Let's see some knives from your collection.

[Dmc707]

had a couple of those cast handle survival knives, too, and suprisingly good blades. Thanks for showing those...

i wouldnt want to give any of those old hollow handle knives a serious "test" like the old boys in the videos doing things better reserved for hatchets -- but they are all Japanese 440C steel from a time period when Japan was doing good things -- the original Cold Steel lineup was Japanese if i recall --- Relatively easy to keep razor sharp and still great for charcuterie boards and cutting celery stalks for my bloody mary's - LOL

Hollywood was naturally a big influence for the popularity of these things in the 80's but i have a bigger one partially obscured in that photo that the blade shape and size is a clone of the Randall 18

 

[mouthpiece]

I think this is the last 2
1 of my favorites that I have on a backpack.

 

[mtngunr]

i wouldnt want to give any of those old hollow handle knives a serious "test" like the old boys in the videos doing things better reserved for hatchets -- but they are all Japanese 440C steel from a time period when Japan was doing good things -- the original Cold Steel lineup was Japanese if i recall --- Relatively easy to keep razor sharp and still great for charcuterie boards and cutting celery stalks for my bloody mary's - LOL

Hollywood was naturally a big influence for the popularity of these things in the 80's but i have a bigger one partially obscured in that photo that the blade shape and size is a clone of the Randall 18

Had three large 18s and one small at one time or another...although they bit into saplings as very few others, they were enormously heavy for length and not used for a damned thing past making me drool while handling them.

Had a cool old 1-6 from '59-'60 date going by very weathered dark sheath, handle spacers etc, quite used but well maintained blade, somebody was taking life seriously enough with it that they somehow managed to get a longish strip of early style velcro (loop side) down inside the sheath and glued to the snap side of sheath with rubber cement to keep blade from rasping on brass snap when drawn and to prevent any rattle in sheath...

there was a scruffy little Nam vet at a show with a cased service display, he just had a table simply for conversation, his display featured some modern commercial Randall look-alikes in crossed blades along with photos of him and his unit, awards, medals, etc....

I showed him the Randall and he talked of how much he always wanted one and could never afford one, and for rest of show, every time I passed by, he asked to see the Randall....

finally I asked him did he want to buy it and quoted a ridiculously low price for a Vietnam era Randall, and he stammered that he was supposed to be getting a disability payment in about 6mths and as soon as he got it he would buy the knife and PLEASE don't sell it to anybody else...I handed it to him along with a piece of paper with my phone number and told him to call me when he got his check....I thought he was gonna cry....

Pretty much forgot about it when, low and behold, he called me 6mths later wanting to pay for the knife. I asked if he were still enjoying it and he said he was sitting there looking at it just then, and would sit and look at it every day. I told him that was payment enough and we were even and this time he DID sob as he thanked me...I HATE it when people do that.

 

[Mr.Glock]

Here is an oldie. Ivory USA. I carried it for years, years ago. Don’t know the brand or anything. Says USA.

 

[mtngunr]

Here is an oldie. Ivory USA. I carried it for years, years ago. Don’t know the brand or anything. Says USA.

View attachment 533060

If actual ivory with visible grain, and not some composition scales, annointing heavily with pure mineral oil can prevent it from drying and cracking, the same goes for stag. I am no antique pocket knife authority at all, but the flake look of scales in photo suggests to me more a celluloid material, bolsters and pins appear as an inexpensive knife from between the wars, and most reputable brand knives were proud enough to put maker on blade past inexpensive promo items...but, for all I know, that a rare one from the 1800s for all I can see of it...still, neat and old, whatever it is.
As for a more modern version of a cheap promo knife, I'd sent this to another poster with the caption, "Hurry down to your local Ford dealer today to test drive the all new 1963 Thunderbird, and receive a free knife!"

 

[Decoligny]

Hunting knife marked “Robeson, Germany”.
Made between 1891-1895. Robeson became Camillus in 1898.
Found while rappelling in the Wichita Mountains. Large rock (bowling ball size) came loose while climbing up a steep hill. Saw a straight edge in the dirt. Pulled out a rusted knife with a leather ring and aluminum spacer handle. Leather and aluminum spacers crumbled to dust in my hand. Under a full 1/4” of rust was a beautiful knife. Cleaned and polished beautifully, pitting adds character. Holds a shaving sharp edge. Made a deer antler handle to replace the rotted one. It had to have been buried for decades to be buried so deeply under so large a rock on such a steep hill. I like to think some cowboy might have lost it in the early 1900s.

 

[surjimmy]

I think this is the last 2
1 of my favorites that I have on a backpack.

View attachment 533036View attachment 533037View attachment 533038View attachment 533039

Love that Esee. I have that one and it's Big Brother.

 

[amadera]

If you like multitools I have them too.
View attachment 532874View attachment 532875View attachment 532876

Terry, since you have such a vast connection, do you know anyone in town that does sharpening?

 

[mtngunr]

Hunting knife marked “Robeson, Germany”.
Made between 1891-1895. Robeson became Camillus in 1898.
Found while rappelling in the Wichita Mountains. Large rock (bowling ball size) came loose while climbing up a steep hill. Saw a straight edge in the dirt. Pulled out a rusted knife with a leather ring and aluminum spacer handle. Leather and aluminum spacers crumbled to dust in my hand. Under a full 1/4” of rust was a beautiful knife. Cleaned and polished beautifully, pitting adds character. Holds a shaving sharp edge. Made a deer antler handle to replace the rotted one. It had to have been buried for decades to be buried so deeply under so large a rock on such a steep hill. I like to think some cowboy might have lost it in the early 1900s.

Very nice save of a knife. The story of the company (of all the knife manufacturers back then, actually) is more convoluted. Robeson got his start importing German and English knives and having them marked with his name. Import tarriffs became high enough he leased Sherwood and his knife works to make pocket knives with Sherwood running things. Robeson's business grew and he set up his own factory, cutting out Sherwood, and Sherwood sold his business to Adolf Castor and Brothers who adopted the Camillus name while Robeson continued on into the 1960s where it then ceased operating own factory and had Camillus make the knives, and later Ontario buying the name.
Most all famous name knives in America are related by blood and/or business ties, they pretty much all made knives for each other at one time or another.

 

[knox'sgpa]