"Slenderino"

[JAMESC41001]

This first slenderino has some very faint inc on the blade. It is a bit unique in that it is the only one I have seen without the fish shield. The smudge on the fish scaler is from the price sticker. I'm not sure what to use to take it off. Other then that she is mint.
Jay

[CheckSix]

Awesome! Can you post a clear picture of the tang stamp, please?

To clean up the sticker goo, just use lighter fuel... the old fashioned Zippo type naptha fuel.

[Dinadan]

A very fine knife, Jay. I also would like to see the tang stamp. When do you think that one was made?

[JAMESC41001]

Here you go. Thanx for the tip.
Jay

[JAMESC41001]

Mel, I am not sure when it was made. I was hoping someone could help. I like to tell myself it is a transition period knife.
Jay

[KnifeSlinger#81]

Very nice knife, I would assume it was made in the mid to later 50's since its marked usa and has bone handles. I believe earlier schrade waldens were just stamped

Schrade
Walden
NY

If you haven't already cleaned off the goo, wd40 on a rag works great and will not harm the finish.

[Dinadan]

Thanks for the stamp photo, Jay. That grooved and threaded bolster seems kind of distinctive to me. Very nice.

[JAMESC41001]

Thanks guys. Now that you mention it I remember the WD 40 trick.

[Mustanger]

I gotta wonder if it's an old 293 that had a fish scaler installed in place of the spey. The scaler doesn't look like the same one on a 292 fish knife which has a cap lifter and 292 bolsters were plain. Maybe a "pre"-292 model number? Another head scratcher. Pictures from my photo files....

[JAMESC41001]

Mustanger, are those swedges on the blade different or is it just the angle. If so can you measure?
Jay

[Mustanger]

The pictures I posted are two of thousands of random pictures I have saved in my photo files for reference purposes. I posted these to show the similarities and the catalog dates. I'm curious if your knife is an un-cataloged knife? Something of a prototype/predecessor to the 292? Short run production before the introduction of the 292? Just pondering what you have. It could be more special than it already seems at first glance, which is pretty special. Maybe someone else knows more about it?

[tongueriver]

We are not going to get a definitive answer on this one, in my opinion, but it is certainly an interesting subject. Because it is obviously a very new knife, it was not sent back to the factory for a re-blade, which would have accounted for the later stamping. I think that it was one of the very first to receive the new stamp (with the U.S.A.). The bone jigging and rat-tail bolsters are clearly a holdover from Schrade CutCo days and were gone by the mid 1950s (and maybe by 1950 or 1951) (again my opinion). As far as the shield goes, inventory on hand accounted for a lot of room for uncatalogued variation and this was normal for ALL cutleries for all of time. What a nice knife!

[dweb1897]

When I opened this Slenderino thread I sure wasn't expecting to see a trapper with a fish scaler but I got to say it sure is a beauty. What a great knife you have there.

[JAMESC41001]

Thanks guys, I purchased this knife on what it could be and I suspect it is a sample. Not sure why the ink would be so faint on a knife that does not appear to be handled much at all. This is the only thing that puzzles me about it. But I can tell you it came from a very reliable dealer with a couple jaw dropping rolls of schrades. Only problem is the prices have a similar effect.

[Mustanger]

We are not going to get a definitive answer on this one, in my opinion, but it is certainly an interesting subject. Because it is obviously a very new knife, it was not sent back to the factory for a re-blade, which would have accounted for the later stamping. I think that it was one of the very first to receive the new stamp (with the U.S.A.). The bone jigging and rat-tail bolsters are clearly a holdover from Schrade CutCo days and were gone by the mid 1950s (and maybe by 1950 or 1951) (again my opinion). As far as the shield goes, inventory on hand accounted for a lot of room for uncatalogued variation and this was normal for ALL cutleries for all of time. What a nice knife!

Great info and opinion! I think I'm going to go with the opinion that this is a 293 that someone in the factory put a scaler/hook disgorger on, "prototype" or not. They liked the idea and added the cap lifter, fish shield, plain bolsters and gave it a model number and a place in the catalog. Voila, 292 Fish Knife. (It hasn't been mentioned if this knife has a model number stamped on it.) As you posted, "We are not going to get a definitive answer on this one, in my opinion". Mine too. But this explanation sounds good me and makes me feel like I got into the heads of the guys at Schrade and how the 292 came to be. It is the story I would tell if it was my knife..... LOL!

[JAMESC41001]

Mustanger I will look. I know the scaler has stainless stamped on it.

[Mustanger]

Thanks guys, I purchased this knife on what it could be and I suspect it is a sample. Not sure why the ink would be so faint on a knife that does not appear to be handled much at all. This is the only thing that puzzles me about it. But I can tell you it came from a very reliable dealer with a couple jaw dropping rolls of schrades. Only problem is the prices have a similar effect.

It's an awesome knife that provokes thought and discussion. That makes it better than many collectable Schrade knives, imo. But I love the thought provking "odd ball" and otherwise legitimate un-cataloged Schrades. 292s are super nice collectables, but yours is more unique because of it's curiosities. VERY NICE FIND!!

[JAMESC41001]

Back of the master blade is stamped stainless steel. Very hard to see but the ink says 292.
Jay

[dweb1897]

Looking at those pictures, it looks to me like that de-scaler is a double cut saw blade that has had the hook remover cut into the end. I showed your knife to Herman and he came up with the idea the blade may have come from one of the 3 bladed electrician knives that had a saw blade. He supposed that it was a very well made sample or prototype for the 292.

[kootenay joe]

The secondary has saw teeth cut into it. Not fish scaler type blunt & rounded teeth. True for O.P. knife and the one with a fish shield posted by mustanger. So it is not a 'one off'. likely there are others out there.
However is this a "Slenderino" ? I thought this name was coined by C.P. & H.B. for the ~ 3 1/2" slender stock knives, like a Schrade 897, with the turkish clip master blade ?
Perhaps C.P. can let us know.
kj

[dweb1897]

I'm not trying to hijack your thread James but if you start a thread called slenderinos you just got to have at least one pic of a Slim Premium with the slim and slender Turkish Clip.
Here are a few Herman Williams "Slenderinos"

[JAMESC41001]

Go ahead and hijack away. As long as more schrade knives like that keep coming! Those are some beauties. A real fine set of knives. Sorry for my loose translation of Hal's loose definition. Here is a unique slenderino. I have included a slenderino blade before grind but after heat treat. Also a SW 285 with a fish scaler. This is the only other fish scaler I have for comparison and the cut pattern is exactly the same. Both these knives were given to me as gifts and I know both people have relatives that worked at the factory. That being said I looked very closely with a loop and see know sign of a through pin. I believe these are swinden key knives but I don't recall dates when that manufacturing process started so I'm not sure. That is a punch blade as the third pull.

[JAMESC41001]

[ea42]

Jay that's a fantastic knife! Definitely based on the 293/294 frame. That shield was dropped from the catalog in the mid-sixties. Always thought that shield/rat-tail bolster combo was their finest trapper pattern. Here's a knife that's about as slenderino as Schrade got:

Eric

[dweb1897]

That is one fantastic knife ea42, you sure know how to make a guy feel jealous. What's the closed length?