Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

[LastRodeo]

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[Rich S]

Schrade OT stockman (Taylor) are again being made with saw cut bone handles. About the permanent magic maker; yes, that will work, BUT you need to use some flat or semi-gloss clear spray lacquer to prevent it from rubbing off (I've done it a few times).
Rich

 

[5K Qs]

Thanks! I'm definitely sold on it now! :thumbup: I love the RR amber bone look.

Some of the first knives I bought when I got back into pocket knives about a year and a half ago, was a set of 12 assorted patterns of Rough Riders, all in amber jigged bone. First bone handled knives I ever had, and I still like that look as much as almost any handle material that I've seen out there. (Case chestnut jigged bone is awfully desirable, too.)

While I'm here I might as well show off what I did to my Marbles cattle knife. The "red" jigged bone turned out to be pretty pink, so I tried to get it close to a Case my father gave me from the 70's. I'd say I did pretty good, I used brown Rit dye simmered on the stove. Sorry for the glare, I wasn't where I could take better pics.
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Super dye job, FR; that look's awesome! :thumbup::thumbup:

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I own a bunch of rough riders and like them all. When I first started acquiring knives I bought them to try different patterns, and then I started collecting all of the pearl handled RR's I could find. This whittler in black lip pearl is my favorite of them all. Tight snap and I love the spearpoint. I only wish the scales were pinned on as I've already had to re-glue one that fell off of my pearl stockman. I'd happily pay a higher price for pinned scales.
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That's a gorgeous knife, lucydog!! :thumbup: I recently bought a little lockback hunter with "midnight swirl" acrylic covers, hoping it would be sort of a pearl-handle effect, but didn't really look as pearly as I hoped. Not bad though, and the covers ARE pinned FWIW.

Are pearl Rough Riders tough to find?

- GT

 

[Rich S]

No, lots of Midnight Swirl RRs around. I just got the standard barlow.
Rich

 

[FordRanger]

So did you add vinegar? And how long did you let the knife soak? Looks like it took really well. I tried some plastic/delrin/whatever Uncle Henry handle material and it had no effect at all.

No vinegar, just enough water to cover the knife but to see the top of the closed blade so I could grab it with pliers for the occasional look-see. I used about 1/3 of a bottle of dye, just eyeballing it. If I recall it simmered for about 30 minutes. I had quit at ten, but after I wiped it off it was bright purple, so it had to soak for longer.
I'd imagine the "OTB" models (bone handles) would dye nicely.

 

[lucydog]

That's a gorgeous knife, lucydog!! :thumbup: I recently bought a little lockback hunter with "midnight swirl" acrylic covers, hoping it would be sort of a pearl-handle effect, but didn't really look as pearly as I hoped. Not bad though, and the covers ARE pinned FWIW.

Are pearl Rough Riders tough to find?

- GT

Hi GT, RR stopped making the knives with solid pearl slabs a few years ago, but they do still make some that incorporate smaller pieces of pearl epoxied together (as well as miniature 2" solid pearl handled knives). I found most of mine on the big auction site - two are from online retailers who had old stock. I have 4 of the (white) pearl handled and two black lip pearl. I don't have access to my camera and my cell takes terrible pics but I tried to get a comparison shot of the difference between the black and white pearl. None of my white pearl knives have nearly the luminosity or depth of the black lip pearl, the white is quite flat. The pearl knives cost a little bit more than the bone handled ($5-$7 more), and I think it's worth it for the black lip, but honestly I prefer bone over the white pearl.

That's a great lockback you posted, I really like the shield.

 

[5K Qs]

Hi GT, RR stopped making the knives with solid pearl slabs a few years ago, but they do still make some that incorporate smaller pieces of pearl epoxied together (as well as miniature 2" solid pearl handled knives). I found most of mine on the big auction site - two are from online retailers who had old stock. I have 4 of the (white) pearl handled and two black lip pearl. I don't have access to my camera and my cell takes terrible pics but I tried to get a comparison shot of the difference between the black and white pearl. None of my white pearl knives have nearly the luminosity or depth of the black lip pearl, the white is quite flat. The pearl knives cost a little bit more than the bone handled ($5-$7 more), and I think it's worth it for the black lip, but honestly I prefer bone over the white pearl.
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That's a great lockback you posted, I really like the shield.

Thanks for the info, ma'am! :thumbup::thumbup: I agree that your white pearl isn't as attractive as the black lip pearl. The latter is REALLY elegant, IMHO! Thanks for the compliment on the lockback; I do like the way it looks, but I just don't seem to be a lockback kind of guy. I almost never carry any lockbacks I've had, so I get rid of them, and next thing you know, I've bought another that I don't use! As the guy said in "The Princess Bride", "Inconceivable!"

- GT

 

[lucydog]

Thanks for the info, ma'am! :thumbup::thumbup: I agree that your white pearl isn't as attractive as the black lip pearl. The latter is REALLY elegant, IMHO! Thanks for the compliment on the lockback; I do like the way it looks, but I just don't seem to be a lockback kind of guy. I almost never carry any lockbacks I've had, so I get rid of them, and next thing you know, I've bought another that I don't use! As the guy said in "The Princess Bride", "Inconceivable!"

- GT

I just changed the pic to one that shows the difference between the two a bit better. I have one lockback, ironically a case MOP. I don't ever carry it but it was the knife that got me interested in accumulating more, so I'm keeping it for now!

Oh, and I just ordered a black pearl peanut due to this thread!

 

[jdracing]

I've had this set several years....I have heard rumors it was actually a contract of case....They have no country of origin.
They do look exactly like the case corelon set of years ago as well.....
Not sure,but think these were made in the USA.
Any clue?

Oh,I carried this today around the house.....

 

[r8shell]

Here is a small white pearl whittler. I suspect the "pearl" is some kind of stabilized composite of pearl. Kind of flat. It's still pretty nice for the price. I have a teeny little black pearl stockman that's nicer looking, but I haven't taken a picture of it.

 

[Markesharp]

Here is a small white pearl whittler. I suspect the "pearl" is some kind of stabilized composite of pearl. Kind of flat. It's still pretty nice for the price. I have a teeny little black pearl stockman that's nicer looking, but I haven't taken a picture of it.

Nice knife Rachel! It looks like a Black Lip Pearl shield and I like that the handle pins don't show.

 

[r8shell]

Nice knife Rachel! It looks like a Black Lip Pearl shield and I like that the handle pins don't show.

Thanks, Mark. The shield is abalone, I believe.

 

[supratentorial]

Here is a small white pearl whittler. I suspect the "pearl" is some kind of stabilized composite of pearl. Kind of flat. It's still pretty nice for the price. I have a teeny little black pearl stockman that's nicer looking, but I haven't taken a picture of it.

I'm definitely not an expert on the subject but I think mother of pearl and black lip pearl are usually laminates even on more expensive knives. But like most things, the higher quality materials cost more.

It is easier to glue the MOP covers on rather than pin them. Even so, the major distributor used to advertise them as possibly having chips and cracks. Unfortunately I wasn't as lucky as you and mine had a chip in the abalone shield.

 

[supratentorial]

I've had this set several years....I have heard rumors it was actually a contract of case....They have no country of origin.
They do look exactly like the case corelon set of years ago as well.....
Not sure,but think these were made in the USA.
Any clue?

Do you have closeup photos of the knives taken out of the box? It would be helpful to be able to see the knives in detail.

I've heard rumors of the some of these synthetic handle materials coming from the same source as Frost (a search should pull up some old discussions) but I've never heard rumors of Case making knives for Frost. Without more detailed photos it's difficult to see. But they look foreign made from what I can see.

Here's some info about Case's use of Corelon...

.... I wanted a "nut" of my own so I ordered an Orange/White Corelon handle with SS. On the back of the box in very large print it says "Genuine Corelon Handle Produced by Frost Cutlery Co. under sub-license with W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co."

Great looking knife, but I thought that all Case knives were made by Case. Have I missed something? I'd appreciate your thoughts on this.

Thanks

Leo

The Knife was made by Case. The Handle Scales are actually applied by Blue Grass Cutlery. Frost owns the US Patent for "Corelon" handle material by way of buying out Hen and Rooster. Thats the way the American Cutlery business works. I was told this by Fred Feightner,Director of Marketing for Case when the Corelon Handled Case Knives were first released.

I suspect your knives are different and made overseas since they are branded Frost Cutlery, not Case. But I don't know for sure. Some more photos would help... close ups of the handle with the kniife open from the side... photo of the springs...and a photo of the well with the blade closed. It's easiest to see detail if the photos are taken from directly overhead and not at an angle.

 

[knarfeng]

Is there something about the pearl that prevents them from using pins? Most of the other RR pics in this thread show pinned scales.

I believe it's because the shell is prone to cracking and takes extra care. All of my non-pearl handled RR knives have pins, none of the pearl handled do.

Yup. You use pins, more handles crack, and I can't imagine RR would be willing to risk losing a scale for a pin that is largely aesthetic.

Hi Sword & Shield, so you are saying that pins don't actually hold the scales on, glue does the majority of the work? I always thought the pins that are spun acted like rivets. I'm eager to learn more about knives and their construction, thx in advance for any info.

I believe Sword and Shield's point is that, while rivets do hold on the covers, the glue does as good a job. This makes the difference between the two mostly one of aesthetics. For an easily damaged cover material, they went with the safe bet rather than with the aesthetic appeal of pins.

 

[Samon]

Any news on the RR non stainless blades?..

 

[FordRanger]

Any news on the RR non stainless blades?..

+1
I really hope they eventually do it, on several models and not a limited series like the Colt ones. I have grown to like the steel currently used, but "stainless-less" blades would be great!

Edit for below: They seem hard to come by, and are only available in one handle material, and with a fake-patina looking coating that really shouldn't be there.

 

[supratentorial]

Any news on the RR non stainless blades?..

There are some branded "Colt". They're made in the same factories for the same company.

KJ, I don't have one. I'm not sure if they are discontinued or not but they can still be found on eBay. Here are the model numbers that I know of...

CT607 Large Moose
CT608 Trapper
CT609 Canoe
CT610 Bow Trapper

Here's a stock photo of the trapper

Robin, Aren't the Colts and RRs made for the same company in the same factory? Were the carbon Colts a test run? Are they discontinued?

Geezz,never thought of that .Maybe they actually took my advice about an upscale line but put them out under the Colt brand. I believe the colt carbon came out very soon after the talk on facebook. Interesting thought.
I haven't really followed the carbon colts but I think they're still making them. I Kinda hate the coating

Best regards

Robin

 

[lucydog]

I believe Sword and Shield's point is that, while rivets do hold on the covers, the glue does as good a job. This makes the difference between the two mostly one of aesthetics. For an easily damaged cover material, they went with the safe bet rather than with the aesthetic appeal of pins.

Thank you!

 

[cityofthesouth]

No vinegar, just enough water to cover the knife but to see the top of the closed blade so I could grab it with pliers for the occasional look-see. I used about 1/3 of a bottle of dye, just eyeballing it. If I recall it simmered for about 30 minutes. I had quit at ten, but after I wiped it off it was bright purple, so it had to soak for longer.
I'd imagine the "OTB" models (bone handles) would dye nicely.

Thanks for that. Maybe the bone just takes the RIT better than the synthetic stuff. I'll take another crack at it on a knife with bone covers.