Curating the Collection

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>>31319412
What I don't know is what I'll do with all his knives. There's not much too spectacularly rare or expensive stuff here, but he did tend to pick up what caught his eye and there are tons of duplicates. I'm going to give away a pretty good chunk of it to younger nieces/nephews and his old friends, etc. But I'm keeping many of the nicest, or most used/best loved ones for myself. I don't want or need the responsibility of keeping 180+ knives oiled, cared for and free of rust, and I need a little help deciding, getting this down to managable levels.

So help me out, please. Point out to me where the hidden gems are. Tell me what the steel snobs would say about some of these steel grades. So forth.

I'm going to photo dump, then feel free to pass on your comments while I look through and post a preliminary keep list. This isn't all of them by any means. Many are duplicated. Some are near duplicates or lower end junk (a lot of those old K-Mart fixed blade Western knives, for instance). The pics are the maybe keep some pile.

Thanks for the help.

>>31319412
Anything you want to get rid of or pass on?

Paypa ready.

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>>31319425
Probably keeping these and the other three duplicates in other sizes.

>>31319412
The mk3 is a good knife once you get anedge on it. AFSK is good also.

>>31319412
Go to blade forums.com and ask this

Then open a paypal account.

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>>31319449

>>31319428
Probably not selling anything until the younger family and his old friends all get at least a couple things. Sorry. If I do, I'll repost here with whats left in a month or so.

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>>31319479

>>31319471
Thanks. Good to know that's an option.

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>>31319505

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>>31319526
Internet's not great out here. Taking forever to upload.

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>>31319542

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>>31319558

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>>31319569

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>>31319582

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>>31319603

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>>31319618

>>31319558
>Camillus Western boot knives

Noice

Give the 2 knives to the right of the SOG Pentagon to relatives that you especially like.

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>>31319637

>>31319558
OP that SOG pentagons of today are no longer made like the one you have their. that's an original design and was also made in a place they no longer make there (where i am not sure)

if you find the right people that want the original design of that knife. you can get some decent dosh out of it,
or keep it. either way good shit your uncle had.

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>>31319652
And that's it. Sing out if you can't make out detail and want know markings on a specific piece. I'm going to get the Flitz, steel wool, diamond plates, waterstones, lemon oil and CLP out, pour another bourbon, etc. Get ready to knock off gunk and rust, put an edge on everything. Y'all leave your thoughts and I'll be round every so often to check in. Thanks again.

>>31319639
>Give the 2 knives to the right of the SOG Pentagon to relatives that you especially like.
Hu. Good to know. I'd have thought the Gerber Mk 1s were the cream of the sticker crop. See, this is why I need help. Any particular reason why those are nice? He's got about a dozen of those in the two sizes shown.

>>31319694
also apologies for my horrid grammar.i'm running on 5 hours of sleep in a weeks time

>>31319695
Oh, and if you spot anything that's not particularly worth much but good steel/design/etc. and suited for hard use, definitely speak up. Those are the ones I'm most interested in keeping and using.

Except for that William Henry and probably one each of the gentlemen's folders pictured (there's a fuckton of these in duplicate/slight variation), I'll probably pass the show pieces on. No sense in tearing those up.

>>31319694
>OP that SOG pentagons of today are no longer made like the one you have their.
Good to know. I would have thought that was one of the lower end blades, since I see those all the time now in WalMart etc.

>>31319702
no worries.

>>31319505
That leather handle, leather sheath, bowie style blade with serrations. You interested letting that go?

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>>31319752
normally it would be,

but if you notice in pic related, the blade and tip is slightly fatter, the serration is different, and the jimping shows to be shorter on the new design

i believe the old design was designed in a notable part of japan, and now the new design is made in Taiwan. still quality nonetheless

i prefer the older design as i find it to be more capable for what it was designed for(albeit a small change)

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>>31319695
>He's got about a dozen of those in the two sizes shown.

I'm jealous, those have gotten fairly rare since Camillus kicked the bucket.

I guess I should say that at some point before Camillus Coleman owned Western and pumped out some knives that were some flavor of 440, but otherwise IIRC those should be 1095. All told they're just nice daggers, great for stabbing stuff but not too practical for much else. IMO the best part is the handle, they're nice to hold.

>>31319618
That 484 nakamura is a pretty nice knife. Are you willing to ship to europeland? How much do you want for it?

Keep it coming, boys. I'm going to get to work here for a little while, wait to see if anyone else has ideas, and then post a tentative keep list for myself, see what y'all think. Thanks.

>>31319792
I've got three of those, the other two are really beat up but still plenty serviceable. I'm thinking about taking the most beat up one, and the other two will go to my nephews I think. Sorry.

>>31319801
Thanks for the info. I guess I'll consider hanging on to that one. It had been mostly in the give away pile.

>>31319821
I guess I thought Western was mostly K-Mart trash. Gould to know it used to be Camillus. All those knives are marked W77 or W75 (model I think) and Stainless. Seem like a flavor of 440. Do you know more?

>>31320034
>That 484 nakamura is a pretty nice knife
That one was actually a gift from me. I bought three when I bought mine, one to uncle, one to pop and one for me. Finally convinced unc to stop carrying that Gerber Airframe above it after more than a decade, which he fucking hated sharpening because of the serrations but loved to use, and he carried that 484 for his last few years. I think that one will go to one of his daughters maybe, maybe save it for one of the nephews, see if either of them do something really awesome at some point.

You can see that Airframe's serrations are all fucked up because he gave it to his local sporting goods store about 15 years ago to sharpen because he was just fed up with trying to get a chip out of a serration, and the fucking idiot put it on a belt sander. He still carried it for like 8 more years. Stubborn old bastard.

>>31319462
>AFSK is good also.
Just looked this up. I didn't realize this was actually USAF issue. Neat. Thanks.

>>31320249
Oh, and if anyone knows anything about the Solingen Hubertus in this >>31319652 pic, I'd appreciate a little info. The spring loaded opening paddle/flip feature is pretty slick for a gentlemen's folder, and it's the only one in the collection. Never ran across a mechanism like it before.

>>31320249
If the daggers say stainless then they're definitely not 1095. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that they're the Coleman ones. To complicate things further Camillus also made them in 440c. I think the Coleman ones were 440a, which is OK for a shank but the pre and post Coleman knives will be of better quality in general.

Come to think of it, the Westerns might all be stainless and the black model might be the 1095 version.

>>31319569
The one curved guy laying where the boards 45, that's a sharpfinger.
Not terribly vintage or unique, can still buy em new at like Wal-Mart. A major reason to keep would be if it looks like your uncle loved it. Otherwise, it's common

>>31320567
Common, but this ones a USA model with the drop in sheath instead of the keeper snap button. Better quality than the current production, and sheath is one of the less produced. Three out of the four other sheath styles feature a snap button.

>>31320320
Just to cure my autism. What kind of guns did he leave you?

>>31320667
I thought you'd come save the day sharps, good on ya, keep that one OP

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A little sharpening porn for the help. More coming as I work.

>>31320413
>To complicate things further Camillus also made them in 440c. I think the Coleman ones were 440a, which is OK for a shank but the pre and post Coleman knives will be of better quality in general.
Any way to tell whether these are Coleman era?

>>31320567
>A major reason to keep would be if it looks like your uncle loved it. Otherwise, it's common
That's actually the knife he used to teach me how to field dress my first deer. I'll definitely be keeping that one.

>>31320667
>Better quality than the current production, and sheath is one of the less produced
Thanks for the extra info there. Very nice to know. This specific one is the oldest and most used, pretty sure it was the one he used a bunch. Any idea on the steel? It's marked Schrade USA 152, with Old Timer on the handle inlay.

Also, is there anything particularly interesting with the other pieces?

>>31320707
>What kind of guns did he leave you?
Mostly hunting and the old family pieces. I don't much like leaving any itemized lists floating around online (yeah, I know, silly and tin foil). Still, adding 40+ long guns/shotguns plus another dozen pistols to my current collection is a little overwhelming. I'll be passing them on to nephews one per birthday/Christmas for quite some time.

A few interesting older war pieces, mostly American (1903s x2, a trench sweeper, old GI 1911 etc.). A few even older things. A nice M1897 with three barrels, a couple of nice M1912s. A few pre-64 Winchesters, including an M94 and an M70 in 30.06. A couple of nice clay guns and a nice O/U field gun.

Let's just say his daughters were pissed, even though they got everything else. But they never got into shooting or hunting at all, and wouldn't know how to take care of them. Hell, they'd have sold them off, and he knew it.

>>31321219
>Any way to tell whether these are Coleman era?

Sorry guy, no clue.

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>>31321291
No worries. Thanks for the history on the model line.

Ok, now that I've had a chance to take a close look at some of these, some questions:

>>31319412
While the hatchet seems close to useless (basically just a cut sheet of 1/4" stainless, near as I can tell) the hatchet-knife set is kind of interesting. Anyone have an opinion? Sheath marked Cabela's, knife/hatchet marked Western W66 and W10 respectively.

The green handled Buck was one he used a lot hunting. Rubber handle, feels like a rat tail tang. Marked Buck USA 639 with an upside down V or lambda or big carrot after the 9. Super common?

Definitely keeping the Mk3Mod0 USN knife. He had three, and that one was the one he used a lot. Haven't seen others around (not that I looked all that hard), but I tried to get him to come off one for me years ago with no dice. Feels like a great all rounder camp tool/dive knife. Any other detail on that?

I don't know much of anything about the two leather handle knives in the middle, aside from that anon above with the AFSK clue. Left one marked RH36 with PAL and made in the USA. Crossguard is a bit wobbly, very beat up but still very much serviceable. Just feels nice and right. Anyone know anything? The one on the right is marked G.C.CO 376 Japan.

Any reason to hang on to the Gerber Patriot?

As for the black knife second from left, I can't find anything. Sheath is a blackhawk 07, no blade, handle or pommel markings. Nothing. Feels nice. Good flat pommel butt for hammering, but the rest feels more geared toward combat. Thinner than the others, etc. Feels well made but very much mass produced.

>>31319425
Anyone ever used one of these SPEC PLUS Machetes? Marked SP8-95, bottom of pic. Feels surprisingly nice, more like a hatchet than a machete. I'm more of a hatchet man myself for camp tools, and this doesn't feel well balanced or light enough (it's like 3/8" thick on the spine) for light brush like a machete. But it seems like it might be an excellent all-round bushcraft tool, sort of a does everything kinda meh but you don't have to carry anything else kind of thing. Thoughts?

>>31319479
Never really saw a need for a Kukuri type blade, but this one looked sort of neat. Anyone got a clue what that massive gut hook is for? Anyone actually used these kukuris for anything out in the field?

>>31319526
Of these I was thinking about hanging on to the Buck 192 and the Schrade Uncle Henry 144. The Buck feels really nice, very concave down to a tiny edge profile. Seems like it might be a great hunting field knife as long as you remember to bring a skinner too. Don't know much about it, though, so if the steel is complete shit I'd like to know now. Seems well built.

The Uncle Henry is more of a display piece, but it's beautiful. Actually feels nice too, ergonomic and like it might stand up to a beating. I don't know much about Schrade in general or the Uncle Henry line, so a little help here.

The Sharp is kind of interesting. Even thinner blade profile than the Buck 192, almost like a razor it's so concave, blade length is more to my liking, also feels nice in the hand. Marked 440 Stainless Japan, though. Anyone know anything? On the fence with that one.

>>31319558
I'm familiar with the Gerber FS/Mark I line, and have one like the bottom one already. The full edge Mark I seems like it might be Vietnam era, but I don't really know how to tell. I figure I'll hand on to those.

As for the SOG, anon above suggested I hang on to that one, and I guess I might.

There are enough of the Western boot stickers I'm sure I'll end up with at least one of those.

Anyone know anything about the sticker to the top right? Marked Valor Miami USA and 440 Stainless Japan 407. The leather handle is surprisingly grippy but otherwise it doesn't really feel special.

>>31319569
As for the working knives:

The Sharp and the shorter Uncle Henry filet seem like good backup choices to my current one, which is a bit run down now. I'll give the Boker and other UH away. Thoughts?

The Schrade Old Timer, as discussed above, will stay for sentimental reasons.

Probably give the Boker skinner away; seems ok but not really great, unless someone knows why I shouldn't.

Now the two mysteries: that sheepsfoot/ivory or bone handle with marlinspike is the only one in the collection, and seems just neat all around. Feels great in the hand, well built and finished. Since it comes with a marlinspike I'm assuming it's a utility knife for sailing, but anyone who can educate me sing out. Marked 1658 Myerchin and 440 Stainless Japan. Can't find anything online about this specific model, and as I'm not a sailor I'm not really sure why it's a sheepsfoot.

The other mystery is that big meaty skinner top left. Marked MX48 and Japan. This one is well-built, feels great in the hand, a little large and thick for a skinner but still feels like it'd be just fine, and the bone/joint teeth on the spine are great. Can't find diddly about it online aside from some old contradictory auctions.

>>31319603
Probably keep the dive knife for a backup, especially since no one else in the family dives anymore. And the river knife, just 'cause. Might come in handy on a kayak fishing trip or something.

>>31319618
Here's where we really get into I Have No Fucking Clue territory.

I know about the 484, and the Airframe (actually a really nice knife to my thinking, if you can find one with a full edge rather than half-serrated). The Emerson SAR goes in the ski-boat for cutting people or the prop loose from the ski rope in an emergency. I don't know when he bought that, but it's always seemed pretty nice, and it's already saved my left arm from getting chewed up, maybe amputated, so I guess it stays.

As for the lockbacks and folders above those, I have no clue. I guess I'll hang on to the Schrade locker (brass and wood, chip point blade profile) unless someone can tell me about the others, bottom to top:
Boker Tree Brand Classic 2000 440C Boker Solingen Germany Stainless
Schrade + LB7 USA
Puma Sergeant Germany Stainless 230265 Handmade
(left top) CaseXX Sod Buster Jr. Stainless USA 2137 (no locking mechanism)
(right top) Puma Germany Stainless, no other markings, beautiful horn of some sort on the handle

As for the two in the center, I'm thinking keep. A. G. Russel Premium Scout 2004 Lowell AR and CaseXX USA 6254 SS. Thoughts?

The Swiss army camping, leatherman and gerber multi tool (and multiple duplicates) I'll pass on, I've already got a leatherman and multitool.

>>31319652
As for the five gentleman's folders, they're all kind of neat. These seem to be the pick of the pile, so I guess I'll hang on to them. Still would really like to know about that Hubertus - the spring action automatic is a really neat mechanism.

>>31319695
Definitely keeping this guy. I'll look up William Henry later, I guess, but it seems more like jewelry than a work knife. Still seems like it'd be fine as an EDC for the days I'm working in a suit, and still be just fine for everyday tasks. Wickedly sharp - the blade profile is about as close to a razor as I've seen - stupid thin and crazy sharp. Seems hand built, and the blade steel itself seems high end.

Maybe it's just the box, I don't know. Seems like Unc probably payed a couple bennies or more for it. Anyone know this maker?

>>31322047
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>>31322106
>>31322190
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>>31322408
>>31322426
>>31322567
>>31322582
>>31322616
Fucking shit. I'm going to end up quadrupling my knife collection after all. Fuck. Someone talk me down. I don't need all these.

>>31321219
USA model is a high carbon, that's all I turned up in a few googles.

>>31323863
>USA model is a high carbon, that's all I turned up in a few googles.
'preciate the digging. I guess it doesn't matter that much, I'll be hanging on to it for sentimental reasons either way.

>>31323902
I'll check out schrades pre buy out steel usage tomorrow, gotta hit the hay for a couple hours before work. Good luck parting with any of those knives. Some cool shit there !

>>31322635
Protip: use a storage lubricant and that way unless you live in coonass country or somewhere similarly insanely hostile to metal you should be fine. Just keep all of it for now and store it properly , do your homework over the next few weeks and then give shit away to family as you see fit over the next few decades or so.

>>31324103
>I'll check out schrades pre buy out steel usage tomorrow
Thanks bud. You work in the trade, or you just like to keep up with the history?

>Good luck parting with any of those knives. Some cool shit there
If you were making the choice, what would you keep? Say you wanted only one or two pieces for every use/of every type.

>>31324121
>Protip: use a storage lubricant and that way unless you live in coonass country or somewhere similarly insanely hostile to metal you should be fine. Just keep all of it for now and store it properly , do your homework over the next few weeks and then give shit away to family as you see fit over the next few decades or so.
That's the plan. They're all getting completely cleaned up over the next few days (spent the last three on the firearms), getting oiled with the same oil I use on guns (either Breakfree CLP or Hoppe's Oil, depending). Some of the carbon steel ones might get greased. Left outside of sheaths, especially leather ones. Low humidity storage in the gun closet.

Am I missing anything?

The knives will be given away in batches this Christmas to everyone for the most part. If I'm to take care of almost a hundred firearms now, I really don't have time to keep up with all these knives. Just doing a full clean on all of the guns twice a year even when they haven't been shot will take two full weekends every year.

So that'll be Christmas this year for everyone. Teach the nieces and nephews how to care for them, etc. Then on the ensuing years, a few guns apiece to the nieces and nephews, his old friends, etc. I'm going to spend some time with them first, shoot all of them over the next year and a half, decide which ones I want to keep. Probably the really old family pieces that need a little extra love, maybe his favorite deer rifle and a couple of his O/U shotguns. A few others. It'll be hard to make those calls.

>>31319695
I... really want one of those.

>>31319412
Hah, that dude has the same taste as I did when I was 12. Like if I circled everything I liked in a SMKW catalog it would look exactly like that. My tastes are just a little more niche nowadays, although I'm coming back around to traditional pocket knives.

>>31324366
Nah, just like knives. Always have.

>>31325978
>Smokey Mountain Knife Works
Something about how you said that reminds me of him taking me out to pick out something neat at Tiger Mountain Cutlery in Clayton in the summers at the lake when I was young. Still have and use one of the fixed blade knives he bought me on one of those trips.

My own taste in knives and tools has pretty much always been to flat utility. A tool is beautiful to me when it is perfectly suited to the task at hand, feels perfect in the hand, and is built to last. The aesthetics of overall shape and form never much got my fire lit, at least with tools and knives, past admiration for a beautiful wood/horn/bone/etc on the handle, or nice inlay or something.

How it feels in the hand, how it feels in use always seemed more important. But when it's right? I don't want anything else, and I'll use it until it breaks or just about cry when I lose it.

Maybe I'm just autistic. And really drunk. Been slowly working bourbon and cleaning up knives for about 10 hours now. Wonder I haven't accidentally'd a finger yet.

>>31324366
>Am I missing anything?

Yeah, a can of G96. Best CLP around.

>>31321382
what are these?