Just some thoughts (new knife)

C

ColonialKnifeFan

Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
181
Today we went to the local Tree Festival (kinda hard to explain...kinda something to celebrate the pine tree logging industry around here), and there were the usual guys with thier made in china stuff. Most of the stuff is tactical knives and what slipjoints they did have that were made in china were horrible in construction. Even saw a wanna be kershaw leek (rainbow) with a carabiner attached to it? LOL Anyways I come to this guy who happens to have 2 made in good ol' america knives, one's a camillus electricians knife and the second is a schrade minuteman. The Camilus had nail breaking snap, the scales didn't line up right and the lock wouldn't engage on the screwdriver (not common for thier knives....something must have been wrong with this one). So I think about old timer and hope to gosh it has carbon blades (towards the end there schrade was putting the "+" on the tangs and for 17 bucks I thought....hmmmm

He tried telling me what happened to schrade and how it's hard to find these knives anymore and collectors and grabbin them all up, I told him what I know and how many mom and pops still have plenty in stock and he quited down real quick. Checking the net 17 wan't too bad for this knife, the least I would probably get it for online is 12 and then there is that darn shipping :)

So I don't have a lot of schrades let alone old timers (this is #3), but I am glad I have another one to add to my collection even though it's stainless.

Is there any way to tell if something is carbon just by looking at it without a tang stamp and no patina?

David
 
Smell is one of my tricks. Take a sniff of a carbon steel knife, and one of a SS knife, and you'll notice the difference. :)
 
Taste is one of my tricks. Take a taste of an apple sliced by a carbon steel knife, and one of a SS knife, and you'll notice the difference. By the slight discoloration of the carbon blade. It polishes right off if you don't want to start a patina. Congrats on acquiring another Schrade!

Codger
 
David,
Both Codger and S/S gave you two good ways to tell.
I find, that if you rub the blade flat with a fingertip (BE CAREFUL!) vigorously, the carbon blade gives off a "Musty Coal" kind of smell. The "stains-less" steel blade very little aroma. As Codger said any acid will start a patina.....but if you go after it right away with Flitz, NEVR-DULL, or most any jewelry polish, it comes right off. You can even buff it a bit with Aluminum Foil, as long as the blade isn't a mirror polished finish.

Hope they're CARBON..... :)

Bill
 
Nahhh, tried sticking it in a potato, no go...just ss What a bummer :(

I only own 3 carbons right now, an old scrimshaw stockman by schrade, a 330T and a 77' Case stockman....getting harder and harder for me to find carbon locally, especially schrade.

David
 
CKF, I felt much the same way when I tested my "last of the last" 152OT Sharpfinger gleaned from the binocular case at Walmart. I have since changed my perspective about the unmarked Schrade + Old Timers.

While the carbon blade Old Timer models are the ideal "collection type" for many of us, the stainless ones are a bit of Schrade history in their own right. The carbon steel 152's were produced for about thirty years (1974 - 200?). One can only imagine the quantity this represents. Only the last few years did Schrade produce the stainless ones. Someday, they will be considered the rarer model and in demand by serious collectors.

That said, THESE are the good old days of late production Schrade collecting. Paying attention to the blade steel, it is not that hard yet to acquire a pristine carbon example of the knife you bought for a song. I don't think this trend will continue indefinately as the copies, erzatz, and reissues (New Generation) hit the market.

Just the opinion of an old Codger.

Codger
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top