Schrade 152OT Sharpfinger

[black mamba]

Codger, I have a pretty minty one of those 154UH models. I'm not sure I like the downswept blade for skinning, but it may be better for getting in the chest cavity.

 

[Codger_64]

Codger, I have a pretty minty one of those 154UH models. I'm not sure I like the downswept blade for skinning, but it may be better for getting in the chest cavity.

A lot of people liked them. Try it on fowl and fish. I could never get used to it myself, but by the time I got one I had been using the Sharpfinger for years, so maybe just personal bias.

 

[Codger_64]

Shown elsewhere, but not in this thread. A good quality 440C stainless blade blank on which I installed a set of book matched black walnut handles. A terrific slicer, as the original always was.

Is this the same commercial blank as yours?

 

[black mamba]

It's slightly different. I bought mine about ten years ago off eBay, but can't remember who from. It was advertised as 440C from 57-59 HRc, if my memory is correct.

 

[Codger_64]

I really like the customs, both sole author and finished commercial blanks, as well as custom stock knives. The variety is near endless.

Here is a new one. A cool custom sheath (not a factory sheath for the Sharpfinger). Does it belong to another brand of factory knife?

And the knife is an early translucent reddish brown dyed handle. I much prefer these over the later deep chocolate brown handles.

 

[Codger_64]

Another one added to fill in the missing pieces in my Sharpie collection. 1990 502SC Mare and Foal artwork. I'm not sure why, but this one seems to come around less often than many other year issues.

This particular knife came without box, sheath or paper, but is serialized on the pile side. That suggests that it was from a broken up set for the 1990 year. The single knives sold were in the blue and white fold down box and not serialized.

My searches so far indicate that the familiar leatherette gift box with the flocked tray was not used from 1990 forward. In fact, while nowhere near complete, my photo archive shows that box not used after the 1988 year with it only being used for a few limited editions thereafter. I guess I need to find a NOS sheath and blue box for this one.

 

[Codger_64]

I finally found another local issue scrimshaw, Ellenville Wawarsing 4th Of July celebration 1989 502SC. Records show 300 produced. Frank Giorgianni prepared the art for the scrim die and blade etch, then hand colored the art on each.

For some years Imperial Schrade made special event knives as commemoratives and fundraiser events for the local Ellenville Wawarsing area. 4th of July and Christmas lighting being two prominent ones. And of course the distribution would have been almost entirely local, not nationwide. So far I have only identified three such Sharpfinger issues. That doesn't mean there are not more out there that I haven't seen yet.

 

[Drunkscriblerian]

Hi all, been a while since I last posted. A new job and a hell of a career change has kept me busy.

I've been carrying the Sharpfinger at my new job (shipping and receiving at a bearing factory) and its been weird. Like, on the one hand my coworkers have been all kinds of liking my knife ( I think I've converted at least two to the gospel of the 152) but I've also found out how a lot of workplaces these days forbid employees from carrying their own knives on duty. Fortunately mine isn't one of those, but still...

Like, what the shit?? My Sharpfinger is way better than the POS folding box-cutter the company issues, I'm prepared to maintain my personal blade on my own time/dime AND I'm way more familiar with it (and therefore less likely to cause an injury with it).

The idea that there are rules prohibiting a working man from carrying his own knife on the jobsite is just gob-smack stupid to me. I grew up on construction sites run by my father, and EVERY guy who worked for him had his own knife (usually a Buck 110) that he used for all manner of routine tasks. Let a guy carry the knife he likes and let him use it to do random mundane shit that happens when you're working. Sheesh.

Anyhow, to bring this back to topic...my Sharpfinger has conquered new territory! Like I said, I've been working in a new job, and my Sharpie has served me well. Just today a co-worker tried to cut a length of flat foam, found their box-cutter was dull and swore a lot. I was all "allow me" and pulled out my Sharpie. It trimmed that foam like it had been born to do it.

Co-worker: "Damn, you keep that thing sharp!"

Me: "well, they didn't call it the Dullfinger..."

(yes I'm bad at one-liners)

 

[Codger_64]

Hi all, been a while since I last posted. A new job and a hell of a career change has kept me busy.

I've been carrying the Sharpfinger at my new job (shipping and receiving at a bearing factory) and its been weird. Like, on the one hand my coworkers have been all kinds of liking my knife ( I think I've converted at least two to the gospel of the 152) but I've also found out how a lot of workplaces these days forbid employees from carrying their own knives on duty. Fortunately mine isn't one of those, but still...

Like, what the shit?? My Sharpfinger is way better than the POS folding box-cutter the company issues, I'm prepared to maintain my personal blade on my own time/dime AND I'm way more familiar with it (and therefore less likely to cause an injury with it).

The idea that there are rules prohibiting a working man from carrying his own knife on the jobsite is just gob-smack stupid to me. I grew up on construction sites run by my father, and EVERY guy who worked for him had his own knife (usually a Buck 110) that he used for all manner of routine tasks. Let a guy carry the knife he likes and let him use it to do random mundane shit that happens when you're working. Sheesh.

Anyhow, to bring this back to topic...my Sharpfinger has conquered new territory! Like I said, I've been working in a new job, and my Sharpie has served me well. Just today a co-worker tried to cut a length of flat foam, found their box-cutter was dull and swore a lot. I was all "allow me" and pulled out my Sharpie. It trimmed that foam like it had been born to do it.

Co-worker: "Damn, you keep that thing sharp!"

Me: "well, they didn't call it the Dullfinger..."

(yes I'm bad at one-liners)

Welcome back. I still have to remind myself to "de-knife" when I go to the courthouse and a few other government buildings. I have forgotten one or two before and still had no hassles. But they weren't sheath knives. Back before all this fear stuff started, I lived in places where no one batted an eye over whatever knife or pistol you carried. One postmaster enjoyed watching me open boxes of new knives and letting him play with them. It's a (not so) brave world out there.

 

[Codger_64]

A new pair of SC502 Scrimshaws filling gaps in the collection. These two were salesman's samples so no boxes, papers or sheaths. Top is 1991 Hunter & Hound with art by Frank Giorgianni. Bottom is 1996 Moose(s) with art by John Duffy.

By happenstance, they are both salesman's samples from the same salesman as my Desert Storm Scrim.

 

[delmas2nd]

Hi all, been a while since I last posted. A new job and a hell of a career change has kept me busy.

I've been carrying the Sharpfinger at my new job (shipping and receiving at a bearing factory) and its been weird. Like, on the one hand my coworkers have been all kinds of liking my knife ( I think I've converted at least two to the gospel of the 152) but I've also found out how a lot of workplaces these days forbid employees from carrying their own knives on duty. Fortunately mine isn't one of those, but still...

Like, what the shit?? My Sharpfinger is way better than the POS folding box-cutter the company issues, I'm prepared to maintain my personal blade on my own time/dime AND I'm way more familiar with it (and therefore less likely to cause an injury with it).

The idea that there are rules prohibiting a working man from carrying his own knife on the jobsite is just gob-smack stupid to me. I grew up on construction sites run by my father, and EVERY guy who worked for him had his own knife (usually a Buck 110) that he used for all manner of routine tasks. Let a guy carry the knife he likes and let him use it to do random mundane shit that happens when you're working. Sheesh.

Anyhow, to bring this back to topic...my Sharpfinger has conquered new territory! Like I said, I've been working in a new job, and my Sharpie has served me well. Just today a co-worker tried to cut a length of flat foam, found their box-cutter was dull and swore a lot. I was all "allow me" and pulled out my Sharpie. It trimmed that foam like it had been born to do it.

Co-worker: "Damn, you keep that thing sharp!"

Me: "well, they didn't call it the Dullfinger..."

(yes I'm bad at one-liners)

worked for a company that banned leatherman because some idiot cut himself with it. plus they banned lockback knives due to an employee attaching someone with one. both are just stupid people being stupid. they should have been banned one was obviously. the leatherman was very handy in my job of repairing cars so i still carried it and all the mid to upper management knew it and didn't care.

 

[Codger_64]

Pavlov's knife strikes again. I have been seeing some folks looking for Sharpfingers on other sites and looked through some of mine. Nope. Didn't find any to rehome just now. But "new Sharpfinger" stuck in my mind. Prices are up right now on the bay. And my "best offers" have been getting turned down. But this morning one popped up briefly at a decent price and I snatched it. This will free up a lightly used one in my collection to send to my brother who wants one for hunting.

As you can see, this is a very early one in unused condition. No box or papers but otherwise nice and at a very good price. Not much more than the last MSRP in 2004.

 

[Codger_64]

The above knife arrived in the mail today and I am surprised. It is quite hard to tell from the eBay pictures above, but the knife is in original unused condition. One always hopes for the best but is prepared for less.

It and the sheath tick off all of the boxes showing it to be one of the earliest ones made. The brochure shown in the auction did come with it, raising the question of what happened to the box and stone.

Here is the correct two piece slip top box it would have come in briefly before being replaced by the more familiar fold down woodgrain printed box.

This is the box which replaced the rigid first box.

 

[Codger_64]

The 1981 SC502 Scrimshaw Sharpfinger with ram art by Giorgianni. In gift box with smooth black second type sheath with choil retainer strap. In the 1981 catalog, the retail price was $25. Adjusted for inflation, that would be $71.14 in today's dollars. At the same time the base 152OT was $17.95 which would make it $51.08 in today's dollars.

 

[Codger_64]

A short side detour here, Camillus Sharpfingers. As most of you know, Schrade and Camillus were joined at the hip for many years and permanently so in 1963 when Albert bought the preferred and common stocks of Camillus that the surviving Kastor family members still owned. These stocks he gave to his two daughters, Betsy and Margery and their families continued to run the business until it's closure.

Aftere Schrade itself closed in July of 2004, Camillus soldiered on for two and a half more years. In 2005 they introduce a new line of knives patterned after the Old Timer line theme named "Gran 'Pa" including the Sharpfinger and three other versions of the pattern.

Their "Gran'Pa Sharp Hunter GP152" version, a CAMCO version, a co-marked Western, “WR32 Clip” (Imported and marked "PRC"), and one in their Buckmasters line, “Sharp Hunter” BM152B. None of these were very successful evidently and failed to sell as well as expected. Production ended when Camillus closed in February of 2007. Not much sought after today, examples new in the box can still be found occasionally on the secondary market.

I bought a GP152B and used it skinning, dressing and butchering deer, ducks and fish for a while. It worked as well as the Schrade original and only had a slightly different feel because of the different handle edge contours and slightly thicker blade stock.

Some further reading on this topic.
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/granpa-“sharp-hunter-gp152.701223/

 

[Codger_64]

I always save photos of examples of interesting custom rehandle jobs. Here are a few.
In order top to bottom:
Cheryl Winters
Blue Mountain
Cheryl Winters
Blue Mountain
Tony Miles

 

[Codger_64]

Here is one you may not have seen. Ryan Weeks' "Ankle Biter". Sole authorship, a riff on the Sharpfinger pattern. He is the maker of my SPK previously shown.

The Codger SPK:

 

[Codger_64]

Pavlov's knife strikes again. I have been seeing some folks looking for Sharpfingers on other sites and looked through some of mine. Nope. Didn't find any to rehome just now. But "new Sharpfinger" stuck in my mind. Prices are up right now on the bay. And my "best offers" have been getting turned down. But this morning one popped up briefly at a decent price and I snatched it. This will free up a lightly used one in my collection to send to my brother who wants one for hunting.

As you can see, this is a very early one in unused condition. No box or papers but otherwise nice and at a very good price. Not much more than the last MSRP in 2004.

I mentioned this knife having all of the appearance of the very earliest knives so maybe I can somewhat illustrate that. Besides the obvious sheath and tang stamp, the grind on the upper false edge is more pronounced.

The result of all of these six planes coming together at the tip was an acute needle point. Very useful for many tasks but also because of the thinness, somewhat fragile and prone to breaking off if hit or pried with. I still prefer it to the later thicker tips.

Here are much later knives with the last two tang stamps. As you can see, there is hardly a bevel ground on the spine at all. And the blade tips are more blunted, thicker to the point.

 

[black mamba]

Here is a pocket version (6.42") by BFC maker Stoil Manchev from Bulgaria. Quality is superb!

 

[Codger_64]

Here is a pocket version (6.42") by BFC maker Stoil Manchev from Bulgaria. Quality is superb!

That is a nice one though he did change the blade shape a lot.

Here's another American manufacturer copy from Bear MGC. They hade several variants. I just picked this one up out of curiosity.

Here is the first issue I remember seeing. It more closely resembles the Schrade.

And a really odd colored one. I don't know how many were made but would guess they weren't very popular.