Maringer Vorpal Grail

Dawkind

Dawkind

Platinum Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2000
Messages
13,239
I have literally been on the hunt for one like this for decades.....finally found one a couple of weeks ago. :)

V1-A with a 10" 154CM blade and black Micarta scales. For those that aren't aware, Tom and a fellow that worked with him in his shop, Doug McGowan, are the ones that invented the Kydex sheath as we know it today.... ;)

I was fortunate to get the sheath with this beauty but, alas, the shoulder harness has gone astray over the 31 years since this knife was made.

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Here's a picture of my friend Tom on one of his catalogs and ready for business with a like set-up. :cool:

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You have certainly been scoring some special pieces lately :thumbup:

Bill Flynn
 
I have to agree with Bill and everyone else, you've been rocking the forum as of late, Dudley.
Thanks. :)

Maringer Vorpal blades are usually whispered in hushed tones, in reverence to their rarity.
Congrats on a terrific acquisition and piece.

Doug
 
Damn!!! That's awesome!

I've always wanted one of the T.M. Vorpal Short Swords that Blackjack Cutlery did for a short time...
 
Hey Dudley. Good find! Sorry to hear the shoulder-rig was missing. #229 is one of the very early ones with the eyelets in the sheath for doing a quick-rig with chute-cord. But interestingly, it's got the snap bodies also... so it's a transitional form! There's no hole drilled through the sheath on the first handle-rivet. Those were used later for securing the knife for rough and tumble. You can find serial number 229 from 1983 listed here on the archive page. Looks like it was the ninth one made with the big 10" blade. Later on there was a small modification to the handle shape to add a bit of a finger hook at the butt... and to drop the upper choil on the blade. The part you can't see from the photos is that the upper edge is full thickness at the handle and tapers slowly down so that it is sharp only about the last four inches on top. The idea was to have just as much thrust penetration as a full double-edge, yet be extremely strong at the junction between handle and blade, where many daggers are weak and have a tendency to break.

Those Blackjack swords are still floating around. It was a bit disappointing to me because they didn't grind it the way I wanted it, and the handle came out too chunky. But I've got one that bashes around in the back of my truck, and it's the only blade I've ever actually defended my life with. (episode involving five pitt-bulls) The 18" blade felt like a toothpick with all those flashing teeth, but it worked.

Have fun! Tom
 
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OMFG.

The Vorpal was one I saw a double rig of 25+years ago and wanted, no lusted for.

You're picture reminded me of a shoulder rig with Kydex sheath I had in the toy closet. Pulled it out and it is the virtually identical sheath with shoulder harness for about a 7 1/7" blade. Wait, there's a number on the back, #352. I don't know what that means.

I wish I have the knife to fit it. But since I don't, I could be convinced to part with it for a fellow collector to complete your rig.

If interested, contact me via email. I am not a sponsor, so I cannot get PM's.

Larry
Tinkerer
 
I would scratch the serial number into the scabbard so that I could match up knives and scabbards at the end of the process. #352 was a Vorpal 1-B model made in 1986. The sheath is probably not going to fit any other blade, but the rig and snaps would be interchangeable with the one Dudley has. Whoever has that knife probably wishes they had the matching sheath!
 
Larry/Tinkerer,

Please email me concerning the sheath/harness at: dawkind@reagan.com

I don't have anyway to contact you but in this thread....sorry all.

Tom! Nice to 'see' you my friend.... :)
 
For obvious reasons, I cant link to the shop, but a quick search turns up some interesting (at least to me) background and info on the shop website.

Also interesting to note, that in 1995 the production of Vorpals were stopped, and the line was taken over by Bobby Branton of South Carolina, who made a small number of Vorpals up until 2006 when the specialized tooling was returned to the Maringer shop in Arkansas.

In lieu of a link, here is the poem 'The Jabberwocky', which inspired the name of the knife:

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

”Beware the Jabberwock, my son!
The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”

He took his vorpal sword in hand:
Long time the manxome foe he sought –
So rested he by the Tumtum tree,
And stood awhile in thought.

And, as in uffish thought he stood,
The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,
Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,
And burbled as it came!

One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back.

“And, has thou slain the Jabberwock?
Come to my arms, my beamish boy!
O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!’
He chortled in his joy.

`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.
 
Your time-line is off on the Branton thing as it was fairly recent, within the past few years, and he never did anything with it.

Another maker has them now, or did, and hopefully there will be some Maringer-style Vorpal's again.
 
Dawkind said:
Your time-line is off on the Branton thing as it was fairly recent, within the past few years, and he never did anything with it.

Another maker has them now, or did, and hopefully there will be some Maringer-style Vorpal's again.
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Was that to me?
If so, I lifted it straight from the Vorpal knife/Shire Post website:rolleyes:
But what the heck do I know.....:)
You might want to bring it to Tom Maringer's attention, that his time line is off:D
 
Sorry, I see where you got it.....

I don't think Bobby did more than a handful of knives but does make something he calls his Redneck knives that are, in essence, Tom's Scalpel.

I guess time flies as I get old and my mind weakens.....I'll let Tom know. :D
 
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