Ken Erickson: "Eureka Jack"

[Blues]

What a rare beauty! Elliott, you are indeed a blessed man to have such friends.

Wow Elliott you certainly are a lucky guy to have Ken as such a good friend.
roland

You guys are absolutely right. (No need for me to go into any detail here but Ken knows why this gesture turned out to be particularly uplifting and just what was needed in light of recent events.)
Thank you Ken. Even if you never even knew what a knife was. :thumbup:

 

[jivedaddy]

Elliott- I love this knife-Ken just seems to be digging up these great patterns and putting his own style on them-Congrats-another beauty Ken!!!

 

[Peruna1998]

As always, thanks, Elliott. I really need to pick up a copy of Levine's..

 

[Seals]

Why did fabulous patterns like this go away?It's bound to be quite difficult to build correctly and perhaps i just answered my own question.I also know that stag like that is almost impossible to find.I know you have many nice knives Elliot,but this one has got to rank way on up there.

 

[comoha]

Absolutely stellar Ken! Top notch all the way. That must have been a very satisfying knife to make.

 

[ken erickson]

Oh my! The stag is amazing!

I think that this stag has been just about the best I have worked with so far.

Elliott- I love this knife-Ken just seems to be digging up these great patterns

That's what happens when I have a copy of LG4(along with other period and current printed material) laying around.

That must have been a very satisfying knife to make.

Yes it was, not only for the knife itself but the intended home and appreciative comments received.

 

[SharpNJ]

Congrats to Ken and Elliott, that's a real beauty.

 

[tomsch]

Mercy! That knife is so amazing it makes my chest hurt!!!

 

[wolfmann601]

What a beauty!!!
Now, That's my style of knife!!!

Enjoy Elliott...............

 

[JAlexander]

Occasionally I start to think that I'm getting used to the level of talent that the custom makers here bring to their work, and then I see something like this that knocks me for a loop. It's just magnificent.

James

 

[supratentorial]

I think that Ken did a lot more than breath life into an old knife pattern. Thank you for sharing the photos and the story.

 

[kamagong]

Great knife. I love that Ken reproduces the old patterns so well. And I think it's awesome that he's so willing to try out new (to him at least) patterns. It seems that if you want a custom slipjoint based on an extinct design, Ken is the man to call.

- Christian

 

[NirreBosse]

A knife and a post like this cant pass uncomented.

First:
I myself as a Swede has never seen a knife like this before, eather in real life or pictured. The blade combination is so harmonic. At first when I came into contakt with sheepfoot blades they looked a bit strange and almost robbed the knifes of their harmonic lines of design. But seing them, and using them has slowly changed my appretiation for them. I still think they "talk" about work rather than pleasure, but they give a robust touch to the knife. Here in sweden slipjoints with blades in bouth ends, penknifes, has been a "standard" pattern in the early and mid 1900s. mostly wit a spear and a pen blade in each end and often with a corkscrew on the back of the knife.

This pattern is an improvement of what Ive seen so far.

Next: The craftmansship of this knife is exelent judging from the pictures.
I have written it before in posts about ken Erikssons knifes But I think he combines true art with the still remaining feeling of a usable tool and in contact with the roots of the pattern (the way a forigner see them) so darned well one can only be impressed.

Elliot I,m impressed of the knife you have contributed to creating and congrats you to be the future owner of it.

Bosse

 

[Mad_Maxx]

wow Elliott, what a knife what a pattern!
I like the blade combination and those incredible looking handles

I'm becoming a fan of the cattle pattern too thanks to GEC and it's "53's" in the cattle series
compliments to both of you for this masterpiece, you know what you talk about showing such knives! thanks for sharing it and for sharing so much knowledge

I hant a copy of the BL book too, want to know much more
Elliott, Ken, can I copy a couple pics and put them on the HSL forum? in the slipjoint area? would make "my" area there much more precious and rich, will qoote authors and link this discussion, obviously
Maxx

 

[thawk]

Nicely done Ken. I really like that knife a lot. Especially the spear and sheepsfoot blades, excellent execution indeeed!

From Levine's IV

 

[Planterz]

I have to say, I really like this Eureka Jack pattern. It's basically exactly what I described in this thread here. The closest I've found was the S&M half-whittler, and the Case 03244/06244, which was a "half stockman", 3.25" with a clip master blade and either a pen or sheepsfoot blade on the opposite.

I'm not that big on swell-centers, but damned if that's not some of the prettiest stag I've seen slapped onto the sides of a pocket knife. A larger clip or spearpoint with a short straight blade (sheepsfoot or coping) would cover pretty much any cutting task I'd ever encounter in a normal day, but without the extra size and weight that a Hawbaker muskrat entails, and is more useful IMO than half-congress, which typically has the straight blade as the master with a secondary pen.

I can't afford a custom right now, but I think I'll be poking around a certain auction site for NY Knife Co eureka jack.

 

[TLARbb]

Elliott, I can't really add to the things that have been said here, but I can say that's a wonderful knife. I like everything about it more than anything else. - Ed J

 

[2Dead]

Elliot, that is a beautiful knife!! Awesome work Ken!!

 

[KnifeHead]

That's a great knife right there, Ken. Very nicely done.

I'm guessing from the artists images of that pattern that the original master blades are a tad shorter than Ken's version and both original blades would have been made of the same thickness material. It would be nice to CE 'n CF an old one so, if anybody has one that they would like to give me, you have my permission and my address is PO Box 3641 - Terre Haute - IN - 47803

 

[ken erickson]

That's a great knife right there, Ken. Very nicely done.

I'm guessing from the artists images of that pattern that the original master blades are a tad shorter than Ken's version and both original blades would have been made of the same thickness material. It would be nice to CE 'n CF an old one so, if anybody has one that they would like to give me, you have my permission and my address is PO Box 3641 - Terre Haute - IN - 47803

Kerry,

Good eye. Also if you look close at the artist's rendering of the New York Knife Co. Eureka it appears as if the sheepsfoot does not hinge from inside the frame, but rather from the pile side! LOL

To my eye, this knife just made sense to be made with a catchbit and full length master.