Rare Bulldog Knife??

smiling-knife · Post by **smiling-knife** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 10:58 am

Hi, I recently acquired this Bulldog stockman knife for a price that seemed too good to be true. You all know how that saying goes. IMO it is well made and feels great in my hand. I think the scales are Mastedon Ivory, however there is damaged at the end on the front. It appears as if a thin chunk of the 'bark' has flaked-off. If a genuine prototype, it must be one of a limited number. If so, I won't feel as bad about the damage. It has 2005 on one of the tangs which I assume is the year it was made. What do you think? Hukk this seems to be within your area of expertise. Thanks in advance. s-k

El Lobo · Post by **El Lobo** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 3:48 pm

S/K,

I'm sure Hukk will be along with some solid information for you.

As far as the Mammoth Ivory, that does look like what most folks call the "Bark"... the area on the very outside... which has become popular to use of late. It was always desireable from the SandBar...er, ah, Sambar deer, but it is usually more dense and stable than the Mammoth Ivory exterior. I have seen Sambar Stag peel or flake, as well though. If it were mine, and I bought it for the natural character of the Ivory...I wouldn't mind, as the natural color seems to run deeply. A little mineral oil on occasion should help it from getting drier and flaking more.

As always, JMO, and maybe only worth what you paid for it.

Bill

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 4:46 pm

In 2005 they made some prototypes of a 3 3/8 inch Stockman. There were 10 of each prototype and 10 different scales used for a total of 100 proto's. If it is a 2005, then there is a black laser etch on the master blade.

Nice! It is a proto as there were no ivories in production.

smiling-knife · Post by **smiling-knife** » Wed Nov 15, 2006 7:46 pm

Hi Thanks for the info Hukk/Elobo. It does have the black laser etch on the main blade and 3 3/8 inches long. I like it alot better now. Not damaged but full of character.

s-k

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 2:06 am

El Lobo wrote:S/K,

I'm sure Hukk will be along with some solid information for you.

As far as the Mammoth Ivory, that does look like what most folks call the "Bark"... the area on the very outside... which has become popular to use of late. It was always desireable from the SandBar...er, ah, Sambar deer, but it is usually more dense and stable than the Mammoth Ivory exterior. I have seen Sambar Stag peel or flake, as well though. If it were mine, and I bought it for the natural character of the Ivory...I wouldn't mind, as the natural color seems to run deeply. A little mineral oil on occasion should help it from getting drier and flaking more.

As always, JMO, and maybe only worth what you paid for it.

Bill

It is a good knife, there were 10 Bark ivory and 10 Interior ivory prototypes. Bulldog refers to theirs as Mastodon Ivory quite often.

smiling-knife · Post by **smiling-knife** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 6:46 pm

Thank-you for the information Hukk.

s-k

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:03 pm

You're welcome s-k. By chance I have the entire proto set of those stockmans and a set of the Baby Bullet Trappers. Both of those are decent buys, you rarely see them for sale. Nice grab! I only bought 2 proto sets in 2005, none in 2006, big drop in quality. Since Jim Parker died in November of 2004, it's likely the models for 2005 are his. I would guess that the 2006 designs/models are from James (Buzz) Parker. Anyway, under his leadership, quality has dropped off the map. The only one I like is the Barlow for quality, but I'm not sure I like it with a single clip blade. It just doesn't seem like a Barlow to me. I have bought a few celuloid Barlow's, thinking about modifiying some. It would be a fun project down the road.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:13 pm

smiling-knife wrote:Hi Thanks for the info Hukk/Elobo. It does have the black laser etch on the main blade and 3 3/8 inches long. I like it alot better now. Not damaged but full of character. s-k

Some people don't like those "cracks" and shy away from them. I would say that such thinking is short sighted and mis-informed. Indeed it adds charactor to any knife. Just look at Wendell Carson and his Fightn' Bull Bark Ivory knives. Some are loaded with "cracks", but those in the know snatch them up, many times well over $100.00 a pop. Easily one of the most affordable customs you will ever find.

El Lobo · Post by **El Lobo** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:33 pm

Purely as a point of reference.....Smooth Mammoth...Chunky Mammoth.
Peanut butter references not really intended.

Bill

smiling-knife · Post by **smiling-knife** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 7:42 pm

Great looking knives El Lobo. Being a great fan of peanut butter I appreciate the analogy. My initial concern was that a thin layer of the bark appears to have broken-off just in from the left bolster. I am now happy to consider this just part of the character of the knife. I attached a close-up here. Do you think this is a natural characteristic of this material? Thanks very much for your replies.

s-k

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:02 pm

Well, here a 3 Bulldog stockman knives. The top is a Brown Spiderweb Mastodon Ivory, the middle is a Blue Mastodon Ivory Prototype, and the last is a Blue Mastodon Ivory engraved with 1 of 2, the other one being the prototype above it. All have COA's. There are plenty of "cracks" (charactor) on the top and bottom one. Bulldog uses the word Mastodon when these could be Mammoth Ivory. Most folks probably do not know that buldog made these knives. Actually the 2 Blue Mastodon Ivory are listed on page 114 of vol. 7 Pocket Knife Traders guide. The Spiderweb is not listed. All 3 were special factory orders.

I must say I do like the look of Bill's Peanut, that is one of Wendell Carson's beauties, top notch all the way and full of charactor.

smiling-knife · Post by **smiling-knife** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:07 pm

Thanks again Hukk. Those are beautiful knives

s-k

El Lobo · Post by **El Lobo** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:19 pm

Is there a gap between the bolster and the handle material? Can you show a top down picture at the edge in question? I thought you were referring to the "chunk" below the pin...but now you have me wondering.

Bill

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:25 pm

smiling-knife wrote:Great looking knives El Lobo. Being a great fan of peanut butter I appreciate the analogy. My initial concern was that a thin layer of the bark appears to have broken-off just in from the left bolster. I am now happy to consider this just part of the character of the knife. I attached a close-up here. Do you think this is a natural characteristic of this material? Thanks very much for your replies. s-k

Yeah, it was put together that way. From the picture it looks stable.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:32 pm

El Lobo wrote:Is there a gap between the bolster and the handle material? Can you show a top down picture at the edge in question? I thought you were referring to the "chunk" below the pin...but now you have me wondering.

Bill

If you ever have a concern in that area, a bit of super glue off a tooth pick will suffice. Just don't get it anywhere else.

smiling-knife · Post by **smiling-knife** » Thu Nov 16, 2006 8:41 pm

There is no problem at the bolster. The fit is perfect. 1/2 way between the bolster and pin, the rise above the pin is smooth and curved but below the pin it is abrupt and vertical. It is dark here so I will take and post more photos in the morning.

s-k