Serial # removed

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while perusing the bay in early morning hours, i came across a Trail Of Tears stag Clasp knife going low. so i low balled and won for $50.01. all seems perfect, EXCEPT, the serial # has been sanded(?) off, leaving a nasty scuffed area on rt. front bolster.
can anyone give me ideas as to why one would remove serial numbers ?
Schrade usually ground their name off the tang for seconds. all i can think of is: stolen.
does anyone else have Schrades with serial #s removed ?
when the knife arrives i can hopefully buff out the scratched area and then visit my local jeweller and ask that he engrave 000 on the same spot. that oughta fix it ! roland
 
leaving a nasty scuffed area on rt. front bolster
Click to expand...

I just had a look at both of my clasp knives and the number is too close to the engraved section on the bolster and its is also rounded where the number is placed, if too much material was removed when taking the number off then it will be evident no matter what you do to the knife. I dont suggest putting zero numbers on it though as you will only draw attention to the area (I think you were joking??).

Can you get close up photo of the area?

Regards Tim
 
Roland, forget the zeroes, have him engrave "prototype" on it;):D:D

Eric
 
wheb you get the knife take a close look at the tang.
If it is also xx'd or buffed out you may have a 2nd.
 
i "won" this knife less than 24 hrs. ago and will post pics when i have it.
Irv, listing showed good pic of tang. SCHRADE is very clear, just like my 13 Colonies stag Clasp. roland
 
i was wrong. it's "Custer's Last Fight", not "Trail of Tears". but "same" thing, one is '77, other '78.
amazing what a poor ebay pic can hide. this one has been heavily cleaned/buffed on the blade. a few rust spots remain and the black highlight in the etch remove. rust is still present on inner aspect of backspring.
the stag color is partially washed out and there are fine hairline cracks on the surface (like on the Mona Lisa).
so looks like it had prolonged exposure to sun and moisture.
to my surprise, this blade is carbon steel. but it shows no sign of use and blade action/lockup is all fine. infact, i really like the look of it. it now looks like a real neat old vintage knife. perfect to really sharpen and use.
anybody know of a sheath that will fit ? roland
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Roland:

Not sure what sheath, but it does have a nice weathered look. I think that like a factory grind off on the serial number, like a removed tang stamp. Curious they did not take off the tang stamp too. One of those things you sometimes just have to guess at the history of a specific knife. :confused:
 
That's different, I guess you don't see many of those clasp knives in that condition, I'm surprised that due to the overall condition that there aren't more cracks or shrinkage of the stag. have fun with it!

Rusty1
 
G'Day Roland, I reckon your clasp looks great with that 'aged' look.Nice etch ..old Colonel Custer seems to be subdueing them with his underarm B.O. problem?? We dont get much history out here..who won??
I just slipped a Schrade clasp into an' Old Timer' sheath for a 25OT and it fits snugly in length but quite O.K. The clasp is 5 1/2" and the 25OT is 5 1/4". The Old Timer sheath for say the Alaskan Old Timer Folding Hunter 25OT has that little extra length than traditional LB7 sheath.You can pick them up on the Bay with "Old Timer" on top of Sheath above clip. Hoo Roo
P.S. The Old Timer sheath is 5 3/4" to bottom of actual curve of knife pouch and bit over 6" in length.....oh and I just looked up me history book and his horse was the only survivor....!....on his side that is.....
 
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thanks Larry, i have at least 1 25OT sheath and a Camillus one for their knife of same pattern (forget the #, 26?).
i will hand polish bolsters, sharpen it (looks like 1095, so i'll aim for ~10 -12 degrees per side), then soak entire knife in mineral oil for a few days.
i'll neatsfoot up the sheath and then put the oily knife in it and mold with my hands. that's my "system" for this one.
i like playing with Schrades. my least favorite are those NIBs with bling ! roland
 
Why would anyone buy a knife that was most certainly stolen? I hope nobody steals your knives, grinds the serial numbers off, and re-sells them. Is it true what they say, that what goes around, comes around?
 
Ed, removal of a serial number, grinding or striking through a tang stamp most likely indicates a reject, a flawed knife that did not meet QC standards and was sold as a second to employees through a company store. Assuming it was stolen is a stretch, I think.

Michael
 
ed what the heck would make you say the knife is " most certainly stolen"??? Like codger said there is many reasons the knife may have the numbers removed. Cars or amplifiers, yea but knives I doubt it. its not like were talking about a $1000 dollar knife look at the condition. just my opnion. by the way roland I like the look of the knife very cool!!!! - Joel
 
I'd agree with views that more likely a 2nd than "hot" knife.
Not quite same level as a Weatherby, BAR, or flat screen TV with serno removed.
Two clues I see that support QC reject theory is the mushroomed pin on lower right front and the blade logo says "Custard's Last Fight".
Also according to a documentary on TV a few years ago, not only did Custer's horse survive, Custer's Scout, Dustin Hoffman, also survived.
Hope this helps.
 
The serial number and USA was removed (leaving just Schrade) to make this crappy US made junk pass as a quality China made product. You got took......
 
Nope, these knives do not have USA on them, just SCHRADE.
i just sharpened this with my EdgePro. this is the softest steel i have ever encountered. don't think it'll hold up (21 degrees per side). it's not stainless, so i assume it's 1095. ya figure they never bothered to harden it properly, 'cause: 1) easier to etch, & 2) were not intended for use ?
and back to a sheath: the 25OT does not have enough volume. i can jam the knife in, but it takes 5 minutes to wiggle & massage it out. roland
 
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