Dave Thinkstoomuch
BANNED
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2009
- Messages
- 1,196
Here’s a knife that was truly a study in “delayed gratification”. It was listed for quite a while for a high BIN price back in May and I really wanted it but couldn’t afford it. I was afraid someone else would scoop it so I successfully negotiated a “best offer” with a 30 day layaway. 30 days later it was finally paid for and I had it shipped to my parcel forwarder in California. It sat there waiting for a couple other knives to join it so that I could forward all three knives in one carton and save on shipping.
Bottom line: I started paying for this at the beginning of June and just received it today. A long wait indeed because the seller’s pics were a bit fuzzy and I really wasn’t sure until today what I had paid for. I’m super happy; the knife is as I had hoped it would be. It's raised the bar as far as my "fanciest" LB7 is concerned and that's always a good thing.
It’s serial #P36478 and has been seriously customized (back in the early '80s) by a jeweler/engraver named Hugh McGaugh. While I was waiting to get the knife I tried to find out more about this man. My digging paid off and I was able to contact a gentleman who was a friend and colleague of H. McGaugh named Matthew Hein who runs “Prescott Trade Shop” in Prescott Valley, AZ (www.prescotttradeshop.com). He does watch repair, engraving and sign making etc. Sadly, Mr. McGaugh has now passed away but back in the early eighties, when this knife was done, he was running his own jeweler and engraving business in Prescott Valley, AZ.
Here’s Matt Hein’s response to my questions:
“Hello David,
Yes, that is a knife by my old friend Hugh.
He was a hand engraver in the old tradition, including hand engraving letters on plaques & awards.
I was doing this type of work when I moved here so we got together most weekends at his shop in Prescott Valley.
He would have engraved this while it was together.
Out here in the West, he did lots of buckles as well as knives & jewelry.
That knife is his style as most engravers develop a style that follows through in all their work.
Thanks for the email and for reminding me of Hugh.
Regards,
Matt”
There’s the history, now for the knife! The brass is fully engraved using a “deep relief” style combined with a very nice stippling-style of shading. A horse head carved out of elephant ivory framed by brass scroll-work has been set into the pile side handle. We are all used to seeing shields etc set into the mark side so I found this kind of unusual. After some thought I believe it is so the horse is visible when the knife is drawn from the sheath worn on the right hip by a right-handed person with their index finger on the lock release (for quick opening). I include a pic showing what I mean.
I see this knife as a very interesting example of how a jeweler/engraver might customize a Schrade without ever taking it apart because they aren’t a cutler and don’t possess that particular skill-set. The carving done alongside the lock-bar must have been very carefully done. I like what he did around the serial # as it emphasizes it if anything. I’m really impressed. To try and get it "perfect" I'm going to see about having a jeweler clean the ivory carving area of the dirt specs in the crevasses. If they can do it in a non-destructive manner I will have it done. If not, then it will remain "as-is". These days elephant ivory is harder to get than mammoth ivory but back around 1981 things were different (pre-ban) and this makes the knife extra special to me. It's not every day that you see elephant ivory on a Schrade (although the cellulite-ivory grafting/budding knife does leap to mind as the exception).
(The poor elephant involved was likely killed in the '70s and there is nothing I can do about that except to thank and remember it's spirit. That I have done and I hope the elephant (and my fellow animal-loving collectors) can forgive me for I see no point in destroying the knife at this late date.)
Here's the boat-load of pics, I hope you all enjoy seeing them!
Coming out of a sheath:
Details:
Bottom line: I started paying for this at the beginning of June and just received it today. A long wait indeed because the seller’s pics were a bit fuzzy and I really wasn’t sure until today what I had paid for. I’m super happy; the knife is as I had hoped it would be. It's raised the bar as far as my "fanciest" LB7 is concerned and that's always a good thing.
It’s serial #P36478 and has been seriously customized (back in the early '80s) by a jeweler/engraver named Hugh McGaugh. While I was waiting to get the knife I tried to find out more about this man. My digging paid off and I was able to contact a gentleman who was a friend and colleague of H. McGaugh named Matthew Hein who runs “Prescott Trade Shop” in Prescott Valley, AZ (www.prescotttradeshop.com). He does watch repair, engraving and sign making etc. Sadly, Mr. McGaugh has now passed away but back in the early eighties, when this knife was done, he was running his own jeweler and engraving business in Prescott Valley, AZ.
Here’s Matt Hein’s response to my questions:
“Hello David,
Yes, that is a knife by my old friend Hugh.
He was a hand engraver in the old tradition, including hand engraving letters on plaques & awards.
I was doing this type of work when I moved here so we got together most weekends at his shop in Prescott Valley.
He would have engraved this while it was together.
Out here in the West, he did lots of buckles as well as knives & jewelry.
That knife is his style as most engravers develop a style that follows through in all their work.
Thanks for the email and for reminding me of Hugh.
Regards,
Matt”
There’s the history, now for the knife! The brass is fully engraved using a “deep relief” style combined with a very nice stippling-style of shading. A horse head carved out of elephant ivory framed by brass scroll-work has been set into the pile side handle. We are all used to seeing shields etc set into the mark side so I found this kind of unusual. After some thought I believe it is so the horse is visible when the knife is drawn from the sheath worn on the right hip by a right-handed person with their index finger on the lock release (for quick opening). I include a pic showing what I mean.
I see this knife as a very interesting example of how a jeweler/engraver might customize a Schrade without ever taking it apart because they aren’t a cutler and don’t possess that particular skill-set. The carving done alongside the lock-bar must have been very carefully done. I like what he did around the serial # as it emphasizes it if anything. I’m really impressed. To try and get it "perfect" I'm going to see about having a jeweler clean the ivory carving area of the dirt specs in the crevasses. If they can do it in a non-destructive manner I will have it done. If not, then it will remain "as-is". These days elephant ivory is harder to get than mammoth ivory but back around 1981 things were different (pre-ban) and this makes the knife extra special to me. It's not every day that you see elephant ivory on a Schrade (although the cellulite-ivory grafting/budding knife does leap to mind as the exception).
(The poor elephant involved was likely killed in the '70s and there is nothing I can do about that except to thank and remember it's spirit. That I have done and I hope the elephant (and my fellow animal-loving collectors) can forgive me for I see no point in destroying the knife at this late date.)
Here's the boat-load of pics, I hope you all enjoy seeing them!
Coming out of a sheath:
Details:
Last edited:
