61OT - Just found - Need info

T

TedGamble

Joined
Mar 25, 2005
Messages
431
I just found my dad's 61OT. He was born in 1921 and passed away 4 1/2 years ago. So, as you can imagine, I will cherish this treasure for the remainder of my life.

The knife has tarnished blades, but otherwise is still razor sharp. My mom and dad ran a grocery store in a small town. Mom ran "the front" and dad ran the market, so as you can imagine, he was an expert knife sharpener. Shame on me for not recognizing that earlier.

I have two questions. First, what is the best way to restore the blades to their mirror finish? Second, does anyone have any information as to what years the 61OT was manufactured? He carried this pocketknife for as long as I can remember, and I'm 48 years old.
 
Hi Ted,

Welcome to the Schrade Forum, home of "Uncle Henry's Lost Souls". You will find that we are a little "obsessed" with anything Schrade.

Now, I'm not as savy with the Old Timers like the rest of the guys here. What does the tang stamp say exactly, that will help to date the knife.

Also, in terms of tarnish, others here would probably agree with me that the tarnish on the blade is a good thing. I'm sure that's a carbon blade, and it is common for the blades to develop a 'patina' on them. I liken it to a good coat of varnish on a piece of furniture. It protects the blades. As long as there is not rust, you should be okay.

Now, you can certainly polish the blades, try Flitz, or I'm sure someone else here can recommend something else. Be sure to look inside the knife housing, make sure that there is not any rust building up in there either. This is where I keep my lint collection on my knives. :D Just be sure that this is what you want to do, that is polish the blades. It takes years to develop a good patina like the one your father did on that knife I'm sure.

I have knives that belonged to my grandfather, and they are cherished items to be sure. What you do with them is up to you, use them or put them away, either way they are very special.

Glenn


I hope this was of some help to you
 
Glenn,

I don't have a magnifying glass, but as best as I can tell, the tang is as follows:
SCHRADE
U.S.A.
61OT (or 81OT)

The line that contains what I believe to be "61OT" is tarnished, so I need a mag glass to verify. All lettering is very clear, but my eyes just can't insure that it's 61 or 81.

I Googled 81OT and got no hits, but got a couple on 61OT.

I found one on eBay that looks just like what I have.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6520910556
 
Welcomw,

That one looks just like my 98OT, except mine is Schrade+ Stainless and I jigged the handles. I also have an 895 that belonged to my father in law same pattern, carbon blades, jigged delrin handle.

Great knife, if it is tarnish but not rust I would just use some light machine oil or mineral oil and leave the patina alone, the springs can get rusty inside as Glenn mentions, I use a folded pipe cleaner with some oil to clean the inside of my knives.

Maybe there'll be some more info on dates, etc. from the experts here.

Luis
 
Ted,
Welcome to our group.
Great knife and better story. Try the Flitz. its the easiest I have used to do a good general cleaning of all the metal surfaces. The backspring and inner lining tend to take the longest to really clean well. I have uses pipecleaners on the brass liner both to get rid of the pocket lint and with the flitz to really make the brass shine. As for the blades. If the blade feels bumpy you probably have some surface pitting going on. Best to leave the patina alone as long as its not rusty. If your dad used and sharpened it a lot again its probably best to leave the patina alone. If you really want the mirror shine back there are multiple polishes to try after the good flitz cleaning like simechrome and turtlewax auto white buffing cream polish. Be ready to work at it for a while. If you feel real comfortable using a stationary buffer that would work well using multiple compounds. Just be real careful its a small knife but can travel really fast with fingers attached.

Now some of the 61OT technical stuff.

First date of production in 1976 (catalog entry)
Last date of production in 1990
First catalog price @ $10.75
Last catalog price @ $26.95

TTYL
Larry
 
Larry,

Thanks for your reply.

Your 1976 "first production date" makes me question where this knife came from. I know beyond a doubt that my dad always carried a dark-handled pocketknife for as long as was old enough to notice such things. But, I moved out of the house in 1974. So, if your 1976 date of first production is accurate, this means that the knife that I have is not the one that he carried when I was a younger lad.

I guess I'll have to do some more digging around the old house and see what else I can find. It just doesn't seem likely that my dad would have purchased a "new" pocketknife. He was always such a "traditionalist", if you know what I mean.

By the way, I took some polish and some very fine grit sandpaper, and the blades are shiny and smooth again. The very fine grit did not mar the blades, but polished them to a smooth shine. With the exception of some minor pitting on a few spots, the knife looks superb.
 
Ted,
Good job on cleaning up the knife. Others have used sandpaper and even 0000 steel wool. LT has a Scotch wheel on his buffer.
Anyone seen a "professional" knife cleaner at work? Is there ever one at the knife shows? I'd love to learn the tricks of the trade.

As for the 61OT. I checked 2 sources and the dates I had were the same. That doesn’t mean any of us is wrong. I'll look at the older stuff and see if I can find a 61 predecessor.

The mystery continues.
TTYL
Larry
 
Larry,

If this is indeed my dad's knife, I expect that it was produced anytime between the late 1940's to the early 1960's. I was born in 1956, and as I already said, I remember him having this one for as long as I can remember (assuming that this is "the one" that he had).

Although I still don't have a magnifying glass, I used my wife's magnifying make-up mirror to clarify the model. I'm starting to think that it is says 81OT instead of a 61OT, but it looks identical to the 61OT in the link that I provided above. It has a 4" body, 3 blades (the same 3 blades as the 34OT has), and the thumbnail notch on the large blade is between the point and the clip, instead of between the clip and the tang as in the current Old Timers.
 
Ted,
Here is a cut from the 1980 catalog with the thumb notch where your knife has it. I do not know of an 81OT. Im still looking.
TTYL
Larry
61ot.jpg
 
Ted,
A little more info on your 61OT.
Phil dates the knives by the tang stamp in an older posting.
Prior to 1976 it would have had a different stamping.
Phil's dates
TTYL
Larry
 
I'd say given your initial dates, the tang stamp info, and the picture that you posted, it definitely is a 61OT, which means that it was produced in or after 1976.

All of this really makes me wonder when and where my dad got this knife. Knowing him, he probably picked it up at a yard sale, because it would be so uncharacteristic of him to simply buy a new pocketknife (unless he lost his original).

Again, thanks so much for your help.
 
Hi Ted! Good to see another Tennesseean here. I had a similar experience with my Dad. He left us in '89 and I am still coming across knives and such. And likewise, his favorites that I know he would never give away or loose elude me. One such knife is a very large stag bowie that the original Jim Bowie would gladly have traded his James Black knife for. I have given up trying to guess when and where he acquired this item or that. No doubt my own five children will have a similar experience when they some day sift through the debris of my cherished posessions. Sometimes a bit of mystery is a good thing. It leaves us room to imagine.

Codger
 
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