1996 Buck Factory Expermint

mbjannusch

mbjannusch

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Apr 1, 2010
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So I picked up one of these 119s on the bay. Its an expirement Buck tried in '96 with the handle making process. From my understanding, Buck tried to use a cast alumnium one piece handle. They realized it wasn't what they wanted or it didn't meet their standards. Maybe someone here may have more knoldge than I do. Its blade says 1 of 625 Factory Expermintal and has a COA signed by Chuck Buck saying that these were never released to the public, ect.. Let me know your thoughts.


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Aluminum was cast onto the blade,handle and spacers were poured after casting .Two at a time.
Knife could not be taken apart without destruction.
There was or is a mold for sale .
 
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I saw the cast mold the guy is selling but he is crazy if he thinks its worth $700. He has been tring to sell that thing for a long time.
 
According to both Joe and Leroy, the problem was that the handles kept splitting/cracking. They couldn't get rid of the cause so they dropped the process. Joe also said that the reason they are "not suitable for cutting" is that the knives were repeatedly heated and cooled during the experiment.
 
I have one of those 119's, and the handle split on one side while sitting in a safe. Oh well its only one side for now. HL
 
I thought Chuck signed all of them but yours isn't. I don't take knife pictures with leather as the background anymore for obvious reasons
119experimental-3.jpg
 
Mitch
What is the blade stamp on your knife? My knife has a '95 stamp on it and yours has Chuck Bucks signature with a '03 date. I was under the impression that this so called expermint took place in '96. How come these knives are just now turning up. Did they make an appearance earlier and I missed it or what. Does anybody have the time line on this one.

Mitch
By the way, good idea to stop the picture taking on black leather. It looks like an add for the '80s/90s rock band Judas Priest...
 
Actually mine has a 1994 stamp. There may not be all that many around as Joe said when people would send them in after cracking, they would receive a regular 119 back and the other knife was scrapped. When I get home, I'll take a better picture of mine.
 
If I remember right, the engineers worked on this process for almost 2 years before deciding it just wasnt doable. One of the big issues to overcome was shrink rates for the 2 materials. They could mold a great looking knife handle but soon, as everything cooled, there would be gaps.
 
So, this "experiment " was happening several years before the so call "claimed" 1996 experiment, stated on the COA. In addition it seems that from what Mitch is saying is that several of these went out to the public, got returned because they split and were replaced with regular 119s. The COA says these never hit the public. So, which is it. I have talked to others who are in the know, about this knife and they said that they have seen them for auction and the sellers didn't even know that was what they had... I don't know, but what it seems like is , that Buck stamped Factory Experiment on a hand full of left overs and sold them as collector pieces at an inflated price tag, maybe to recoupe some of the money lost on an idea that went SOUTH. I hope that isnt the case, because that would piss me off.
 
Let me rephrase what I said. I was told they were sold to BCCI members. In that regard, yes they did go to the public. Now could you go down to Bubbas Booze and Blade Emporium and buy one? No, in that regard they were not sold to the public. They were made while in San Diego and when it came time to pack everything up for the move to Idaho, someone found them sitting on a shelf and Chuck decided to make them available to club members. Yours and mine are the only 2 I've seen available. Unless I see a butt load of them show up suddenly, I still think I got a hard to find BUCK 119.
 
Well like I said I have talked to others who say they have seen them on EBay being sold as a regular 119 with no special marks or stamps. In addition I have seen them in the "Factory Experiment" form on the bay. They wanted $150 for one in the last few weeks and when it didn't sell they dropped the price. As a matter of fact there is one on the bay right now. They are making there appearance.
 
I just want to know if these actually hit the public and were rejected, sent in on warrenty and replaced, or what. And if this so called Experiment and specially marked blade was a way to get rid of old worthless stock. Not all of these are marked "Factory Experiment". Just look at the 119 on the bay, you will see them come up, its not hard to tell the difference. We all pick out the hard to find details of every Buck knife we own. Just look, you will see them, I have . Thats why I'm calling Bull- S#!t !!!
 
Mitch, So the knives offered to BCCI members, were they marked "Factory Experiment 1 of 625" given with a COA. When did Buck offer these to BCCI members.
 
Mitch, if you could, can you take a picture of the COA and post it? When does Chuck Buck ever sign his name Charles T. Buck. Every time I have ever seen his signature he signs Chuck Buck. The signature doesn't even look real.... IS IT.
 
When it's typed on a document it's typed "Charles T. Buck," but he signs "Chuck Buck."

I have an actual ink signature on my "Story of Buck Knives" book and it doesn't look anything like the sig on that COA.

Not even close.
 
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