+ on some Old Timer blades

B

badweatherbiker

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May 29, 2013
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did the google search but I couldn't come up with why some blades have a + after Schrade on the blade of an Old Timer, anyone?
 
I´m no real Schrade OT expert, but as far as I know; the Schrade + blades were made of stainless steel.

The one without the + were made of carbon steel.

I could be wrong as well...
 
Also keep in mind, Schrade USA did apparently produce a few stainless knives without the '+' mark, in their later years (maybe '90s and beyond). But the '+' on any Schrade blade guarantees it's stainless. Earlier stainless knives were likely in 440A, and I think they transitioned to 420HC in later years. The vast majority of blades without the '+' will be 1095 steel, otherwise.


David
 
Yep, no easy answer except that "+" means stainless and no "+" does not mean 1095. Most but not all Old Timers were 1095. But I have one which was always stainless during it's short run, a 41OT Maverick fixed blade. It had a very short production run, 1971-73 and was marked "SS" on the pile side. Even the Uncle Henry line which was usually stainless wasn't always. The 153UH was 1095 for years. The "+" mark began being used sometime in the late '70's. Prior to that, slipjoints with stainless were often stamped stainless on the mark or pile side. And lastly, as production neared it's end, many traditionally 1095 knives were switched to stainless without being so marked. The Sharpfinger was one. The "tell" on that knife is usually a hollow ground blade as opposed to it's usual plain ground blade.
 
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Furthermore, some OT models were always stainless and others were only stainless sometimes. :D

Here's a bunch of 8OT knives. Only the one on the right, a special edition Old Timer Classic, is stainless.
8OTcomparison.jpg


Generally though, Old Timers were 1095 carbon steel unless marked "+". But you know how that goes. ;)
 
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