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One of the topics that often comes up in the study of knives is that of handle materials. Often times it is quite difficult to determine between certain materials. Early jigged delrin ( plastic ) was done so well that often it is mistaken for the jigged bone it imitates. At sales and auctions they are often mislabeled. This happens all the time on Ebay. There are ways to determine the difference, however, the best way is to become so familiar with the items that you can see the difference. It is like a set of twins, upon first look they appear identical, however, when you get to know them you can distinguish which is which.
Original handles were made ( of course ) of natural materials. Although it would be interesting for some archeologist to find and carbon date a flint knife with a titanium handle. That would certainly change some thoughts on evolution.
Values on materials vary with many factors, aluminum used to be considered a semi precious metal ( due to the difficulty of early procedures for making it). Stainless steel models were few, so today on older Schrades, it brings a higher collectors value than the same model in carbon. Many factors come into play regarding this subject, and they are too numerous to approach them all in one discussion of these materials and how and why they fit into this history. Generally the main reason was expense, plastic was less expensive than the natural counterpart. The fact is that it generally held up better and could be made almost identical. Plastic does not usually break when you drop it on a rock or split on a cold day. The alternative materials are certainly as functional as the natural ones.
I suppose the answer to this is the very nature of man himself. Why does a man chase a pretty girl maybe married, when a single plain woman would not cause him near the same problems, cost less and certainly give as much use. ( ER I mean companionship ).
It would seem that this is a good time to get to the main subject matter on handle materials. It would be quite complicated to approach all of these materials at one time. Therefore I have picked just one, PEARL versus Celluloid. My reasons for this are first, pearl was always a relatively rare handle material ( that means the novice collector may not be as familiar with it), second, celluloid ( FAUX, French, or Marine pearl are among the various names for this material) seemed to be a beautiful, if volatile, alternative for the natural pearl. The problems with celluloid, an early synthetic ( like plastic) are many. It was made of camphor and nitrates, kind of like gunpowder and napalm. It naturally gives off a gas and should not be kept in an enclosed enviornment. It tends, at its own descretion, to break down into a gooey alien like mess, if the light or temperature fluctuates to much. It kind of has the temperament of the pretty women I mentioned earlier, and in good condition is a beautiful material. NOTE old companies that used celluloid kept it in a separate building, usually with a floating roof, so that air could flow in and out. Usually sooner of later these companies had at least one fire in these buildings anyway.
I have included a picture with this thread. It has 9 Schrade Walden knives made between 1946 and 1972 ( approximate). Some are pearl, some are celluloid. I wondered how many of you could tell by looking which were which. I have numbered the knives. They are in NEW unused OLD STOCK condition, so no discoloration or other excuses will be accepted. Simply list the numbers you feel are pearl and the ones you feel are celluloid. You can make your choice and send an email and post a thread, or if you are afraid to do that, just write your answers on a piece of paper and you can compare them and then write in that you had them correct. I will list the answer in a few days. That is if anyone shows an interest. Remember faint heart never filled a flush, so send in those answers. Good Luck LT
Original handles were made ( of course ) of natural materials. Although it would be interesting for some archeologist to find and carbon date a flint knife with a titanium handle. That would certainly change some thoughts on evolution.
Values on materials vary with many factors, aluminum used to be considered a semi precious metal ( due to the difficulty of early procedures for making it). Stainless steel models were few, so today on older Schrades, it brings a higher collectors value than the same model in carbon. Many factors come into play regarding this subject, and they are too numerous to approach them all in one discussion of these materials and how and why they fit into this history. Generally the main reason was expense, plastic was less expensive than the natural counterpart. The fact is that it generally held up better and could be made almost identical. Plastic does not usually break when you drop it on a rock or split on a cold day. The alternative materials are certainly as functional as the natural ones.
I suppose the answer to this is the very nature of man himself. Why does a man chase a pretty girl maybe married, when a single plain woman would not cause him near the same problems, cost less and certainly give as much use. ( ER I mean companionship ).
It would seem that this is a good time to get to the main subject matter on handle materials. It would be quite complicated to approach all of these materials at one time. Therefore I have picked just one, PEARL versus Celluloid. My reasons for this are first, pearl was always a relatively rare handle material ( that means the novice collector may not be as familiar with it), second, celluloid ( FAUX, French, or Marine pearl are among the various names for this material) seemed to be a beautiful, if volatile, alternative for the natural pearl. The problems with celluloid, an early synthetic ( like plastic) are many. It was made of camphor and nitrates, kind of like gunpowder and napalm. It naturally gives off a gas and should not be kept in an enclosed enviornment. It tends, at its own descretion, to break down into a gooey alien like mess, if the light or temperature fluctuates to much. It kind of has the temperament of the pretty women I mentioned earlier, and in good condition is a beautiful material. NOTE old companies that used celluloid kept it in a separate building, usually with a floating roof, so that air could flow in and out. Usually sooner of later these companies had at least one fire in these buildings anyway.
I have included a picture with this thread. It has 9 Schrade Walden knives made between 1946 and 1972 ( approximate). Some are pearl, some are celluloid. I wondered how many of you could tell by looking which were which. I have numbered the knives. They are in NEW unused OLD STOCK condition, so no discoloration or other excuses will be accepted. Simply list the numbers you feel are pearl and the ones you feel are celluloid. You can make your choice and send an email and post a thread, or if you are afraid to do that, just write your answers on a piece of paper and you can compare them and then write in that you had them correct. I will list the answer in a few days. That is if anyone shows an interest. Remember faint heart never filled a flush, so send in those answers. Good Luck LT
