Randall Made WWII Era Knife - Looking for info/help

[WillSmoke]

Hello everyone,

I am new to bladeforums. I recently came across this Randall made blade when going through some of my grandfathers things. All I really know is that he carried it with him during WWII. It is currently in my father's possession, and I am afraid it is not seeing the care it deserves. I would love more info about this knife (year it was made, how many produced, steel info etc), and some care instructions. It has a little bit of rust on the base of the blade near the handle but that could be easily remedied. I took some quick photos for everyone to see (full res photos available on request).

[ncrobb]

Wow.

The Randall Made Knives company is in operation. (http://www.randallknives.com/) I feel sure they can answer your questions. There are probably some folks on this board who can offer some info as well. But for that, all I have is "Wow".

That is the kind of knife that Guy Clark writes songs about. Literally.

Robb

[WillSmoke]

Thanks for the reply. I definitely plan to give them a call directly, but I figured since its Sunday I'd get the ball rolling. This forum seems to have a great deal of knowledgeable, knife-loving people.

[John M Cohea]

Post this in Bernard Levin's form also.There is a wealth of info to be had on older knives there.

[WillSmoke]

Hello Everyone,

It was suggested to also post this here.

Original Post:
I am new to bladeforums. I recently came across this Randall made blade when going through some of my grandfathers things. All I really know is that he carried it with him during WWII. It is currently in my father's possession, and I am afraid it is not seeing the care it deserves. I would love more info about this knife (year it was made, how many produced, steel info etc), and some care instructions. It has a little bit of rust on the base of the blade near the handle but that could be easily remedied. I took some quick photos for everyone to see (full res photos available on request).

[Sidehill Gouger]

Sorry, don't think your grandfather carried that one in WW-II.

[WillSmoke]

Why do you say that and when do you think this is from? I certainly wont argue a point without knowing more about it. This blade, a german officer's dagger, a luger and a purple heart medal were all he saved from the war. He didnt like to talk about the war other than a few stories here and there, but he did tell me a little about this knife. My father was born in 52 and stated that it had been around since before he was born.

[anvilring]

Heiser sheaths with the "brown marked snap" are post .... Korea.

No really; that scabbard is from the early 60's most likely.

And as for the knife; he didn't make that sort of blade style, configuration (the spacers, their color and order) or that sort of hafting during the war. there are early Randalls with stag from the late 30's and early 40's but they don't resemble your knife in style. Note that the finger grooves are cut for "right hand" grip. I can't say an exact year but that was introduced as a little extra in a 60's cataloge... don't remember which one.

The actual Heiser mark on the scabbard was used from 1919 to 1955 but I'd take that with a grain of salt and, the history of the "brown button" marked Orlando.

m

Not WW2....

Your stamp:

heiser-mark16.jpg

the link:

http://www.vintagegunleather.com/

An early Heiser pre ww2 scabbard.... wow, wonder who's hosting this be-utiful pic??

[dodgeem33]

Still a very cool knife, don't lose heart.

[WillSmoke]

Thank you very much for the info. It is strange because my father was always told that it was from the WWII time frame. Even more strange would be that it was kept with the WWII belongings. I would think that if such a beautiful knife had been commissioned during the 1960s, that it wouldn't have been tucked away in an old trunk.

The original story was along the lines that he wrote home during the war requesting a very specific knife. It is certainly possible that over such a long period of time that parts of the story were lost or misunderstood. That is why I came here for help! The knife has his name engraved on the blade, so it would be interesting to see if the manufacturer has any sort of record of its creation. Ill update the thread if I am able to obtain any more information from the manufacturer.

Thanks again for the replies and taking the time to help.

[Karda]

You might want to use the "report post" function (the little triangle in the lower lefthand corner of your post) to request that this thread be moved to the Randall Made Knives collectors forum in the manufacturers section. I'm sure they'd like to see it and could give you plenty of info on it.

[WillSmoke]

I apologize. I did not see Randall in the list of manufacturers with their own forum. It never crossed my mind to check within the collectors forum. Initial post has been reported with the request to relocate. Thanks!

[redalfa2]

Check out knifetalkforums.com. There is a dedicated section devoted to Randall Made knives. Post your info there. I am sure you will get help.

[Karda]

I apologize. I did not see Randall in the list of manufacturers with their own forum. It never crossed my mind to check within the collectors forum. Initial post has been reported with the request to relocate. Thanks!

No problem!
BRL's forum is a great place for Info too, but guys in the RMK forum live and breathe these knives and can tell more about em' at a glance than you or i can in a decade of looking. Finding the best knowledge limits speculation.

[slt]

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/fo...lector-s-Forum

We have a subforum devoted to Randall collectors - I'm sure they would love to see it, and would have all the answers you could want.

[Thomas Linton]

If your father was "born in 52" as you report, he could hardly have carried it in a war that ended in 1945. He would have been a child when the Korean War ended. That leaves Vietnam.

[DaveUSAF]

He mentions it was from his grandfathers knife but is currently in his fathers possesion.

[ron mathews]

Hi Will,

It's a Korean War era Model 5-6 ("Camp and Trail" with a 6" blade) made in 1950 give or take a year or so. The Model 5 was not introduced until late '45 and was a civilian version of the Model 1 All Purpose Fighter. It's the flat SS nut that narrows the timeline. Note that:
1. "Logo snaps" were not used until mid 1946.
2. Nickel silver hilts and butt caps on stag were not offered as options until the 1948 catalog.
3. The Heiser sheath would have rivets at the throat and a riveted keeper if it was made on or before 1948.

The blade is made from Swedish 01 carbon steel. A lot of people would say to just put mineral oil on the blade. If it was mine, I would clean it up a bit with metal polish and then apply Renaissance Wax. I'd leave the sheath alone.

IMO it matters not that it's WWII or Korean War era. It's a fine tool your Grandfather used and a part of his history that will be kept in the family.

Best,

[WillSmoke]

That is very interesting. Thank you for the great info and the care suggestions.

[Melvin-Purvis]

Mods, thanks for the move. Will, Ron is correct. I would've placed it at closer to '52, but certainly not WWII era...