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- Oct 2, 1998
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- 47,549
During a recent conversation with Jerry Halfrich he mentioned that he wanted to send me a drawing of a new single blade knife pattern he had designed.
Jerry said that the idea for the blade profile was based upon (and an homage of sorts to) some Randall knives that he had admired over the years. The pattern for the frame was a result of Jerry's own penchant for experimenting with form, function and ergonomics.
A few days prior, Jerry had been visited at his shop by Enrique Pena, a maker whose work many of us have come to know and admire. During that visit Enrique gave Jerry some of his own dyed and jigged bone and Jerry decided that he was going to put it to use on this new model he intended to build.
Jerry offered me the privilege of owning the prototype and I requested that he scale the knife to 3.75" closed to complement the larger Halfrich folders I already own. Jerry then asked me to help him come up with a name for the model.
In giving some thought to naming the knife I tried to keep in mind that it had been inspired by Jerry's admiration for the classic Randall's. Since Randall makes a goodly number of patterns intended for a variety of uses, I wanted to come up with a name that would honor the Randall patterns as well as be versatile enough to satisfy the variety of uses that those knives were intended for.
Finally, after some deliberation, I came up with the name Scout (for a variety of reasons I discussed with Jerry). Jerry liked the name and gave his approval.
Today, while awaiting the delivery and looking at some images of Randall knives online, I was pleasantly surprised to see a model, #27, known as the "Trailblazer" which has a blade profile somewhat similar (though a bit more of a trailing point)...Trailblazer...Scout...it seemed like I was on to something. :thumbup:
When Jerry shipped the knife we spoke on the phone and he told me that this was one of those knives that he had a hard time letting go. Coming from Jerry that's really saying something and it only increased my anticipation.
Well, as usual, I wasn't disappointed. (But you already suspected that, didn't you?) The knife is sharp as a laser beam (even by Jerry's standards) and just feels great in the hand. It'll take a little getting used to a knife this size from Jerry but it's more than up to virtually any task you can set before it. An added benefit is that the knife can be pinched open in addition to using the nick.
The frame is interesting in that it incorporates some of the curves I have come to love with "dogleg" and "eureka" jacks. I can't say that I'm surprised that Jerry would have also found these features to be to his liking.
Here are some stats on the knife:
Model: "Scout"
Steel: CPM-154 @ ~ 61 Rc
Scales: Enrique Pena dyed and jigged bone
Frame/Bolster: Integral
Length: ~3 13/16" closed
Weight: 2 3/8 ounces
Don't know how much more I can say about this knife other than it feels just great in the hand and disappears in the pocket...So, I'll let the images complete the rest of the story...(as always, your comments and observations are invited).
The original photo of the completed knife sent to me by Jerry & Janice:
Jerry said that the idea for the blade profile was based upon (and an homage of sorts to) some Randall knives that he had admired over the years. The pattern for the frame was a result of Jerry's own penchant for experimenting with form, function and ergonomics.
A few days prior, Jerry had been visited at his shop by Enrique Pena, a maker whose work many of us have come to know and admire. During that visit Enrique gave Jerry some of his own dyed and jigged bone and Jerry decided that he was going to put it to use on this new model he intended to build.
Jerry offered me the privilege of owning the prototype and I requested that he scale the knife to 3.75" closed to complement the larger Halfrich folders I already own. Jerry then asked me to help him come up with a name for the model.
In giving some thought to naming the knife I tried to keep in mind that it had been inspired by Jerry's admiration for the classic Randall's. Since Randall makes a goodly number of patterns intended for a variety of uses, I wanted to come up with a name that would honor the Randall patterns as well as be versatile enough to satisfy the variety of uses that those knives were intended for.
Finally, after some deliberation, I came up with the name Scout (for a variety of reasons I discussed with Jerry). Jerry liked the name and gave his approval.
Today, while awaiting the delivery and looking at some images of Randall knives online, I was pleasantly surprised to see a model, #27, known as the "Trailblazer" which has a blade profile somewhat similar (though a bit more of a trailing point)...Trailblazer...Scout...it seemed like I was on to something. :thumbup:
When Jerry shipped the knife we spoke on the phone and he told me that this was one of those knives that he had a hard time letting go. Coming from Jerry that's really saying something and it only increased my anticipation.
Well, as usual, I wasn't disappointed. (But you already suspected that, didn't you?) The knife is sharp as a laser beam (even by Jerry's standards) and just feels great in the hand. It'll take a little getting used to a knife this size from Jerry but it's more than up to virtually any task you can set before it. An added benefit is that the knife can be pinched open in addition to using the nick.
The frame is interesting in that it incorporates some of the curves I have come to love with "dogleg" and "eureka" jacks. I can't say that I'm surprised that Jerry would have also found these features to be to his liking.
Here are some stats on the knife:
Model: "Scout"
Steel: CPM-154 @ ~ 61 Rc
Scales: Enrique Pena dyed and jigged bone
Frame/Bolster: Integral
Length: ~3 13/16" closed
Weight: 2 3/8 ounces
Don't know how much more I can say about this knife other than it feels just great in the hand and disappears in the pocket...So, I'll let the images complete the rest of the story...(as always, your comments and observations are invited).
The original photo of the completed knife sent to me by Jerry & Janice:
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