Found: Blackjack 1-7 and Gerber LMF

[mdalby]

I was going through some of my hunting gear that I bought years back and I found two knives that I had forgot about.

Gerber LMF 032172
Blackjack Classic Blades Model #1-7, Carbon Steel w/Black marcata handle

I really like the handle on the LMF but I was never impressed with the edge. I can't remember what steel the blade is made out of and if this is a good knife to try to mod to get a better edge or if I am just not appreciating the edge.

Can you give me any input on these two knives?

Thanks,

MD

 

[misque]

IIRC, I believe that Gerber was 440-A. I'm pulling this up from long ago so you may not want to take that to the bank.

The Blackjack 1-7 find is one that would have me jumping up and down and yelling WOO-HOO!! That is an outstanding knive and an awesome find. Congrats!

 

[GIRLYmann]

Yeah well, I'ld say that the any old line Blackjack is definately the awesome find.
Back then, there were numerous comments about why anyone would make a clone of a Randall No1 - I further assure you that genuine Randall owners would have fallen into fits if anyone brought out a Blackjack and ask for their comments.
But today things are rather different, the old line Blackjacks are collectables in their own right.
-http://blackjack.0catch.com/pages/1-7.htm
BTW, think you ought to know that its still in production
-http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/776756/

Though the Gerber BMF has an incredible look about it which makes all girls go weak at the knees on first sight.
Careful where you draw that.
There were rumours that this and a few other models (eg, the Coffin Handle Australian Bowie) were actually made in Italy for a song. It was said that the ITALIAN markings were hidden beneath the full tang handle scales...?

 

[mdalby]

Thank you for the help.

It looks like my Blackjack is pre 1993. It looks just like the one in the picture of the link that you provided that is BJ-1712 without the butt cap. It has stamped made in USA in Effingham, IL.

The Gerber appears to all be made in the USA. There is a USA stamp on the blade. You are correct. The knife has a great look and I LOVE the handle.

I am having a difficult time finiding more info on the Gerber LMF. Everything I am fnding is for the LMF II. Misque, I am seeing references to 440-a as a possibility for the steel of the blade.

Thanks,

MD

 

[tirod3]

Gerber has used offshore production before. I never ground off the handle of a MK II, but it's been said if you did, you'd find Made in Japan on the blade tang. This is much appreciated now that Japanese knives are high dollar.

Final assembly and lax country of origin laws allow products with high out of country percentages to be labeled Made in USA. Being the Italians are in a high point of factory manufacture of machine goods, and Italian made knife is actually quite common now in larger fixed blades. We just don't always know which ones.

Use of 440A in a blade as big as an LMF is OK. Higher alloy steels don't suffer well as big beaters due to a lack of ductility and edge chipping, and actually perform poorly in the field over a period of time. 440A is relatively easier to sharpen and suffers less edge chipping.

Cold Steel is presently making a Randall repro quite like the Blackjack; it shows the market is there for a lesser priced copy.

 

[t1mpani]

Use of 440A in a blade as big as an LMF is OK. Higher alloy steels don't suffer well as big beaters due to a lack of ductility and edge chipping, and actually perform poorly in the field over a period of time. 440A is relatively easier to sharpen and suffers less edge chipping.

Agreed--today the market would likely drive the use of a steel like S30V or 154CM in this knife which would be a step in the wrong direction. 440A is far from being my favorite steel, but given that most production companies don't want to sell something that'll easily rust and so wouldn't produce it in 5160 or O1, I think 440A is a decent choice for this kind of knife. I'd like it more in 12c27...

The handle on the LMF is indeed superb--one of the most comfortable hard-use grips I've ever held, production or custom. My beef with this knife was always the absurdly obtuse edge geometry--there are a couple versions of the knife with different grinds, but mine certainly wasn't capable of cutting much of anything. It could shave, but couldn't slice its way into a priority mail package. If they'd kept the same stock thickness and just gone for a full flat grind down to reasonably thin behind the edge, keeping that superb handle, I think it would have been one of the all-time great knives.