Happy birthday Uncle Henry!
- Thread starter Codger_64
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What he said.
black mamba
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Great thread, how about some pics????
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Very nice collection and images of them.
Codger_64
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I've been thinking about this post and of course Uncle Henry B. Baer since I brought this forward a few days ago, wondring if there was more trivia I might add. Then I remembered anothr long ago post regarding the origins of the name "Old Timer".
article from the May 1980 Old Timer Almanac for your enjoyment:
What The Old Timer Line Really is...
Back about 20 years ago, Uncle Henry Baer, President of the Schrade Cutlery Corporation was driving back from the Ellenville plant where the Schrade knives are made to New York City with his brother Albert Baer, Chairman of the Board of The Imperial Knife Associated Companies Inc., talking about the product that they had just seen being made at the Ellenville Plant. Uncle Henry mentioned to his brother that what was needed in those days besides a good five cent cigar, was a good old fashioned type of knife. His brother replied, "That's a good idea Henry, and that wouldn't be a bad name for a knife line either - Old Timer.
And so the Old Timer line was born in a name, at least. However it took a little longer than that to develop the knives. First, Uncle Henry talked to people who used knives throughout the country. From farmers, ranchers, hunters and fishermen. What he was looking for in a knife was something that would combine beauty and function, and would perform better than any other knife on the market. Right from the very beginning, Uncle Henry decided that there would be no compromising the quality of his new line. In a time when stainless steels were becoming the rage because they kept their good looks, he insisted on a working man's blade of high carbon cutlery steel that would hold it's edge and yet resharpen easily. With the concept of the carbon steel blade in mind, he added solid nickle silver for bolsters, solid brass for linings, and a rugged saw-cut handle for sure grip and easy handling. Knowing that the finest materials needed the surest touch of the best of craftsmen, Uncle Henry insisted that only the top cutlers in the factory worked on his new line of Old Timer knives. These cutlers, many second and third generation masters of their art, combined the raw materials that Uncle Henry procurred with over 100 hand operations to produce the first Old Timer knives some 6 - 8 months after the first conversation during that drive to New York City.
Today the philosophy that began some 20 years ago still holds true, and Uncle Henry, the original Old Timer, still oversees the making of his line of Old Timer Knives.
An older Old Timer! | BladeForums.com
And now I muse about the origins of the mark "Uncle Henry". Here is some pure supposition for you to chew.
1959, the year the OT line appeared, was twenty years after the epic 1939 MGM movie "The Wizard Of Oz". The name given to the kindly, sympathetic and hard working character of Dorothy's uncle was... Uncle Henry. He was the only one in the opening black and white cast who was not represented as an alter-ego in the color dream sequences to follow. Did Henry Baer use the nickname "Uncle Henry" before it appeared on the so-named knife lines? Something to ponder at least. And maybe find his first use of the name.
The 897UH was, to the best I recall, the first Uncle Henry pattern knife when introduced in 1967. Please correct me if I am wrong!
article from the May 1980 Old Timer Almanac for your enjoyment:
What The Old Timer Line Really is...
Back about 20 years ago, Uncle Henry Baer, President of the Schrade Cutlery Corporation was driving back from the Ellenville plant where the Schrade knives are made to New York City with his brother Albert Baer, Chairman of the Board of The Imperial Knife Associated Companies Inc., talking about the product that they had just seen being made at the Ellenville Plant. Uncle Henry mentioned to his brother that what was needed in those days besides a good five cent cigar, was a good old fashioned type of knife. His brother replied, "That's a good idea Henry, and that wouldn't be a bad name for a knife line either - Old Timer.
And so the Old Timer line was born in a name, at least. However it took a little longer than that to develop the knives. First, Uncle Henry talked to people who used knives throughout the country. From farmers, ranchers, hunters and fishermen. What he was looking for in a knife was something that would combine beauty and function, and would perform better than any other knife on the market. Right from the very beginning, Uncle Henry decided that there would be no compromising the quality of his new line. In a time when stainless steels were becoming the rage because they kept their good looks, he insisted on a working man's blade of high carbon cutlery steel that would hold it's edge and yet resharpen easily. With the concept of the carbon steel blade in mind, he added solid nickle silver for bolsters, solid brass for linings, and a rugged saw-cut handle for sure grip and easy handling. Knowing that the finest materials needed the surest touch of the best of craftsmen, Uncle Henry insisted that only the top cutlers in the factory worked on his new line of Old Timer knives. These cutlers, many second and third generation masters of their art, combined the raw materials that Uncle Henry procurred with over 100 hand operations to produce the first Old Timer knives some 6 - 8 months after the first conversation during that drive to New York City.
Today the philosophy that began some 20 years ago still holds true, and Uncle Henry, the original Old Timer, still oversees the making of his line of Old Timer Knives.
An older Old Timer! | BladeForums.com
And now I muse about the origins of the mark "Uncle Henry". Here is some pure supposition for you to chew.
1959, the year the OT line appeared, was twenty years after the epic 1939 MGM movie "The Wizard Of Oz". The name given to the kindly, sympathetic and hard working character of Dorothy's uncle was... Uncle Henry. He was the only one in the opening black and white cast who was not represented as an alter-ego in the color dream sequences to follow. Did Henry Baer use the nickname "Uncle Henry" before it appeared on the so-named knife lines? Something to ponder at least. And maybe find his first use of the name.
The 897UH was, to the best I recall, the first Uncle Henry pattern knife when introduced in 1967. Please correct me if I am wrong!
black mamba
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The 172UH also first appeared in the 1971 catalog. This knife fits my hand better than any other Schrade fixed blade.
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I was passing through Ellenville in the late 70's and dropped into the factory just to say hello. Uncle Henry gave me a tour and introduced me to Dave, Wally and Irv. They spent more time with me than I would expect from such busy men. I mentioned to Uncle Henry I would go into the city on business occasionally and he gave me his personal home phone number and said to call him the next time i was in town. Well, I did. He lived on Central Park West over looking the park and he and his wife served lunch and we chatted for hours about the knife industry. He truly was everybody's uncle, genuine, kind and joyful person.