When did Case make the Change ?

Hickory n steel

Hickory n steel

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A thread got me wanting a Case peanut again, but I always forget how much I just cannot stand the modern version.
The nail nick position makes the blade look like it has an unsightly sharp peak at the spine , and It reminds me of a crummy cheap import from the flea market.

Does anybody know when Case went from this : ( borrowed picture )


To this :


I'm thinking sometime in the 80's, but can't find anything.



I can't think of a single reason for the change, I know the blade on my beloved 08 half whittlers are basically the exact same but with a proper nail nick position. I have a hard time imagining any real purpose for having done so to the peanut.

I had a 3220 I bought after having forgotten about this and, in general it was a great little knife that I almost loved. For all practical reasons I did love the knife, but just couldn't get past that nail nick position and it had to go in the GAW box.
 
I just posted this in the Peanut thread currently running on page one to show how difficult it is to say with absolute certainty when various features are introduced or even dropped. There's an excellent book out about Case Knives by Pfeiffer K knifeaholic . Another such reference would be a book titled "Knives and Razors".

"It may or may not be interesting to some of you that Case is a "want-not waste-not" company. If they have blades left over at the end of the calendar year, they will use them into the next year until they are used up. I know this is a thread about the Peanut but here is an example of what I'm talking about.

I ordered this Sod Buster Jr. on August 2, 2021 and the box label indicates it was made on 01/29/21 yet the knife that came in the box has the 10-dot 2020 tang stamp. An example of carrying a previous year's blade into a new year.

2020 Case SS Sod Buster Jr. Black Composite 10 .jpg

"
 
Not an answer to your Peanut blade question either, but another piece of Case trivia (or knife lore if you will). This knife was ordered for the 1992 (40th) anniversary of the NC Gun Collectors Association - the blades are etched "1952-NCGCA-1992" but the knives were made in 1991 (or made with 1991 dated blades). OH
Case_7254_SS_-_Trapper_-_1991.jpg
 
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I speculated in the other Peanut thread that maybe Case relocated the nail nick to better leverage the blade in opening/closing. The closing pull on Peanuts can be pretty snappy, and a small & shallow nail nick located aft on the blade makes it that much trickier to control.

I like the looks of the older version's aft-located nick, too. So, gaining leverage is the only logical reason I could see, to locating the nick more forward on the blade, even if it doesn't look as good as the older versions.
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I speculated in the other Peanut thread that maybe Case relocated the nail nick to better leverage the blade in opening/closing. The closing pull on Peanuts can be pretty snappy, and a small & shallow nail nick located aft on the blade makes it that much trickier to control.

I like the looks of the older version's aft-located nick, too. So, gaining leverage is the only logical reason I could see, to locating the nick more forward on the blade, even if it doesn't look as good as the older versions.
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That could be it.

The other knives with a normal nick location do have a lighter pull.
 
Hickory n steel Hickory n steel and Obsessed with Edges Obsessed with Edges - I did some nosing round and looked at a few reference books and I believe the change you are asking about happened right at 1983 when Case changed the grind on the spine of some of their patterns the Peanut being one of them. It's too long for me to explain but the new grind was suppose to strengthen the blades and a couple other things. One thing that changed on the Peanut was that the nail nick was moved forward on the blade to accomodate the new grind. However, toward the end of 1985 first of 1986, Case went back to the old grind but didn't move the nail nick back to where it once was on the Peanut. Anyway, that's my take after doing some snooping around.

If anyone has a different take on it, speak up. One thing about knife collecting is that not everything is written in stone.

Oh, something else I've noticed is that the other manufactures of the Peanut have kept the nail nick aft/rearward on their blades as they never came on board with Case for Case's blade regrind.
 
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Modoc ED said:
Hickory n steel Hickory n steel and Obsessed with Edges Obsessed with Edges - I did some nosing round and looked at a few reference books and I believe the change you are asking about happened right at 1983 when Case changed the grind on the spine of some of their patterns the Peanut being one of them. It's too long for me to explain but the new grind was suppose to strengthen the blades and a couple other things. One thing that changed on the Peanut was that the nail nick was moved forward on the blade to accomodate the new grind. However, toward the end of 1985 first of 1986, Case went back to the old grind but didn't move the nail nick back to where it once was on the Peanut. Anyway, that's my take after doing some snooping around.

If anyone has a different take on it, speak up. One thing about knife collecting is that not everything is written in stone.

Oh, something else I've noticed is that the other manufactures of the Peanut have kept the nail nick aft/rearward on their blades as they never came on board with Case for Case's blade regrind.
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The "new grind" knives came out in late '83 and were manufactured through all of 1984 and into early 1985, then dropped. Not all models got the new grind blades and the ones that did only got them on the polished blades. IIRC Case had consistency problems with the new grind on polished blades and never could get the process to work to their satisfaction on non-polished blades (i.e. satin or "as ground").
 
mbkr said:
The "new grind" knives came out in late '83 and were manufactured through all of 1984 and into early 1985, then dropped. Not all models got the new grind blades and the ones that did only got them on the polished blades. IIRC Case had consistency problems with the new grind on polished blades and never could get the process to work to their satisfaction on non-polished blades (i.e. satin or "as ground").
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Yes, you're right Mike. Too bad there isn't much more available about the nail nick on the Peanut. You'd think that something that important would have more information but then again, it's probably an insignificant matter for some. And then, my supposition about the timing of the nail nick might be off.
 
Can't answer the OP's question but here's a Case Select Peanut from 1998 I have, with a long pull on the main blade.
It is NOT easier or even as easy to open the main blade than the ones I have with the forward nail nick.
Guess they long pulled it maybe at least partially in consideration of the blade swedge
... and I wonder how the main blade long pull figures in the history of the Peanut LOL.

ykbSGXg.jpg
 
Thanks for the info.
It looks like I basically have to look for a 70's or early example if I want one.
 
This thread prompted me to look through pictures and my own Peanuts (only a couple). All the 1980’s had the nail nick where you like it, nearer the tang. This is a 1990 stainless steel with Delrin handles, don’t know when Case moved the nick to the center of the blade but it was after 1990. I had never even noticed the change until your post brought it to my attention. OH
Case_6220_SS_Peanut_-_1990.jpg
 
screened porch said:
I might never have noticed, but then, I have only the one.
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It's very interesting what things about a knife will jump out to one person that won't to another.

This one thing really really puts me off yet many people don't notice or care, then theres the square bolsters that don't bother me but do bother some.
And sunken joints, I've never given much thought but I know it's something many people do care about.

This aspect in discussion is a pretty insignificant one all things considered, but is about the biggest thing I can personally think of for me.
I don't know when I first noticed it either.

I bought an orange delrin peanut without even thinking about the issue and I quite liked the knife, then all of the sudden I noticed and didn't like the knife so much anymore and it found it's way unti the knife box GAW.
 
Hickory n steel said:
It's very interesting what things about a knife will jump out to one person that won't to another.
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That's the truth. I don't like Case knives, not because of their "character" but because of their designs. I really don't like blade droop, but that is the default on their knives with contoured/serpentine handles. It's readily noticeable on the peanut, and really obvious on the one Case knife I own, a 06247. It offends my aesthetic sensibilities so much that I can't carry the knife. I do keep it on my desk to use as a worry stone. It looks great closed.
 
kamagong said:
That's the truth. I don't like Case knives, not because of their "character" but because of their designs. I really don't like blade droop, but that is the default on their knives with contoured/serpentine handles. It's readily noticeable on the peanut, and really obvious on the one Case knife I own, a 06247. It offends my aesthetic sensibilities so much that I can't carry the knife. I do keep it on my desk to use as a worry stone. It looks great closed.
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They get it right on their 032 stockman and Texas jack frame, and got it perfectl on my Texas toothpick, but I had to correct it on the peanut I had.

I wedged the blade into a partially open position, marked things off, and used a dremel to remove material from the joint of the blade ( mostly towards the top corner) till it opend as true as I could get it.
I got it pretty close, but theres a limit.
Only so much you can really do, and if you go too far you'll have a gap.
Not necessarily plat because of the backspring tension, but you can sort of over extend with pressure if you took too much off.
 
I'm weird too... I like square end caps on a Serpentine pattern (like a Texas Jack) but don't like them on a non-serpentine pattern (like a GEC #44 or #99).
Blade cant (or droop) is actually preferable to me in using the knife, but not in aesthetics... luckily function is more important to me.
 
I’m with most of you here regarding square bolsters, love’em on some patterns don’t love’em on other patterns. As far as the blade cant goes on the Peanut or even the medium Jack (ie large Peanut) I like it functionally and aesthetically. 😊
 
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