Buck 112 any good?

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Jan 6, 2009
Messages
146
I picked up a Buck 112 the other day at a yard sale for $0.50. Best 50 cents I spent in a while. It looks like it was never really used. Are they any good? I noticed there is no slot on the blade for a thumbnail to open it easier. How old would it be?
Thanks
 
That's an old one and they are good. Others with more info than I have will be by shortly to explain.


BTW: You got an exceptional bargain.
 
That's an old one and they are good. Others with more info than I have will be by shortly to explain.


BTW: You got an exceptional bargain.
:thumbup:
I believe that is one of the very earliest versions ;) Nice score for .50!!

Oh, welcome to the Buck forum! The 112 is a fantastic knife!!!

Can you post pictures? What are the handle scales made out of? What is stamped on the blade? No nail nick is early version for sure!

Congrats!
 
The handle material is wood, not sure what kind. The stamping says Buck 112 USA, that's it. It hadn't even been sharpened. I put an edge on it the other day. It's pretty heavy and thick for it's size. I'll get a picture of it on here tomorrow. It's at home and I'm at work.
 
You probably should immediately take it back to the folks that sold it and offer them more money.

:D

If you're not already addicted to Bucks and yard sales......I predict an addiction.

Nice score!

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:;)
 
Well, If it just says BUCK,112,U.S.A. on the blade tang when its pointed up. Its got to be one of these.....300
Segua wood (light color,grainy) on left, Ebony (dark and smooth)on right.
112b.jpg
 
A killer user for sure! It's mid to late 70's...When you said unsharpened did you mean just the factory edge or not sharpened at all?? You can run into a very few that did not have any bevel at all....Maybe a employee's knife put together?? [lunch box knife] For a real world value compare your to like knives sold on E;bay....For a square frame,no nail nick 112 in like new shape I would say $25.00 to $40.00 is a good starting point..Yep,$.50 was cheeeeeep! ANY Buck knife,even China cheape's are worth a coupla bucks easy...You need to see ITE here on the forum...He regularly scores incredible bargains/deals on Bucks...But he does work hard at it!
 
When I said unsharpened I meant whoever bought it, used it a little and never sharpened it. Thanks for all of the info.. Now I know what I have.
 
Stax, Welcome . What a find !! In reading thru some of my sources the 2 dots started in 1974 and the 3 dot stampings began in 1980 . Which is when a nail nick was added . In 1972 the three line stamped 112's had shedua wood . As you already stated yours had ebony . So, yours has to have been mfg. in 1973 . If I see those offered for sale at 45$ and in good shape I'll usually buy it as they are getting harder for me to find . Perhaps not so in other areas of the US . The blade steel of your knife is 440C and the handle is solid ebony, making it a higher grade knife . A great find . Did you get the sheath with it ? DM
 
The Ex-wife must have still been mad at the ole boy to put just $0.50 on that knife.
Good find. Post a picture if you can. gw
 
Stax, sounds like a great pic up. I dont have a desire to collect 112's as I like larger folders but I find myself unavoidably drawn to buying the old'uns when I see a nice one for a good price. I agree with g, post some pics asap, we'd love to see it.:thumbup:
Again, welcome:)

Fritz
 
OK, David Martin and I are knife friends.....he researches stuff before making statements. But, I have been known to stick my foot in my mouth when I step outside my specifc area knowledge. David stated the correct name for this 112 scale in the thread above.

BUT everyone, here is a chance for us all to get on the same page. I know that sounds like a lot but bear with me.

Version 3 , 112 Rangers, comes in a wood scale that is INCORRECTLY stated in the 110/112 history on this forum and in the BCCI websites history area.

The name of the scale wood IS NOT SEGUA , IT IS ****** SHEDUA *******.

------------------Shedua wood ( Guibourtia ehie)--------------------

See my research below and from now on the correct term is "Shedua wood " ,we will all be correct.
.
Here is a photo of my two Sheduas, in the descriptions of the wood, which way you cut it, against or with the grain and the place you cut on the tree naturally makes a difference. But generally it is slightly grainy and honey brown in color and sometimes shows stripping.

See the link below for photos of wood samples.
http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/shedua.htm

shedua.jpg



FACT SHEET FROM ABOVE LINK:

BOTANICAL NAME: Guibourtia ehie of the family Leguminosae (Caesalpiniaceae ?)

COMMON NAMES: I have read that the name Shedua was coined by Paul Penberthy Sr. nearly 50 years ago when he first brought this species to the United States; why he felt the need to do that, I have no idea. Other common names include: amazakoue (ivory coast), amazaque, amazoue, anazahoue, and bar-tique, anokye, anokye (ghana), bubinga (although that name is really used almost exclusively for Guibourtia demeusei), ehie, gabon ovanko, hyedua, hyedua-nini, hyeduanini, kolima, mongoy, mongoy walnut, mozambique, mutenye, ovangkol, ovengkol, ovenkol, palissandro, pallisandro. It is sold in the USA primarily under the names shedua, mozambique, and ovengkol, and occasionally you might find it as amazakoue.

TYPE: hardwood.

COLOR: The heartwood has a wide range of colors from yellow-brown to dark brown or may be greenish brown / greenish gray, and often has stripes of a contrasting darker color, usually dark gray, near-black. Sometimes has an orange cast. The sapwood is yellow white, about 4 in. wide, clearly demarcated.

GRAIN / TEXTURE / FILLER / FINISH / LUSTER: Usually a really beautiful wood with a very attractive grain, a nice shimmer due to interlocked grain, and an interesting look because of heavy dark striping. Sometimes mottled. Texture is fine to medium (I have seen reports of moderately coarse but that has never been my experience). Paints, varnishes, stains and finishes very well, but anyone who paints or stains this wood should be shot. Polishes very well and can be brought to a medium to high luster. Some reports say it may stain in contact with ferous metal. Sometimes has whitish deposits in vessels.

PROPERTIES / WORKABILITY: A heavy, tough, strong, wood that is reasonably easy to work with both hand and machine tools (will saw a little slowly w/ hand saws). Stiffness, strength, and shock resistance are all reported as medium to high. Can be worked to a very smooth surface with only moderate blunting effect on cutting edges --- does sometimes have a light silica content and the interlocked grain can also cause minor difficulty. Glues, screws, and nails well with good holding power. Some reports recommend preboring. Does not carve easily, sands well and turns well (but keep your gouges sharp). For planing, a reduced cutting angle of 20 degrees and sharp cutting edges are recommended but the surface should come out clean. Moderate in characteristics for boring, mortising, and moulding.

Most reports say it is suitable for veneering but that it must be heated before slicing into veneers.

DURABILITY: highly resistant to the termites plaguing West Africa and is otherwise moderately durable. The sapwood is reported to absorb preservatives readily, but the heartwood is difficult to treat.

STABILITY: moderate movement in service, similar to red oak

BENDING: not recommended for steam bending

ODOR / TASTE: Freshly milled wood is reported to have a strong unpleasant odor which disappears after the wood is dried. There is no distinct taste.

SOURCES: found most often in rain forest and traditional forest areas in tropical west Africa, particularly the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Southern Nigeria and Gabon. Also found in Cameroon, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

USES: Used originally in the United States by the boating industry for cabin interiors, it is now being used in cabinetmaking, furniture, flooring, turning and other decorative applications, particularly where strength, beauty, and durability are all assets. In veneer form, shedua is used for architectural panels, doors, inlays and other quality fittings.

Other uses include: cutlery, decorative veneer, domestic flooring, doors, fine furniture, fittings, flooring, handles, high-class joinery, interior decorative fittings, joinery, musical instruments, paneling, paneling and bookshelves, plywood, sculpture, shop and office trim, shop fitting, tables, tool handles, turned items, turnery, veneer, woodware,

TREE: Reaches a height of 100 to 150 ft; boles straight, cylindrical, up to 70 ft in length, with trunk diameters 2 to 3 ft over buttresses that are occasionally well-developed. Old trees usually have narrow, slightly raised horizontal rings on the stems.

WEIGHT: 44 to 54 lbs/cu. ft.

DRYING: generally seasons rapidly and well, and is accompanied by little degrade, but thicker stock is reported to kiln-dry with difficulty, and requires care to avoid collapse.

Radial 5%
Tangential 9%
Volumetric 12%

AVAILABILITY: moderately available, especially in veneer form

COST: moderate

TOXICITY: none reported
web quotes:
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Shedua would no longer be used by Buck as it is a tropical hardwood, found in a country that exploited its forest resources to the point that concern for the species occurrs.

300Bucks

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Craig, A very nice write up and at your usual standard of excellance . Please, excuse me if I caused a rift in posting the spelling of that wood . DM
 
As you can appreciate, I want everyone to speak the same knife language. We all fix stuff when we can.....

I carry the one Shedua that is plain, when big animal hunting.....The 440C sharpened up on diamonds without much todo.
ch/300
 
Stax, we talk a lot about the wood used on the 112 in 1972 as that was the one year Buck used that wood and on the one model, making it unique and that wood is getting hard to find . Now the ebony on your knife is not cheap either; I came across a 110 mfg. in 1972 that was priced 25$ in good condition except on its right side someone had carved their initals into the ebony rather deeply . I quickly purchased it, thinking I'll just have a new slab put on that one side for maybe 30$ and still have a good knife for not much investment . Come to find out the slabs are sold only in pairs . So, those plus the labor was 60$ plus shipping came to 75$ . Now I have a early Buck knife with as much in it as I could get out of it on a good day . To me it was still worth it . Time will tell on who gets it as a gift in 20yrs.. DM
 
Stax, we talk a lot about the wood used on the 112 in 1972 as that was the one year Buck used that wood and on the one model, making it unique and that wood is getting hard to find . Now the ebony on your knife is not cheap either; I came across a 110 mfg. in 1972 that was priced 25$ in good condition except on its right side someone had carved their initals into the ebony rather deeply . I quickly purchased it, thinking I'll just have a new slab put on that one side for maybe 30$ and still have a good knife for not much investment . Come to find out the slabs are sold only in pairs . So, those plus the labor was 60$ plus shipping came to 75$ . Now I have a early Buck knife with as much in it as I could get out of it on a good day . To me it was still worth it . Time will tell on who gets it as a gift in 20yrs.. DM

Interesting. I have a huge block of ebony stored away in a safe place. I haven't looked at it recently, but it's some 5 feet by 6 inches by 5 inches (or thereabouts). That could make a lot of slabs. :)
 
I picked up a Buck 112 the other day at a yard sale for $0.50. Best 50 cents I spent in a while. It looks like it was never really used. Are they any good? I noticed there is no slot on the blade for a thumbnail to open it easier. How old would it be?
Thanks


Stax, you did good... a 112 for 50 cent is always good... I get lucky sometimes and find them for 50 cent and up at the swap meet or at yard sales down here in San Diego... I would love to see some pics of your new 112... Thanks for sharing.... ITE ... :thumbup:
 
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Stax, as you can tell from the replies you did really, really good. Enjoy that 112:D:thumbup:.

The name of the scale wood IS NOT SEGUA , IT IS ****** SHEDUA *******.

You can step outside your area of expertise anytime...thanks to you and David Martin I now know that this 112 of mine is Shedua. Preston

 
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