James Schmidt "Grendell" LB Folder/ & My Knife

[kootenay joe]

Today i received an email from Nordic Knives inviting me to view their most recent acquisitions. Dave at Nordic Knives sells custom knives for less than any other knife purveyor i know of and he gets a great selection of knives so it is fun to look.
I came across a knife that is somewhat similar to one i own. It is called "Grendell" and is a lock back folder, 8 5/8" open made in 1981 by James A. Schmidt. It is still available. Price is $12,000.
After you have had a chance to enjoy the pictures of Grendell, i will show my knife which was made 2 years before Grendell and possibly inspired Mr. Schmidt, particularly if he was in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
kj

[kootenay joe]

Seems Mr. Schmidt has made quite a few knives. You can buy the book for $125.
kj

[Doc B]

Very nice! A little out of my price range...well...actually a long way out of my price range.

[kootenay joe]

O.K., won't keep you waiting too long.
My knife which may or may not have inspired Mr. Schmidt was made 40 years ago, 1979, by John Hluschak, from Winnipeg Manitoba (it's in Canada).
It has a silver butt plate that is engraved and has a "K" on it. Perhaps it is for "Knife" ?
kj

[Doc B]

Very nice KJ. What is the purpose of the point projecting from the tang, when closed. Early flipper? Maybe you can squeeze an engraved J in there

[kootenay joe]

"What is the purpose of the point projecting from the tang"
Good observation Doc B. This knife is a Swing Guard and you are looking at one end of it.
Full name would be: Top Lock Swing Guard with crown stag handle, and both blade and guard are tight in the open position, zero play in either. Impressive ! The collar (or bolster) is also silver but i think the guard is aluminum.
The only feature that i do not understand is the handle. This piece of stag came from a mature deer, likely whitetail, but it has been painted with brown, 'doggie do brown actually. Why did Johnnie H. painted it ?
It is a BIG knife, 7 1/2" closed and 12 1/2" open. But it is a 'real' knife. The blade is nicely tapered to edge & point and is sharp.
I think John Hluschak was like not a dedicated knife maker but more of a creative craftsman with good metal working skills.
Please post your comments. Thanks.
kj

[Modern Slip Joints]

I thought my knives that are 5 1/2" closed were huge. 7 1/2" is humongous! While I use one of my 5 1/2 inchers, some call them display knives. You'd need a day pack to carry that one. Maybe follow Teddy Roosevelt on safari and use it skin elephants?

Queen made 5 1/2" back locks with their release way up forward. Their release was a prominent hump that reminds people of saddle horns so they are some times called saddle locks. Since you apparently do not like calling it a back lock I suggest calling it a saddle horn lock or rocker lock. That's the first swing guard I've seen that is a single U shaped piece of metal. I'd bet that took some time to make.

[Doc B]

Ahh! Very Impressive. Liking it even more...with the added photos!!!

[kootenay joe]

Although this is a fully functional knife with a sharp blade it's size makes it an impractical user. However i like this knife because i admire the maker, John Hluschak. I doubt he was a knife maker. Likely he is(was ?) more of an inspired and determined craftsman. He put a lot of thought and then effort into making this knife. The scroll work on the silver pommel includes a flower with a stippled center. The top lock has 2 patterns filed into the surface.
As pointed out above, the swing guard has been made from one piece of solid metal (aluminum ?). And everything is tight, zero blade play and the guard is also solid, without any free play. Most swing guards have some looseness of the guard when open so it is a challenge to get it to be solid, free of any play. But John H. managed to get it solid.
I don't know why the stag was painted or if this is original or happened after it left John H. I think it detracts from the knife. Do you think the paint could be stripped off without damaging the stag ?
kj

[Modern Slip Joints]

[...] Do you think the paint could be stripped off without damaging the stag ? kj

I doubt that the paint can be removed without also removing the dark surface on the bark but the obvious thing to do is paint some antler then experiment trying to get the paint off. It is very likely that paint from 1979 is oil based so that is what I'd experiment with.

[knife7knut]

If the paint is enamel it can be removed using brake fluid(DoT3;not the later style DoT5). People who work with styrene plastic model cars that have been painted use it to strip off paint without damage to the plastic. A caveat here though: Rather than soaking it in the brake fluid I would apply a small amount to the handle and let it set for a few hours and see if it moves the paint.Just a suggestion Roland.

[kootenay joe]

Thank you Ray. I will get the correct brake fluid and do a small test area.
kj