Schrade 152OT Sharpfinger

[Codger_64]

Here is the 1996 502SC with "Mooses" art mentioned above. It is on my short list of regular production Scrimshaws I am yet to acquire.

This is the other edition for 1996 from the "Wildlife For Tomorrow" set.

 

[Codger_64]

This is the other production Scrimshaw for 1997 from the SC97MLTD Endangered Species set, Gray Wolves. These are the only pictures I have saved so far of this set.

 

[Codger_64]

America still works with Schrade!

Thankfully, I am not in Rigby Idaho this morning where it is 13 degrees!

 

[Codger_64]

Some time back I found a NIB 2001-2002 Federal Duck Stamp issue, DS15.

Later I found one in natural bone, correct in every way but no box.

I finally found a good deal on a second DS15 NIB which will provide a good home for the natural bone issue and I will move the spare pickbone DS15 to my stock of boxless knives in it's place.

Now to find the dyed staged bone version!

 

[Codger_64]

Here are the two textured early sheaths I mentioned. First is the 152SC Elephant hide embossed sheath.

This is the next year's 155SC Pig-skin embossed sheath.

Both turned out quite well I think. Though I haven't seen many used, so don't know how durable they would be compared to the plain unembossed leather sheaths.

 

[Codger_64]

A new group photo of a few from my collection of Sharpfingers.

 

[Codger_64]

And mushrooms to cook with them!

 

[FatCity67]

Ok I broke down and did it.

Bought my first 152 user with sheath for $20 off the bay. It'll need a little cleaning and blade work but it'll be in the field with me next time I go out.

Only other 152 I own is part of a scrimshaw set.

 

[Codger_64]

Ok I broke down and did it.

Bought my first 152 user with sheath for $20 off the bay. It'll need a little cleaning and blade work but it'll be in the field with me next time I go out.

Only other 152 I own is part of a scrimshaw set.

Nice one! Doesn't look like it needs much! And if you have read here much then you noticed that your sheath is the earliest type. It, and possibly the knife, are over forty years old! I would be interested in whether or not you find the thong useful. I never did.

The knife I showed above is the one I recently bought and gave my son. He also only needed to freshen the edge before he went mushroom hunting.

 

[FatCity67]

I'll post up again. I've never been big on knife thongs and have removed any over the years that have come with them. Always seem to get in the way.

I agree knife doesn't need much just based on those pics. Sheath appears to be in great shape as well, no slice throughs apparent or cut thread.

Thanks for the reply.

Nice one! Doesn't look like it needs much! And if you have read here much then you noticed that your sheath is the earliest type. It, and possibly the knife, are over forty years old! I would be interested in whether or not you find the thong useful. I never did.

The knife I showed above is the one I recently bought and gave my son. He also only needed to freshen the edge before he went mushroom hunting.

 

[Codger_64]

I'll post up again. I've never been big on knife thongs and have removed any over the years that have come with them. Always seem to get in the way.

I agree knife doesn't need much just based on those pics. Sheath appears to be in great shape as well, no slice throughs apparent or cut thread.

Thanks for the reply.

As to the thong, I never liked the idea of having a knife attached to my wrist. Often in use I need to put it down and to have it swinging around all sharp and pointy doesn't seem like a good idea.

Everyone has their own ideas as to what makes a good sharp edge on a particular knife. Some like a fery thin, finely polished edge. I have found over the years that the original A.C.A. edge works best for me on the Sharpfinger. As Eric described it for us some time back, that edge is produced by using first an 80 grit belt and then buffing with a cloth or paper wheel. It gives the edge "tooth" or mini-serrations. It doesn't remove as much metal as one might think but produces an aggressive yet long lasting sharp edge.

*Note that the edge roughness in these photos is exaggerated because of the high magnification and the fact that it had not yet been buffed.*

 

[Codger_64]

Here's a blast from the past. A few higher end SFOs that I saw years ago and not since.

"Limber Twig Hunting Club", circa 1993. Very deep etch with gold and black fill.

Virginia Game Warden C. 1991?

"New Jersey Division Of Fish, Game and Wildlife circa 1992.

 

[Codger_64]

I am occasionally asked about knives with no tang stamps or a mark throught the stamp Here are a couple of examples.

While a few might be in-house factory rejects that failed final inspection, many have nothing wrong with them but were returned under the vendor program with two very major merchants, Sears and Wal-Mart. In both cases, Schrade had to accept returns made by customers for any and no reason at all. So they had to send the merchant a new knife to replace the returned one, pay shipping and reprocess the returned knife if possible, then resell it at a discount. To prevent these discounted knives from being returned under warranty, they would deface the tang stamp. The ground one above is extreme and I've not seen many like that. Most will be single strike or "X"s.

Other than the marks, there usually is nothing functionally wrong with the knife. If carbon it may have been buffed to remove handling marks and minor scratches or possibly remove an etch. It may have been resold in bulk without sheath or box or papers. At that point, they just hoped to recoup their cost in materials, labor and handling. SMKW was a good customer of bulk seconds like these.

Another reject marking seen. On a Scrimshaw issue this time. "X"s through the blade etch.

 

[bladecollectorr]

Here is the most recent addition to my Sharpfinger collection, a new Herman Williams 152 with full embellishments. It was a gift from a generous collector friend.

Wow! That's one bar-setting Sharpfinger.

Here's a blast from the past. A few higher end SFOs that I saw years ago and not since.

Virginia Game Warden C. ?

This one would be from 1991 when compared to other knives in the series. Shown below are 3 dated examples of knives commemorating different years for reference. Two Schrades and a Buck. None are mine.

 

[Codger_64]

Thanks! I edited in the date for future reference.

Something I recently ran across that caught my eye. An imported leather sheath used as a replacement for a U.S.A. Sharpfinger. "Liberty" brand stamped Pakistan on the back.

A few more close copy sheaths found on imported Sharpfinger copies; Ruko...

Maxam...

 

[Codger_64]

Rejects? Here is something I recently saw for the first time after handling hundreds and looking at thousands of Sharpfingers. An otherwise NIB Sharpfinger from the 90's with a handle crack!

Delrin is an amazing plastic. It is slick (lubricity), impact and abrasion resistant. Manufacturing defects, from what I have seen, are rather rare.

This is the damage that I most often see, due to user error. I don't care if the tip does fit in a Phillips screw head, that is not what it is for!

 

[Codger_64]

Picked up another cheap orphaned user. Hopefully I can get this one to my son-in-law with a decent sheath.

 

[Codger_64]

And another orphan. This one is a circa 1976 "Guns & Ammo" magazine bonus knife in excellent user condition with original sheath. The issue itself is more common than you might think, 30,350 pieces of this first issue. Special tang stamp, "SCHRADE over USA" and "Guns&Ammo" text logo shield on bowling ball black handles. This one was cheap, not far from the "sweet spot" price that FatCity67 above paid for his.

 

[Codger_64]

Rejects? Here is something I recently saw for the first time after handling hundreds and looking at thousands of Sharpfingers. An otherwise NIB Sharpfinger from the 90's with a handle crack!

Delrin is an amazing plastic. It is slick (lubricity), impact and abrasion resistant. Manufacturing defects, from what I have seen, are rather rare.

This is the damage that I most often see, due to user error. I don't care if the tip does fit in a Phillips screw head, that is not what it is for!

Here is another QC issue that most are not aware of. Improper molding by the plastics vendor(s). If you watch, you will see some knives on which the scales seem slightly "cupped". These are flaws called "sinks". Normally the mold cooling process causes any sinks to appear on the back side which isn't seen. For this reason, raised bosses and edges are molded which are then sanded down leaving a flat area on each end around the rivet holes and any sinks are in a non-critical area near the middle of the molded scale. This is an earlier scale with sequential cavity numbers. I forget how many sets were on each sprue and runner tree. I saw pictures of an untrimmed shot years ago but have lost the image.

I suspect, but don't know for a fact, that the molds were altered later in production to reduce the handwork required to prep for fitment. They had hoped to control sinks by adjusting the molding machine parameters to compensate for shrinkage. They were not always successful. Look at many and you will see some with sunken cover front sides. I've not removed any of those covers to look at the back sides, so this is an educated guess of a former plastics molding engineer.

 

[Codger_64]

Over time they slightly changed the grind of the false edge on the spine of the blade. The earlier ones had a more pronounced false edge which resulted in a much more acute "needle" tip. Look at the angle on FatCity's knife above and the image below. Most of the GDOT Sharpfingers are like this as well. They would have been produced in late 1974 and up to mid-year 1975.

I strongly suspect that this very fine tip was much more prone to being broken so they slightly changed the grind to leave more material in the tip.