The 121 Old and New

Tele, thanks for your pics and input....real good info.
Looks like a lot of us 121 fans didn't realize how thin the old one liners really were...I didn't. I'm always delighted and amazed how much great information is free flowing on this forum. Simply Outstanding!!
 
Found all the 121s that I own......I notice that the second two-liner actually seems to have a slightly thicker blade than the first. Sorry, the blades are turned slightly, but I think you can still judge the thickness.

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Thanks to all for the pics, hope mine add some useful info for somebody.

The first two-liner is the one that has an Atchison sheath and, I believe, is the earliest knife. It is much slimmer in handle and lighter all around.

Also.....I wonder what year the name changed from Fisherman to Guide? Anybody know that?
 
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BG, Nice photo work . My 3 liner has the grind line of your second knife . Its high .
I don't know the year of change but I found it called that in a 89 catalog . DM
 
Thanks Dave......and, I wonder if the name changed when they went to putting date marks on the stamp?

I guess I should buy a date-marked one so I could have more to compare.

:)

As I look closer, I think that the blades get thicker as they get newer on every one I have.

They must have had too many coming back with broken blades.
 
hkingdom said:
Great knives! There is actually one other. After BUCK went to the BUCK USA stamp, they made a scaler for a short period of time.


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HK:

I was so busy admiring your two liner scaler and dreaming of looking for that to complete my list of 121s that I didn't think to look in the most probable source for one---my other 121s. Well, that search is now over. I already had one.

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Now that is embarrassing!!!

Telechronos:o:o:o
 
BG42, I think you've hit on a good point as to the reason this model grew increasing beefier . I had been thinking along those lines but you said it first . Something else I came to realize thru studying the progression of 121's in this thread which, I must attribute to the amount of great quality photographs (thanks guys for your skills). Is the emergence of a time line . For years I've been looking (and many others) for a way, means or method of dating knives of the same model (this can apply to different models as well) on a progressive time line . This gets much easier once a model reaches the 80's because of spacers and year dates . But what about when we go backwards into the 70's ? In 70 and 71 dating is not so easy . In 72 we have the 3 line inverted this is one of the most precise dated knives in all of Buck's inventory until we get to the year date stamps . The big gap remains from late 72-79 . All are stamped the same and dressed in the same spacers . But looking closely and following the shallow grind lines and thickness of the blade one will notice an incremental increase disclosing an increase in years . As the grind line comes down and the thickness increases so does the years on this model . I noticed this while studying Tele's inverted three liner (pg. 1 second from bottom) it has a more shallow grind line than the next model a point up 3 liner . My point up three liner looks more like the inverted 3 liner . Hence, mine was very close to being a inverted model . Follow that line with this model in these photos and see if you notice subtle differences . I believe this can be a key to unlocking its age . DM :)
 
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Interesting, too......that as the blades got thicker, the handles got a LOT beefier.

The difference in handle width in my pair of Two-Liners is pretty amazing.

Easiest to see the progression on the four knives if you concentrate on the handle width nearest to the guard.
 
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Back before Hoyt, at age 13, in 1902 made his first knife, some old boys in the 1800s also knew how to make a filet knife. While not a Buck, you might be interested in a 16 1/2 inch long 11 inch blade filet knife that shows what flexible (and 120 years of hard use) really means. In my hands this must have fileted literally a ton of Pacific Coast King Salmon.

Sorry to stray from Buck on this forum but the flex of a 121 can't match this.

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Telechronos:):):)
 
Telechronos said:
Back before Hoyt, at age 13, in 1902 made his first knife, some old boys in the 1800s also knew how to make a filet knife. While not a Buck, you might be interested in a 16 1/2 inch long 11 inch blade filet knife that shows what flexible (and 120 years of hard use) really means. In my hands this must have fileted literally a ton of Pacific Coast King Salmon.

Sorry to stray from Buck on this forum but the flex of a 121 can't match this.

IMG_1288a.jpg

IMG_1290a.jpg


Telechronos:):):)
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Picific Coast King salmon ,Man that sounds good. Do you need my address/LOL.:thumbup:
 
Telechronos said:
Back before Hoyt, at age 13, in 1902 made his first knife, some old boys in the 1800s also knew how to make a filet knife. While not a Buck, you might be interested in a 16 1/2 inch long 11 inch blade filet knife that shows what flexible (and 120 years of hard use) really means. In my hands this must have fileted literally a ton of Pacific Coast King Salmon.

Sorry to stray from Buck on this forum but the flex of a 121 can't match this.

IMG_1288a.jpg

IMG_1290a.jpg


Telechronos:):):)
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Pacific Coast King salmon ,Man that sounds good. Do you need my address/LOL.:thumbup:
 
>>Pacific Coast King salmon ,Man that sounds good. Do you need my address/LOL.

I'm with Hawkeye on that one!!! Nicely smoked over some alder, man I'm getting hungry ;-)
 
I had eaten Salmon for years but out here it was from a can :( . But one year a friend from Alaska brought some fresh, smoked salmon and now I know what you guys are talking about . Eating it messed me up . :) DM
 
Man that looks good. Is that (alder wood smoked) the (Traditionally Smoked)

Thanks for sharing . Nice Buck 121 , also Woodie.:thumbup:
Hawkeye
 
Hawkeye5 said:
Man that looks good. Is that (alder wood smoked) the (Traditionally Smoked)

Thanks for sharing . Nice Buck 121 , also Woodie.:thumbup:
Hawkeye
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Just checked, it is smoked over alder. To me, that gives the best flavor. I thought about opening it up for a picture, my wife is saving it for company. She would not be pleased - lol.

Figured the 121 fit in with the thread - thanks Hawkeye.
 
On my Swiss gun calipers, all my 121s measure .072 at the tang stamp, even the point up read tang. FYI. 300Bucks

PS At this moment I am not thinking Salmon....actually heating the oil in the fish fryer and getting ready to fry GOLD....7 Kansas Bobwhites. I ain't sharing, don't ask. In this day an situation a wild quail dinner just about tops everthing in rarity. Well, actually I would let Hawkeye have one if he would bring those Crappie filets he caught last week.........
 
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