A visit to the Queen

[Sauconian]

A few people have asked for a report on my visit to the Queen show last week, so here it is.

It was a bit over a 300 mile trip for me, from East-Central Pa., to Titusville in the North-Western part of the State. About 2/3 of the trip was on I-80 along which the scenery was a more rugged and rural section of the Appalachians than the Blue Mountain of my Lehigh Valley home, or the nearby Poconos.

Passing through the Cook State Forest, with it's old growth Pine and Hemlock was interesting on the last 50 mile leg of two lane highway.

http://www.cookforest.com/activities/oldgrowth/

I arrived Wednesday afternoon to meet my room mate, who was lurking in the hotel parking lot. After a short settling in, in our room, we walked to the VFW to rehydrate after our long drives.

Thursday morning, a visit to meet all the nice folks at GEC was first on the agenda, and then over to the Queen factory for a tour. Thursday evening was for meeting friends old and new in the hotel lobby. Friday and Saturday were for the knife show, with a BBQ and auction on the lawn behind the show hall. I came home on Sunday.

Titusville is a friendly and pretty small town, but if you go there have dinner early, as many places are closed by 8 pm.

AAPK members who I saw there were justold52 and blond wifey, johnny twoshoes and family, Justin Hosier who had a table, Bigden with a table, and where I got a nice knife posted in the ' Scout' thread, custom maker Bruce Godlesky and his lovely wife, and swagman, who was lurking as usual. I missed seeing darksev on Saturday, whose work I greatly admire. That's what happens when you take your AAPK hat off.

I'll be posting about two dozen photos of the Queen tour over the next few days. They are not necessarily in order of the production process, but are arrainged how I went through the factory, and are grouped roughly by process. Excuse blurry pics please. I shot without flash, sometimes quickly before a head got in front of my lens, and sometimes at workers who were moving quickly.

[Sauconian]

The first photo is the start of the tour.

The second is stamping springs and blades. Unlike other factories that stamp parts automatically, and from rolls of steel, at Queen the blank stock is about 12" long, and the operator has to move it manually to stamp the most parts from each blank. You can see a blank stock in front of the tray.

The third photo is the machine where the nail pulls are cut. Eack knife blade has to be placed in a jig, and the cutter head brought down to the proper depth. You can see the cutter head in the center of the pic. It looks a bit like a gear.

The last pic is a tumbler, which I didn't see used, as all blade polishing is done by hand.

[Sauconian]

On the second floor bone slabs are placed in a jig, and run through an ordinary table saw to cut them to the proper length and angle to fit between the bolsters. They are then more carefully fitted on a disc sander, and then the holes for the handle pins are drilled and countersunk, and the pins inserted.

[Sauconian]

Here the bone covers are sanded down to the contour of the liner, and at the next table memory fails me !

I think she may be installing the shields.

[Sauconian]

From that nice, bright room on the second floor we moved down to a grinding room in the basement. Water was flowing constantly through the grinders, and discharged into channels in the floor, to a pit where the heavy particles settled out, and the water was re-circulated. Must be a great job in the Winter. I think the leadman's name was Arthur Itis.

The last pic is back on the main floor, where another grinder is used to take the flash off the newly stamped blades.

Next time I'll show assembly, and finish of all the parts into a new pocket knife.

[Owd Wullie]

MORE!!!!!

Been across that stretch of I-80 more than a few times with 18 wheels a singin' and a big assed CAT motor bellerin its' one note song. Not too fond of PA's troopers. They apparently aren't too fond of fast trucks from Texas.

BEAUTIFUL country in that state. Just drivin across there makes a man understand why we went to war to make it ours.

[boggs]

Very cool..I've never been on a factory tour though through your pictures I feel like I went too..thank you and I can't wait for more.

[Desktop]

That's an awesome tour Sauconian!
Thanks for posting the pictures and providing the information!

[philco]

Thanks for the tour Fran.

I too enjoyed seeing the pictures you have so kindly shared with us.

Phil

[Tom McLaughlin]

Appreciate the tour Thanks.. I wish I had made the trip live just above ya outside of Scranton maybe next year...The scenic route across the state is Rt. 6.. .. a real pleasure drive but no place fur owd wullie and the 18 wheels...I've made that trip and a work out it is...but a joyful challenge especially if ya have a heavy one behind ya..

[Sauconian]

Thanks fellers fer lettin' me know you appreciate the effort !

I thought about taking the Rt.6 way there,Tom, but that would have required an extra day or two, and some of the knife money. 'Ya know ?

I've got about a dozen more photos to share, when I get a round tuit.
I didn't get a pic of the outside of Queen, but it looks about like it did when built, and the punch presses in the first couple of photos date back to the teens !

It was hard to decide if I wanted to pay attention to the tour or look at the building. Sorry I don't have better descriptions of what was going on, but sometimes I was lookin' out the window. Mebbe that's why I wound up a tin knocker instead of an architech.

Here I was, admiring an old dust collector.

[Paul M]

Sauconian- Thank you for taking the time and effort to share your experience! I have yet to tour a facility that manufactures cutlery. Your photos are great, I like the blur- it illustrates motion.
Keep up the the great work, you are an asset to this site. Paul

[carvin don]

Real nice information Fran! Thanks!

[orvet]

Great tour Fran!
Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

I can't wait for the next installment.

Dale

[MITCH RAPP]

Outstanding! Thanks Much for the Tour.

[justold52]

Sauconian again thank you very much four your fore sight of take your camera along. Your not so PRO photos do a GR8 job.

Last time I went (2007) the grinding room had fewer lights turned on and was darker and wetter. So we did not see much happining then. That seened like the worest place to work in the factory. Made me think I was in a dungen.
Yes all the machines looked to be very old. The repair man must be well worth the money they pay him to keep all that old stuff running.

That one photo you did not know what they were doing you said.
She was putting on the shields for More Makers Knives.

One thing I found out about the town is. They will not let any store or resterrant in the old city limites. So not to hurt any mom & dad stroes of old to get run out of bussines. Like no Wall-Mart or K-mart or, Mc Donalds can be built in the main part of town. The edge of town is hills or cliffs. Too costly to make a big parking lot.

I am looking forward to seeing your photos of the buffing part of the tour.

O by the way you were one of the best people I met on this show Fran.
Two shoes and mom gave me a hard time.... By the way 2 shoes tell you mom thank you for moveing my VAN closer to the door so I could get in. And thank your family for huntting it down too.

[ea42]

Fran,

Awesome thread! You went all out on this one, didn't suspect that you'd bring the 'ol camera on the trip Thanks for foresight amigo, and for sharing the experience!

Eric

[Sauconian]

Thanks guys. Eric, I know you wanted to be there. Maybe in '11 !

The first pic, the worker is installing the blades and springs into the frame of the knife. After putting the pins through the bolsters, he inserts the center pin, using a thin tool which slides in between the liners, and uses the small vice to compress the springs. He also has some files on the bench to adjust the fit of the tang to the spring. I didn't notice any specialized hammers ....they looked like ordinary tack, and tinner's riviting hammers. How would you like to clear that junk box off the bench for him ?

He drives the pins all the way through. Note the position of the hammer in his hand. Finesse, not brute force, is what's needed.

[Sauconian]

At this bench the pivot pins are being set, the " walk & talk " adjusted, and the blades crinked as needed to lay correctly in the frame. I asked if he used a slackner, and he said after as many knives as he's assembled, it's all by feel.

There are small wooden blocks on the top and front of the bench, against which he manipulates the blades, testing, as he sets the pins. Easy does it, and a little at a time, but this guy moved fast enough to be a card dealer !

Second, checking the lay of the blades.

[Sauconian]

Photo one is finish grinding. Rounding off the bolsters ( did you see the square corners in the previous photo ?)....surfacing down the pins, and rounding out the covers.

Then to buffing.

The last two photos are of putting on the edge. See how she uses both hands, depending on the side of the blade she's sharpening ? I can't even comb my hair lefty.

Check out too, the angle of the blade to the belt in the last pic.

[orvet]

Great stuff Fran!

Thank you.
Dale

[rigwelder]

Thanks Fran,
I might make that trip, right now i'm in the New Milford area just north on Scranton. I do alot of work about 80 miles west in the Troy Pa. area. Bet thats no too far from Tittusville.

[Gunsmoke47]

This is GREAT Fran! Thank You!

[Sauconian]

Rig, they only have the tour once every two years during the show.

Alrighty....next is applying the etch. The blade is placed in a jig to hold it in the proper position while the stencil, or mask, is brought down on that vertical shaft into contact with the blade. The stencil looked soft, like rubber, and is on the bottom of that vertical shaft. I was told it was a combination of acid and electrical, but the process wasn't fully explained. It only took a second or two to etch a blade. Boy, if I got to ask all the questions I wanted to, I'd still be there a week later. Next the etched knives are passed along the bench to the right.

Here they are given another inspection, and are cleaned of any debris or buffing compound. Check out the tools of the trade. Plenty of clean shop wipes, a toothbrush, jars of toothpicks, and boxes of Q-tips. Just like at home !

Back to back with the etch/cleaning bench, and right around the corner is a stock room.

And now, in the immortal words of that star of print and screen......




T..t..th..th..tha...THAT'S ALL FOLKS !!

[orvet]

Excellent tour Fran.
You are now the offical AAPK Tour Guide! (Hi, I'm Fran, fly me!)

Great stuff.

Thanks,
Dale