Does LT ever have a surprise for all of you...

What is LT gonna do with a whole row of CNC machines??????? :eek:

Well, we'll just be waiting...............and waiting. :D

Bill
 
He couldn´t have bought Schrade ... he probably won it all on a hand of Poker ...

LT is too smart to come out empty handed. Whatever happens to Schrade I´m sure LT will always have plenty of nice things.

Luis
 
Can I have a job. I'll relocate. I'm just a rookie but I can push a broom.

ECS
 
He's dating this year's Ellenville High School Homecoming Queen?
No, wait, that's my fantasy.

Yep, our LT is the coolest guy I know. I can't wait to see.

Phil
 
I hope he wound up with several really nice frames from the collection. Or at least several cases of the collection knives they didn't get around to mounting. Or maybe he went after the intellectual property? The patents, trademarks, copyrights, THE SCHRADE NAME!

BTW, LT, I am a manufacturing process engineer with a degree in engineering CAD and trained with AUTOcad 10, 12, 14, 2000, and 2000I. And I do run a Fadal CNC and can program Fanuc robotics.And I like knives. Southwestern Tennessee is a good place for manufacturing too. Good hunting, fishing....... oops. ;)
 
I don't know what Steve ( web guy is talking about ). Oh wait I think I remember now. You will have to excuse me since I am an older citizen and I just met Mr Enright today ( in person ) his memory is better than mine.. NOTE as someone remarked my IXL Schrade Wostenholm pocket knife that I was showing him was older than Steve. However after meeting him today I realized kids today are alot smarter now then when I was a lad perhapes it is because of all the toys they get and learn how to play with. I never got any toys and as my father said I had to learn to play with, ( excuse me ) by, myself. I don't suppose that playing by myself helped my memory either.

Anyway I went to Schrade today, truthfully I was hesitant first there was the collection which I felt was going to be chopped up in little pieces by southern shark attack second I was not sure if after my rather opinionated remarks, I might not have to try to fight my way out once in the building.
I went in and since I didn't see anyone except the guy handing out badges I proceeded to the board room home of all those dandy knives in the brochure and pictures. I then started poping pictures to make up for the ones I screwed up on my last visit. With my picture takeing abilitys, chances are I screwed these up as well.

The first person I met was Wally Gardiner the president of Schrade in the classic garb of a big time executive flannel shirt and jeans pretty much what I was wearing. He said hello and then gave me the news done deal today SMOKEY owns them ( I was told it was finalized today ). The good news is that it was agreed SMOKEY would keep the collection together and display them. That is something that even if I had bought them I could not have guaranteed. Sometimes you have to settle for what you can get and if SMOKEY is true to there word, and I have no reason to think they won't be then I take my hat off to them, for whatever it is worth.

I took my pics and thanked all there and took my leave to check out what might be around to save for posterity. Some catalogues for Larry or Ellenville ladies for Phil or in my case anything .

While making my rounds ( not an easy chore the place is like Carlsbads Cavern ) luckily I had my side kick young Mr Enright as guide. Who by now was ( I am sure ) fed up with my unending archaic stories but still remained polite. ( seriously he is a gentleman as was everyone today ). Who should I run into but, Mr Gardiner again who was with a friend of mine ( and is quite a well known collector ). Mr Gardiner said to me did you see the sign in my office I said yes I did however I did not ask about it since obviously it was your personal property and when I left the area you had been eating lunch and i did not want to make you feel any worse than I am sure you do by ruining your meal trying to buy it. Mr Gardiner said well this fellow ( my friend just offered to buy it and I told him no. ) He said "would you like it" he said it had cost him ( I will not say how much but a fair sum when he acquired it ). I said would you be willing to sell it to me for that price? ( I was already reaching for my poke to get out the money and smiling all the time ). He said no I want you to have it I think you will take care of it and appreciate it. Well fellers here is the hardest part of the story to believe. I WAS SPEECHLESS, yep I just sort of started mumbling stuff that really wasen't words.

Now you may ( if still reading this say all this over a sign ) well there are signs and there are signs. As you know Ulster Knife started in Ellenville as Ellenville knife ( around 1880 approx) it then went on to become Ulster, it was also the home of Schrade and imperial. Yup that original building has had a lot of Americans work in it. Those Americans were the parents of people who defended this country and built it, they went into every walk of life. Doctors, statesmen, and even more important average people who are and will always will be the backbone of this nation. As some of you may know the history of these people and there donation and dedication to this country as well as the heritage of there toil, tears, and sweat are what I feel is really the most important product they ever produced.

So by now for those awake Ill bet you are saying alright get to the point. The point is that when the Ulster factory was built it had a corner stone. Legend has it that as long as the corner stone lives the memory lives and what was before may be again. It is my pleasure to be chosen as the guardian of this piece of history which to me is both a memorial and a banner . A reminder of the past and perhapes the first piece to be put back in its rightful place in hope for the future. I am not posting a picture, NAAA Just kidding.

PS. I paid my 100 dollar bidders fee and hope to go to the auction ( searching for artifacts ). I will miss not bidding on the collection. So this is my show and tell for today. LT
 
Congratulations LT! I was close with the Schrade name tho! The original Ulster cornerstone? Wow again!

And thanks for the good news about Smokey keeping the collection together. Maybe they will catalog and post it in an album, though from what I have seen and heard, it would take a website of it's own!

I'm glad I wasn't able to attend. Flatbed transports aren't cheap, and while we already have a row of CNC's, the robotics and rod stock would have come in handy. We compete with Chinese buyers already for our brass and aluminum rodstock.

Codger
 
That cornerstone is a treasure, and it could not be in better hands. I think we all appreciate the high regards our LT is held in, not just by us, but by other, more important members of the knife collecting world.

Congrats, Lt.. you deserve what you were given.

Phil
 
LT,

Wally Gardiner must have heard all the good things we are always saying about you. Congrats I know it will be treasured always.
Just how big is this thing and did you need a dolly to get it into your vehicle?!

Thanks for sharing.

Larry
 
Larry,
LT is a big guy, he probably didn't need a "Dolly"......just some help from an Ellenville maiden, I bet. :D

Bill
 
Cool, LT, very cool. Along with that stone, I would say that people such as yourself, are the cornerstone of "The Legend", and the people in this forum are the building blocks that keep the foundation solid. As long as we are here, the name and the legend will live on.

Nice catch Rich...
 
That is an outstanding honor LT. It's almost (not quite) like the Lord saying "well done thou good and faithful servant."
Tis a honor, sure to all of us here, that you were given this respect and to be recognized for your loyalty and energy to this craft. ;)
Ed
 
Thanks to everyone for the nice words. I guess if I had another stone I would have looked a little like Charlton heston ( sans beard and robe ) leaving the plant although I think if I would have had to carry two, chances are I also would have needed a truss.

Thanks again. While going through the inspection tour one lot kept appearing and while there is some amazing stuff I felt I have to mention it. Lot #4 it listed as work in progress. It is overwhelming. Imagine if you will an area half the size of a football field piled 8 foot high with every knife part from every model imaginable. It really is hard to visualize. I am guessing at the size since this lot is composed of materials from several areas. The fact is one area of this group alone is about the size I quoted.

It is mind boggling and hard to put into words. you walk along ( forget the major holding areas of this one lot.) But run across a small room you enter you look on a shelf and reach in a box and pull out a set of 5" stag handles perhapes 70 dollars a set. In the box are 500 sets. The box is surrounded by 50 more boxes next to it is another PALLET of jigged bone 4" handles 50 dollar range. Then perhapes a barrel of blades like the one everyone is talking about on the 8 OT thread ( a barrel can you imagine how many in a barrel 20 thou 50 thou ??? ) Then next to that 10 more barrels of the same thing. Multiply that by every part of every knife it is amazing. All in one lot you would need 5000 dollars a day just to rent the trucks, trailers and drivers, Just to haul it.

Then there is the machinery. The owner of an american knife company was there that day after looking at the machinery he said most of it was to big for him to use. Can you imagine? I hope to go back on Monday simply because it is to much to encompass in one day or one month for that matter, still for an addict like myself it is like they must have felt when the opened TUTS tomb. Around every corner are forgotten cabinets ( stuff from when things were moved from walden ect.) Metal bins used just to haul parts from one place to another are dated 1933 how many families were fed by making those parts and moving those bins. How many doctors the sons of those workers were put through school and saved lives in WW II and fought in Korea and Viet Nam and what knives those bins have seen.

It reminds me of the movie Its a wonderful life when James Stewart realizes all the lives he has touched and how different the world would have been without him. Something that I must keep reminding myself of quite often for extremely personal reasons.

So that being said for 100 dollars ( refundable if not spent ) you can get a bidding number. Mine is lucky # 104. You may also get a proxy form and bid through it or on the internet. If you happen to have an eye for lot # 4 make sure you bring a really big picnic basket to put every thing in. Something about the size of your high school gym. LT
 
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