Some old 1 liners

Scott, I've been looking that up as well . From what I found, "Buck began having their blades forged by a commercial forging company in Los Angles"(in 1961). BLADES GUIDE TO KNIVES, Page 365, left column . The article, "Buck Fixed Blade Knives" was written by Vern Taylor, Joe Houser and Larry Oden . Then from your notes it ended in or around 1967 . Now, what is meant by "forging". Was it really just heat treating or something else ? This could give us an insight into the stamping, Buck* as we know that occured in 1967 but no one knows why . DM
 
David Martin said:
Scott, I've been looking that up as well . From what I found, "Buck began having their blades forged by a commercial forging company in Los Angles"(in 1961). BLADES GUIDE TO KNIVES, Page 365, left column . The article, "Buck Fixed Blade Knives" was written by Vern Taylor, Joe Houser and Larry Oden . Then from your notes it ended in or around 1967 . Now, what is meant by "forging". Was it really just heat treating or something else ? This could give us an insight into the stamping, Buck* as we know that occured in 1967 but no one knows why . DM
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I take the "forging" to mean that literally,the hammering of hot steel, and the blanks that started around 1967 were sheared or pressed from sheets of steel. The "dot" after the BUCK tang stamping may possibly note the change or switch to "blanks" being used.....I would welcome more insight as well:)
 
So it is likely then, Scott, that your knives pictured are all forged, if they are all pre-1967 vintage.
 
wolfdog said:
So it is likely then, Scott, that your knives pictured are all forged, if they are all pre-1967 vintage.
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That is an accurate statement, I'm just not sure how refined the forging was done. One senerio is round stock being forged into flat billets or bars, then cut with a saw into lengths, then ground into a given model on a knife grinder. I'm still unclear on the early 1960s start to finish process.
 
Scott Hartman said:
I take the "forging" to mean that literally,the hammering of hot steel, and the blanks that started around 1967 were sheared or pressed from sheets of steel. The "dot" after the BUCK tang stamping may possibly note the change or switch to "blanks" being used.....I would welcome more insight as well:)
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Buck tends to denote changes like that in some manner . As lots of models have dots stamped on them for various reasons and this was the first .
I'm not so sure this forging meant hammering . But I'll keep digging on this one . Perhaps someone with a copy of the book, HISTORY OF BUCK KNIVES , could shed some light on this subject as I remember this being covered in that publication . DM
 
Scott, I found some info. on Buck's early steel . A article in Guns and Ammo, titled "Buck...Three Generations of Knife Tradition" by Glenn Day . The copy of this article does not show the date but based on the models mentioned it must be Dec. 74 or Jan. 75 or something close . "The Buck blade is handcrafted from the finest high carbon steel a modified 440C quite rust resistant but not a true stainless steel . Made to Buck's specs. by Universal-Cyclops Mill in Pittsburgh and is hand rolled to the specified thickness . This yields the same orientation of steel molecules as hand forging on an anvil . This raw stock starts out as being forged and the stock removed by production methods in bringing the blade to its final shape ." The rest is a lengthy description about the process which the knives are cut out and made . Of some interest to 300 fans, it goes on to say, "The same 440C steel is used for all the pocket blades except the marlinspike which is used to pry ." So, is this the same steel as that used in the knives of the early 60's ? I think so as it mentions no other steel being used in making Buck knives . Surely, this writer would have interviewed an employee if not a Buck family member while gathering the information for this article . Unless someone comes up with conflicting data, I'm hoping we have the proverbial grain of wheat on this thread . DM
 
Dave:

Tom Ables book, The Story of Buck Knives, sheds little light on your issue. It only seems to suggest that in "the 70s" buck worked to streamline its production methods. At page 51, Ables states (without a date) that "Helix Manufacturing Company was established by four Buck Stockholders and Helix was immediately assigned the task of stamping out blades." In 1981 Helix was acquired by Buck Knives, Inc.

The book incidentally was copyrighted in 1991. I also reviewed the article from the June 2002 Popular Mechanics edition. That too, offers no light on the issue. The book and the article contain so much of the same language that one can only wonder how much of the Popular Mechanics article was not written or conceived by Tom Ables.

Neither source mentions Landish Forgings described in Scotts quote from Joe. I personally would be more apt to rely on Joe.

Finally, since CJ wielded the giant scimitar at the ground breaking of the Magnolia Plant (1969?), he might possibly shed some light on your question. I should add that he was only about twice as tall as the scimitar.

Sorry, not much light on your issue from this end.

Telechronos:):):)
 
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