Thank you all for the kind words. It's greatly appreciated.
Longbaugh,
Basically, there were two std. lengths of blades but other sizes were fabricated for special requests.
There were four handle variations including one which had a steel pummel for pounding.
I had ten Tracker knife variations in all that were standard offerings. Customers could have ordered one of those with a vast array of handle material, blade finishes & steel types or have one specially modified to suit their needs. There were also four different smaller companion knives which could have been added. One of these, my "Kestrel" was also seen in "The Hunted" during a brief scene in the subway where the knife was thrown into an agents neck.
I am not certain what you mean as the batoning process but I did prefer the saw teeth up front & never cut them the all the way back to the handle without the recess. The forward position was important because the saw was really only used for cutting square notches for plug-type trap triggers.
This type of cut is difficult to make in the field without some sort of special tool. The reason this feature was important is because a plug type trap trigger is very versatile & can hold the extra weight of heavier, more loadbearing traps. It also placed the trap wire going to your deadfall of other device used tightly against the support (tree, etc) that the plug was set into for better consealment & safe from obstructions which could come into contact & tamper with your set.
If I recall right, there were five variations prior to comming up with the "C" model (which was the one used in the film). I would have to check my records but the "C" model TRACKER was introduced somewhere between 1991 - 1993 if I recall right.
I don't attend many rendesvous anymore. Rather than playing the woodsman I'd rather live it. We also took up kayaking last year & that's kind of became an obsession with me. Right now I'm designing a sea kayak I'd like to build in my shop now that I moved my knifemaking equipment off to the side.
There was another question posted about a copyright.
A copyright is something which would protect something of art. Example: A picture, song, statue, etc. Although it could apply to the knife if you looked at it as an art form, copyrights generally don't apply to something which has utilitarian uses. You wouldn't just frame & look at it, you would use it. A copy right might be applied but the protection it offers is probably very limited & wouldn't protect the design. I highly doubt that Tom Brown would have sought a copyright for any type of protection. If his knife would have been used in the film then there might have been some benefit to having this.
As far as the term "TRACKER" goes, that would be protected by a trademark. If you remember, that was the legal discrepancy I got into with Tom when I began making my knives again. Everyone knew my pattern as the TRACKER knife & owning that right could be important to some. The problem I ran into is that even though I did own the trademark at one time, once you drop it & let it pass beyond a year of expiration & then reapply for the mark, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office looks at it as if you are using it for the first time & it's ownership rights are then open for challenge by others. Even though I probably could have regained the Trademark, the cost of a court battle for it would have been more than its worth for the amount of knives I was producing. I got around the problem by simply changing the name to the BECK WSK (Wilderness Survival Knife). As long as my name was on the blade, everyone would know the difference no matter what I called it.
One last little thing, I know there have been some concerns about some of the fellows producing their own versions these days. Each has its' own good & bad points but understand it's a difficult knife to produce correctly & as these makers make more of their knives they'll become more fine tuned. They are all doing a fine job & need your support & constructive criticizm to produce a better product. Expect delay & glitches. Nothing becomes perfect & fluent overnight. One example is with the RedScorpion Predator. I have one here that I'm reviewing & have had several discussions about it with Aaron.
He has a fine product. Yes, there are some details which could be enhanced & I'm sure he will address them as he's able. I have found him to be very pofessionally-minded & quite knowedgeable in his trade & he is constantly working hard to produce a higher quality product. He offers his work at reasonable prices & I believe you will be seeing some fine work comming out of his shop. I believe this to also be true of some of the other craftsmen I've seen working with this pattern.
David R. Beck
