Uncle Henry 885uh Question

[winchester73]

I have one of the above new in the brown box it came in excellent condition. I wanted and just bought a user 885uh that I received last week. It has usa 885uh and schrade + above that. Unlike other senior ranchers I have seen, this one has carbon steel back springs. Would this one be one of the first made or an end of days knife where anything available was used to make a knife. I have heard when knife makers first stated using stainless blades they still used carbon steel back springs for awhile.

 

[TheChunk91]

I have one of the above new in the brown box it came in excellent condition. I wanted and just bought a user 885uh that I received last week. It has usa 885uh and shrade + above that. Unlike other senior ranchers I have seen, this one has carbon back springs. Would this one be one of the first made or an end of days knife where anything available was used to make a knife. I have heard when knife makers first stated using stainless blades they still used carbon back springs for awhile.

They always had carbon springs.

I don’t have a source for the reason, but most likely it was to simplify production so they could use the same springs for all their old timer and uncle henry models that were the same pattern. The 885UH and 8OT for example; same knife but with different style (same material) handles and stainless blades on the UH and the different branding of course. Other than those things they were identical knives, and the same can be said for most knives in the OT and UH lines.

 

[winchester73]

The one I have in the brown box looks like stainless steel (they are shiny) back springs but.. it could be they never turned black like on this knife.

 

[winchester73]

I just looked in the case at the rest of my uncle henry pocket knives. None of them have darkened or black back springs.

 

[koldgold]

They always had carbon springs.

I don’t have a source for the reason, but most likely it was to simplify production so they could use the same springs for all their old timer and uncle henry models that were the same pattern. The 885UH and 8OT for example; same knife but with different style (same material) handles and stainless blades on the UH and the different branding of course. Other than those things they were identical knives, and the same can be said for most knives in the OT and UH lines.

I have never seen a knife's back-spring turn black, sitting in its' original box.
When they have been used, like my 881 for 40 years -every part of the knife turns black.
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