Limited EK Model 5 Navy knife?

I have it. Got it around 9 months ago. I also noticed it on the two sites and was surprised there was no mention anywhere else. When it became available, I posted about it in the Becker Snark thread and people didn’t seem interested.

Here’s mine...
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It’s a cool blade. :thumbsup:
 
its handle is probably an aquired taste.
for anyone into old ek knives
its historical aspect is probably the draw
for getting this replica.
 
its handle is probably an aquired taste.
for anyone into old ek knives
its historical aspect is probably the draw
for getting this replica.
When I posted about it, I vaguely recall that being a criticism as well as it having a look of being sharpened/reprofiled one too many times.

My perspective then (and now), historical recreation by KA-BAR equals all win. :thumbsup:
 
the look of it just doen't quite compare
to what the folks of today would appreciate.
lemme explain....
i just dunno how it was perceived
"designwise', back in its day.
if it was considered groundbreaking, fancyful or perhaps even somewhat
of a norm with the type of woodwork
fitted on handcrafted knives back then?
so that fast foreward today, it represents
a certain look of the way things were.
i guess, what i m saying is that whilst
old is gold, time also has a way of making some things become less appealing or appreciated.
i suspect it takes a certain kinda person
with no knowledge of ek knives history to immediately take a liking to it and fully appreciate it for what it is - a rustic knife.
 
nice pictures :)
thank's for sharing !
i honestly think that a damascus blade
would have served well as a classy
collector's package.
 
I have a KA-BAR Ek Model 4 with the point ground off center that I considered stripping the coating and adding a maple handle with poured lead rivets if I ever get around to regrinding the point. I have Ek knives from Richmond, Effingham, and KA-BAR; and always wanted and liked the look of the early Ek knives from Hamden and Miami.
 
I'm sorry for resurecting an old thread, but I registered just so I could share this. I was going through some things that were my grandfather's and came across an original John Ek Model 5 Ka-Bar/navy. Sadly a little spot of the point is broken. From what I can tell, it was made between 1939-1949 and appears to be the 6009th made. I think it was my great uncles, as that's the only family on that side that served in WWII.
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C6JvU9j.jpg
 
That serial number works out to model 5, number 6009.

From 1939, when he started, through WW2, Ek numbered his knives with first the model number, in this case "5". Since the knives were guaranteed through the life of the initial purchaser, the knives were serialized and the ownership card returned to the company.

The initial knives went from 1 to 999. "A" was used to indicate "1000". So "F" is 6000, leading to "6009" for this knife.
 
That serial number works out to model 5, number 6009.
Thanks zz...the info I read was correct than. Any idea what kind of steel it is? Trying to decide if I want to restore the sheath and clean up the blade since a tiny portion of the tip is broken (less than 1/8in) and it could use a nice sharpening/polishing.
 
To me it looks like a knife better suited for food prep than anything else.
Honestly, I thought it was an old hunting/skinning/filet knife when I first came across it. Had no idea the historical past. They're fetching anywhere from about $400-$1500 depending on condition. I have no intent on selling it though.
 
Thanks zz...the info I read was correct than. Any idea what kind of steel it is? Trying to decide if I want to restore the sheath and clean up the blade since a tiny portion of the tip is broken (less than 1/8in) and it could use a nice sharpening/polishing.

According to info I found on a couple of sites, Ek used some nickel-chromium-molybdenum high carbon steel formulation widely available BEFORE WW2 began because it took/kept a good edge and was "relatively" stainless. Ek's company and processes were examined by the US Government's War Production Board during WW2 and was authorized to draw on reserves of it to continue making his knives.

At some point down the road after WW2, in addition to the Ni-Cr-Mo HC steel he had been using, Ek also used a formulation of Swedish Sandvik stainless steel.
 
Thanks again zz. I normally prefer high carbon. Given the low production number (I think it's estimated 30k of model 5 were made, and this is the lowest number I've seen so far), I don't think it's stainless. I will say this, for having sat for 30+ years, there's not really any corrosion and it's still almost razor sharp. Can't quite shave with it, but it's close.
I think I'm going to do a mild restoration on it. Enough to keep the leather from falling apart and clean up the blade, but not to like new condition. Gonna leave the small 1/16 that broke off the tip like that. Gives it character and it's literally just 1/16 of an inch missing.
 
The nickel and chromium content of the formulation wasn't apparently high enough to be classified as a stainless steel, but Mr. Ek liked it because it made a good knife and had "stainless qualities."
 
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