Hawbaker Muskrat manufacturers?

[Planterz]

In searching for my "ideal" pocketknife I've fallen in love with the Hawbaker Muskrat pattern. One curved blade, one straight blade, slim profile, elegant, what more could I ever need?

It doesn't seem like the most popular of patterns, at least not one that the majority of manufacturers make. So far I have found (current or recent production):

Canal Street (14-4 CrMo)
Schatt & Morgan Series XX (420HC)
Northwoods (D2)

Who else makes or has made Hawbaker muskrats? Does anyone else like this pattern as much as I do (or rather, as I'm sure I will when I get around to buying one or 5)?

And of course if anybody wants to throw some Hawbaker pr0n my way, I certainly won't object.

 

[zerogee]

The 2004 Case/Bose Collaboration was a Hawbaker muskrat basically.

 

[VCM3]

I have these
One is a Queen Classic
It is made with one spring & IMO,this style w/ "catch bits" and one spring,is the WTG
The other Schatt,seems to be of the same frame,but with two springs. About too much load on one spring (2 blades) , the Schatt is currently being repaired by Queen,as one spring snapped while storing it (could be just a weird happening) IMHO,the Schatt ,is more like a Moose feeling knife with the two springs
Case made Hawbakers ,there are "John Primbles" made by Blue Ridge cutlery,I believe These can be found .
There is a Case Bose version(one spring & catch bits,wtg),too Here:

Here's some comparison shots of the Queen & Schatt I spoke of,all that I have & the Queen version is showed in 2 different bone types,red stag & "chicken scratch" ,they called these
-Vince

Nice post for no coffee yet huh ? I hope this helps,nice patterns these knives
-Vince

 

[popedandy]

In addition to the Queen that Vince posted, GEC and other manufacturers have done a Hawbaker pattern that they called an Improved Muskrat. IIRC it is more commonly listed as that than as a Hawbaker. There is also a Muskrat pattern with clip and spey blades, so you'll want to take a close look at the picture on whatever website you buy from to make sure you are getting the correct blade combination.

 

[thawk]

In searching for my "ideal" pocketknife I've fallen in love with the Hawbaker Muskrat pattern. One curved blade, one straight blade, slim profile, elegant, what more could I ever need?

It doesn't seem like the most popular of patterns, at least not one that the majority of manufacturers make. So far I have found (current or recent production):

Canal Street (14-4 CrMo)
Schatt & Morgan Series XX (420HC)
Northwoods (D2)

Who else makes or has made Hawbaker muskrats? Does anyone else like this pattern as much as I do (or rather, as I'm sure I will when I get around to buying one or 5)?

Excuse the rest of the non-Hawbaker knife porn in this picture, but this one of Charlie's is the best Hawbaker I've ever seen:

Schrade Walden made very few of them. This JPG is from the original post in the Elusive Schrades thread.

Here is a 1971 Case XX

 

[Noddy]

That Northwoods D2/stag one is a lovely, lovely knife

Here's a Fight'n Rooster - sorry I thought I had a better picture of her

 

[black mamba]

The GEC versions are a heavier, two-spring knife, done on their 4-1/8" closed equal end frame, called a Furtaker Muskrat.
Here is mine in Yellow Rose Bone.

They also make the same frame with the same two blades, but both at the same end, called a Furtaker Trapper.
This one is in Burnt Stag.

 

[kamagong]

A.G. Russell offered a Cattaraugus branded hawbaker. You can still find them around on the secondary market. I don't have one myself, but it looks like a winner with ATS-34 blades.

- Christian

 

[ea42]

Here's the Canal Street version, with single spring and catch bits as I think all the authentic Hawbakers should have, even has a special box:

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Here's a well used Schrade Cut. Co version, with its accompanying catalog page circa 1936. I'm fairly certain that they were either the first or one of the first companies with that particular pattern:

[/IMG]

Eric

 

[waynorth]

Is that a "rough black" Hawbaker, Eric? I think they are more rare than the bone ones!

 

[ea42]

Yes it is Charlie, took me a long time to find one in any condition (although I did recently see one that was "cleaned to mint" :barf: ). I think the reason you don't see many is the folks that bought 'em in those days used 'em to death.

 

[Stelth]

Can someone explain what "catch bits" are?

 

[zerogee]

Can someone explain what "catch bits" are?

Look at this shot from above that Vince posted:

See those short brass bits filling in next to the tangs of both blades? Those are catch bits. They allow the tangs of the blades to be narrower than the spring and allow the points of both blades to actually "overlap" both tangs (without the catch bits, the blades would have to be shorter, and the grinds more complex, starting from thicker stock). Think of the catch bits as "catching" the points of the blades (not quite though).

 

[mhawg]

Beautiful blades!

 

[stevomiller]

There was also a Bulldog Brand Improved Muskrat ~ I still see them occasionally on the bay. BTW, that Canal Street that EA43 posted is a beauty !

 

[Planterz]

Thanks for the info, and keep the pr0n coming, guys.:thumbup:

I'll probably get a Canal Street one first (I love the colors of the caramel bone one), since they seem to be the best value for the money. 14-4CrMo is a great steel.

The Northwoods one looks great too, but at 2x the cost of the CS, I won't be getting that one first. Does anyone know if the Northwoods has 1 or 2 backsprings? Gorgeous sambar stag though.

I'm not sure about the S&M; $100 is a lot for mere 420HC. Still very nice looking. I'll probably still end up getting one.

I was looking at the GECs earlier (in 440C), but these look quite a bit larger than the Hawbakers in all dimensions. I'll probably end up getting one of these too, I just don't know if it'll get carried as much as the other ones.

The AG Russell Cattaraugus looks great, but way too expensive for me. The Tony Bose Case looks even better - probably the best looking one out of all of them. Just too pricey for me. Someday maybe...

I'll have to keep an eye out for the old Queens and Cases. I'm betting these aren't the easiest to find.

Thanks a lot, guys.

 

[neeman]

Here's the Canal Street version, with single spring and catch bits as I think all the authentic Hawbakers should have, even has a special box:

Eric

They make them in an awesome orange bone for much less than Stag
On my wish list

 

[Planterz]

Here's a Fight'n Rooster - sorry I thought I had a better picture of her

I did some google searching for the Fight'n Rooster - no luck. I did find some interesting pieces though. I've said before that I don't really understand the regular muskrat design, some congresses, and other multi-blade knives that have redundant/identical blades. My search turned up several examples of not just 2 blade muskrats, but 4 blade muskrats. I was laughing heartily at those...until I saw their 16 blade muskrat. Looks that some are clips and some are wharncliffes. Yeah, I know it's a presentation piece rather than one intended for actual use, but still, I had to laugh. I think I'll stick with a 2 blade version.

 

[rprocter]

The Canal Street Cutlery Hawbaker Muskrat comes in a number of different handle materials not shown on their website. They are available as SFOs for at least 2 higher end knife dealers i know of.
PM me if interested for a link to a dealer with some truly awesome looking CSC Hawbakers.
roland

 

[zerogee]

I've said before that I don't really understand the regular muskrat design, some congresses, and other multi-blade knives that have redundant/identical blades

The muskrat pattern was originally designed for muskrat trappers (and similar) for skinning many fairly small critters each day. This means you need your skinning technique down cold. By having two nearly identical blades, when one dulls, you can switch to the other - without having to change your technique. If the blades were significantly different profiles, you'd have to shift your technique to match which blade you're using -- annoying and unnecessary - you're cold, tired and really don't need the bother - and you're doing the same thing over and over - why should you need to mess about doing it with two different shaped blades? Also, if you mess up you've ruined a hide that meant a little badly needed money for you and your family.

Other aspects of the muskrat pattern design also come from the 'much work skinning little critters' -- the blades are sunk low in the frame (often with nail ease notches to access them) so you have two blades without the handle being uncomfortable in the hand due to the other blade sticking up in the way. Blades on opposite ends mean right hand opening for both and more symmetry in use (and a slimmer, lighter design with the original wide single spring construction). I think the sexy serpentine design was just to make it beautiful -- which certainly worked (though it also means you can tell one end from the other, even by feel - so you know which end the still sharp blade is on after you've closed it, put it in your pocket, and took it out again later). A brilliant design.

The later "improved muskrat" designs basically answer the observation (by those doing something other than just skinning hordes of little critters every day) that the muskrat pattern is a hell of a nice pattern, if only one blade was a little different. It was quite a brainstorm to put in the long wharncliffe as the second blade (understand that the wharncliffe was, even with it's long history, an unusual blade back then and not widely used - especially not in old American sporting/hunting/trapping cutlery).

-- Dwight