First time poster 
Over the last few months, I have been reading these forums and starting a small Schrade/Case knife collection. It all started this past Thanksgiving with my grandfather giving me the knife we used to clean game when we were both younger. There is a WEALTH of information here that has helped me and will continue to help me care for all of my knives new and old for the rest of my life. I cannot thank everyone here enough!
EDIT: I've updated the title of the post to reflect the actual model number of the knife. Thanks tongueriver! I've also posted pictures below.
I recently purchased a Schrade Walden / N.Y. U.S.A. that isn't actually the H-15, but is very similar. I believe it is often referred to as the Sears Bowie Knife (??) that does not have an H-15 or any other model number stamp. This one does not have Bowie Knife etched on the blade, or if it did it is long gone now. The guard covers both the top and bottom; whereas the H-15 only "guards" the bottom of the knife. I can post pictures or links to other examples on these forums if anyone is confused which knife I am talking about.
The reason I'm posting is because of a question regarding the plastic used in the manufacturing of these old knives. I figure putting H-15 in the title would get the right group of people looking at this post, despite this knife being the Sears (??) / Bowie knife model. I imagined they used similar plastics and wasn't positive what to call this Schrade model fixed blade.
The plastic, which on this knife is red, does seem to have cracks on both the guard and pommel side. That being said, both the guard and pommel are relatively tight. Only the guard has a very very slight and negligible "wobble". And so, I do not think this is affecting the functionality at all. The leather stacks all seem to be in excellent condition.
That being said, I do not want these cracks in the plastic to get worse as I plan on using the knife heavily. I thought it would be best to try to super glue it or something. I figured this might even fix the insignificant wobble in the guard. However, I recently found a post on here (https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-glue-epoxy-for-hdpe-plastic.595801/) stating that the type of epoxy used will depend upon the type of plastic you are trying to bond and that it may be tough to get certain plastics to bond period.
I trust everyone here more than I trust my own google searches. And so, I wanted to ask you folks. What type of plastic is used in these knives? I'm certainly no "plastic expert". Should I even bother trying to "seal" these mostly hairline cracks to prevent further damage? If so, what would be a decent option given that I'm relatively new to knife collecting and have not done many repairs? Super glue? Some variation of JB Weld?
Thanks everyone! I appreciate your time and look forward to your responses.
Over the last few months, I have been reading these forums and starting a small Schrade/Case knife collection. It all started this past Thanksgiving with my grandfather giving me the knife we used to clean game when we were both younger. There is a WEALTH of information here that has helped me and will continue to help me care for all of my knives new and old for the rest of my life. I cannot thank everyone here enough!
EDIT: I've updated the title of the post to reflect the actual model number of the knife. Thanks tongueriver! I've also posted pictures below.
I recently purchased a Schrade Walden / N.Y. U.S.A. that isn't actually the H-15, but is very similar. I believe it is often referred to as the Sears Bowie Knife (??) that does not have an H-15 or any other model number stamp. This one does not have Bowie Knife etched on the blade, or if it did it is long gone now. The guard covers both the top and bottom; whereas the H-15 only "guards" the bottom of the knife. I can post pictures or links to other examples on these forums if anyone is confused which knife I am talking about.
The reason I'm posting is because of a question regarding the plastic used in the manufacturing of these old knives. I figure putting H-15 in the title would get the right group of people looking at this post, despite this knife being the Sears (??) / Bowie knife model. I imagined they used similar plastics and wasn't positive what to call this Schrade model fixed blade.
The plastic, which on this knife is red, does seem to have cracks on both the guard and pommel side. That being said, both the guard and pommel are relatively tight. Only the guard has a very very slight and negligible "wobble". And so, I do not think this is affecting the functionality at all. The leather stacks all seem to be in excellent condition.
That being said, I do not want these cracks in the plastic to get worse as I plan on using the knife heavily. I thought it would be best to try to super glue it or something. I figured this might even fix the insignificant wobble in the guard. However, I recently found a post on here (https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/what-glue-epoxy-for-hdpe-plastic.595801/) stating that the type of epoxy used will depend upon the type of plastic you are trying to bond and that it may be tough to get certain plastics to bond period.
I trust everyone here more than I trust my own google searches. And so, I wanted to ask you folks. What type of plastic is used in these knives? I'm certainly no "plastic expert". Should I even bother trying to "seal" these mostly hairline cracks to prevent further damage? If so, what would be a decent option given that I'm relatively new to knife collecting and have not done many repairs? Super glue? Some variation of JB Weld?
Thanks everyone! I appreciate your time and look forward to your responses.
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