Danger! Cracked Ice!!

[lambertiana]

For a material that was so widely used I'm ashamed to admit that I don't have a single MOTS knife. It's not as if the price is prohibitive. I think next chance I get I may pick one up.

 

[Mr. Chips]

5K Qs inspired me to pick up this modern Imperial-Schrade Stockman, and I'm pretty sure I've never carried it!

Jack:

I have modified dozens of this particular model into great whittlin' knives and have used them with and sold them to my whittlin' students. They take and keep a great edge, and have nice thin blades. 100% satisfaction from users and purchasers. Probably the best deal out there in an inexpensive whittlin' knife. Actually better than knives costing a LOT more, and (though I know that this is utter sacrilege), In my opinion, better than the made in USA Schrades for the purpose.

 

[Campbellclanman]

What a great showing Jack, I just love it when you get on a roll - its like going to the Knife Movies!!!

There are two kinds ( although many slight off shoots of the finer version ) of Cracked Ice- Jack you have shown them all and our other friends who have Chimed in.

This was a discussion with Paul Hilborn, Knowtracks and myself, Paul gifted Knowtracks a gorgeous Schrade 2OT Cracked Ice Knife- it was in superb condition and a darned good looking Knife!

Some people call one version of Cracked Ice Mother Of Toilet Seat - because of the 19060's- 1970's Toilet Seats that had this Composition material and there are some of the more economic Knives with this same composition, but what I see a lot of is people seeing what I call the finer Cracked Ice version and are quick to call it Mother Of Toilet Seat, theres a big difference when they are side by Side- the MOTS is coarser.

 

[Jack Black]

Jack:

I have modified dozens of this particular model into great whittlin' knives and have used them with and sold them to my whittlin' students. They take and keep a great edge, and have nice thin blades. 100% satisfaction from users and purchasers. Probably the best deal out there in an inexpensive whittlin' knife. Actually better than knives costing a LOT more, and (though I know that this is utter sacrilege), In my opinion, better than the made in USA Schrades for the purpose.

That's nice to know my friend

What a great showing Jack, I just love it when you get on a roll - its like going to the Knife Movies!!!

There are two kinds ( although many slight off shoots of the finer version ) of Cracked Ice- Jack you have shown them all and our other friends who have Chimed in.

This was a discussion with Paul Hilborn, Knowtracks and myself, Paul gifted Knowtracks a gorgeous Schrade 2OT Cracked Ice Knife- it was in superb condition and a darned good looking Knife!

Some people call one version of Cracked Ice Mother Of Toilet Seat - because of the 19060's- 1970's Toilet Seats that had this Composition material and there are some of the more economic Knives with this same composition, but what I see a lot of is people seeing what I call the finer Cracked Ice version and are quick to call it Mother Of Toilet Seat, theres a big difference when they are side by Side- the MOTS is coarser.

Thanks pal, I need to go rummaging! You're right of course, materials like Pearlux must have been seized on as absolutely wonderful, by the old cutlers, I reckon

 

[r8shell]

Thanks pal, I need to go rummaging! You're right of course, materials like Pearlux must have been seized on as absolutely wonderful, by the old cutlers, I reckon

I hadn't thought about it much, but the old cutlers must have loved the stuff, compared to the difficulties (and health risks) of working with real mother of pearl.

 

[5K Qs]

Thanks Gary The bolsters, and most of the covers are mainly one piece of sheet steel, with a very thin layer of celluloid, a patented process, for which companies like Richards and Imperial paid the patent holders, Elosi (Lohr & Stiehl) in Germany. It sometimes darkens a little with age, but I've never had a serious problem, and I have a lot of such knives. Yes, RR and Imperial use acrylic

Nice Rachel, some interesting knives there

Thanks for the info about the relative stability of the "thin layer" celluloid, Jack.
That's good to know (and even better if I actually remember it ).

This has been bugging me all day...I had to zoom in and google a little bit:

C. Lutters & Cie. I think made in Solingen by Loewen Messer.

I thought maybe C.I. Utters & Co
Web search gave me a shipload of Cutters results.
I think you nailed it. C. Lutters has the lion on tang stamp. Thanks.
Found the tang samp
View attachment 1633824

Here https://germandaggers.com/Gallery/Makers.php

Thanks for the good detective work, Rachel! Even with new, artificial, post-cataract lenses, my eyes are not the sharpest eyes in the drawer. Now that I know what it is, I can see the letters quite easily. But I probably should have recognized that lion from a Loewenmesser knife Harry Old Engineer has.
afishhunter , that "L" with its very short horizontal bottom line was a real challenge. I saw the ".L" as an "A" with most of its left slant worn away, and you saw it as ".I." with that tiny bottom of the L as another period.

- GT

 

[Stelth]

Here's an Imperial in perfect condition that was found at an estate sale a week ago.

 

[Jack Black]

I hadn't thought about it much, but the old cutlers must have loved the stuff, compared to the difficulties (and health risks) of working with real mother of pearl.

Yeah, I reckon they probably liked all the plastics Back in the day, Sheffield had specialist (and short-lived) pearl cutters, but the cutlers would still have had to grind the scales to shape when finishes the knives. Pearl dust was notoriously unhealthy in the long-term, and could lead to dizziness and splitting headaches in the short-term. Stan Shaw worked with a lot of pearl, and never wore a mask or anything. I once asked him if he'd ever had any adverse effects. He hadn't, but he was a tough old bird

Thanks for the info about the relative stability of the "thin layer" celluloid, Jack.
That's good to know (and even better if I actually remember it ).

I think you might have asked me before Gary, but with my memory, I couldn't guarantee it!

Here's an Imperial in perfect condition that was found at an estate sale a week ago.

That's nice

 

[r8shell]

I’m pretty sure my brother had that same model knife when we were kids, except it had a butterscotch swirl wrap.

I remember knives like those on cardboard displays at the drugstore, so I imagine lots of lucky kids had one.

Yeah, I reckon they probably liked all the plastics Back in the day, Sheffield had specialist (and short-lived) pearl cutters, but the cutlers would still have had to grind the scales to shape when finishes the knives. Pearl dust was notoriously unhealthy in the long-term, and could lead to dizziness and splitting headaches in the short-term. Stan Shaw worked with a lot of pearl, and never wore a mask or anything. I once asked him if he'd ever had any adverse effects. He hadn't, but he was a tough old bird

Some people are just lucky, I guess. If he kept the material wet while cutting and filing, that may have helped keep the dust down.

On the subject of "cracked ice", I wonder who first used that term? I think of it as a particular type of imitation pearl, and wouldn't necessarily include solid colored knives like my childhood Sabre (even though it has a crack in it )

Here's a tiny one:

 

[Jack Black]

Some people are just lucky, I guess. If he kept the material wet while cutting and filing, that may have helped keep the dust down.

On the subject of "cracked ice", I wonder who first used that term? I think of it as a particular type of imitation pearl, and wouldn't necessarily include solid colored knives like my childhood Sabre (even though it has a crack in it )

Here's a tiny one:

Yes, like those 100 year-old chain smokers! I've seen Stan working on Pearl a number of times, and he sawed it by hand, dry. Same when he was grinding and drilling it After his early hard knocks, he was pretty indestructible What really did for him was the fake cobblestones, which the museum laid down between his workshop door, and his small washroom a few steps away. He was so worried about having a fall on the uneven and slippery floor, he stopped drinking, so that he he didn't have to go to the toilet That led to a stay in hospital, where he caught sepsis. He even survived that, but had to go back into hospital during the Covid lockdown, when he couldn't have any visitors, and had no company, but severely ill old people. That's what did for him sadly

 

[black mamba]

German Sowbelly

 

[meako]

Knew I had one somewhere....found it whilst waiting for the now 7ft long and very strong and unfriendly Boris to come out of his cage for some spring cleaning....how does one get a large python to come out of his snuggly warm cage? You may well ask....you open the door and wait....meantime you ferret through the clutter and presto.

This one an opshop score 5bux aud...as new.....might be a couple more ...need to do more ferreting...

I know what hes thinking...."I'll crack your ice for ya Sunshine !."

 

[meako]

AS promised...lovely old Imperial...a very early addition to my collection...still walks the walk and talks the talk.

Cheers.