122 Nemo Info

Joe Houser said:
Well, I had typed a long explanation, outlining both the 122 and 124. Had a lot of info in there, as well as some great zingers for Dave. Then I hit spell check and it deleted my entire post!!!:grumpy:
So now that I am in a grumpy mood...heres the short version, JB is right...read my data sheet. Mostly, my 2 esteemed colleges need to read it, everyone else seems to be up to speed...:rolleyes:;)
By the way, I know there are spelling errors on this page, I'm just not hitting the spell check again!
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hee hee i hate the spell demon and watching leters disapear!
any way
i can not access the site again..dont know why..
did i miss read some thing?
i got my 124 as pictured in nov 71 ..
in jan 72 i was ..ugh ... some place else
if the data does not preclude me from buying that knife pictured
then i am ok with the data..
and most likely miss understood it ..
some times i miss a detail..
 
It seems inocent enough..you hit the little check mark button that says it will "check spelling". Maybe the spelling errors were so bad, it felt it was doing me a favor by deleting the entire post? :D
But then again I have to ask, why are Dave's getting through? We have a real mystery on our hands!:)
122 and 124 were introduced in 1967 and sales of both were almost identical that first year, within 150 knives. The knives, on the other hand, were identical; stainless pommel with lanyard hole, stainless guard, phenolic handle, BUCK, U.S.A. stamp.
Sometime in 1971 the design was changed and slabs of micarta were used. During this time, the 122 was temporarily discontinued because, as Al Buck wrote in a memo dated 11/71, "Divers would not, except a small percentage, give proper care after using..." He also said, "This knife has been well accepted and we are trying to overcome this dificulty."
Sure enough, the 122 came back in about 73 but again was discontinued, this time for good, in the same year.
For such a short period of time, a lot was going on, a similar scenario to the 110 Folding Hunter where Buck's engineers were constantly trying new things and would run test batches through the shop.
 
Good thread, great info. I have a 124 & sheath, but I'm thinking the box may be incorrect, and no paperwork accompanying it.. Behind the 124 Frontiersman sticker I can make out the top of "NEMO".
 

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Ditto, great thread, lots of good info... :thumbup:

Here's the box without the sticker, problem is, my box should have a sticker, Maybe it fell off.


Nemo5.jpg



Nemo21.jpg
 
Joe Houser said:
It seems inocent enough..you hit the little check mark button that says it will "check spelling". Maybe the spelling errors were so bad, it felt it was doing me a favor by deleting the entire post? :D
But then again I have to ask, why are Dave's getting through? We have a real mystery on our hands!:)
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you have to click the spell check button ? :eek:
mine underlines a word soon as it dont think it is correct ...
but some times it seems to get 'tired,',, :confused:
and many times it can not come up with the correct word in any list..:thumbdn:
Al Buck wrote in a memo dated 11/71, "Divers would not, except a small percentage, give proper care after using..."
He also said, "This knife has been well accepted and we are trying to overcome this difficulty.".
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hee hee hee as a diver i tell you this is so true of most i went with
they jest put it up salty wet. alum dont like salt water..
a dive knife did not have to stay "sharp" for long use that is
why most all have the striations to cut netting and light lines
it will be used as a pry-bar so it needs to be built like a .. well you know
Joe Houser said:
For such a short period of time, a lot was going on, a similar scenario to the 110 Folding Hunter where
Buck's engineers were constantly trying new things and would run test batches through the shop.
Click to expand...
this accounts for the different vearations we see in some some of them..
and maybe answers why the non stainless hard ware on a 'dive' knife,,
because those may have not been intended as dive knives..
((unless we find notes or can get in to the head of one of them
we may will only have our own thoughts as to why the changes..))
dive knives can make good camp knives but have to be sharpened a lot
at that time.. when you could carry only one large knife a
122/124 stainless was the best knife to have for both worlds.:thumbup:
 
CJ Buck said:
I seem to recall that at first we used 124 blades before giving the product its own model number of 122. The 124 never officially had a lanyard hole. Pictures would be nice to see.
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"The 124 never officially had a lanyard hole".
I know some earlier 124s (red micarta comes to mind) had the factory lanyard hole, so I'm puzzled what you mean by your statement. Or did you mean to say 122? Could you elaborate on that.
 
There are 124 custom le's (serialized and others) floating around out there that have the holes, and some are serrated, as well as the plain phenolic ones. And MWallace just posted a pic of one with the hole.

Looks like no hard fast rules.
 
When I made the comment that the Nemo pre-dated the Frontiersman I did so on the basis that the knife was clearly conceived to be a dive knife and the original packaging was for the Nemo. However quickly it happened, the Frontiersman appears to me to be an afterthought. I bet the first 50 production knives with the Teflon spacers and the four pin pommel were all Nemos. My comment was also in reaction to CJ's original comment.
 
The comments and data seem to indicate that the butt and guards on both the 122 and 124 were Stainless Steel until 1972. In 1973, the 124/Frontiersman went to Aluminum and the 122/Nemo remained SS. Or I am missing something...?

334, What about your knife doesn't fit the data/comments? Are your butt and guard aluminum?
 
MWallace said:
The comments and data seem to indicate that the butt and guards on both the 122 and 124 were Stainless Steel until 1972. In 1973, the 124/Frontiersman went to Aluminum and the 122/Nemo remained SS. Or I am missing something...?

334, What about your knife doesn't fit the data/comments? Are your butt and guard aluminum?
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well my butt is grass and my wife the lawn mower lady
if i buy any more knives

humm my knife (i have two really ) was bought in 71
has micarta sides and point down 3 line
data says:
in 71 only two liners not un-tell 72 that three liners show
and micarta was used
i am not sure if up side down is inverted or non inverted :foot:

since i no longer collect them i really am not to concerned with what i dont have.
but on the one i have i dont think it fits with data on those two points ..


loata odd stuff come outa buck,,,hee hee still does..
they are what they are.. not investments
rather they are the
heart and art and soul of the people who make them..
 
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334dave said:
humm my knife (i have two really ) was bought in 71
has micarta sides and point down 3 line
data says:
in 71 only two liners not un-tell 72 that three liners show
and micarta was used
i am not sure if up side down is inverted or non inverted :foot:

since i no longer collect them i really am not to concerned with what i dont have.
but on the one i have i dont think it fits with data on those two points ..
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Your 1971 knife fits R. Matheny's spec. sheet: Black Micarta, exposed tang, 3-line stamp, SS butt and guard...
 
MWallace said:
Ditto, great thread, lots of good info... :thumbup:

Here's the box without the sticker, problem is, my box should have a sticker, Maybe it fell off.


Nemo5.jpg



Nemo21.jpg
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Wow, nice knife & sheath...don't see that white teflon too often...mine has the red bone hard fiber spacers...but no box. Maybe I should pair my pictured box with my 2 line 124.


Dave,
lot of ODD stuff come outa buck... hee hee still does..
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....I follow you:cool:
 
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