Question about Schrade and Wostenholm connection

[tongueriver]

...As someone has stated, NO ONE makes this quality of folding knife these days...Case might come close in the USA, but Camillus and Schrade are long gone from here. Mark

The offerings from the recently closed Canal Street Cutlery and both the currently thriving Queen and Great Eastern cutleries could easily refute that statement. Just my opinion.

 

[Jack Black]

Just thought I'd update this long-running thread with a snippet of information I found out today. Just to add a little of my relevant background, both my dad and uncle worked at the Richards factory in the 60's, long before the Schrade period. More relevantly I had a brother-in-law who was one of the last Rodgers-Wostenholm apprentice cutlers, and he was with the firm throughout this period, and worked at the Richards factory right until the end. I have owned several of the 'Schrade-Wostenholm' knives, including the NKCA Gunboat Canoe.

I was talking to Stan Shaw today, and he showed me one of the large Stockman patterns, which he'd made himself, at the time he worked for Wostenholm, and before they moved into the Richards factory.

In terms of the later knives, I think it is correct that the parts for the two lockbacks were made by Camillus, being finished in Sheffield, and shipped back to the States (they were 'strictly export only'). However, the smaller Stockman is essentially the same as the existing Wostenholm Stockman pattern of this period.

The larger Schrade-Wostenholm Lockback compared to a similar knife by Camillus.







The later (smaller) Schrade Wostenholm Stockman compared to the standard IXL Stockman.