new to slipjoints, little help?

Waldganger

Waldganger

Joined
Dec 16, 2006
Messages
1,180
hey there guys, I was recently on holiday and I decided that everytime I go away I'll buy a knife.

On my honeymoon I bought a nice little lockback that I've been carrying for two weeks, then whilst on this holiday I bought a schrade 3 bladed slipjoint, thinking I'll just add it to my collection. The thing cost me 60 something
Australian dollars, so it isn't great (would've got a boker if I had the cash) but I've taken a real shine to it and now I carry three knives around.


slippie2tg9.jpg

The Knife is about 4 inch closed
slippie1gk0.jpg

It says 8OT on the reverse side of the blade
does anyone know what that means?

basically what I'd like is for help identifying what the blades are called and what they were originally designed for.

The only thing I don't really like is the handle scales are plastic, and I'd like nice wood, but I'll put this one away one day for a better one.

thanks in advance
 
Old timer is a line of knives made by Schrade. Schrade went out of business in 2004, then Taylor cutlery bought the brand and is now producing the old timer line. If you have an original old timer you have a fine user knife. I'm not familiar with Tayler made Schrades so hopefully someone else will pipe in and let us both know.

The type of knife is a stockman, my personal favorite slipjoint. The knife got it's name from the stock yards where it was used on cattle pigs and sheep.

blades 1 clip, 2 sheepfoot, 3 spey.
My Grandfather raised pigs in the south up in till WW11. When I was about 8 he gave me a Camillus stockman, a lesson in how to sharpen and a little southern history. He used the sheepfoot blade to notch pigs ears as a way of identification like a brand. Every notch had a name, and he could read a pigs ear like a street sign. The Spey blade was used for castrating was kept razor sharp and used for nothing else, and as grandpa described the main clip blade was used to make lunch. Now my 8 year old imagination always envisioned these tough old pig farmers spreading peanut butter with a bloody knife that had just castrated a pen full of hogs. Tough bunch those southern hog farmers.
As I said I'm not familiar with the new Old timers But some of my original Old timers are 30 years old and still going strong.
 
Hate to break it to ya, but that's a Taylor Chinese Schrade. The stamp's a giveaway.

The 8-OT is a legacy of Schrade's model numbers, 8 being a Large Stockman, OT standing for Old Timer.
 
I knew it was chinese made, it has it stamped underneath the 8OT on the reverse of the blade, I would love an original but I knew this wasn't one.

The knife seems to be very well made, of course I don't have much knowledge of slip joints but all blades open with a reasonable amount of pressure from the backspring, and lock into place very nicely.

There is no play in the blades at the moment, but the knife is barely a week old so I'll have to spend some time with it to get a better judgement.

can you get these type of knives any larger? say about half an inch closed?

I've been looking this thing up and down, and as a butcher I think I'd be able to fully dress and prepare goat sized game with a bit of care.

What companies make quality stockmans?

I know of Boker, Buck, Case, Queen and Schrade.
any others I should look at?

Thanks guys for the info
 
Some of the latter USA made OT's had SS blades also, If you think that is put together well, see if you can get hold of a USA made 8OT, you will notice the difference straight away, the USA made a far better.

Rusty1
 
The stockman pattern is one my favorites, particularly the large and jumbo versions.

I recently started collecting 25Th anniversary Bulldog stockmen. They are the large ones (4 1/4 inches closed) and have synthetic scales.

Here's a picture of one I recently bought. This picture is from the dealer's site I purchased the knife from, I bought the last one... I went back for the Sowbellly a few weeks later , but it was sold.


BD214.jpg
 
Waldganger said:
I've been looking this thing up and down, and as a butcher I think I'd be able to fully dress and prepare goat sized game with a bit of care.

What companies make quality stockmans?

I know of Boker, Buck, Case, Queen and Schrade.
any others I should look at?
Click to expand...

I've field dressed 200lbs hogs with a stockman, I did use a larger knife to quarter it.
If you just want a good carry knife the one's you have listed are fine with my preference being the Case. Case makes a moose stockman that is 4.25" closed and is a fine knife.
If you REALLY like stockmans get the "Levine's guide to knives & their values"
Currently I have 200 different makes of stockmans and most of them are new made.
 
So whereabouts in Oz are you from mate? My wife's from the Gold Coast.

My in laws always get a little freaky about me carrying a pocket knife. I guess that Oz has been 'tamed' too. As I've never been hassled by a cop, I don't see the drama to be honest.
 
Mate I'm from Perth, and the anti-knife bug has hit here, although there aren't any size or lock restrictions, you just have to have a damn good reason for carrying one.

Currently bidding on ebay for a Henckels 4 bladed stockman and also a Uncle Henry Stockman, hoping to get either for a good price
 
Here's an unusual one from Buck, a 303T Imitation Pearl with hollow ground blades.

This was a Wal-Mart discontinued model that cost me $7, I bought 5 and sold 4, (had to keep one for me:D )

2007_05160020a.jpg
 
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