Old Hunter wrote:Dale,
I own one Buck 560 made in 1992; different finish on body and blade. There were quite a few finish variations on this model over it's run life.
Thanks for the information Bruce.
I sent an email to Joe Houser at Buck Knives and he told me some interesting info on the 560 & why there are so many variations of the finish.
The company that made the handles for your knife was located in Oregon. The factory burned down and and the company went out of business. Joe said that when titanium burns it's apparently very difficult to put out. I know there was a factory in Albany Oregon, about 12 miles south of me that produced titanium. However, I don't think they made the handles for Buck; they just produced the titanium metal.
Because that Buck could not get handles they discontinued the 560 for some time from their product line. When they located the new manufacturer of handles they came in with an anodized crystalline finish which is it different from the early versions of the 560 which were just blasted and sanded.
Joe said, “Then we found a new source and just by accident, when they made the handles, they had that cool crystal look to them. We liked it and added the 560 back to our line. These new 560's can be found with that champagne like color, or some will have more of a grey crystalline color. The supplier didn’t seem to have much control over that part of it. I rarely see the grey colored ones though.”
Joe also said he is planning to do a data sheet on the 560 later on this year that will be available to members of the Buck Collectors Club.
Didnt some of those knives come with a special tool to disassemble? I remember seeing it at a knife show somewhere. ftd