Schatt & Morgan Harness Jack

[kamagong]

Have you ever seen a knife and just had to have it? It’s happened to me a couple of times in the past. The very first time I saw the CRK Sebenza I knew I wanted it. Despite its plain appearance there was something about this knife that appealed to me. I couldn’t articulate why I liked it, but I knew that I would own one someday. I picked up large regular a couple of months back.

I had a similar experience a year ago. I was browsing a popular online purveyor and I saw a knife that immediately caught my eye. It’s known as a Harness Jack, and this particular knife was made by Schatt & Morgan. Maybe I’m just a sucker for pretty knives, but I just couldn’t get the image of those goldenroot bone handles out of my mind. A few days ago I stopped fighting it and gave in to my desires. I placed an order and received this in the mail last Saturday.

This is quite simply the finest production slipjoint I’ve ever owned. Fit and finish are excellent, with no gaps whatsoever between the liners and the springs. The inside of the springs are nicely polished and everything is nicely radiused. The blade is relatively sharp and the bevels are nice and even, although they are a bit short and abrupt. I’ll have to work on the edge a bit. The punch is a PITA to open as it has a beartrap for a spring. No biggie as I don’t have much use for it personally, but it looks like I need to get myself one of those guitar-pickesque tools that Kerry makes.

The best part though is that this knife has a 1095 blade. Too often modern knives, while pretty, use a no-name grade of stainless. I admit that stainless knives have their place, but I prefer my slippies to have carbon steel blades. They just look and perform better IMHO. This Harness Jack gives me the best of both worlds. It’s a gorgeous knife that can be called upon to give good service as a tool.

The HJ is in my pocket as I type this, and it looks to stay there for the foreseeable future.

 

[Blues]

Kamagong, you and I have been on the same wavelength lately. First the Imperial and now a harness jack. (That's a beauty by the way.)

I have been doing a little horse trading with Waynorth of late and Charlie had sent me a scan of a few knives I had the opportunity to choose from and one of them was this beautiful old Robeson from the 1920's-1930's. Though I wasn't looking for one, I was smitten when I saw it and was pretty much done for.

Charlie mentioned that this pattern was used for the first of his SFO Harness Jacks. (Charlie, please feel free to correct or add any info.)

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting this beauty soon:

 

[Blues]

By the way, Kamagong, how were the edges? Did you need to touch 'em up or were they ready to go right out of the box? (I've found that Queen seems to do a better job putting an edge on the carbon blades (generally) compared to the D2.)

Too bad about that punch but I'm sure they'd fix that for you if you were inclined.

Edited to add that my old eyes must be tired as I saw the answer to my question when I went back and read your report again.

 

[waynorth]

Kamagong, that second model, in that bone, was far and away the hottest seller of all my HJs. 75 virtually flew out the door. I think Vintage knives, and maybe Cumberland are the only ones that may have a couple left. The only complaint was the stiffness of the punch. On the first model I designed, that looks like the Robeson above, some guy was using the punch a lot, and closed it on a finger and cut himself pretty good. He was man enough to admit he was abusing it (dulled, so pushing too hard!), but I got paranoid, and asked Bill at Queen to keep it "stiff" for safety on this next model. Hard to open, but it stays open when you are using it. A punch is not like a blade. You change directions with it if you are not super careful, just by the way you twist it. It is not heat-treated as hard as the blade, to retain toughness!
The first model, like the robeson, but in stainless steel;

A pretty knife, in stainless though. I used one for a while, and it took a good edge. I was on them about the heat-treat, so I think they are very good.
The second model, all in 1095 like Kamagongs:

Only two were made in stag. I should have done a lot more. The candy stripes were made from two batches of cell, and one of them off-gassed; bummer!! The Ebony ones (not shown) also sold like hotcakes.
The third model, the equal end, turned out not to be as desirable to most people as the second model which was a regular jack. But far and away, it has the best punch! It is a marvel of function, and very controllable for the size of hole you want to make. Takes a little practice to hone those punches, but they all three of them work well. Again, all in 1095;

Two prototypes, and a pre-production sample.

 

[kamagong]

That's a nice vintage knife Elliot. Looks like the original owner got some good use from it. Any idea when it was made?

The HJ came sharp, but the edge is a bit thick for my tastes. I'll thin it out when I convex it, but I want to use the factory edge for a while. It's interesting that you and I have been attracted to the same types of knives lately. Do you think it has something to do with spearpoint blades? I used to think that the spearpoint blade was the most boring of all blade shapes, but my feelings have changed recently. I'm attracted to them more and more, and now I'm looking for a nice single blade barlow to add to the Imperial and this S&M.

Charlie, those are all beautiful knives. Is there a reason you seem to prefer the HJ? I'm curious because I had never really seen or read much about the pattern until I saw your posts here. From what I've noticed, you may be single-handedly responsible for reviving interest in the harness jack.

Have you ever thought about commissioning Queen or S&M to build a run of single blade barlows? If you asked they'd surely listen.

 

[RobbW]

I've got a 2nd gen. Harness Jack in Goldenroot just like the one in the pic. The F&F is incredible, and the bone is what hooked me. It looked great in photos, even better in person. The main blade tension is just perfect. The punch tension in high for my liking, just short of a nailbreaker. I'm glad to know that's a safety feature and I'm perfectly happy with the knife. Everything about it from cutting function to aesthetics is just perfect for my taste. I may leave the punch open at 3/4-mast to deliberately weaken the spring. I doubt that would do much, but it is really fine the way it is.

 

[RobbW]

Oh, I should add that I was deleriously happy to get a pocket-sized knife from S&M in 1095. I don't like their stainless since I'm a user. I'd like to see more such projects in the future and thanks for encouraging this one, Waynorth!

 

[Blues]

That's a nice vintage knife Elliot. Looks like the original owner got some good use from it. Any idea when it was made?...
It's interesting that you and I have been attracted to the same types of knives lately. Do you think it has something to do with spearpoint blades? I used to think that the spearpoint blade was the most boring of all blade shapes, but my feelings have changed recently. I'm attracted to them more and more, and now I'm looking for a nice single blade barlow to add to the Imperial and this S&M.

Thanks.

According to Charlie, the knife was manufactured somewhere between 1922 and 1939.

I don't know if the concurrence in our taste of late is as simple as just an attraction to the spearpoint blade, though a properly executed one with a beautiful swedge is something to behold. :thumbup:

I think it has more to do with just the overall flow and symmetry of the piece as well as the look of having been used well while aging gracefully (in the instance of the older knives we've both picked up and admired).

I have the Imperial in my pocket as I type and that life while well used has quite a bit of life left and I intend to enjoy carrying and using it.

In any case, it's good to see that we seem to share similar taste. Gives me a good reason to keep up with ideas you might come up with (and vice versa I hope).

 

[waynorth]

I determined the age of the knife from a self-published book by Tom Kalcevic entitled "Knives Can Talk".
It is a collection of information about Robeson knives, and is a MUST-HAVE for anyone interested in those great knives. He sells them himself, and his number is (716-226-3369).