Rough Rider & Related Slipjoints

Yes that is helpful, particularly when you have multiple examples to draw from. To try or not to try ... THAT is the question. There are a few different models on that auction site. For $15 I wouldn't hesitate but they are more like $40 and for that I am more likely to wait around on a nice vintage knife to come up.


Here let me edit this post about a hundred times. Has anyone taken any slipjoints apart for customizing purposes? Sometimes I think it would be nice to convert some patterns to a simple, slim, single blade knife.

Yeah, I don't think I'd pay $40 for them. I got them on closeout , they weren't more than $15.
 
I am a sucker for straight up Jack patterns like that. I really wish Rough Rider would do some pure swell end or cigar (I think I would call yours a cigar or equal end or whatever) Jack Knives with fat spear or clip main blades. Anyway, I'm now on the hunt for one like yours - I hadn't seen them before. Do you know if they are made where the RRs are made?

ETA: If you read this. How is the function of yours? I was just reading some less than encouraging reviews of the 65th Anniversary knives with stag.
There is one like that by Marbles. I like mine.
 
That's the one I have. Probably. Can't remember if it has 2 or 3 backsprings.

Well now that I am looking it seems they used a few different orientations with a similar (or the same) handle. A Cattle Knife, which looks like a traditional Jack Knife, a Cattlemans Whittler that appears to have 3 back springs, and a Sleeve Board Whittler which has 3 blades but uhh .... I can't tell how the back springs work (can't find pics) but I think maybe 2 narrow back springs with 2 narrow blades on one end, and a thicker main blade which is thick enough to ride on both springs. Dunno exactly.
 
Well now that I am looking it seems they used a few different orientations with a similar (or the same) handle. A Cattle Knife, which looks like a traditional Jack Knife, a Cattlemans Whittler that appears to have 3 back springs, and a Sleeve Board Whittler which has 3 blades but uhh .... I can't tell how the back springs work (can't find pics) but I think maybe 2 narrow back springs with 2 narrow blades on one end, and a thicker main blade which is thick enough to ride on both springs. Dunno exactly.
Split back spring, maybe?
 
Well now that I am looking it seems they used a few different orientations with a similar (or the same) handle. A Cattle Knife, which looks like a traditional Jack Knife, a Cattlemans Whittler that appears to have 3 back springs, and a Sleeve Board Whittler which has 3 blades but uhh .... I can't tell how the back springs work (can't find pics) but I think maybe 2 narrow back springs with 2 narrow blades on one end, and a thicker main blade which is thick enough to ride on both springs. Dunno exactly.

I have the Marbles sleeve board, that's exactly how it is, two springs for the smaller blades with a brass spacer that tapers the springs down to meet the larger blade.
As afishhunter said... split back spring
 
I have the Marbles sleeve board, that's exactly how it is, two springs for the smaller blades with a brass spacer that tapers the springs down to meet the larger blade.
As afishhunter said... split back spring
Yeah. I dug mine out to find out the answer. I got the same.
 
Having read through this tread in its entirety, I decided to take the plunge on a RR403, 3 3/4" red bone congress. I've been itching for a congress after going through my maternal Grandfather's knife collection and finding 7-8 full size Boker and Hen & Rooster congress knives therein...

Short of dropping the cash on the Boker, I went the Rough Rider route to see how one felt in use. it arrived in the mail today and I thought I'd post my initial impressions on the knife. Despite the glowing reviews, I went in with pretty low expectations of it.... after all, it was $6.95 shipped to my door. I think it's better to be pleasantly surprised than majorly disappointed.

Chassis: bone, bolsters and backsprings

The bone is nicely cut and fitted to the slant bolsters. The jigging pattern is nice, grippy and well cut. The bolster to bone fit is almost as nice as on my Case knives, and significantly better than my GECs. The bolsters look good (although with more of a yellow-tint to the nickel silver than my Case/Queen/GEC knives, which looks a little bit cheap, but not bad)... The bone is PINK. Like, all the way pink ~ think Strawberry Milkshake or Grandma's sitting room drapes kind of pink. I'm OK with that though, because I had panned to experiment with dying the bone, even when I thought it was going to be red. One of the bolsters is raised up above the liner by about 1/64" on two of three sides. The backsprings are flush to the liners when looking at it from behind, although there is some visible light peeking through the entire length of both springs. The backsprings ride low compared to the liners and bolsters on both ends, both open and closed. I could easily remedy this with some sandpaper, and I probably will. The knife is very blocky, with the edges of the bolsters and bone being more squared off than any of my other traditional knives. I don't really consider this good or bad, but it's worth noting.

Blades:

I just took it out of the box, so I have no comments on edge retention, but that seems pretty well documented elsewhere. The blade fit is not bad for 4 blades in such a slim chassis. The two small blades do not appear to have any rub. The two larger blades do rub together a bit, but not badly. The blades are surprisingly thick behind the cutting bevel on all four... I recall reading somewhere in this thread that another congress reviewer said the blades on his were reminiscent of old Case grinds... These remind me more of an "overbuilt" tactical folder... it's nothing some 400grit wet/dry sand paper and some time over a piece of glass can't cure, but this was definitely my biggest disappointment with the knife as I bought it for whittling... The kicks on the small pen blades are not even ~ one pen blade rides so low that it's extremely difficult to open, forcing me to stick my thumbnail below the liner to wedge it in well enough to pop the blade open, while the other rides high enough that the point of the blade sits about 1/16" above the handle of the knife, when closed. Not much danger of it catching a finger with the other blades down. The kicks are hidden behind the bolsters, so it'll be a challenge to lower the blade. I will chop the tip off and turn it into a coping blade to resolve this issue. None of the blades will even scrape arm hair off, but the edges are well formed enough that a quick stropping should tune them up nicely, however as I'm going to be re-grinding all four blades, this is again not a big concern. The pull on thee of the blades is very nice, 5-6 on my personal pull scale, while the one low riding pen is more like an 8. Pull is very smooth with nice walk and talk on all of them. There is no play in any direction on any of the blades.


Summary


Overall, it's about what I expected ~ pretty nice for the money, but probably not what I'm going to base my collection, or even users, on, but it's a fun, low impact way to try a new pattern. I think happiness with this knife is all about the mindset and price. If I'd paid $100, or even $50 for this knife, I'd be livid with the F&F issues, however for less than I paid for lunch, I have a very serviceable, bone handled knife that with a couple of hours of tinkering will be a really good knife that will be pretty close in quality to some of my less expensive USA made knives.
 
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Quote: "The knife is very blocky, with the edges of the bolsters and bone being more squared off than any of my other traditional knives."
A Congress pattern usually has squared corners (LGK4; pg 242) so that is RR being true to the pattern. There are also Congress knives with rounded bolsters but these are less common.
kj
 
As promised, comparison between RRs idea of a small stockman and a Case small stockman.

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And a Case medium stockman.

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Looks like that RR small stockman corresponds more closely to the Case 6344 and Buck 303, size-wise.
 
As promised, comparison between RRs idea of a small stockman and a Case small stockman.
...
And a Case medium stockman.
...

OMR, what are the handle materials on the RR "small" stockman? Are the covers some sort of wood, or a synthetic intended to look like wood? Thanks.

- GT
 
OMR, what are the handle materials on the RR "small" stockman? Are the covers some sort of wood, or a synthetic intended to look like wood? Thanks.

- GT

They called it rootwood when they use it on their "Loveless" look alike fixed blade.
It's wood.:D
Best regards

Robin
 
Just ordered the Marbles equal end Cattleman and the Sleeveboard. Up above I was saying the Cattle knife looked like a similar handle but then I realized it's 4-1/4" so it's quite a bit bigger than these other two which are both supposed to be 3-1/2". I also ordered a RR Electricians knife. Hopefully between these three I can rip them apart and reconfigure a couple Frankenknives. Once I have them apart I hope to figure out the size of the pins used and see what I can come up with in that department as well. I know I can get some brass rod locally but I don't know if I can get stainless that small for the pivot. Anyway, I'll post some pics. Wish me luck .... I'm probably gonna need it. I have been wanting some kind of Jack Knife with a bail, so that's why I got the Electrician really, but also because the Marbles don't come in but a couple cover choices. I got the red bone which is something I don't normally like but I have another RR in their red and it's really nice.
 
Well, good luck with your project. We'll be watching your progress.
I think you'll find the RR Electricians are pretty nice. Especially for the $.

I regularly carry a Camillus TL-29 which are built like tanks, but the RR's are darned good too, for that style.
Harold
 
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Here's a pic of my Marble's Cattle Knife. It's a BIG knife, reasonably sharp from the box, with pulls on both blades just a bit over medium. Great knife if you can carry a big one like this, and a bargain.
 
Here's a pic of my Marble's Cattle Knife. It's a BIG knife, reasonably sharp from the box, with pulls on both blades just a bit over medium. Great knife if you can carry a big one like this, and a bargain.

Wow, the bone stag is pretty convincing on yours. If the ones I ordered look like that I will be happy with them. I was considering "modifying" them too. I hear that RIT dye can do some magic with sprucing up jigged bone and I have a little ball bit for my Dremel that I think will make fairly neat home-brew jigging.
 
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