help identifying this barlow and its age?

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Carlp336
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Joined: Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:47 pm

help identifying this barlow and its age?

Post by Carlp336 »

been searching without luck. ive had this knife for about 20 years.

no numbers on it so im at a loss.
barlow razor maybe a delrin handle.

thanks

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rangerbluedog
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Re: help identifying this barlow and its age?

Post by rangerbluedog »

That is a German made Boker. The pattern number is 495.
The tang stamp was used primarily from the 1930s to 1950s.
However, if the handles are really delrin and not bone, then that knife is one of the many reproductions that Boker has done since then. Boker started using delrin as their primary scale material in the late 1960s.
I have one from 1994 that has the same tang stamp. From the shape of the tree stamped on the bolster of your knife I would guess your knife was made in the 1980s to early 1990s. Before that, the tree was a lot "skinnier".
Here's mine, from a 125th anniversary set in 1994.
P1010749.JPG
-Blue
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Carlp336
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Re: help identifying this barlow and its age?

Post by Carlp336 »

thanks for that info. how do i tell if its bone or delrin ?

my only hang up is i know ive had it at least 20 yrs.
y no number on teh tang?
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rangerbluedog
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Re: help identifying this barlow and its age?

Post by rangerbluedog »

I'm not sure why they stopped stamping the number on the tang. When this pattern was made in the U.S. they would stamp the pattern number on the back. But when the U.S. production ceased, the pattern numbers stopped. Very few Boker knives now come out of Germany with a stamped pattern number.
Since you've had it for 20 years it could have been made from 1983-1990.
There are a few different ways to tell the difference between bone and delrin.
If you look under a magnifying glass, you will be able to see pores and little hnaturally occuring holes in the bone. Delrin will appear smoother.
Another way is to rub the knife briskly until the handles get warm. The delrin will have a slight "plastic" odor.
A third way is a little more destructive. It's called the "hot pin" test. If you heat a needle or pin with a match until it turns red, then touch just the tip of the needle to the handle in an inconspicuous place. This will not harm the bone, and you may smell an odor similar to burning hair. If the handle is delrin, the pin will easily penetrate the delrin, leaving a hole in your knife handle. The hot pin test is not really recommended, but it always works.
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trail
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Re: help identifying this barlow and its age?

Post by trail »

Here's my one arm man...
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boker_one_arm_man_scaled.jpg
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rangerbluedog
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Re: help identifying this barlow and its age?

Post by rangerbluedog »

het het, there's one of them "skinny trees" I was talking about!
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