My Second Sharpfinger

Coldwood

Coldwood

Joined
Jun 5, 2006
Messages
2,718
As indicated in an earlier post, my wife declared my first Sharpfinger as "So cuuute!" and I convinced her that she should have one for herself; she said for kitchen duty and berry picking, to hold off hungry b'ars. :rolleyes: She makes great berry pies. I'm so lucky.
Anyway. I successfully bid on a second, cheaper than the first and cheaper than the last MSRP.
Judging by the sheath, it appears to be an early model, diagonal handle snap, tooling on the belt loop, white stitching, no handle cutout. Brown delrin handles, stamped "Schrade U.S.A. 152". The blade was well stained from organic materials, but didn't look to be hand sharpened, no scratch marks, other than being dragged through one of those 2.99 supermarket specials. And the unsharpened area extends almost 1/4 up the blade.
What intrigues me is that the handle at the choil is at least 1/16" narrower than my later model. That seems to be nothing but it jumps out at me when I compare the two. A manufacturing anomaly or was that a design decision? Any thoughts?
(amazing how I can get intrigued by nit-picking fractional details)

thanks, Don Craig, Saranac, NY
 
Good going Don. Getting the wife's approval, much less involvement is a good move. She'll be sure to understand when you pick out a "special" one for your birthday or Christmas present. If ever there was a fertile field of Schrade knife patterns to specialize it, the Sharpfinger is it. Not to mention that the small blade size is sheeple friendly.

Codger
 
Don,
Ya just gotta ask her what color handle she'd like and then buy all of them to let her pick out her favorite. I think I put a picture of the colored ones on the collectors page. Nit-Pick? Ask the Codger. He is getting real picky about a Sharpie he just got that just happened to be stamped from Taylor. :D

TTYL
Larry
 
Thanks Codger. They're definitely sheeple friendly. My wife has no interest at all in my big honkin' Ka-Bar. Looks to her like a chain-saw massacree.
I've looked at other forums on KF and see people getting into arguments about who stole who's design for a scimitar folder. I'm tempted to remind them to look back 30+ years at the introduction of the Sharpfinger, a truly original design in my book.
I have three favorite fixed blades for my woods carry: the Sharpfinger, a Cold Steel Master Hunter, and a straight blade stag-handle of my own making.
I can see myself buying/owning more Sharpfingers (my son-in-law is a knife fancier and Christmas is coming up - he's easy to buy for, always welcomes a new quality knife of any kind ;)) For myself, the next will probably be a staglon handle. I also like the Camillus copy. And there's a place in India that makes a damascus blade blank, for do-it-youselfers:

http://www.worldknives.com/product.asp?produid=678&typeuid=8

I'll probably get one of those eventually, I've got some axis stag handle material that I picked up at a flea market.

Don
 
HaH! Thanks Larry, rolfing on the floor ! ;)) I could probably get away with it, she's very patient with me. Has to be after 40 years. Taylor? What's Taylor? I think I seen them. Are they collectable yet?

Don
 
tobyrogers said:
I'd bet Taylor would buy it back plus some to keep this rant from coming.Can't wait.Arnold
Click to expand...
I'll not prejudge that particular cow's flop....er, I mean knife-like-object until it splats in the pastur...I mean until it arrives at my desk. For this review, I will be utilizing the resources of the machine shop. And probably a leather expert too.


Coldwood said:
Actually, my son-in-law wouldn't know the difference...
Click to expand...
Most people, including my own son would not know the difference. Hopefully I will be able to explain and illustrate the difference well enough that Schrade collectors, admitedly a very small market segment, will know the difference and be able to avoid the mistake I made.


Coldwood said:
...I've looked at other forums on KF and see people getting into arguments about who stole who's design for a scimitar folder. I'm tempted to remind them to look back 30+ years at the introduction of the Sharpfinger, a truly original design in my book...
Click to expand...
You would be correct, of course. And it says something of the integrety of Henry Baer's contemporaries that no one adapted his blade to their knife patterns until years after hs death, and none made an absolute direct copy of the Sharpfinger until after the death of Imperial Schrade. Now you can buy a Sharpfinger clone with as many as a half dozen different manufacturer's stamps. Most of these are well made and indeed a tribute to the original design and designer. I have the Camillus Gran'Pa GP152, and it is a well made knife. A couple of the clones are poorly executed attempts to fool the public into buying a cheap fake import.


Irving said:
...Nit-Pick? Ask the Codger. He is getting real picky about a Sharpie he just got that just happened to be stamped from Taylor...
Click to expand...
Ya, well...You stepped in it first, brother!:p

Codger

'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 hast 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.
Lewis Carroll (1871);)

NOTE:According to Alice in Through the Looking Glass, "Somehow it seems to fill my head with ideas – only I don't exactly know what they are!":eek:
 
I love the Jaberwocky! First pome I learned in kinnygarden, immediately went out and made myself a vorpal sword out of the first stick I could find.
This is a great thread...did any of us have a problem making swords and guns out of a stick? A picnic table became the deck of a battle ship? I guess we're just a bunch of bloodthirsty heathens, the PC crowd is probably right about us....but I had a great time, I feel sorry for today's kids.
Whoa, stop the sorry stuff, I showed a young man this past weekend how to make an eye splice with three-strand rope and he was grateful to learn...pass it on.
 
Coldwood, I missed something in my childhood! I'm 62, and am not sure what an eye splice is; can you tell me, or post a pic??
 
Well I'm 63 so I'm smarter. Just kidding ;)) An eye splice is simply a loop on the end of a rope. You unravel the three strands (of hemp, manila, sisal or jute natural rope - nylon and modern blends have more strands sometimes) and weave the three strands back into the main line, so you get something that looks smooth and finished instead of a knotted loop, and it's very strong. It's a sailor's technique, but would have been used also by farmers and cowboys and anybody who used rope in their livelihood. It's about as simple as making a three-strand braid, once you do it a few times you'll never forget it.
You also need a fid (a wooden pointed stick) or marlinspike (a steel pointed stick) to separate the strands of the main line as you're weaving back in. A Bic pen or wooden pencil or sharpened dowel also will work.
Find a book on knot work or rigging and there will be a section on splicing.

Don
 
Crappola. I may think I'm a smart old fart, but not too observant. Back to the Sharpies, I just noticed that the belt loop on the older model is not curved off to the left the way the belt loop on the later model is. Ain't that fascinating? This collecting business is tricky.
 
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