CASE 6208 half whittler in CV

John F. said:
Kiro's 6208 in post 20 is my ideal of a half-whittler. I have one, deep red bone handles, XX made 1940-64, that
my Dad used through WW2. He was on a long hike through the jungles of Hawaii in training and noticed it was
gone from his pocket. So, he thought "I'll go back 100 yards, and if I don't see it, it's gone." Went back less than
100 yards, and there it was! He retired it after WW2, which is why I have it now. I wanted one like it for many
years, and found a country preacher selling out his collection of Case XX, XX USA, etc. knives, all new, and all seemingly
at $35 each. I bought several (many of which became gifts), and among them was a new XX version of my Dad's
WW2 knife.

I began using it, and after about a year of constant use, the blades had developed a velvety black patina. It is perfect
for so many chores, and just vanishes in the pocket until you need it. It's astonishing how useful it is! I carried it every
day for about 10 years and then got a bit worried I'd lose it, so I retired it. Flash forward maybe 20 years, and I was here
reading about the mods people are doing to traditionals... and I got the bug to try my hand at re-handling a Case. Went
looking for a "donor" knife, and up popped a nicely-used, but clean 6208 with yellow Delrin handles in CV, for $20!

Perfect!! I bought it with no expectation of doing anything other than possibly mangling it in my first re-handling project...
and made the mistake of dropping it in my pocket "for a few days." Well, that was maybe a year and a half ago, and it's still
doing EDC duty! Just like its' predecessors, it takes a really nice edge with just a few strokes on a stone, and holds it very well.
Now, reading about this new release makes me think I should get one --- except for the 2 springs on the modern version.
Anyone who hasn't used one of these before is missing a real treat. Get one!
:)

John
Click to expand...
I would really like to see a pic of those three knives... two reds and a yellow... great story....:thumbsup:
 
Coincidentally, I have my black delrin "Quatrefoil shield" in my watch pocket today. As soon as my white bone comes in, I'll have a "fake ebony and ivory"... :p
Here is my 2208 ....

eEAaUe2.jpg
22vfGtU.jpg
 
hornetguy said:
I would really like to see a pic of those three knives... two reds and a yellow... great story....:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! When known, the history behind old, much-loved knives adds a lot to their appeal for me! I also have the "Circle C" Case Whittler that my Dad's father gave him around 1929-30. This has a tapered brass spacer between the back springs IIRC, which always impressed me as a rather neat bit of craftsmanship.

As a kid's knife, it led a hard life, and one of the small blades is gone. The other small blade was sharpened a good bit, and the very tip is missing, leaving an impromptu "Coping" blade -- which is still very sharp after all these years. The clip master blade also has been
well-sharpened throughout its' working life, and has a very nice, natural patina.

In High School c. 1976, I really wanted a Case knife to use, and couldn't find a dealer in town. So, I "appropriated" this one and carried it daily for about 3 months before I finally came to my senses and re-retired it. It was a lot of fun, though, to get a daily "hands-on" experience of the old Circle C's blade steel and performance! It would take a shaving edge incredibly easily, and the little "coping" blade's thin, squared-off tip was just perfect for cutting out clippings, articles, etc. Of course, back then all I had to sharpen it with was an array of Arkansas stones and some red "Buck" honing oil -- "old school."

I was doing something with it in class one day, and some unpleasant soul made a snarky, snotty comment about my Dad's "little" knife, basically insinuating it was "worthless" due to its' size. (Master blade might be 2.5" long or so?). I didn't say a word -- just looked him in the eye, and shaved off about a 2" wide stripe of hair clean like a straight razor from my elbow to wrist on my left arm in 1 stroke.

The small mountain of hair and clean shave were actually not unimpressive, if I do say so myself. I said nothing, and just left it to his imagination as to what I might be thinking when I did this... :) Back then, almost nobody our age knew how to sharpen a knife, so I think this little demo might have gotten his attention. He immediately shut up, and I never heard any further comments about it. Coincidentally, his unprovoked rudeness towards me ceased that very day, for some reason.

This little knife started life with green bone handles, but one was broken and missing a
large chunk when I discovered it. A few years later, I sacrificed a worn-out XX for the scales, and carefully but primitively fitted them to this knife, so it would at least have 2 handles. I left the XX's pins in place as "dummies," in that they don't go into the frame of the knife. (That would have been WAY beyond my meager skills and non-existent tools.)

The scales are held on with epoxy, and the shield is still present. Not ideal, but it was a young person's project.... and so, we learn. The scales are actually fairly decently fitted, all things considered, and their wear is appropriate to the knife's age and condition.

I'll include it in the photo. I wish I could do them justice like Kiro, but that's way beyond my skills and equipment, photography-wise!

Thanks for your interest, and I'll dig them out for a photo session before long.
All the best,
John
 
John F. said:
Thanks, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! When known, the history behind old, much-loved knives adds a lot to their appeal for me! I also have the "Circle C" Case Whittler that my Dad's father gave him around 1929-30. This has a tapered brass spacer between the back springs IIRC, which always impressed me as a rather neat bit of craftsmanship.

As a kid's knife, it led a hard life, and one of the small blades is gone. The other small blade was sharpened a good bit, and the very tip is missing, leaving an impromptu "Coping" blade -- which is still very sharp after all these years. The clip master blade also has been
well-sharpened throughout its' working life, and has a very nice, natural patina.

In High School c. 1976, I really wanted a Case knife to use, and couldn't find a dealer in town. So, I "appropriated" this one and carried it daily for about 3 months before I finally came to my senses and re-retired it. It was a lot of fun, though, to get a daily "hands-on" experience of the old Circle C's blade steel and performance! It would take a shaving edge incredibly easily, and the little "coping" blade's thin, squared-off tip was just perfect for cutting out clippings, articles, etc. Of course, back then all I had to sharpen it with was an array of Arkansas stones and some red "Buck" honing oil -- "old school."

I was doing something with it in class one day, and some unpleasant soul made a snarky, snotty comment about my Dad's "little" knife, basically insinuating it was "worthless" due to its' size. (Master blade might be 2.5" long or so?). I didn't say a word -- just looked him in the eye, and shaved off about a 2" wide stripe of hair clean like a straight razor from my elbow to wrist on my left arm in 1 stroke.

The small mountain of hair and clean shave were actually not unimpressive, if I do say so myself. I said nothing, and just left it to his imagination as to what I might be thinking when I did this... :) Back then, almost nobody our age knew how to sharpen a knife, so I think this little demo might have gotten his attention. He immediately shut up, and I never heard any further comments about it. Coincidentally, his unprovoked rudeness towards me ceased that very day, for some reason.

This little knife started life with green bone handles, but one was broken and missing a
large chunk when I discovered it. A few years later, I sacrificed a worn-out XX for the scales, and carefully but primitively fitted them to this knife, so it would at least have 2 handles. I left the XX's pins in place as "dummies," in that they don't go into the frame of the knife. (That would have been WAY beyond my meager skills and non-existent tools.)

The scales are held on with epoxy, and the shield is still present. Not ideal, but it was a young person's project.... and so, we learn. The scales are actually fairly decently fitted, all things considered, and their wear is appropriate to the knife's age and condition.

I'll include it in the photo. I wish I could do them justice like Kiro, but that's way beyond my skills and equipment, photography-wise!

Thanks for your interest, and I'll dig them out for a photo session before long.
All the best,
John
Click to expand...
:D I wish I could have seen his face.... I get the comment all the time, when loaning a knife.... wide-eyed..."this thing is SHARP!!!" My response is.... "well, it IS a knife, you know.."
 
hornetguy said:
Coincidentally, I have my black delrin "Quatrefoil shield" in my watch pocket today. As soon as my white bone comes in, I'll have a "fake ebony and ivory"... :p
Here is my 2208 ....

eEAaUe2.jpg
22vfGtU.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice.

You know I'm not sure I've ever seen a bad looking 08 pattern knife from case, the half whittler is just a good looking knife regardless of scale material.
 
It's not a half whittler so I apologize... But I figured this would be the best place to post pics of the new Case smooth white bone CV line.

My Mini Copperlock came in the other day. :D Centering heavily favors the pile side (no big deal), but doesn't rub. The blade has a bit of a burr (also no big deal). Other than that, fit and finish look to be about perfect on mine. The pull could be a little bit stronger, I suppose. Good transitions to the bolsters, good scale thickness, no gaps. It's a really, really beautiful knife that looks amazing in person (really hard to capture it's beauty in pictures for me). Case did a phenomenal job on the covers and I really like the subtle color shifts in the bone (another thing I couldn't capture in the photos). I'm super happy I snagged one of these! Two thumbs up.

neeERys.jpg

QmtBgVX.jpg

Fi7fvYc.jpg


Beautifully finished smooth, natural bone.
sdpVD5G.jpg
 
Fixall said:
It's not a half whittler so I apologize... But I figured this would be the best place to post pics of the new Case smooth white bone CV line.

My Mini Copperlock came in the other day. :D Centering heavily favors the pile side (no big deal), but doesn't rub. The blade has a bit of a burr (also no big deal). Other than that, fit and finish look to be about perfect on mine. The pull could be a little bit stronger, I suppose. Good transitions to the bolsters, good scale thickness, no gaps. It's a really, really beautiful knife that looks amazing in person (really hard to capture it's beauty in pictures for me). Case did a phenomenal job on the covers and I really like the subtle color shifts in the bone (another thing I couldn't capture in the photos). I'm super happy I snagged one of these! Two thumbs up.

neeERys.jpg

QmtBgVX.jpg

Fi7fvYc.jpg


Beautifully finished smooth, natural bone.
sdpVD5G.jpg
Click to expand...

WOW!!! Thats a looker!! :thumbsup: Thanks for posting this as I added it to the ever growing "Some day" list..;) Hopefully next month!!!:thumbsup:
John
 
jmh33 said:
WOW!!! Thats a looker!! :thumbsup: Thanks for posting this as I added it to the ever growing "Some day" list..;) Hopefully next month!!!:thumbsup:
John
Click to expand...

Thanks! I was super pleased when I received it, I wasn't expecting such a looker. It really makes me regret passing on the smooth white bone GECs that were released last year though, lol.
 
My half whittler finally showed up today... It's very nicely made... the only "flaw" I can find is the main blade is a little off center. It doesn't rub, (in the pic, it looks like it might, but it does not) and it doesn't bother me at all. Everything is tight, and smooth... scale transitions to bolsters are excellent. Action is smooth, but I plan to flush it some tomorrow. Factory edge is excellent. All in all, a knife of this quality for under 50 bucks is quite a buy.... I might have to look at some of the other choices in the natural bone family....

jw2yc3.jpg
jw2asD.jpg


jw2Gg0.jpg
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Anyone else who also owns another 6208 notice that these white smooth bone models have a flatter bolster ?

The bolsters on my 2017 red bone BSA 6208 have a bit of a rounded surface where the new one is perfectly flat.

It's not a complaint at all, just something I noticed.
 
Fine looking knife - I also like the return to a more traditionally styled CASE tang stamp. Now if CASE could just lose the script shield they use on most of the knives - 20 years of that script shield is ENOUGH! OH
 
I like that shield, but I wouldn't mind seeing more of a plain shield.

Case knives already have enough Case identity to them without their name on the shield, but It's still not something that bothers me.
 
Will Power said:
I'd like to know when they're available too (the Half Whittler that is) CASE has put the bar up on International sales so this makes it tricky for me but I NEED one :cool:
Click to expand...
I tried to PM you but could not. I am in the same position as you, i had a good retailer who sent me whatever Case knife i wanted, sadly no longer. You can if you wish, set up an account with a forwarding agent, the seller that you buy from forwards the knife to them and they send it to you. Because the agent is using an American address it circumnavigates Case's ban on overseas sales. But it ain't cheap, so it depends on how much you want the knife. Also good for some of the online sellers that do not ship internationally, or if you buy from the forum and an individual will not ship overseas. Just an option.
 
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