Ken Erickson Knives: A Retrospective

[SharpNJ]

Sweet little knife!

 

[rprocter]

It is Beautiful Ken and very special as only a very few of today's knifemakers are capable of making these complex patterns.
I have quite a few 100 yr. old German Jack knives of very similar pattern and the secondary Pen blade is always ground very thin both towards the tip and the edge to make them almost scalpel like.
Have you thought about making an Equal End Pen knife with a corkscrew on the back ? Makes for a very slender knife especially if top-notch pearl is used for the scales. I have an "Ambo Stahl" one in front of me right now. No idea what "Ambo" is, but it's a beauty, much like the one you might make !
roland

 

[ken erickson]

Roland,

I would love it if you would post the Equal end here.

I know what you mean about the pen blade being like a scalpel, I bit my thumb pretty good as I was posting pictures of the knife, not paying attention. Also reminds me about the pen on your ivory serpentine. Pm in bound.

 

[jivedaddy]

Ken that is a great looking little knife-how does the corkscrew function on such a small knife?

 

[ken erickson]

Tony,

That's a good question. When I made this corkscrew I tested it out on a hockey puck(I use puck's as non-marring bench blocks). It screwed right in, and was not able to pull it out with moderate + force. I can grasp it with my forefinger at the bolster, and two fingers at the cap end with my thumb resting on the side. I really have no experience with bottles and corks other than a few bottles of wine but feel pretty confident that it will do the job.

 

[rprocter]

Ken, here is the Equal End Pen knife i was referring to. 3 3/16", Germany, pre WW I i believe, likely made by C.F. Kayser as it came from Helga Kayser.

Thickness compared with a 3 1/4" 2 blade Serpentine Jack also with a corkscrew on the back. The thickness of Master blade spine is the same on both knives, hence showing how much more slender it is in a Pen knife pattern.

Hope it's o.k. to take up this much space in your thread, but i think you will appreciate this 100 yr. old knife. (and, you did ask !)
roland

 

[rprocter]

Here's another vintage German Wharncliffe Pen knife with a corkscrew, this one in Stag.

Maybe after seeing these pictures Ken will want to make something similar.
roland

 

[canineforge]

Cool little folder, Ken. The coined center liner is a nice touch. The whole package is a nice touch.

- Joe

 

[Jos]

Very nice little folder! Beautiful stag.

Kind regards,

Jos

 

[smiling-knife]

That's another beauty. I love knives with corkscrews and that's fantastic example. Great work....as always.

 

[ken erickson]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Roland,

Nice examples. The little pearl equal end is a neat little knife. I notice it and the Wharncliffe pen have no half-stops. Do you have any misgivings about opening both blades at the same time?


Thanks again guys for the looks and comments. Building knives with corkscrews really adds another dimension to these neat knives. Almost makes me want to start brewing and bottling my own beer and use cork stoppers!

 

[rprocter]

Ken, of course i only open both blades at once for a picture and then proceed as quickly as i can so that time in this position is kept as short as possible. I open up the Master blade about 1/2 way first and then begin to open the secondary.
As long as the secondary opens easily without any forcing at all, i open it to the desired position, then adjust the Master blade in a little (more tension on spring ?), take pic & close blade one at a time so no sudden release on the spring.
So far no broken springs. My thinking is that one will feel too much resistance before a break, but maybe this is not what happens ? Maybe a spring can break using my 'gentle' method with no resistance to opening ever being felt ?
As a builder of knives with 2 blades/1 spring what would you suggest ?
roland

 

[richstag]

Thanks for the comments guys!

Roland,

Nice examples. The little pearl equal end is a neat little knife. I notice it and the Wharncliffe pen have no half-stops. Do you have any misgivings about opening both blades at the same time?


Thanks again guys for the looks and comments. Building knives with corkscrews really adds another dimension to these neat knives. Almost makes me want to start brewing and bottling my own beer and use cork stoppers!

Now there is an idea. You could ship a 12 pack with every knife

 

[ken erickson]

Had a chance to finish another one up for Blade. I'm having a blast making knives from the C5 Remington reprint. This one is patterned after a 315. I changed it up a bit and went with Remington's full flat ground blade instead of the sabre ground in the illustration. I would not be surprised if Remington did not offer the 315 pattern with the threaded and pinched bolsters with the flat ground blade.

Here are the spec's on this knife.

3 7/8
California clip master and pen secondary
CPM154cm blades and springs
Extension spring for pen blade
Linen yellow Micarta
Pinched and threaded bolsters
Integral frame/bolsters
Pinned oval shield

 

[Gevonovich]

Just simply stunning. Looks like its 100 years old and brand new.

 

[supratentorial]

I think the full flat grind and spring extension were great choices. The embellished bolsters are super cool.

I'm enjoying your Remington patterns and I'm looking forward to R4253!

 

[jivedaddy]

Classy knife Ken-that micarta makes that knife look well-worn!!! I also like the change-up in the main blade-it fits the pattern nicely!!!

 

[Blues]

Another beauty, Ken...That particular micarta has just the right look and feel with the pattern. :thumbup:

 

[rprocter]

Truly marvellous Serpentine Jack and the old Micarta goes perfectly with it, as do all the other special treatments.
roland

 

[black mamba]

Ditto, ditto, and ditto. Wonderful knife, Ken.