All About Pocket Knives

I've been slowly accumulating just a few USA made Schrade Old Timers. I almost prefer a "rescue knife" with a flaw or two for cheap. I can usually fix them well enough and then I have an inexpensive user. I have picked up a couple nearly mint Schrades lately (for my old age you know) and I have a question.


Were any USA made Old Timers not carbon steel? I hope not. If so, were they always marked "Schrade+"?

Can't remember much, but I do remember Schrade+ indicates stainless of some sort. Treefarmer

There are some OTs with stainless blades floating around. Some are marked Schrade+, some aren't. A lot of these date to the "End of Days"--the last days at Schrade, when they were putting together whatever they could, out of parts on hand.

But not all of them. Over the years I've seen a few OTs (usually stockmans, but a couple trappers also) that have one stainless blade mixed in with the others. It really looks weird to see a well-wrorn stockman with one bright blade . . . .

You will find Schrade put stainless steel blades in some of the old timer around 1985-86 the early 7OT and 858OT had carbon than swapped to stainless.All the 60T and I think the 30T where stainless but you near know with Schrade what will turn up.

Coffeecup is correct on all counts. As one expert on another forum has said, the plus sign always signifies stainless steel, but the lack of it is no guarantee of non-stainless steel. This would be a description of the state of affairs for a few years before the company folded. Earlier, I don't think there was any obfuscation of the nature of the steel. BTW, some early Uncle Henrys had non-stainless blades, notably the 153 and 165 patterns, and I think the 171. I don't believe any of the Uncle Henry folders ever had non-stainless steel. I do not use the term "carbon," because the presence of carbon actually defines "steel." Without carbon it can't be any kind of steel. The amount and technique of incorporating it is quite another matter. Shearer is also correct. There were others that went to stainless towards the last. I believe the 51OT may have had some stainless blades. They put up a 881 stockman open stock knife in stainless, called a Founders' Edition knife, most in clampacks. I just looked at four 5OTs. 2 in green Delrin and brass fittings, and 2 in brown Delrin and nickel silver fittings. There were plus signs on the tangs of one of each of the colors, but not on the other 2. I do not know whether the non-plus-sign knives are stainless or non-stainless.

Harumph.

Thanks for the answers, even though they weren't what I wanted to hear.

I have a "Schrade USA 80T" and a "Schrade USA 940T" basically new looking. I wasn't really going to "collect" them (unless you say I should) as much as hoard them. It's all about the Schrade carbon steel to me. (OK non-stainless)

I turn that to my advantage. When buying later OTs on ebay, I actually look for signs of darkening, or even rust. It lowers the price, and I know what I'm getting. Over time, you can use this method to accumulate a long-term supply of good solid working knives. Somewhere around here I've got a cigar box with several 61OTs, a spare 7OT, and four or five 194OTs, just in case I need one.

Well, I'd have to remember where I put the box for safekeeping first, of course. Maybe I better find a few more spares in case that box is lost.

Coffee, I like cigar boxes. Some of them are pretty nice, quite unlike some of the 5 gallon buckets I keep stuff in. Now that I think of it, I'm pretty fond of coffee, too!

As I recall Rich, (lt632ret), told of a running change over Schrade tried at one point where they switched some standard Old Timer patterns that had traditionally been 1095 (non stainless) steel over to stainless under the assumption that no one would notice.

As you might suspect, they were wrong in their assumption and quickly switched back to 1095 after several hundred letters and phone calls in a very few days.


In the link above where I posted my research, you will note that many patterns note that they are Schrade+ steel. Those are of course are stainless steel. However, there are other patterns like the 47OT and 49OT that the steel type was not noted in the Schrade catalogs (from which I took the information). I believe all the 47OTs & 49OTs are also Schrade+ steel even though it is not noted in the list.

So if worse comes to worse I could put a spot of vinegar on the blades in question?


(shudder)

davidketterer wrote:So if worse comes to worse I could put a spot of vinegar on the blades in question?


(shudder)

That would tell you, but be sure to remove any oil on the blade before testing it.
If the blade is well coated with oil and the vinegar cannot get to the blade, you won't get any darkening.
You may end up bypassing a great carbon steel knife thinking is is stainless.

I usually wipe the spot I intend to test with some alcohol before testing.
Also do a small spot in a place that is not real obvious. A good place can be below the kick on the edge of the tang.

orvet wrote: In the link above where I posted my research,

So You're the culprit responsible for all that data?
Thanks for all your hard work and research Dale.
-Bruce

I have a medium Stockman OT, don't have the model # o=available right now that has stainless blades (all three) the main blade, a long clip is marked (Schrade+). Bought it new is the late 80s.