New Topic! Your Oldest Schrade? Show it!

textoothpk

textoothpk

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C'mon guys and girls. We've spent our recent time moaning about the end of Schrade and the high prices on 34OT stockman knives.. Can we change the subject? Can we do what I think we do best... better than any of the other manufacturer's forums here... which is educate one another and learn?

So for fun, how about showing us your oldest Schrade product (Schrade, Geo.Schrade, Schrade-Walden, Ulster, Imperial, whatever. But more than just show it... tell us about it! Why is it in your collection? Where did you get it? When was it made? Was it a refinement of an older model? Be ready for other members to ask you questions about it!

We've good enough friends here we don't have to try and show each other up... whatever it is, let's see it. Oldest.

Tired of moping around here. I'll put on my marguerita shirt later and my Schrade cap and see what I can come up with.

Any new people show up... Join in! We're also the most friendly forum here.

If you can't post a pic, let one of us know and we'll do it for you.

Phil
 
My oldest is an Uncle Henry 897 that's more than 25 years old. A while back it 'disappeared' without me hearing or feeling it leaving my pocket. It was like I'd lost a good friend and over the next couple of weeks I can't count how many times I reached into my pocket for it, only to remember that it was "gone"!
I started to look for a replacement only to find that Schrade had gone under. This prompted me to begin to gather some sets for my offspring (and their offspring too!).
I then realized that I'd like a small collection myself. It's become an insidious pursuit indeed!!!!
 
My oldest knife is a George Schrade Stagbrand #1. A near mint fixed hunter I found on Ebay. It is pre WWII I believe. It is a sweet small hunting knife, the smallest in a series of six. I will have to send the pic to Larry to post here. There is a thread about it a ways back that you can find with the search above.
 
I have a few old knives but the one I want to show is my Grandfathers fob knife. Its a Keen Kutter stamped EC Simmons. He was the bartender at the Copley Sq Hotel in Boston from 1927 until about 1970. He carried this knife on a chain in his vest pocket every day I knew him and it was old in 1955. I'm guessing he got it in the 30's
I have an couple of my uncles knives like an older hammer and a USN Camillus
but this little 4 blade gentlemans knife holds my favorite spot amoung my oldies. Oh, I also have my first springer but I cant show that now can I ;)

G0001.jpg


Phil, Great question. Thanks

Larry
keen ketter e.c.simons st.louis 1847-1940
 
They only allow 5 pics so I just ran these off. 1, Schrade cuts (1904-1946) most in unused ( new old stock condition ) in original period etched display case with period razors and one sheath knife( quite rare). 2, Original ( 1920 approx period ) wood frame etched display case with small collection of later scrimshaw knives ( what makes this group of later knives unique aside from the original etched display case, is that each knife has the original die that each one of these issues was made ( struck with ) usually there was only one of these stamps for each issue. That means there may have been thousands of knives but only one stamp. These are those. 3, These are Schrade Waldens in pearl in period display all unused ( made before 1960 ) in 1956 Schrade moved to Ellenville from Walden where the Schrade Walden tang was used until 1972 however pearls were only made with the materials from the Walden factory until it ran out about 1960. 4, Schrade Walden period display case all genuine jigged bone unused ( new old stock ) again pre 1960. Natural material was phased out until after the Schrade Walden tang marking was phased out in 1972. It was begun again in limited production in the middle 70 tys. 5, a few examples of Schrade Walden sheath knives in period frame display pre 1972. You can only do so much with 5 pictures. Please take the time to read this carefully usually to find a few of these items is a collectors dream it may not sink in what is being shown since the rarity overwhelms what is there, It is like a diamond which by itself is quite impressive it is less impressive when you see a bucket full of them. Yet we all know a bucket full exists. I am sorry that each piece cannot be shown due to the quantity that is why I have fought for a museum. ( Please see the thread The Road to Bureaucracy ). LT
 
Of course I knew LT would trump us all.. and I am glad he did!. We aren't going to see things like this outside of the fabled Schrade collection at SMKW. In fact, I'm putting money down that our LT has items they don't.
Thanks, LT! Love those Pearls!
Thanks all you guys.

Now my contribution, which will do a couple of things.. Provide evidence that George Schrade was a genious, and show you other guys not to be put off by not being able to match other member's knives.

Yep. Just a very rusted old Geo, Schrade wire jackknife. Possibly eighty years old, and guess what? Still works. Perfectly. The blade opens and stays open securely, and it still cuts. Which is really all we expect from a jackknife, isn't it? Pared down to the essentials, that's it. But even in this day and age, how many brand new knives do you buy that happened to slip by QC with a uselessly weak backspring? What old George designed here is still rock solid.

I got this one from a flea market, the seller had found it on the floor in an old barn. I just used an SOS pad to clean it up, there is no real collector value to destroy. Please note the inner sheet metal pieces are still intact; these often fell off over the years. The boy scouts and girl scouts used these as part of their eating set. There were several patterns made, one I like is the 'texas toothpick', but I don't have one now. Frequently sold on Ebay as 'survival knives'... which is half right as the knives have survived a long, long time.


241766.jpg

and a few other patterns, this illustration probably appearing on this site once before:
210497.jpg
 
Neat! I have, somewhere in my camping supplies, a U.S. marked skillet about six inches across, with folding handles that look almost exactly like those knife handles. Reckon it is a George? Or more likely just a specification from the military procurement office? I think I have seen matching forks and spoons, also folding. I do know that G. Schrade produced kits for the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts for years using a similar wire handle pattern.

LT, no doubt you dream project of a Schrade museum will someday happen, though Lord only knows where or when. Hopefully during our lifetime and preferably in the Walden area where so many of these knives began their life.
But maybe the kinder climate of Arizona would be better for the long term preservation of these knives. Wherever it is, I have no doubt that your efforts will be a centerpiece there.
 
lt632ret said:
They only allow 5 pics so I just ran these off. .... LT
Click to expand...

LT, I have a few meg of webspace I can loan you. Email me anything else you want posted and I will put it up. -JH
 
Here's a few pics I have probably already shown you guys before. No great story or anything, just a few 'orphans' I have rescued off ebay.

I think they are all schrade cut co's

Glenn
 

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Nice, Glenn... educate us.. what is the little ring on the right hand bolster of the first knife?
 
It's a ring knife, of course. Actually, there is one just like it on the other side for the other blade. You open the blade by simply twisting the ring mechanism clockwise (or opposite to close). I assume it was an alternative to nail nicks.

I'm sure someone out there has more history on it.

(Sorry for the blurry pics, still trying to figure out the digital camera)
 
Twist ring....
Seems to me I read somewhere, (I know, I know :rolleyes: ) that method was designed with the ladies in mind.....to keep them from breaking their fingernails. I've only seen a few, but they were all Pen knives (like Glenn's) or it seems I saw one with a spey/nee ink scratcher blade, like an Office Knife.

Not fer sure....but maybe.

Nice knives, all.

Bill
 
glennbad said:
...(Sorry for the blurry pics, still trying to figure out the digital camera)
Click to expand...

I´ve been working on digital pictures lately (did lots of 35mm in my younger days), here´s some tips from what I´ve learned.

1.- Use plenty of light, diffused or bounced, outdoors on a cloudy day is good.

2.- Use a tripod and the self timer to make sure you don´t move the camera as you shoot.

3.- Use the macro function.

4.- If your camera is fixed focus take a picture that will show you where the actual focus point is, such as placing the camera near the end of a computer keyboard and shooting it full length, watching which keys come in focus will tell you how far from the camera to put your subject.

5.- Get and use some good editing software, for cropping and adjusting brightness, contrast, etc., I use PhotoFiltre which is free, you can see it and some others here:

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/imageediting/tp/freephotoedw.htm

Luis
 
My first Schrade was a 34OT from probably 1965, I clearly remember breaking the tip of the main blade in carpentry shop in junior High school, I gave it away (to my sister) and replaced it with another one bought at Knots Berry Farm in 1967, that second one I had until 1976 when I bought the 897UH in the picture, this one was bought in Quebec, it was then new, new stock. This has been my basic EDC since then though it´s getting replaced much too often by a 34OT that I got on Christmas 2003.

I had a Sharpfinger that my mother gave me for Christmas in 1975, that one got lost when moving from Queretaro to Mexico city.

I have an LB7 from 1978 bought in New Orleans that I have posted before, and I have a jigged delrin stockman that belonged to my father in law, I don´t know how old that one is. My other Schrades are from the 80´s or 90´s.

Luis

1e3os7
 
Luis.....
Did you dress your knife up just for this picture?
Or is it really still in such nice condition after all these years of use? I'd give it a BIG thumbs up (TU) , but that pesky icon only goes to the top of the page... :D

Nice hatband, as well...(TU)

Bill
 
Thanks for the nice comments.

I use my Schrade for cutting and don´t abuse it, I also carry a SAK and a Leatherman and a small bastard file to do hard things like prying, scraping and such, so the blades of my Schrade have kept fine after all these years. I have removed scratches and polished bolsters and blades a bit once in a while, not much detail is visible in the blades from reflection but they are in good shape indeed.

Just a simple and good user knife, not a collectors piece but it is good knives that make fine collector pieces.

The hatband, horse hair braid from San Francisco del Rincon, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Luis
 
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