Farmer's Jacks

[wlf]

Thanks Ike they're my babies.

[wlf]

A new one. Christopher Johnson at 4 1/4' rather a large farmers knife.

[Ridgegrass]

Sweet one Lyle. Really like the horn scales. O'.

[doglegg]

Knice. Love the horn and a new tang stamp to me.

[Waukonda]

A new one. Christopher Johnson at 4 1/4' rather a large farmers knife.

That is a sweet looking knife, Lyle, very nice! Beats the heck out of a little Union Kabar FJ, huh?

[wlf]

A new one. Christopher Johnson at 4 1/4' rather a large farmers knife.

That is a sweet looking knife, Lyle, very nice! Beats the heck out of a little Union Kabar FJ, huh?

Huh uhh
Thanks to the rest of you all .

[fishin1635]

That's a handful... very nice character all the way around Lyle

[wlf]

Knice. Love the horn and a new tang stamp to me.

I just saw that Floyd. I'm getting slow and eyes dimmer.

[fishin1635]

A new one. Christopher Johnson at 4 1/4' rather a large farmers knife.

Hey Lyle, did you see this farmers jack in the AAPK store? Just thought of you when I seen it.

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... knife-931-

[wlf]

A new one. Christopher Johnson at 4 1/4' rather a large farmers knife.

Hey Lyle, did you see this farmers jack in the AAPK store? Just thought of you when I seen it.

https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/ca ... knife-931-

Just got home from family gathering this weekend and it's sold. Looked very nice ,thanks my friend.

[Ripster]

Another I've been blessed to get. Composition 4 line Camillus,had a rough cleaning ,but still a nice knife.

My 1st Rooster comb,ya see it's top knot

Well Lyle , been blessed to get one finally also . It’s been used some ,still solid though and won’t complain . It’s my first true Rooster comb ,the top knot looks wore down some and it’s a bit wore at the tang . The main is snappy and great half stop .
Have a ? For you Sir . Are the Composite covered FJs less common in your opinion ? And would the overall length been4 inches on this . It does measure just under but that could be wear ?
Thanks for all you’ve done with this thread and the info everyone has shared here .
Take care .

[wlf]

Compositions overall are less common. The lengths of these knives are often said 4", when most are just a shade under. Your knife is near perfect except aging.

Well done

[Ripster]

Compositions overall are less common. The lengths of these knives are often said 4", when most are just a shade under. Your knife is near perfect except aging.

Well done

Thanks for your response . This one will stay here awhile with the other 4 liners .
Went back thru these FJ pages again . Sure is some great info and knives posted here .
Lyle, you have a very impressive collection. Thank you for posting all the great info and some nice photos .
Take care. stay warm

[wlf]

A comparison of different makers pruner grinds. Schrade had different grinds on similar era knives and multiple selections.

Top row left to right
1.Schrade French ivory
2. Schrade CUTCO
3. Schrade CUTCO
4. Schrade CUTCO
5. Utica rooster.
6. Cut sure by Utica.
7. Camillus rooster.
8 Remington?
9. Schrade Cut Co rooster
10 Schrade Cut Co shadow peach pruner.


Bottom row
L-R
1.HSB-NYK
2.Ulster
3.DE-Empire
4.Valley Forge no
5.H Boker
6.Simmons HDWE- English or German no country of origin, but the pressed stag indicates European
7.Wester Bros
8. Krusius Bros
9. Henckels
10. Wostenholm

Oh, I think the New York knife, Henckels , and
Wostenholm bear similar resemblances with the New York knife, being larger, but similar in shape.

Do you have a favorite pruning blade among these ?

[ScoutKnives]

What and awesome collection Lyle .


Mike

[wlf]

What and awesome collection Lyle .


Mike

Takes one to know one Mike .

Do you like one best?

[ScoutKnives]

If I had to pick one by brand it would definitely be Ulster .

[peanut740]

Lyle

[Waukonda]

10 Schrade cut Cole shadow peach pruner.

Those are some beautiful knives, Mr Lyle, awesome collection!
Can you show another picture or two of #10 in first row. I am not familiar with your description, and what it is that differentiates it from the others.

[thegreedygulo]

Very nice Lyle! You have done well.

[wlf]

Very nice Lyle! You have done well.

Look at page one buddy, you helped infect me and I thank you and all my friends that have helped me in this endeavor.

[wlf]

10 Schrade cut Cole shadow peach pruner.

Those are some beautiful knives, Mr Lyle, awesome collection!
Can you show another picture or two of #10 in first row. I am not familiar with your description, and what it is that differentiates it from the others.

You asked for it Ike.
From an old post for those who haven't seen it:

I am excited to have purchased two new to me farmers jacks although both are redundant in their own way.

Here is the first.A Schrade S 7309F double spring (The only legitimate farmers jack I have found with 2 springs). It was given me by David Anthony.

It had lost it's handles,as the Fibestos (Schrade's trademark name for these handles) was not hardy, and was rehandled in walnut,which I stained black.

This post from 4/5/2006 by Rich Langston explains more about it:

" Rescue and return of Farmer Jack

As I have said in the past Rarity and condition are two of the biggest factors to be considered by the collector. Often times if a knife is very rare the condition is not as important as it would be on a model or pattern not as unusual or as difficult to obtain. Once in a while you will find a knife which is both rare and in excellent condition. Even more rare is to find an example to which you can validate with a history or provanance. In the past this was not as difficult to do as it is today. In the past people did not know what they had. In todays market the public is much more informed and growing more so each day. The exception to this is when a knife is so rare that people do not recognize it or you know something about that is not generally known or understood. Then once in a while a knife will ( so to speak ) fly under the radar.

I recently received a knife that I purchased on ebay. It is a S7309F (see pic catalogue ref) which is a 4,1/8" Budding and Pruning knife. These were also called farmers jacks, farmer knives, and Wharncliff jacks. These knives had an unusual patterned budding blade with a bark loosener and a pruning blade. This model was handled in Fibestos. This was a very early step up from celluloid and more stable. They also made this knife in a bolstered, shielded bone stag version # S7303 as well as an imi ivory cell version #S7304W. While celluloid and jigged bone can be replaced the original Fibestos is and never will be available again. The fact is that ( relatively ) very few of these were made, as well as this materials property of getting brittle over the years ( it was a form of early plastic) and breaking, means that very few examples in good condition even exist and most of those are in more common patterns that these materials were used on.

While years ago I did own a jigged bone version. I was forced to trade it to another collector as part of 8 knives I traded for a Press Button Guardian. I needed the knife for a book I was writing and really had no other choice. Since then I have seen a couple they were part of the Schrade collection. The only one I have ever seen in fibestos was the one in this collection and it was in pristene condition. When it was announced that Schrade would be selling its collection piece by piece at auction upon liquidation. A 30 page individual listing of these knives was put out. I still have that copy and on page 6 it lists the knife to which I refer. I had noted it to bid on it. ( see pic actual listing from originaly listed pieces ) . As we all know the auction never happened Smokey cut a deal bought it all and has been selling it.

I remembered seeing the knife and it was listed on page 6 of 30 on panel #7B. Because of my affialiation with Schrade I had taken pictures of these panels but since Smokey was on the way to pick them up at the time I was a bit rushed and did not number the panels. Now looking through I cannot find the exact knife however I included a pic of the bone version in the collection which was also on a panel just to show how they were displayed. ( see pic). Schrade made many variations of budding knives most were quite common this model was not.

This knife was apparently sold to a ( well known dealer ) who put it on ebay. He lists it as coming from the Schrade collection and having been bought from Smokey. A couple of well known names bid on it and i sniped it . Sniping is about the only way I seem to be able to bid anything since as soon as I bid early usually other bidders jump in ( from all over). I do not know if it is because of me or everyone has that problem but sniping is fair as far as I am concerned. In this case I paid 130 plus shipping. I was amazed and would have gone much higher ( higher than any sane person would have). The knife is perfect it is like holding a piece of living history. A truly rare pattern in a rare material in Near mint condition. To me this is a treasure.

I have related this story only to show that these items are out there, and present, to the modern collector one of the last opportunitys to save these bits of history and in some cases find items at flea markets and garage sales worth many time what they pay for them. It like any field requires study and determination. I would strongly suggest any reference books available. References aside from informing the reader whet the appetite. This old farmer is back home surrounded by its contemporarys, in a 80 year old Schrade Cutlery display case ( the way it should be ). "

Before I stained the walnut handles, maybe I should have left them the way David Anthony rehandled in walnut as a tribute to him. It's a Pennsylvania knife, C Liggit Phila. It's blades are unfettered although tarnished and not having shine doesn't bother me. I wanted it to be more original, but little did I know I'd come upon an original albeit not unsharpened as this one , but nice considering.

This knife has the flat blades, modified budder with bark loosener on the spine and thumb jimping on the tang. One of my favorites for many reasons.I'll post an original Fibestos handled in next post.

[wlf]

This one has it's original handles and seems almost full blades,except for the kinda unusual small belly in the modified pruning blade,which is a Wharncliffe blade. as explained above in Schrades catalog cut .The handles are badly shrunk and pulled down upon the pins.

I have affixed handles with varnish to keep the pieces together. It dad begun to fall apart since I got it. Otherwise original Schrade Cut Co 7309F.

I'd have to say the 7309F my favorite FJ makeup of all , even though I like other pruning blades better.

[wlf]

I call it a peach pruner Ike, as that's what Holley called it's slimmer profile pruning blade.

[doglegg]

Lot of reading there Lyle but well worth the time. Love your knives. Thank you.

Hope your sweet wife is doing well.