally Posted by waynorth

Ken, the threaded-bolster EJ has a crocus polish on the mark side of the master, and a glaze finish on the pile, as you suspected.

Charlie, I have wondered about the practice of giving the mark side a crocus polish and the pile side a glazed finish. Was this done to help the knife sell better in a display case do you think? I would assume that most buyers would not care that both sides had the same finish as most of these knives were tools more than collector pieces. How common was this practice in the Schrade line of knives?

Ken

**thawk** · 02-19-2009, 05:46 AM

Good question Ken. The 1926 catalog describes most of the pictured knives as having the crocus polished master blade on the mark side, with the remaining blade surfaces being glazed. A few of the fancier knives would have all blades crocus polished. This is particularly true of lobster and other gent patterns when they added milled liners, gold and silver inlay, etc.

http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r....e_Catalogs.pdf

Fun to look through these catalogs when you attempt to match up your collectibles.

**waynorth** · 02-19-2009, 09:51 AM

thawk has summed it up nicely, as far as what finishes were done.
The reasons are somewhat subject to conjecture. Certainly, a well-shaped, mirror polished main blade, with a nicely cut pull and swedge, is a bit of early "bling" that we crow-like humans find irresistable!

Marketing 101.

Other reasons; a mirror polished surface is more resistant to corrosion, having the least amount of air exposure. And an etch looks better with a shiny background. There are probably other reasons as well.
The appearance is certainly striking. Caw, caw

!

**waynorth** · 02-19-2009, 10:08 AM

We can't go a whole page without some purty pitchers!!
At some point in the Schrade Cutlery story, serrated edges appeared, and Schrade put their "Wonda-edge" on several patterns. Here are a few; a small "premium" rope knife, one with, one without, from a rope company, and two Muskrats, one serrated on the mark blade, and one on the pile.

**6.0stroker** · 02-19-2009, 04:42 PM

WOOOOOAH!!!! Charlie them Muskrats would be the WHOOLY Grail for me!!!

I'm swooning!!!!

Keyboard is shorting out!

Thanks, Shawn

**ea42** · 02-19-2009, 04:53 PM

Wow!! I take a few days hiatus from the internet and look what I miss!! Fantastic Schrades Charlie, most of them I've never seen before, looks like you've been keeping busy

Eric

**waynorth** · 02-20-2009, 11:54 AM

To answer a question from Fran, from back a ways; I agree the bone on that Hawbaker is beveled a bit at the bolsters, like a more modern knife. I've seen it slightly on other Schrades, but in the main, they did a good job of running the jigging all the way to the bolsters.
Thanks for all the nice comments everyone! Now here are a few more that are hard to come by. Schrade advertised a lot of their patterns in Genuine Stag, as opposed to Bonestag, but how often do you see one?? This one came from the looting of the Schrade Factory collection. It should be in a Museum, and it may get there yet.
With it is a nice Bullhead (named in honor of our fearless moderator, Blues - I believe his favorite term for this pattern), and another very rarely seen knife that I found in Atlanta last year, a 4-blade Cattle knife!

**smiling-knife** · 02-20-2009, 12:07 PM

What a wonderful collection of outstanding cutlery. We are truly fortunate to benefit from your willingness to share your vast collection and knowledge. Thanks Charlie!

**smiling-knife** · 02-20-2009, 12:38 PM

I hope I am not detracting from your thread. Is this one at all elusive? Possibly, early stainless blades, circa 1930s perhaps, with what I like to call 'lemon merangue' scales. I would greatly appreciate any further information.

**waynorth** · 02-20-2009, 12:48 PM

Nice knife, Steve!
The early stainless blades are indeed elusive! I'm not sure when Schrade brought out a line of them. There are just 10 patterns in the 1926 catalog, but I think Stainless had yet to be trusted by most knife users/buyers, so it seems the line faded away for a while. When the Old-Timers turned to Stainless (some of you OT guys help me here on when!) it was much later.
Steve, pre-War stainless knives like yours are hard to come by!

***Blues*** · 02-20-2009, 12:49 PM

Charlie,

I remember that cattle knife well from Atlanta last year. What a beauty.

I really like the bullhead as well but that stag is simply gorgeous. I'd be proud to own any of 'em, but all three? That's an embarrassment of riches.

(And besides, you gotta admit it's easier to say bullhead than equal end, double-end

)

**smiling-knife** · 02-20-2009, 12:53 PM

Thanks for the information Charlie. As always, it is very much appreciated.

**waynorth** · 02-20-2009, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Blues

Charlie,

I remember that cattle knife well from Atlanta last year. What a beauty.

I really like the bullhead as well but that stag is simply gorgeous. I'd be proud to own any of 'em, but all three? That's an embarrassment of riches.

(And besides, you gotta admit it's easier to say bullhead than equal end, double-end

)

Bullhead also evokes an image of the "good old days", whatever that was, as Mike pointed out (somewhere!)!

I always wrestle with that embarrassment, Elliott. I've been lucky.