Help with Case XX pattern number and green bone

afishhunter said:
I only have three Case, a 62131CV canoe, 2137 Sodbuster Jr, and a TB61027W DAM tear drop. I had a 11031SH single blade whaler/rope/ loom fixer. ("SH" for "Sheepsfoot")
I know from the Case number break-down, over at AAPK, the first number is the cover material; "1" is wood covers. "2" is synthetic, "6" Jigged bone. The second number of blades, the last 2 or 3 the pattern number. Agree that "1/2" (and "1/4") does indicate a blade other than the standard. ("1/4" was used when there were three blade options for the pattern.)
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Oh my apologies!! I knew that 😣 Wasn't thinking clearly when I typed that response. You are correct that the last two digits (or sometimes three as it's the case with my 62009) is the pattern number. I think this has always been true for case knives when a number stamp is present. But, I'm still learning a lot about case knives!
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
The 'green bone' vs. 'red' vs. 'brown' thing has always been interesting to me.

Depending on the ambient light under which each is viewed, the apparent bone color can shift dramatically. I used to fret over how some of my bone-covered knives looked in the house I used to live in - almost everything seemed kind of an ugly shade of green. Under varying combinations of the artificial light in the room (incandescent vs. fluorescent), and even depending on how that light is reflected, diffused or further 'colored' by the tones of the walls, carpet, furniture, etc., the color of the bone can vary all over the place as viewed by the naked eye. That always made me wonder how these old knives' handles were originally 'labeled' by Case and others, as to their color. Seems all to be in the eye of the beholder, and even in the beholder's particular setting at the time.

And then, there's the known change in color that can occur as the pigments in the bone age and change over time. Whatever looks 'brown' in a knife today might've actually been more 'green' a few decades ago. Same for some of the old 'red' bone - which can shift to something more brown-looking over time.
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Coloring bone was done with potassium permanganate and there was a wide variation on coloring as a result, mostly shades of greenish brown. There were no color-dyed bone handles like today.
Back then, this knife would be called green bone, simply because it wasn't red.....
 
Arathol said:
Coloring bone was done with potassium permanganate and there was a wide variation on coloring as a result, mostly shades of greenish brown. There were no color-dyed bone handles like today.
Back then, this knife would be called green bone, simply because it wasn't red.....
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I had read something like that too! That on these older case knives, if it's bone and it's not red then it's green. Which aligns with the comment I read on AAPK about red bone being an indicator only of color, but green bone being an indicator of time or era.

I truly appreciate everyone chiming in! Learning a lot and always enjoy chatting about a knife with other like minded people 😁
 
Arathol said:
Coloring bone was done with potassium permanganate and there was a wide variation on coloring as a result, mostly shades of greenish brown. There were no color-dyed bone handles like today.
Back then, this knife would be called green bone, simply because it wasn't red.....
Click to expand...
Potassium permanganate is what crossed my mind, in wondering what they might've used then and how the color varies or ages. I've looked at some posted pictures here on the forum, from others who've used it to dye bone or maybe stag. If I recall, it starts out looking sort of purple when first applied, then cures out to something brownish.

The 'If it's not red, it must be green' reference makes me smile. I live in New Mexico, where in 1996 the state legislature adopted the Official State Question: "Red or Green?" That's in reference to one's chosen preference for red or green chile in our southwestern quisine. Everything is starting to make sense now, in my universe...
 
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