What happened to Case?

[cudgee]

That's a good lookin knife!!
Is that the whiskey bone?

It looks like it is. This is my sodbuster in Pocket Worn Whiskey Bone.

 

[dsutton24]

I'm not a Case fan. The reasons are my own and I won't burden you all with them. I will say, however, that quality concerns aren't among those reasons. Despite all that gobbledygook, I do own a fair number of them from several different generations.

In my opinion, a lot of the quality, fit and finish, blade play, and so on that the internet prattles on endlessly about is the internet trying to impress the internet. Look at old, pristine knives from years ago and you'll see blade rubs, gaps around springs, sharp pins, and what have you. You'd see this on Case, Queen, Robeson, Buck, just about anyone. These were knives, they weren't gems. There was a big difference between Case and most of Imperials offerings, sure, but a quality knife of that era wasn't necessarily a perfect knife. A lot of those knives are the subject of sentiment-clouded nostalgia.

Some of these makers developed a devout following, Case being one of them. The devout following didn't change a thing about how the knives were manufactured, but it certainly elevated Case's mystique.

I occasionally work behind the table with a big local knife dealer. Every show brings a parade of old guys with 50+ year old Case knives, and we can't offer them anything near what they paid for their knives. The market has just changed, and these things go begging.

Flash forward to the mythical land of 2020. Great Eastern knives get gobbled up at ridiculous prices despite things like gaps, blade rub, nail busting springs, and big, clunky aesthetics. Why is GEC the standard for quality these days? Who knows?

 

[Scott J.]

It looks like it is. This is my sodbuster in Pocket Worn Whiskey Bone.

Nice!! I'm definitely going to grab something in whiskey bone

 

[cudgee]

Nice!! I'm definitely going to grab something in whiskey bone

 

[OldHercDude]

I've had good luck with Mini Copperlocks and Tribal Locks. The Barlows I have (3) all exhibit some degree of minor side-to-side blade play, otherwise they have excellent fit and finish.

The Tribal Lock Pocket Worn Whiskey Bone is a looker. Bone color shifts a bit in changing light.

 

[t.willy]

Hang on, let me get some popcorn ready....

 

[Will Power]

That's a good lookin knife!!
Is that the whiskey bone?

Late reply and others got in there first It IS Whiskey Bone but with a twist...I gave it a tea dye bath to deepen the colour and liked what I got CASE dye jobs on certain bone is not the best to be had....

 

[Will Power]

dsutton24 Lot of very good and apt points there But I wish I could find some 50+ year old CASES at decent prices.... However, your argument is watertight: fashion, group think on the Internet dictate a lot of what is spouted and gains false currency-literally. Knives are a notoriously fickle area of 'investment' what was all the rage suddenly becomes irrelevant. The current pricing of certain standard GECs in carbon steel and brass illustrates this ludicrous 'trend' But what the people who chase after these GECs and are more than willing to hand over huge sums for a nice but production knife, mulishly fail to understand is that this 'value' may not keep on growing exponentially. With Covid menacing mainly the economic fabric of multiple nations, the worth and value of these high price knives could suddenly evaporate as other needs become far more urgent.

For a peculiar reason, certain people seem to have a desperate need to make an association with a product Thus you get fanboism taking root, no objective analysis is allowed, any criticism of a product is viewed as a personal attack or an affront to some little clique of people stroking each others self-regard It's brandism, the Marketing depts dream

 

[Scott J.]

Late reply and others got in there first It IS Whiskey Bone but with a twist...I gave it a tea dye bath to deepen the colour and liked what I got CASE dye jobs on certain bone is not the best to be had....

Care to share your method?

 

[Will Power]

I think it's been said before elsewhere by others but certainly.

Degrease the knife thoroughly by washing in soap then dry&wipe down with alcohol, use gloves as your fingers have grease!

Get a small saucepan or metal container, boil a kettle of water and put 3 or more strong black teabags in, use British, Irish or Indian brands of tea, the wimpish European or American tea tastes are too weak.... add a pinch of salt let the teabags brew 5 mins then introduce the knife with gloved hands. Use only enough water so that the knife will be covered thus you get an ultra strong dye. Leave the knife laying on the teabags and or covered by them, after an hour turn the knife over and leave.

You can leave overnight depending on required colour. When the knife comes out it can look terrible carbon blades can be taped to prevent staining but even stainless blacken. Don't despair if the bone swells up either it will revert to normal with slow drying don't use a heat blower etc. Wash the knife with warm soapy water, flush out and dry. You can use metal polish on the brass liners or back springs and WHEN the bone is properly dry apply some beeswax or similar and polish. Just be patient.

I've even done this on Stag knives They swell badly but revert to shape, needs some nerve mind s don't take legal action on me It's worked OK for me but you never know....

Here's a Redbone Slimline Ttapper I darkened and I think it's turned out well, great pattern too so the OP might look into these, a number of 'brighter' colours available too...

Thanks, Will

 

[Scott J.]

Will Power thanks!!

 

[JohnDF]

These were knives, they weren't gems.

I think you bring up a very valuable point...
It's been mentioned before that in today's society, knives are not really needed day-to-day, and even frowned upon in some circles.
This means that our knives have taken on another role, that of a piece of jewelry, or something to be admired and be proud of.
I think this is where the search for perfection comes from... Maybe.

 

[DrPenguin]

I don't know much about modern Case knives.... man, when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s they were the king of the roost. If you had a medium stockman from Case you were the coolest kid in school.

Case has some amazing knife patterns. They seemed to master the svelte old school pocket knife. I honestly don't know if you could possibly improve upon the 44, 55, and 109 frames. I have a mint 10 dot medium stockman in its original box and paper that is the queen of my collection. I won't knock them.

That said most of the knives in my collection are Queen and GEC. But in all honesty if I could have found a Case XX 62055 at the right time in my life I may have gotten it and called it a day. May have never even started a collection if I had such a gem in my pocket. So maybe the Case mystique is just a relic of old dudes like myself and you young guys will just have to put up with us until we kick off.

Will

 

[Wild Willie]

I think you bring up a very valuable point...
It's been mentioned before that in today's society, knives are not really needed day-to-day, and even frowned upon in some circles.
This means that our knives have taken on another role, that of a piece of jewelry, or something to be admired and be proud of.
I think this is where the search for perfection comes from... Maybe.

I feel like the desire for perfection has been engrained into our psyche. Look at the development of tools since the stone age... If humans were content with just "getting by" we'd still be using flaked stone tools. Just imagine the look on the guys face when he made the first copper knife. The next logical thought then becomes "How can I make this better?". Now bronze, now iron, and here we are today... Willing to shill out way more than we should for a pocket knife. I love a pretty knife, but I still wind up going back to the same old users and my gecs collecting dust in their tubes. This forum is filled with a bunch of enablers.
Now so as not to completely derail the thread, here's my case mini trapper...
Bought this in '05. Both blades are well centered, and the action is great. I had a slimline trapper that came with a bit of blade rub that I easily fixed, the action wasn't the greatest but it was a fine cutting tool none the less, it was since passed on in a GAW because I never really carried it.

 

[Bastler]

dsutton24
For a peculiar reason, certain people seem to have a desperate need to make an association with a product

That would be me, I like certain brands of things and not others. That's why I like Case knives, but I won't buy a Rough Rider, and GEC, yawn, why bother?. I loved my Triumph, but I'll never understand why people are so enamored with Harleys. It makes no sense, I'll admit it, but a truly sensible person wouldn't even ride a motorcycle or own more than a couple of pocket knives.

 

[Squid61]

So if Case knives are slightly better than, on par with, no worse than knives that cost half as much why would I want to buy Case? I'm not a Case fan because I can get as good a knife from other makers at half the price and I don't care much about mystique.

 

[JohnDF]

So if Case knives are slightly better than, on par with, no worse than knives that cost half as much why would I want to buy Case?

There isn't really any reason to if you don't buy into the brand.
It's all personal choice and whatever something speaks to you or not.
There is no right or wrong answer.
If I'm being perfectly honest, a modern knife is easier to open and remain open, easier to carry, easier to keep sharp, and easier to maintain.
But they don't speak to me like a traditional knife with all it's history and nostalgia, and the Case brand is part of that mystique.

 

[Squid61]

The oldest surviving and best knife in my kit is an old Old Timer USA Middleman Stockman pattern. When I was young I got whatever I could afford from the local Western Auto or Sears and since then I have bought primarily Buck and recently Mora knives, all but two of my knives are traditional patterns. I'm now in my late 70's, still need to cut stuff and still see no need to pay more than necessary to do so.

 

[cudgee]

I think you bring up a very valuable point...
It's been mentioned before that in today's society, knives are not really needed day-to-day, and even frowned upon in some circles.
This means that our knives have taken on another role, that of a piece of jewelry, or something to be admired and be proud of.
I think this is where the search for perfection comes from... Maybe.

Very valid points, i also think that things started to change in the fifties, the western world started to become more materialistic, and things and society just started to change, and marketing became a really big business. I am not criticizing or having a go at anyone with my comments, i am as guilty as anyone, it was my generation that started the change, but things that were important to my parents and grandparents generation became less relevant to my generation. Now i look back as i have reached my grandparents age, and sometimes just long for how life was back when i was a kid, but i have read in many books, and this happens to a lot of people as they age. Sorry if iv'e bored you, i do tend to ramble in my dotage, just like me grandparents did..

 

[cudgee]

The oldest surviving and best knife in my kit is an old Old Timer USA Middleman Stockman pattern. When I was young I got whatever I could afford from the local Western Auto or Sears and since then I have bought primarily Buck and recently Mora knives, all but two of my knives are traditional patterns. I'm now in my late 70's, still need to cut stuff and still see no need to pay more than necessary to do so.