Schrade LB7 Uncle Henry - some info and some questions...

Fred Sanford

Fred Sanford

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Sep 3, 2006
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I gotta tell ya folks.....I'm loving this old LB7.

I got it about 8 months back from my wife's grandmother. Her husband used to carry it. It was in a leather sheath that had corroded badly. The good old green reaction with the leather and the brass.

I ended up polishing it up and it turned out really nice. I had to throw out the old sheath because it was just baaaaad.

Well just a week ago my wife's grandmother died. She was 90 so she had a good run. She died peacefully at night.

Anyway so I decided to get this awesome Schrade + LB7 Uncle Henry out and sharpen it and polish it up again for use on Christmas. I know it will make my mother-in-law very happy to know that I'm using her father's knife to open things on Christmas day.

I ran it over a coarse DMT stone, then got the Lansky out and put a nice edge on it then stropped it up real nice. She shaves very nicely now. :)

I have noticed however that This LB7 has badass lockup compared to any Buck 110 that I've owned. The spring on this lockback is probably the strongest spring I've ever had on a lockback. This thing has zero play at all and seems like it's not been used much.

The thing looks so much like a buck 110 I wonder, does anyone know which came first? The LB7 or the 110?

Also, I want to get a custom sheath made for this thing and I wondered if I get a Buck 110 sheath if it will fit perfectly. I currently don't have a 110 to compare to.

Also, by the serial number on this knife......any guesses at it's age? It has 3 pins in the wood part of the handle.
Serial # : X63291

I looked through the "Schrade FAQ: Is the answer to your question here? Steel, dates, models." thread and I gotta tell ya.......I can't find the answer to the age thing. Is there a list of serials some where or anything?

I actually like this knife better than an Idaho stamp Buck 110 I used to have. Seems a bit more well made. True?

Thanks in advance everyone.:thumbup:
 
Last edited:
David Lowry said:
The thing looks so much like a buck 110 I wonder, does anyone know which came first? The LB7 or the 110?
Click to expand...

I found reference in the Buck Forum to Buck 110s being made in 1964. The info is from Joe Houser so I can't imagine it being wrong. I believe this is when they were first put on the market.



The LB7 first appears in Schrade Catalogs in 1978. So you see Buck had a big head start on Schrade in that pattern. I have several LB7s & several Buck 110s. I actually prefer the 110 over the LB7 just for the way it fits my hand. Design wise the knives are very close. In later years Schrade went to a different spring system than they started with. The new system was 2 flat springs that ate pinned in side by side, forming both the spring & the spacer between the rear bolsters. The same style of flat spring was used on the 3OT & 5OT. I think perhaps they had problems getting the heat treatment right on the flat springs. I have probably seen 3-4 dozen failures of that type spring, especially in the 3OT. The flat springs in the LB7 seem to fail at a higher rate than the old spring (bar) and keeper type.


Here are the 2 spring types illustrated in an LB5.




The upper spring assembly is the spring (bar) and keeper type.
The 2 one-piece springs below it were installed side by side to act as the spacer to hold the bolsters apart & as the spring. They usually fail about 1/4 to 3/8" from the body of the spring.

Buck stayed with the old system (like the upper spring), which in my opinion is better & more reliable. I give them kudos for not changing something that works. I also am a great fan of their Build a 110 portion of their web site. I have a 110 with a BG-42 blade. That knife is scary sharp.


Dale
 
I'd have to agree with Dale on the failure of the newer style lockbacks springs. I've got LB-1, 3 and 5 failures as well. The custom LB5 and 7 seem to have this as a major issue.
 
Thanks guys. The LB7 I have has the older style with the bar and the keeper.

Hopefully I got a good one because this seems to me just as good or better than a buck 110. Now I've only had 2 Buck 110's but this LB7 is sure nice (and that's considering that I bought both Buck 110's brand new).
 
lrv said:
I'd have to agree with Dale on the failure of the newer style lockbacks springs. I've got LB-1, 3 and 5 failures as well. The custom LB5 and 7 seem to have this as a major issue.
Click to expand...

Larry,
If you haven't been able to fix them yet, send them to me & I will convert them to the bar & keeper type. It is a pretty easy fix, just a bit of work with the file and some flat nickle silver or brass stock.
I also have some to the flat type springs as well if you want to keep it original.

Dale
 
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