Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

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Jerlin
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Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by Jerlin »

My son-in-law inherited this Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923 from his late step father. As can be seen from the attached photos, it needed cleaning. After cleaning it up some, the etchings and stampings show up better. Can anyone give us some information about this knife, such as how old it is?
Before cleaning
Before cleaning
Before cleaning
Before cleaning
After cleaning, etchings w/two eyes on mark side of blade and eye etching on mark side of tang
After cleaning, etchings w/two eyes on mark side of blade and eye etching on mark side of tang
After cleaning
After cleaning
After cleaning, stamp on pile side of tang
After cleaning, stamp on pile side of tang
Any information will be appreciated.

Jerry Johnson
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by kootenay joe »

It is an Eye Brand #99 pattern and with the 3 'eyes' (2 on blade flat and 1 on tang) it dates to late 1970's, or maybe early 1980's ? Many collectors think the '3 eye' knives are the best that Schlieper ever made. Eye Brand is the registered name for knives made by the Carl Schlieper company in Solingen Germany.
The 99 is a highly sought after pattern, especially so if it has deer stag handles. The yellow handles on yours are likely a plastic known as "celluloid" which is unstable and can break down and release a gas that will corrode the blades and brass liners.
It would be worthwhile to send it to a knife mechanic and get handles replaced with stag (or wood, your preference).
Others here know more than i do about these knives so hopefully there will be more posts with more information.
It is a very good knife to carry (in a belt sheath) and use for all outdoor cutting needs. The blade will take and hold a very sharp edge and the saw blade cuts very well and does not bind when sawing.
The DRGM and numbers i believe is a German patent registration.
kj
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Mumbleypeg
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by Mumbleypeg »

Here’s a link to a post explaining the D.R.G.M. mark. viewtopic.php?f=4&t=60194&p=699053&hilit=DRGM#p699053

Ken
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by kootenay joe »

Reading the above link "DRGM" should indicate manufacture before 1952 after which it became "DBGM".
This knife is not as old as 1952 so either the info in the link is incorrect, or this is an old blade that lay around the factory for about 30 years and then had the 2 Eye etch put on and assembled into this knife. All manufacturers used blades made many years before at times.
Also the link above re DRGM has info lifted from a pottery site. Maybe pottery use of DRGM was not the same as cutlery use of DRGM ?
I still say: good knife, likely made mid-late 1970's; remove handles before they off gas and eat the knife.
Or send me a PM if you want to move it along.
kj
Jerlin
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by Jerlin »

kj and Ken, thank you both for the very informative information about this knife. I know my son-in-law will want to keep the knife for sentimental reasons. I will have to leave it up to him about replacing the handles, but I will certainly advise him of the potential harm to the knife if they are not replaced.
Jerry Johnson
Jerlin
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by Jerlin »

I advised my son-in-law of the potential damage that could occur to his Eye Brand #99 knife if he didn't replace the celluloid handles. He really would prefer to keep the knife as is because it reminds him of his stepfather and the times when they hunted together.

His questions were this: How long might it be before damage might occur? And, could the way the knife is stored make a difference in how long before damage might occur?

I know the answers to both questions depend on a lot of variables. If his knife was made in the 70's or 80's, it is 40 to 50 years old. On the outside, it is not showing any signs of damage. However, I know that doesn't mean there is no damage already occurring under the handles. I guess the only way to know for sure is to remove the handles to see if there is any damage.

It did occur to me that he could have the handles replaced with smooth bone of the same color to keep the appearance of the knife the same. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Jerry Johnson
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by Mumbleypeg »

I think removing the handles at this point is premature, unless there is evidence of celluloid outgassing present. Many celluloid handled knives never go bad. The best recommendation I know to prevent them from problems is to use them, or leave them out in a location where they get air and without sunlight. Do NOT put them in some airtight container or closed space. No one knows when, if, or what causes celluloid to go bad. You can do a search here on AAPK for "outgas" or "offgas" and find a lot about it. Here’s a link to one of the many viewtopic.php?f=2&t=54367

The only thing I recommend is if/when the handles start to go bad get them off the knife ASAP.

Ken
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edge213
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by edge213 »

I'm with Ken. I see no reason to remove the handles at this time.
It doesn't appear to be outgassing.
Heck, it might never.
David
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by kootenay joe »

I had a yellow handle Eye Brand Stockman that was kept on a table surface out of sunlight. I think it was a 1990's knife. I passed by and looked at it every day. Then one day i looked and the handles had gone wavy on the surface and tops of blades were deeply corroded. This knife handle went from looking normal to severely out gassing in a matter of 1-2 days.
Until this happened i had thought that out gassing was a gradual process and that if you inspected a knife regularly you could catch it in the early stages of out gassing with no harm done to steel or brass.
But now i know that a celluloid handle can suddenly break down and out gas a large amount over just 1-2 days.
That said they are plenty of 100 yr old celluloid handles that are still 'perfect'. In general it seems the celluloid used more recently on German made knives is much more prone to break down than the 100 yr old celluloid.
kj

Edit to add: why would Eye Brand use yellow celluloid when Delrin in the exact same yellow is widely available and 100% stable ? Until the handles suddenly out gassed, I had assumed they were Delrin. This was a 1990's knife. Delrin has been used for knife handles since 1960 and was developed as a replacement for celluloid.
Jerlin
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by Jerlin »

Thank you Ken, edge 213 and kj for the additional information and the link telling about outgassing. I have passed much of this info on to my son-in-law. He would consider replacing the celluloid handles with Delrin handles. This is something I would prefer not to do as I am not experienced enough nor am I familiar at all with Eye Brand knives and how they are put together. I know I should probably ask in the Repair/Restoration forum, but does anyone know a good knife mechanic (preferably in Texas) that could do this? I would be greatful for any leads.

Jerry Johnson
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Re: Eye Brand D.R.G.M. 1423923

Post by doglegg »

Jerlin wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 11:36 pm Thank you Ken, edge 213 and kj for the additional information and the link telling about outgassing. I have passed much of this info on to my son-in-law. He would consider replacing the celluloid handles with Delrin handles. This is something I would prefer not to do as I am not experienced enough nor am I familiar at all with Eye Brand knives and how they are put together. I know I should probably ask in the Repair/Restoration forum, but does anyone know a good knife mechanic (preferably in Texas) that could do this? I would be greatful for any leads.

Jerry Johnson
DocB lives near San Antonio and does rehandles. Might contact him. Could send him a private message.
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