Schrade 152OT Sharpfinger

Codger_64 said:
"...the per piece charge had to be nominal."
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Yup, blade etch was cheapest embellishment. In 1994, for example, it was an extra $1.00 per sharpfinger, minimum order 100 knives but it got much cheaper still if you bought more knives. SMKW being the giant they are probably placed pretty large orders (thousands as opposed to hundreds perhaps?) so nominal is right.

Link to the Giftmasters pricelist for "add-on" SFO's in 1994: http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/Special_Orders-Gifts/images/1994%20-%20Giftmasterss.pdf
 
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I am recently collecting these Sharpfinger. This is a new one I got from Ebay today. As I was cleaning it with rubbing alcohol; the ink smeared all over the scale. Strange! I compare it to my other Schrimshaw, this one is much narrower blade than the others. It has not been sharpened before. On the other side of the tang, it is edged with 0446. Not sure what it is indicated. I hope that this is not a knocked off.
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oldspice said:
I am recently collecting these Sharpfinger. This is a new one I got from Ebay today. As I was cleaning it with rubbing alcohol; the ink smeared all over the scale. Strange! I compare it to my other Schrimshaw, this one is much narrower blade than the others. It has not been sharpened before. On the other side of the tang, it is edged with 0446. Not sure what it is indicated. I hope that this is not a knocked off.
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Sorry to hear of this dilemma. Live and learn I guess. I don't know if rubbing alcohol will smear all the heat-stamped Scrimshaw knives but it doesn't really surprise me either. Many inks and paints are alcohol soluble.

Anyone care to try this on a few more scrims? :eek: I'm not going to be trying it on any of mine!
 
Welcome oldspice! I've never seen a scrim smeared like that but I can't really say that I am surprised since alcohol is a solvent. The art was heat stamped with a hot metal die through the ink tape forcing the ink down into the melted lines.

If it were mine, I'd use a fine alcohol-damp q-tip and a magnifying glass to clean the smears off. It appears to be original, but I could not say exactly when it was produced. That artwork was one which was recycled. It was first used on the 1984 issue and again in 1994 issue. This may explain the steel stock thickness differences you mention.

My archived pictures of the 1984 issue show the knife with the tube type sheath and the later one with the handle retainer strap. However your sheath could be a replacement if the knife did not come to you in the original box. In 1984 it had a fitted vac molded tray which fit the sheath in a rectangular slip top box. Later production likely just came in the light blue and white rectangular end flap box. The number on the obverse would be the serial number, the 446th one produced that year.
 
Thanks for the welcome! This one comes with a sleeve rectangular tube box. The outter sleeve has a 0446 stamp on it. I guess this is a "serial" number corresponding to the knife. I noticed the sheath is not the original and not like the others I have. I used the same rubbing alcohol on a different Scrimshaw Sharpfinger and it did not disolve the ink. I will try to clean it up with a q-tip. So far, I have 3 Srimshaw and one regular Sharpfinger to my collection. The original seller had a good collection of Schrade including the Uncle Henry (Wolverine) and they were all new. The Wolverines were bidding for about $50 each. I should have put a bid on those also. They do look authentic.
 
The sheath shown is the style that would be correct for the later issue knife. I still don't know what to say about the ink smearing. Perhaps it was a weak inprint from the factory and someone, the dealer or previous owner, decided to touch it up using india ink. The original heat tape ink is pretty durable. But like I said, I've never tried a solvent on it. Fifty would not be a bad price for a WOlverine, particularly if it was complete with box, papers etc. Generally, if the scales are correct moldings and the tangstamp is correct, it should be good. Factory leftovers with various stamps have shown up which have been sent overseas to have a variety of wooden handles installed. These generally use smaller than normal compression rivets that are made of brass, not nickle silver. And of course the Taylor Brands Chinese knives have entirely different tangstamps.
 
All this talk about the Sharpfinger is really making me want one! My first fixed blade was a "Sharp" brand with guthook (like a 158OT) and its nice... other than the guthook which, for me, just gets in the way. I would really like to try the Sharpfinger design.

I understand that much of this thread is written with regards to collecting but as a user can anyone compare the steel of a US Schrade Sharpfinger vs a new Chinese Sharpfinger? I'm assuming the new imports are an 8Cr13mov variant but I cannot find which. I'm less concerned with fit & finish than edge quality.

Again, as a user knife, the US origin is of little value to me because I can't very well help support a US company that's already gone under. I'm much more apt to buy a new US-made Bear & Son "Upswept Skinner" than an older US Schrade... unless the US Schrade is head and shoulders better than the alternatives.

Thoughts? Thank you for your time and your valued opinions. PMs are welcome too :)
-StaTiK-
 
I have never used one of the Chinese knives nut I have a U.S. made sharp finger and it really is a good knife. My edge was a little thick when I got it but since I thinned the edge it seems to cut for a long time.
 
StaTiK said:
All this talk about the Sharpfinger is really making me want one! My first fixed blade was a "Sharp" brand with guthook (like a 158OT) and its nice... other than the guthook which, for me, just gets in the way. I would really like to try the Sharpfinger design.

I understand that much of this thread is written with regards to collecting but as a user can anyone compare the steel of a US Schrade Sharpfinger vs a new Chinese Sharpfinger? I'm assuming the new imports are an 8Cr13mov variant but I cannot find which. I'm less concerned with fit & finish than edge quality.

Again, as a user knife, the US origin is of little value to me because I can't very well help support a US company that's already gone under. I'm much more apt to buy a new US-made Bear & Son "Upswept Skinner" than an older US Schrade... unless the US Schrade is head and shoulders better than the alternatives.

Thoughts? Thank you for your time and your valued opinions. PMs are welcome too :)
-StaTiK-
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My advice is to watch the auction site for a decent used Schrade USA Sharpfinger. I got one recently for a very reasonable price. Their 1095 is really an excellent steel. I can get that steel sharper than any other that I've tried. If you find that you don't like it, you can easily resell it for as much or more than you paid.
 
The US made Schrade 152OTs were traditionally 1095HC steel while the Uncle Henry 152UH were a type of stainles, 420 or 440 I think. Sonetime in the last five years of the comapny's existance, the switched to stainless on both the Old Timer and Uncle Henry lines, as well as most Sharpfingers marked "limited edition". I prefer the high carbon 1095 knives myself and if you read this thread from the beginning, you will learn to tell the difference, usually at a glance. I have one of the Taylor Chinese knives. I bought it at auction in 2005, fooled by it's copy of the U.S. Schrade packaging (since changed). I compared it to the originals in fit and finish, but never tried using it so I can't tell you how well it keeps an edge. As Protourist mentioned, armed with the proper knowledge, you can easily find a lightly used original if you prefer that to an imported copy. The prices are often very close.
 
protourist said:
My advice is to watch the auction site for a decent used Schrade USA Sharpfinger. I got one recently for a very reasonable price. Their 1095 is really an excellent steel. I can get that steel sharper than any other that I've tried. If you find that you don't like it, you can easily resell it for as much or more than you paid.
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Codger_64 said:
The US made Schrade 152OTs were traditionally 1095HC steel while the Uncle Henry 152UH were a type of stainles, 420 or 440 I think. Sonetime in the last five years of the comapny's existance, the switched to stainless on both the Old Timer and Uncle Henry lines, as well as most Sharpfingers marked "limited edition". I prefer the high carbon 1095 knives myself and if you read this thread from the beginning, you will learn to tell the difference, usually at a glance. I have one of the Taylor Chinese knives. I bought it at auction in 2005, fooled by it's copy of the U.S. Schrade packaging (since changed). I compared it to the originals in fit and finish, but never tried using it so I can't tell you how well it keeps an edge. As Protourist mentioned, armed with the proper knowledge, you can easily find a lightly used original if you prefer that to an imported copy. The prices are often very close.
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Gentlemen, thank you. I don't want to hijack so I'll just say this: I did the homework so that I was able to tell the difference between the US 1095, US stainless Schrade+, and imported Sharpfinger (allegedly 7cr17mov). For anyone with questions like mine above: I just purchased an older 1095 version in excellent condition for about 50% more than it cost to buy a new imported version, which isn't very much in actual dollars.

The Bear & Son version is only available in stag delrin handle (not a fan) and only available in "high carbon stainless", but is US made and sells for a comparable amount to an older US made Schrade.
-StaTiK-
 
Would you be surprised to hear that I agree with the choice you made? ;)

Actually, if I remember right, the Bear MGC Sharpfinger clone was made with several different handle materials at one time including genuine stag. These still appear on that auction site from time to time. They were among the first to come out with a U.S. made version of the pattern after the Schrade closure in 2004. The other was Camillus with their Gran'Pa GP152. It, like the original Sharpfinger, was carbon steel though I don't remember the alloy.

By the way just to clarify, all blades marked "SCHRADE+" are definately stainless but not all stainless Sharpfingers are marked "SCHRADE+". When the running change was made from carbon steel to stainless, there was no change in markings or in the catalogs. Of course the UH and many limited editions were always stainless, usually marked so.
 
Sharpfinger.jpg

This is my collection so far with the Schrade Sharpfingers. The one on the upper right is a Chinese made. I also took a chance and picked up a new Uncle Henry Badger from Craiglist.
 
The SFO Sharpfinger Scrimshaws are endless in variety, it seems. Here is one that is difficult to determine the release date or quantity produced. A cursory search indicates that it was made for an antique tractor collector's or enthusiasts group. The knife has a drawing of an antique tractor with blade etch "Massey Harris". Massey merged with A. Harris, Son & Co. Ltd. in 1891. The name changed again in 1953 when they merged with Ferguson Company to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson, before finally taking on its current Massey Ferguson name in 1958. The knife was produced circa 2001 to commemorate the beginning of the Massey Harris name's centenial.

Massey-Ferguson-502SC-21583362572.jpg


Here is another one tied to a commercial product, Sundowner horse trailers. Much easier to date in this case because of the specific date blade etch. A promo given with a trailer purchase?

2000-Sundowner1583362735.jpg
 
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Codger_64 said:
The SFO Sharpfinger Scrimshaws are endless in variety, it seems. Here is one that is difficult to determine the release date or quantity produced. A cursory search indicates that it was made for an antique tractor collector's or enthusiasts group. The knife has a drawing of an antique tractor with blade etch "Massey Harris". Massey merged with A. Harris, Son & Co. Ltd. in 1891. The name changed again in 1953 when they merged with Ferguson Company to become Massey-Harris-Ferguson, before finally taking on its current Massey Ferguson name in 1958. A guess is that the knife was produced circa 1991 to commemorate the beginning of the Massey Harris name's centenial.

Here is another one tied to a commercial product, Sundowner horse trailers. Much easier to date in this case because of the specific date blade etch. A promo given with a trailer purchase?
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I'm familiar with both of these though I don't own either. Both are from very similar five knife sets.

The first "Massey Harris" Sharp Finger is from the "Massey Ferguson Commemorative Scrimshaw Set". I can't recall when the set came out but it is so similar to the Sundowner set my guess would be 2001 to commemorate the 110th Anniversary of Massey Ferguson.

The Sundowner is from a 25th Anniversary (1975-2000) set. It was most definitely a 2000 issue and is packaged nearly the same as the Massey set which is why I guessed 2001 for the Massey set.

These are the best pics I could quickly come up with.

Massey Set:
Massey 01.jpgMassey 02.jpgMassey 03.jpgMassey 04.jpg
 
Cool! Good information! Thanks! Evidently both of the sharpies I spied were from broken up sets. I forgot to mention the sets made for Range Rover.. a special for South Africa?
 
Another SFO, an uncommonly nice one that is seldom seen on the market, stag handle, coined brass shield and blade etch for the Virginia Game Warden's Association 10th Anniversary. The group was founded in 1987 so this knife was made circa 1997 which agrees with the tang marking.

Virginia-Game-Warden-21583363052.jpg

Virginia-Game-Warden-Shield1583363069.jpg



These aren't serialized so it is difficult to tell from the knife itself exactly how many were made. A guess would be 200 or less.
 
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