Was This Craftsman Knife Made By Schrade

B

Backstop

Joined
Dec 29, 2005
Messages
8
I'm trying to find the history (dates of manuf, manuf, etc) about this knife, and was hoping someone knows the answer, or could point me in the right direction. I'm getting nowhere fast.

This knife is stamped "Craftsman U.S.A." and has no other visible stamps. I got this as a birthday gift from my grandfather in 1973, if I remember the year correctly.

If you're interested, there's 'somewhat' of a discussion going on here about it: http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=521046&page=1

DownloadAttach.asp


DownloadAttach.asp


On a side note, I've used a Schrade 50T as a work knife for years. I was lucky enough to find 3 NIB on Ebay a while back. Those were great knives, and sure is a shame they're not being made in the U.S.

Thanks.
 
Yes, your knife is a Schrade 498L. These were new to the Schrade catalog in 1973, an updated version of the older 148L. They were also available in stagged Delrin, called the 498S. These knives were a part of the "Benchmade '49er" series and were a sort of commemorative of the California Gold Rush of 1849. Sears may have gotten them earlier than the regular production, and often added small "tweeks" to their knives to customize them, like extra spacers to make them different from the regular knives. On the regular Schrade non-Craftsman version, there is a "hallmark" stamp on the butt of the knife that denotes the year it was made. I can't say for sure that the Sears version does.

The leather will clean up with a damp cloth, then a coat of neetsfoot oil. The brass has verdigris on it. Just try wiping it off with an oiled rag first. Don't use a file. If it needs more to clean it off, then use auto body polishing compound. Or "flitz". Or the very finest wet-dry sandpaper you can get.

Congratulations on recovering your old knife!

Codger
 
Sir, thanks a lot for that info. I don't know how you keep track of it all.

There are no marks showing on the buttcap. I removed it, and it looks like there is a "1" stamped on the side that sits against the handle material. Doesn't look exactly like that - remove the horizontal line, and that's pretty close.

Anyway, thanks again. You sure saved me some time.
 
HA!

Had to come back to tell you this. Yesterday, I searched for quite a while, and many hits (thanks to advertising) were to Ebay. I bet I looked at every Schrade knife there - or so I thought.

I typed Schrade 498L into Google, and the first hit was to an Ebay link with my exact knife.

Sheath also looks identical.

Guess that's what they call GIGO - garbage in, garbage out.
 
Backstop,
At our ages... pictures are a must. Seems a picture will drag a 1000 words out of us. Great old knife.
The flitz will also help clean up the blade. Lots of elbow grease too.
I use Brasso on the brass and flitz on the steel. Keep it out of the sheath to prevent any more verdigris and a coating of wax to keep it.
Looks like the blade needs a good buffing to bring it back. Good luck
Larry
 
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