Schrade Walden fixed blade stamp question

[FLINT77]

Hey guys, I've searched around a bunch and I'm sure this info is out there somewhere but I can't find it.

For the Schrade Walden fixed blade knives. I know that the stamp:
Schrade-Walden
N.Y. U.S.A.

dates from the late 1940s - 1973.

However, I've seen knives with this stamp with the model number on either the same side and just below the above stamp or on the opposite side by itself.

Does anyone know when approx. this change took place and/or which style came first?

 

[black mamba]

The NY USA Schrade Walden stamp is generally accepted as running from 1954-1973, with the earlier 1946-1953 stamp showing just NY below the Schrade Walden, with no USA. I'm not aware of the model number having any bearing on the manufacturing dates.

 

[FLINT77]

ok, though, I'm going to guess that the older knives had the model number on the opposite side of the blade. the reason I think this is because I've seen a few of the 100 series knives with brass guards, which I'm guessing was a newer change - since those brass guards look very similar to the 49er series and later schrade guards - while the old knives it seems all had much smaller aluminum guards. All of the knives with the model number stamped on the opposite side had small aluminum guards, while all of the knives with larger brass guards had the model number stamped on the same side as the schrade walden stamp. it seems odd that they would alternatively change the position of the model number stamp over the years - that would not be the most parsimonous explanation, but you never know I guess.

 

[black mamba]

One way I have found to date SW fixed blade knives is by their sheaths, from the catalog drawings. I have a #147WE and a #148W, both with model no. on the pile side, which by their sheaths place them from before 1964. Both also have the aluminum guards. I also have a #147S and a #137L, both with model no. on the mark side under the SW stamp, which by their sheaths place them from 1966-1973. The 147 has the aluminum guard, but the 137 has a brass guard. So . . . It looks like the change from pile to mark side model numbers took place in 1965 or '66 (and probably not all at once as they used up already stamped blades), with the change to brass guards a few years later, maybe late '60s or early '70s.

 

[FLINT77]

awesome! great info. thanks!

I have one coming, so I'll post a pic of the sheath when I get it. It has a brass guard. assuming the sheath is original.....

 

[black mamba]

Yeah, that can be a problem, sheaths wear out so much faster than the knives do.

 

[FLINT77]

One way I have found to date SW fixed blade knives is by their sheaths, from the catalog drawings. I have a #147WE and a #148W, both with model no. on the pile side, which by their sheaths place them from before 1964. Both also have the aluminum guards. I also have a #147S and a #137L, both with model no. on the mark side under the SW stamp, which by their sheaths place them from 1966-1973. The 147 has the aluminum guard, but the 137 has a brass guard. So . . . It looks like the change from pile to mark side model numbers took place in 1965 or '66 (and probably not all at once as they used up already stamped blades), with the change to brass guards a few years later, maybe late '60s or early '70s.

I checked the catalogs - and the illustrations in the 1970 still depict the shorter, straight guard (which was usually aluminum, but have seen one that same shape that was brass) - but the 1971 catalog shows the knives with the longer curved style like the brass guards. Since the illustrations are black and white, there is no indication from the illustrations of the guard material, but all of the larger curved guards I've seen are brass. So, if the catalogs are accurate, the curved brass guard type dates from 1971 - 1973. HOWEVER, I know that manufacturers catalogs aren't always (in fact frequently aren't) updated quickly (or ever) after a manufacturing change has occured. So, its possible that the guard changed earlier but that the catalogs weren't updated until 1971.

anyways, I have two of these knives now (same stamp, same guard, etc), but only one came with a sheath. So, assuming that this sheath originally came with the knife - does it's style infer any specific time period?

 

[black mamba]

The 1953 catalog is the earliest Schrade Walden catalog which shows the sheaths, and they had two styles: smooth leather for the B&T knives and hand tooled floral motif for the larger hunters. This continued through 1958. In the 1959 catalog they show a different tooled pattern with a buck deer. This continued until approximately 1965. Through 1965 they were listed as hand tooled, although they don't always show a picture. In 1966 they changed to an "embossed" basket weave pattern, which means stamped, not tooled. This appears to have continued through 1970/71 when they went to a smooth leather for the remainder of the Walden era. Not only do we have the problem of inconsistent catalog photos or drawings, but they undoubtedly continued to use up the older patterns they had left, even after they began using a new one. So there can be some overlapping of patterns. But roughly:

early 1950s - '58 = floral pattern tooled sheath

1959 - '65 = buck deer tooled sheath

1966 - '70 = embossed basket weave pattern

1971 - '73 = smooth heavy leather sheath

 

[FLINT77]

Thanks black mamba , that's very helpful.

this is all good information. I'll summarize it below for future reference

The NY USA Schrade Walden stamp is generally accepted as running from 1954-1973, with the earlier 1946-1953 stamp showing just NY below the Schrade Walden, with no USA.

It looks like the change from pile to mark side model numbers took place in 1965 or '66

based on catalog images, the change to larger brass curved guard took place in 1971

early 1950s - '58 = floral pattern tooled sheath, 1959 - '65 = buck deer tooled sheath, 1966 - '70 = embossed basket weave pattern, 1971 - '73 = smooth heavy leather sheath