Sharpfinger variants?

I have one that was a ducks unlimited model by Scharade with a cut out in the blade of a duck, stag-o-line handels.

James
 
I had a sharpfinger once, I think it was by Old Timer. Seems like it was an NRA premium or such. Anyway, I got rid of it somewhere along the trail, mainly because I was concerned about the handle getting caught and twisting the knife point through the flimsy sheath into my thigh. Mine must have been carbon steel, as I recall it stained easily. I believe the scales were the brown Delrin.
 
I have a schrade in 1095 and one in stainless - both fantastic skinning knives. And the leather sheaths are far from flimsy. These ones and the one on my 15OT (larger version) have lasted over 20 years plus.
 
There is also a lesser known cousin of the sharpfinger called the dearhunter made by scharade. I do believe that the sharpfinger was wildly popular when they first came out with it. Just like the Buck 110, it the general style was very much copied in it's time.
 
Check out this link for more information on Schrade knives and the sharpfinger in particular. Also if you visit the Collectors forums (Schrade) in the manufacturer section of this site you'll find a wealth of information on the sharpfinger. Use the seacrh function.

http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/

Paul
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
I was wondering how many companies have manufactured the Sharpfinger style skinners, and in what different configurations..
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Hmmm... Until after the "meltdown" and bankruptcy auction of the Imperial Schrade Corporation in the fall of 2004, no one made copies and knockoffs of the Schrade Sharpfinger that I am aware of. Well United's Tomahawk importer division brought in some erzatz sharpies from India Pakistan Indonesia or somewhere, but those "flea market" $5 Pakkawood knives don't really count do they?

tyr_shadowblade said:
I've seen manufacturers indicated as: Old Timer, Uncle Henry, Scharade, Camillus, and now Smith & Wesson, with country of origin being either USA or China. Himilayan Imports also has made a few "R-7" knives based on the Sharpfinger design...
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Old Timer and Uncle Henry were trademark names of two of Schrade's best selling traditional knife lines. Camillus belonged to the Baer family as well (RIP 2007). Even Camillus didn't copy the Sharpfinger until after Schrade's demise. But when they did, it was a good effort albeit with their own touches. It wasn't a blanking die copy, and wasn't a handle mold copy. It was the Camillus version, the "Gran'Pa Sharp Hunter GP152". They also picked up some other patterns in the Old Timer slipjoint line under the Gran'Pa mark.

United Cutlery's Arrowhead Division (RIP 2006) went into the Sharpfinger clones in a big way and branded the straight clone with about six different brandings. They also went forward with a Schrade prototype which a Schrade customer had unwisely rejected. Arrowhead produced the exposed tang, blackened blade version under the Harley Davidson and Rigid marks. Bear & Son of Alabama (formerly Bear MGC) made some upscale copies with nice stag, jigged bone, and custom wood handles. Even a damascus bladed one, IIRC. And then of course there are the Taylor Brands Limited Liability Company imports from China bearing the Schrade name which was sold at the bankruptcy auction. Cheap junk with faux leather sheaths. At least the one I examined when they first appeared in 2005 was this way.

tyr_shadowblade said:
I've seen versions in both high carbon steel and 440 stainless (Wolverine).

I've seen scales made of: wood, Delcrin, jigged Delcrin, yellow plastic, white scrimshawed material, and stag.

I've seen blades with a satin finish, a high polish, with the words SCHARADE printed in large letters, with a stag shaped cutout, and the S&W version is blackened. Are there any other handle scales you've seen? I'm pretty sure there was another color of plastic aside from yellow, or the reddish-brown Delcrin. Was bone or horn scales offered? And I'm assuming the white scrimshawed material is some sort of plastic?

Was a damascus version ever offered?...
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Schrade made the 152OT Sharpfinger from the introduction of Henry Baer's design in 1974 through 2004 and in a bewildering array of styles and materials. I've made a years long study of the pattern and still have not seen it all. Basically, the 152OT was an Old Timer, and had a 1095HC high carbon steel blade and sawcut Delrin handles resembling bone. The 152UH was an Uncle Henry and sported a stainless steel blade and Staglon Delrin scales molded and colored to resemble stag horn. From there, we find late production 152OT's with stainless blades, stabilized wood handles (oak, walnut birdseye maple etc.), Burnt european stag, natural stag, jigged bone, five or six colors of Delrin including the "Ivory Delrin" of the scrimshaw knives. There were three or four laser blade cutouts for Ducks Unlimited and Federal Duck Stamp (don't recall an elk cutout in that pattern). There were some special blade etches, some gold filled with blued background. Damascus never made it to production that I am aware of.

tyr_shadowblade said:
And were those drop-in style sheaths ever sold with these knives, or are they custom made? I've seen people carrying Sharpfingers in leather sheaths that cover most of the handle, but have never seen said sheaths offered for sale anywhere. The standard sheath with the retaining strap does not appeal to me at all.

Thanks.
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The tubular sheath design was used briefly during the early 1980's. It was not popular and was dropped both as a production Sharpfinger sheath and as an accessory sheath (SAS-17). It can still be found if you look hard enough. Nowdays it is mainly seen accompanying the Schrade SC502 Scrimshaw knives of that time period.

Codger
 
Handle material variants:


The prototype of the ill-fated 152OTX:


And the United/Arrowhead/Rigid RGO152MX Blackfoot Hunter:


Codger
 
Hey Guys..

tyr...

I have one of those Ridgid Sharpfingers..Not a bad little knife,, although I like my original better...

All the sheaths I've seen for the sharpfinger have been crap..
I've ran across only a few of the Drop in sheaths..

My Little finger has a drop in pouch sheath..

tyr..

I make a concealex sheath for the sharpfinger...

Offers excellent protection from the sharp point..


ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
tyr_shadowblade said:
Codger... Do you know if cutouts other than ducks were produced?
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I am not aware of any other than the DU duck head logo and the Federal Duck Stamp flying duck cutouts on the Sharpfinger pattern. I do have this one in the Deerslayer pattern, a sample from the sample room auction of Imperial Schrade. DU liked the design and used it for one of their pre-2004 knives with the letters DU cutout.



That is a custom sheath made by Paul Long of Kerrville, Texas (Sheathmaker on the forum) using Herman Oak leather, doeskin lining, and hornback alligator inserts. I have a matching sheath for one of my Sharpfingers, a 152UH Wolverine.

The Sharpfinger fits in the heavy ballistic cloth sheaths of the United knives and is a step up if you don't want the expense of a custom sheath. I would like to see a picture of your sheath design Eric.

Codger
 
I've also seen a "sharpfinger" under the Rigid Trademark, made in the USA, but resembled the Schrade, as opposed to the more tacticool looking Blackfoot Hunter pictured above.
 
Yes, they did both the traditional and "tactical" versions with several markings. Outdoor Life and Harley Davidson were two more of the United portfolio of trademarks used on both versions by Arrowhead during their brief life as a stateside manufacturing arm of United.

Codger
 
I know this isn't a true Sharpfinger, but I see a lot of Sharpfinger influence in the Case Ridgeback Hunter.
 
I've seen Bear And Son Sharpfingers. Also a Camillus. And a Winchester, which I think was an import.

Hmmm... Until after the "meltdown" and bankruptcy auction of the Imperial Schrade Corporation in the fall of 2004, no one made copies and knockoffs of the Schrade Sharpfinger that I am aware of.
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Wow. That is really surprising to me.
 
Albert and Henry Baer were the "grandfathers" of the cutlery industry in America and had the respect of their peers. They built the world's largest cutlery manufacturing empire. With operations in Mexico, Canada, France, England, Germany, Portugal and other countries as well as the U.S., they supplied not only pocket and hunting knives but kitchen cutlery, electric knives, electric can openers, safety razor blades, stainless table flatware, kitchen gadgets, and military knives. Above and beyond this, they were philanthropists. Albert was the co-founder of the International Heart Association, member of the post-WWII think tank responsible for the election of President Eisenhower and unofficial ambassador to Japan following WWII.

Henry Baer, inducted into the Cutlery Hall Of Fame in 1983, died at age 88 in 1987. His younger brother Albert was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1992 and died in 1997 at age 92, having been a part of the American cutlery industry since 1922, 75 years. They had respect for their workers and competition, and the workers and competition respected them.

Codger
 
mp510 said:
I know this isn't a true Sharpfinger, but I see a lot of Sharpfinger influence in the Case Ridgeback Hunter.
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Since 2004, quite a few well-known names have submitted design variants of the Sharpfinger.

Ka-Bar 1444


The Winchester branded knife is an import (by Gerber I think) and is junk, IMHO. I have snagged a sampling of the copies over the past few years to make comparisons and rate it right up there with the Tomahawk copy.

 
Hello I came across a. Schrade 502sc with a flying eagle on one side of the handle and dualing pinecones on the other side of handle . I am hoping I can get more information on it.
 
Welcome aboard, R rawko .
Just FYI, when you revive an old thread, you might get someone telling you it's an old thread, like you shouldn't have revived it. When you start a new thread, you might get somebody telling you there's already a thread on that, like you should have revived the old one. Or somebody might say, "Great old thread! Thanks for reviving it!" That's where I am on this one.

I have a Schrade USA SC502 in ivoriesque delrin with a fawn on one side and a blank cartouche on the other side.
Also a sharpfinger homage by Utica.
Pics if I can figure out what's up with my camera and/or computer.
 
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screened porch said:
Welcome aboard, R rawko .
Just FYI, when you revive an old thread, you might get someone telling you it's an old thread, like you shouldn't have revived it. When you start a new thread, you might get somebody telling you there's already a thread on that, like you should have revived the old one. Or somebody might say, "Great old thread! Thanks for reviving it!" That's where I am on this one.

I have a Schrade USA SC502 in ivoriesque delrin with a fawn on one side and a blank cartouche on the other side.
Also a sharpfinger homage by Utica.
Pics if I can figure out what's up with my camera and/or computer.
Click to expand...
 
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