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Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 4:53 pm
by orvet
Here are some Gerber knives I own or have owned over the years.
Here is one of my Gerber EDCs, a Folding Field I (FS-I) which was missing part of the wood inserts in the handle.
I replaced it with pieces of water buffalo horn and carry it frequently.
This is another Folding Field, the FS-III-
This is a Gerber Magnum Folding Hunter designed by Al Mar-
This Silver Knight was a gift from a friend in the 1980s. I had the blade replaced by Gerber as it was worn down.
This is the one with the ABS handles.
Enough of mine for now, lets see your Gerbers!
Post 'em if you got 'em!
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 6:16 pm
by jerryd6818
My only Gerber folder. LST 200 Lockback
My only Gerber fixed blade. Had it since the late '70s or very early '80s. MK-1 Boot Knife
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 10:23 pm
by Case V42
I hope this works. If I prove to be just smart enough to get a photo attached I'll try to add several of the most interesting Gerbers I have in my collection.
According to Phil Rodenberg's book, in 1953 Gerber made 20 knife sets with "Lioness" handles for the Kansas City Life Insurance Co. Gerber also made an extra 30 sets as replacements etc. The pictured knife is marked, "GERBER Durendal Made In U.S.A." on the bottom of the handle. The blade is chrome plated, but the handle isn't. She's evidently one of the "extras", but how come isn't she plated, and how did she come to be all alone?
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 10:56 pm
by orvet
Wow Mark, that is a
RARE one!!
That is strange that they didn't plate the lioness when they did the blade.
I think Mossdancer knows a guy who worked for the company that did the plating for Gerber. Maybe he can shed some light on this subject.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon May 16, 2016 11:46 pm
by Case V42
Thanks Dale, I hope someone can explain some of the odd features of the knife.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 11:19 pm
by knife7knut
Probably the reason the lioness isn't plated is it is made of aluminum which is near impossible to chrome plate.Most of the time aluminum is highly polished and then clear anodized.If I recall correctly aluminum will also contaminate regular plating tanks so in all likelihood the blade was plated before the handle was cast onto it.An interesting knife to be sure;I have never seen or heard of that model.
Here are some of mine.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Tue May 17, 2016 11:49 pm
by orvet
Nice ones Ray!
Is that last double set a Shorty and a Pixie?
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 12:49 am
by Case V42
Ray,
Nice group of old Gerbers! What's the folder with plain aluminum handles? I don't remember seeing anything like that before. I also like the FH with the checkered walnut. Is that blade stainless or high speed? As to the Shorty/Pixie set; it looks like those are steel Grip (Cat's Tongue) handles. That's a pretty scarce set as they were only made for about two years (1966-68) and were never the standard finish, as chrome was standard until the changeover to Armorhide.
Gerber's kitchen knives and hunters were all chrome plated from 1953 through 1969 for the hunters, and until the end of production for the kitchen and carving knives.
Since you posted the FH (Folding Hunter) I'll post another really weird one. The blade is 10.5 inches long by 2.5 wide. The handles are smooth walnut with brass "liners", and are obviously the same as the Folding Hunter.
The blade isn't marked, but the sheath is marked, "GERBER, PORTLAND, ORE, 97223 U.S.A." in three lines with the same stamp as used on many early 70's sheaths. The only use for the "knife" that I can conceive of is as a carcass splitter. So I speculate that either a customer or someone working at Gerber wanted a deer splitter to match his Folding Hunter.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 2:38 am
by knife7knut
Case V42 wrote:Ray,
Nice group of old Gerbers! What's the folder with plain aluminum handles? I don't remember seeing anything like that before. I also like the FH with the checkered walnut. Is that blade stainless or high speed? As to the Shorty/Pixie set; it looks like those are steel Grip (Cat's Tongue) handles. That's a pretty scarce set as they were only made for about two years (1966-68) and were never the standard finish, as chrome was standard until the changeover to Armorhide.
Gerber's kitchen knives and hunters were all chrome plated from 1953 through 1969 for the hunters, and until the end of production for the kitchen and carving knives.
Since you posted the FH (Folding Hunter) I'll post another really weird one. The blade is 10.5 inches long by 2.5 wide. The handles are smooth walnut with brass "liners", and are obviously the same as the Folding Hunter.Splitter.JPG
The blade isn't marked, but the sheath is marked, "GERBER, PORTLAND, ORE, 97223 U.S.A." in three lines with the same stamp as used on many early 70's sheaths. The only use for the "knife" that I can conceive of is as a carcass splitter. So I speculate that either a customer or someone working at Gerber wanted a deer splitter to match his Folding Hunter.
Thank you for the kind words. The scales are actually clear Lexan. The knife is stamped,"Gerber International" and,"Japan".When I got it the scales were missing so I created a set that I thought might have been the original shape.
The Folding Hunter was purchased from a friend of mine who owned a cutlery store and he got it from B.R.Hughes who used to write for various knife publications. They were good friends.
The Shorty/Pixie set I got from a friend a long time ago. Someone had carved their initials(H.V.)into the sheath but the knives are in great shape.
I have a couple of kitchen sets(see pictures).
That knife with the FH handle is definitely an odd one! I've never seen anything like it before. Probably was a one-off or perhaps a custom. That would be sad judging from what the Folding Hunters are selling for now.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Wed May 18, 2016 4:27 am
by orvet
The handle on the folding hunter and the other “big splitter” are called Lamb handles, patented by Thomas Lamb in 1945.
I think the handle was originally used for luggage.
The Lamb handles were used a lot on the early knives made for Abercrombie & Fitch.
The Lamb handled Folding Hunter was introduced in 1968 with Delrin, smooth Walnut & checkered Walnut.
In 1973 & 1974 there were some available with checkered Ebony handles.
All of the Folding Hunters were discontinued in 1974.
- Source- "A Chronology of Gerber Legendary Blades 1939-1986." by Phil Rodenberg
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Thu May 19, 2016 2:35 am
by Case V42
Dale,
Thomas Babbit Lamb developed the shape referred to in patent 2390544 as an improvement to crutch handles in an effort to better distribute the weight. That patent number is on the handles of some early Cutco knives. Pictured is a Gerber Magnum with the Lamb handle. The handles used on many post-1970 Gerber hunters is a modification of this design.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Fri May 20, 2016 11:38 pm
by FRJ
Very interesting Gerber history here.
Here's some of mine.
Thanks for looking.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 10:46 pm
by Mossdancer
Hi Dale:
Here are photos of a second year of production 1948 of the First made for Hunting Sheath knife The Abercrombie and Fitch Magnum Hunter as it came to be known. Took a lot of restoration to get it into this shape. I received it in more than one piece. It was laser welded refitting the small carver blade. All of the markings are readable and the parts are original to this knife. Should anyone have one marked with 1947 I would certainly appreciate a shot at buying it.
moss
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2016 11:04 pm
by Mossdancer
Dale: these would make a nice set of bookends for a collection of the Truncated handled Gerber Shorty's and
the last of the side marked Shorty's the late 1951 Jet handle.
moss
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Thu Jun 09, 2016 10:45 pm
by Mossdancer
Here are a few
Dale you may have to ID some of these. I just don't remember.
The FS3 is the one I told you about that Bob Embellished.
The FH is 68 or 69 as that is it's fancy sheath on the right.
The FS1 has a gold Wearhauser Emblem on it.
The long funny looking I don't know the name.
You will also have to supply the Al Mar name on his.
There is an Ebony FH
The small FH is a Saikai/Japan
I am pretty sure the two blade FS looking knife is a PK 1 Skookum it has a non brass frame
The fourth one down could have been a Mar or Paul collaboration.
moss
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 12:15 am
by Case V42
Wow! That jet handled Shorty is spectacular!
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 12:21 pm
by orvet
Mossdancer wrote:Here are a few
Dale you may have to ID some of these. I just don't remember.
You will also have to supply the Al Mar name on his.
The fourth one down could have been a Mar or Paul collaboration.
moss
The 4th one down with finger grooves is the Magnum Folding Hunter that was designed by Al Mar.
The bottom knife in the picture is an Al Mar Air Weight. It was the first Zytel handle I ever saw and the first knife I ever owned with ATS-34 steel in the blade. Those were so sharp when I bought mine I took it home and lathered my beard with a shaving brush and shaved with it. I got a great shave with no knicks or cuts! A very impressive knife for the time, circa 1988, IIRC.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2016 12:25 pm
by orvet
Here is an unusual Gerber I picked up last month, the Gerber Lord Sandwich.
I have no idea when it was made, it is not in Phil Rodenberg's book on Gerber.
These go nicely at the marketplace:
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2016 1:40 am
by Mossdancer
Hi Dale
Here are some photo's that may interest you. These tend to sell pretty well when I get enough together to show a group of them. There are a few folks who have bought the early Mimings in a high rider sheath for the kids and grandkids for fishing. In the group of four the two larger knives are a Joyeuse made for Gerber in probably 39-41 era by Dave Murphy along with a Joyeuse by Gerber from 1946. The two smaller are the miming type made in 50 and one from 49. The last photo's are of a Gerber Shorty from the mid 60's as indicated by the zip code on the back of sheath. The last photo is out of sequence it is a depiction of the two mimings in their sheaths. A joyeuse is a small carver that came in carving sets. BRL intimates they were used as hunting knives many years ago. Take a close look at the 1949 Miming, it's short handle and blade makes me wonder if it was an early Little Fisherman.
moss
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2016 3:40 pm
by Case V42
Dale,
I've never seen a Lord Sandwich with Armorhide handle. That is an odd one. I've attached a scan of a 1974 dated brochure showing the knife (chrome).
Page 24 of Phil's book does refer to the Lord Sandwich as being made for some period between 1955 and 1970 "or longer". Since yours is Armorhide, it must have been produced in or after 1969.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2016 5:47 pm
by PCwizard
My small collection for Gerber Silver Knights, The Bottom one I replaced the handle with Mammoth Ivory.
The top one is 3 1/4, the bottom 3 are the large 3 3/4 all are close to mint.
.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2016 6:11 pm
by Mossdancer
Really nice knives. The one with the Mammoth is tremendous.
moss
As an after thought here are some to gaze upon. Sorry, they are about three deep. Fun to try to figure out what is there. The boot knife near the center is a Kershaw. Must have been a Grandkid in the drawer.
moss
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:17 am
by deltaboy
I have 3 USA MADE Gerbers
A 300 lockback.
A Gator that was a old New Stock .
And a award Gerber that was given to my Grandpaw from Riceland Food.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 5:49 pm
by CheckSix
my only Gerber... a Blackie Collins designed Gerber Clip Lock Boot Knife. This one made in Portland, OR.
Re: Show off your Gerber Knives
Posted: Sun Aug 14, 2016 8:24 pm
by QTCut5
I use either a Gerber or a Kershaw to cut something pretty much every day...usually a Kershaw, but for some of the bigger chores, it's hard to beat these Gators.I wore out the last 650 I had, so I just bought myself this brand new pair...now I'm looking for something that needs to be skinned!
~Q~