Legler Knives

[kent307]

I am new to the forum. I found a really nice lock blade at an flea market awhile back but I can't find anything about it. On the blade it says Legler on one side and #31-02 on the other. It has what looks like antler and torquise on the handle. I have Googled it but can't really find anything on it. Can anyone help me out?

 

[killgar]

Welcome to Bladeforums kent307.

There is a knifemaker by the name Bob Legler out of Mission, Kansas. But I can't say if he made your knife.

 

[ThornBlacksword]

I am new to the forum. I found a really nice lock blade at an flea market awhile back but I can't find anything about it. On the blade it says Legler on one side and #31-02 on the other. It has what looks like antler and torquise on the handle. I have Googled it but can't really find anything on it. Can anyone help me out?

It's very likely one of the knives Bob Legler from Mission, KS put together. He retired after his wife died about five years ago. All his folding knives were numbered, so that would be the 31st folder he made in 2002. The "antler" would have been either stabilized sika or sambar stag, as he only did deer antler for a few custom orders and those always had the customers name engraved on them because the customer also supplied the antler. The turquoise on that would be reconstituted turquoise. He had a thing about mostly only using waterproof and durable materials.
All his blade stock was sourced through Jantz or similar suppliers, though unlike what a previous thread here speculated wildly about, he never used full kits. He cut all his hilts and such from scratch and put a lot of work into finishing. I was well acquainted with him when he was active and had access to his workshop and know exactly what he was doing. He wasn't making his own blades, but he did good work on the finishing. He just never connected with the wider knife making community because he was mostly interested in providing a product to people who used it, and didn't have any interest in catering to collectors who would put his stuff on a shelf or standing around at events talking to other markets who wanted to talk shop. It wasn't a hobby for him, but instead how he fed his family, and he wasn't interested in drama. I can't say that I inherently agree with his whole philosophy, but I can say you picked up a decent folding knife that probably sold originally for around a hundred bucks back in 2002.