Excessive Branding?

hhmoore

hhmoore

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Feb 7, 2014
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I found what I thought was going to be my next traditional...
A Northfield UN-X-LD two blade Congress in snakewood. I like snakewood - a lot - and it had the blade combination I wanted; but I was deterred by all the etching. I'm not a fan of big blade etching - not sure why it's such a thing with trads (ok, the blade is small, so it just looks big - I get it) - but on this particular piece they took it up a notch. Not only was the etching on the blade loud and proud, both sides of both bolsters were etched as well. No chance of missing the fact that this is UN-X-LD, since it is boldly displayed in 5 places. What a shame - it could have been an attractive, classy looking knife.
(I thought about buying it anyway, and trying to polish it off; but I was afraid that removing the bolster etching would have left it looking worse)
 
Unless it's going to be safe queen I either remove the etching or let the patena on a 1095 take it over. Like some GEC patterns, S&M are notoriously garish with blade branding IMO.

Bolsters don't bother me as much except for S&M. But there is not much you can do about it.

Most modern knives have understated branding and it is specific to the knife like ZT blade branding.

Mike
 
Etches and bolster stamping are very much in the tradition of folding, spring knives. Maybe you have to study more of them to appreciate the markings?
Everyone is entitled to their tastes, etc, but I love etches, and stamps!
Tang stamps on every blade are a sign of older, superior knives BTW.
 
Here are a couple in an old 1910s catalog scan with branding on the bolsters and (of course) the tangs. These didn't have etches but many of them do. I just happened to have this page handy but if I dug through some old catalogs, I could probably find a congress knife with branding on the bolsters.

I'm not sure if I remember the pattern that you're talking about but I think there were other versions without branding on the bolsters. You might search the GEC website by pattern to see all the variations that were made. Maybe one of them suits you better.

 
I'm not wholly unfamiliar, and tang stamps are another thing entirely.
When I was buying swords, some people liked runes and etching - they were deal killers for me. I also don't buy from certain makers because I dislike their mark and don't want it on my knives. One's sense of aesthetics is what it is. I know that mine are not the necessarily "the norm", and I'm okay with that.
An etched bolster would have been fine - I actually like the look....but both sides of both bolsters, plus the blade, seems excessive TO ME..

Eyedog,
This would have been a user...but it would have lost a lot of its appeal if trying to remove the etching uglied it up. I'll admit that I've never removed etching on trads; so maybe I'm mistaken about how it would turn out (it looks deep enough that it would remain visible & annoy me)
 
hhmoore said:
I found what I thought was going to be my next traditional...
A Northfield UN-X-LD two blade Congress in snakewood. I like snakewood - a lot - and it had the blade combination I wanted; but I was deterred by all the etching. I'm not a fan of big blade etching - not sure why it's such a thing with trads (ok, the blade is small, so it just looks big - I get it) - but on this particular piece they took it up a notch. Not only was the etching on the blade loud and proud, both sides of both bolsters were etched as well. No chance of missing the fact that this is UN-X-LD, since it is boldly displayed in 5 places. What a shame - it could have been an attractive, classy looking knife.
(I thought about buying it anyway, and trying to polish it off; but I was afraid that removing the bolster etching would have left it looking worse)
Click to expand...


Aesthetically, I agree ... kinda of. On a smaller blade like on the 62 the etch can be a bit much for me, but not enough that I really care. I do enjoy a few more so than others.

I personally like a stamped blade. I would like to see it done more often.





I also like a good etch. Here's my favorite etch of two I no longer own.:(

 
Give me a minute to get pics to show what I'm talking about. If I'm wrong about how the thing will clean up, I'm open to suggestions on how best to accomplish it.
(I know there are other models that aren't like this...but this knife - the one that had everything it needed to get me to but it - is. I'm just being selective about my purchases.)
 
Are you talking about etching like on the actual blade or are you talking about stamped bolsters that actually creates a recessed area where the letters are stamped in? If your talking about actual etching just get a little tube of Flitz polish and take that sucker off especially if the knife is going to be a user. The Flitz will make it to where you can just barely see a blade etch if you look real close but a little patina makes it all but invisible relatively fast.
 
I tend to agree on the etching. I don't like when they just plaster their brand all over the place. I can appreciate an etch that is significant to that particular knife, like GEC's Beaver Tail etch or the various SFO etches. However just putting Northfield, Tidioute, or Schatt & Morgan as big as you can on the blades just makes it look cheap to me. I know there's a historical precedence, but I think if I were buying knives 100 years ago I would have disliked it then as well. A stamped logo looks infinitely better to me, like the one that Brett posted or what Northwoods has on their blades. Canal Street seems to avoid the branding on their blades altogether, and I think it gives their knives a nice clean look that GEC and Queen don't have.
 
I think you are refering to the 61 with square bolsters that have unxld stamped on each bolster. I could be wrong though. That one is a bit much for my taste.
 
Was it this one?

610211-snakewood1-700x419.jpg


The etch on the blade can be polished off like others have mentioned. There were some plain bolster versions but I don't know if there were any in snakewood. Here's one with becote.

610211-exotic-mex-bocote1-700x420.jpg


And here's the pattern index. I'm not sure if it's all of them. I think sometimes there are a few short runs that don't make it to the pattern index.

http://greateasterncutlery.net/blog/patterns/patterns-57-77/61-square-bolster-congress/
 
My desktop is being an uncooperative little b***h at the moment, so pics will have to wait.
I'm apparently not doing a good job of describing what is going on with this particular knife.

Here's a picture of a similar model

Now, imagine that the etched logo on the blade is bigger and darker. The bolsters would be slightly larger and on all 4 surfaces (right and left, front and back) there is a dark UN-X-LD.
The bolsters may be stamped and etched dark, as they look deep - which is the reason for my concern about trying to polish them out.

I'm going to try with the desktop again - back in a few.
 
KBA said:
I think you are refering to the 61 with square bolsters that have unxld stamped on each bolster. I could be wrong though. That one is a bit much for my taste.
Click to expand...
Yes

supratentorial said:
Was it this one?

610211-snakewood1-700x419.jpg
Click to expand...
And, yes. Thank you.

That is the knife, and the stamped (and etched, I believe) bolsters along with the blade are just too much for me. The blade is fine. Take away the etched blade, and keep the blade bolster as is - that would be great...as previously mentioned, I like the look of the bolster - just not both bolsters AND the blade.
 
This is a classic design that's around a hundred years old, dating all the way back to some early Schatt&Morgan designs. Very traditional indeed.
 
Okay.
But I still think is it overdone, and that it detracts from a great design. To each his own.
I'm not out to offend the traditional crowd (traditionalists?); so I'll bow out, and continue my search for my next addition.
 
It is traditional but some I like and some I don't like. I loved the etches and stamps on the Washington Jack. That knife could almost pass for belonging in the catalog scan that I posted above. But to be completely frank, I didn't care for that bolsters on that congress. I appreciated it as a tribute to the oldies. But it's not the right knife for me. Not every knife is for me.... a lot of them are... depending on who you ask some may say that too many of them are the right knife for me. ;)
 
The more the merrier for me! The blade etch can be easily removed but I tend to like to see it slowly blend in with the patina.
 
Both bolsters, a lengthy 3-line tang stamp, and the entire face of the blade...

Yeah, that's a bit much for me too.
 
Bob W said:
Both bolsters, a lengthy 3-line tang stamp, and the entire face of the blade...

Yeah, that's a bit much for me too.
Click to expand...

I agree bob . I do think that a lot of company's are getting carred away with plastering the company name all over the knife . it may be for some but not for me :p
 
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