The one that started it

[AntDog]

The one that started it all for me had to be the Buck 110. We all just called em “Buck knives”. When I was a kid my Ma gave me a Pakistani copy of one. I eventually had to have a real one.

The only other standouts from that time for me were Case Sodbusters and stockmans.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

David, do you know what alloy "Pumaster Steel" was?

A few years ago, I seem to recall finding something on the web about that. It otherwise seemed notoriously hard to pin down, as to the steel type or composition. I'll see if I can find any info I might've saved about that.

Edited to add:
I'm seeing some references to Pumaster steel mentioning it was a 'high carbon' non-stainless with a hard-chromed plating. Supposedly hardened to 61 HRC or so. But still no clue as to the composition of the high carbon steel underneath the plating.

 

[Ironbut]

My first was a hand-me-down Barlow from my Dad. I'm not sure what brand, but the feed store in town had a display of them next to the cash register & they were pretty cheap, or my Dad wouldn't have bought them. I think just about every boy in school carried a Barlow, or a scout knife. Of course, that was 60-some years ago.

 

[black mamba]

Thanks, David, much appreciated.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Thanks, David, much appreciated.

I seem to think I had seen more info than what I can find right now. I had bookmarked in my browser a site that I labelled as including such info. That was at least a few years ago and I likely found that using an older computer as well, which has since been retired as no longer functional. I transferred my browser bookmarks to a newer computer. But now, clicking on that bookmark just redirects to a more generic link to some Puma knives up for sale, but nothing about the Pumaster steel at all. I've also seen a couple of Puma's steel charts included in catalogs & such. Many different steels they've used, over the years. But again, any reference to the old Pumaster steel is conspicuously absent from those charts. Seems as if the universe wishes it never to be found.

 

[5K Qs]

I seem to think I had seen more info than what I can find right now. I had bookmarked in my browser a site that I labelled as including such info. That was at least a few years ago and I likely found that using an older computer as well, which has since been retired as no longer functional. I transferred my browser bookmarks to a newer computer. But now, clicking on that bookmark just redirects to a more generic link to some Puma knives up for sale, but nothing about the Pumaster steel at all. I've also seen a couple of Puma's steel charts included in catalogs & such. Many different steels they've used, over the years. But again, any reference to the old Pumaster steel is conspicuously absent from those charts. Seems as if the universe wishes it never to be found.

Here's some info L lambertiana posted in a vintage Puma thread several years ago. Maybe he pulled a fast one on the universe.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/vintage-puma-thread.1618670/#post-18504428

(not sure if the link will go to exactly the right post - it's Post #19 in that thread)

- GT

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Here's some info L lambertiana posted in a vintage Puma thread several years ago. Maybe he pulled a fast one on the universe.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/vintage-puma-thread.1618670/#post-18504428

(not sure if the link will go to exactly the right post - it's Post #19 in that thread)

- GT

I was actually looking at that post in that thread yesterday. There's lots of interesting info there about their steels. But if one of them was at some point called 'Pumaster', that specific label is conspicuously missing there. Also no mention of when (or if) any of their blades were hard chrome plated, if that was indeed part of the Pumaster spec. That's what I keep noticing about all the info I've found so far, in documenting Puma's line of steels over the years.

I'm starting to feel they should've called it 'PuMystery' steel instead.

 

[lambertiana]

I was actually looking at that post in that thread yesterday. There's lots of interesting info there about their steels. But if one of them was at some point called 'Pumaster', that specific label is conspicuously missing there. Also no mention of when (or if) any of their blades were hard chrome plated, if that was indeed part of the Pumaster spec. That's what I keep noticing about all the info I've found so far, in documenting Puma's line of steels over the years.

I'm starting to feel they should've called it 'PuMystery' steel instead.

When that document came out, they did not specifically name the steels, but Pumaster is the one called Hunting Knives, Normal Steel Böhler NWN 80. It is similar to 1075. I remember the catalogs in the 1970s and 1980s saying that they ran Pumaster at 60-61 Rc, as opposed to their stainless blades that were 57-59 Rc and the Pumaster in the 1990s being also 57-59 Rc. There is no telling when or if they changed what carbon steel was used for Pumaster. Kind of like Cold Steel and their Carbon V.

I don't know when they started or stopped chrome plating of fixed blades. I have a pre-1964 Hunter's Friend that is plated, and I have a 1980s Hunter's Pal that is plated. Along with a few others both pre and post 1964. Every Pumaster bladed fixed blade Puma that I own is plated.

It doesn't do any good to ask the folks at Puma USA, I recently asked them what species they used for their Jacaranda handles in the 1980s and they said they didn't know. Maybe I will ask the folks at the Puma Germany website.