Schrade Cutlery Company was founded in 1904 by George Schrade, and his brothers Jacob and William Schrade. In 1946 Imperial Knife Associated Companies, (IKAC; an association of Ulster Knife Co and Imperial Knife Co) purchased controlling interest in Schrade Cut Co and changed the name to Schrade Walden Cutlery. In 1973 the name was changed to Schrade Cutlery. In 2004 Schrade closed due to bankruptcy.
This forum is dedicated to the knives that are the legacy of this company. This forum is not the place to discuss the replica knives currently being imported using the Schrade name.
Ripster wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:34 pm
Hey there Schrade fans,got a question for you? Picked up this 163 last week , don’t know much about it . It was 13 bucks so grabbed it ,thinking it’s worth that for sure. So does Schrade label this a Pruner ,Hawlbill ? Seen a couple referred to as Rope knife,but don’t think so on that one? And does the Bail, shackle, look factory . It’s all steel liners,pins,bolsters. Snaps and bites! The bail, the more I look at it ,doesn’t seem right for this period of piece.
Thank you if able to answer questions.
During the Schrade Walden era there were three similar knives in that line that utilized the same handles:
-The 186 was the horticultural hawkbill with the very pointy beak and no shackle.
-The 136 was the Lineman's Skinning Knife with the identical hawkbill only with a slightly rounded and blunted point. Blade had a linesman's knife etch. This knife had a shackle.
-The 163 was the rope knife. Same handle but with a large sheepsfoot or rope blade and no shackle
In the first few years of the Schrade Walden era the bolsters had a rattail cut into them, a carryover from the Cut Co days. Eventually the rattail was fazed out and straight bolsters were used. Without the model numbers on the 186 and 136 it would be almost impossible to differentiate between the two when just comparing blades on used knives as the act of sharpening them several times would likely round the pointy tip of the 186 and maybe add a bit more point to the 136. The bail definitely helps in telling them apart. Ripster you definitely have the 136 there and the bail is legit.
Starting around 1979 or 1980 they started interchanging the 136/186 model numbers on their respective blades for some reason. I think they'd just make a batch of hawkbill blades with whatever model number was handy for the stamp, and then if they needed linesman's knives they'd just round the tip and add the etch. The crazy thing was that on those blades they started grinding the edge right around the rounded point, which completely nullified that safety feature making that end like a flying scalpel when it snapped shut LOL! At this point shackles were added to both knives as well. Here's an example of that, two different models with the same 136 tang stamp, likely from around 1979:
Schrade Walden Hawkbills 2.jpg
Eric
Eric, a big Thank You. That’s great info and kind of what was hoping to hear . The Rat tail bolster thought was right ,but wasn’t sure about the bail . You mentioned also ,nulllifing the safety feature, agree there as well ,it got the tip of my thumb when got it home.
Do appreciate your feedback
Ripster wrote: ↑Mon Mar 08, 2021 5:34 pm
Hey there Schrade fans,got a question for you? Picked up this 163 last week , don’t know much about it . It was 13 bucks so grabbed it ,thinking it’s worth that for sure. So does Schrade label this a Pruner ,Hawlbill ? Seen a couple referred to as Rope knife,but don’t think so on that one? And does the Bail, shackle, look factory . It’s all steel liners,pins,bolsters. Snaps and bites! The bail, the more I look at it ,doesn’t seem right for this period of piece.
Thank you if able to answer questions.
During the Schrade Walden era there were three similar knives in that line that utilized the same handles:
-The 186 was the horticultural hawkbill with the very pointy beak and no shackle.
-The 136 was the Lineman's Skinning Knife with the identical hawkbill only with a slightly rounded and blunted point. Blade had a linesman's knife etch. This knife had a shackle.
-The 163 was the rope knife. Same handle but with a large sheepsfoot or rope blade and no shackle
In the first few years of the Schrade Walden era the bolsters had a rattail cut into them, a carryover from the Cut Co days. Eventually the rattail was fazed out and straight bolsters were used. Without the model numbers on the 186 and 136 it would be almost impossible to differentiate between the two when just comparing blades on used knives as the act of sharpening them several times would likely round the pointy tip of the 186 and maybe add a bit more point to the 136. The bail definitely helps in telling them apart. Ripster you definitely have the 136 there and the bail is legit.
Starting around 1979 or 1980 they started interchanging the 136/186 model numbers on their respective blades for some reason. I think they'd just make a batch of hawkbill blades with whatever model number was handy for the stamp, and then if they needed linesman's knives they'd just round the tip and add the etch. The crazy thing was that on those blades they started grinding the edge right around the rounded point, which completely nullified that safety feature making that end like a flying scalpel when it snapped shut LOL! At this point shackles were added to both knives as well. Here's an example of that, two different models with the same 136 tang stamp, likely from around 1979:
Schrade Walden Hawkbills 2.jpg
Eric
I didn't know linesman's knives were supposed to have a blunt point. I have the USA-made (Utica) Kleins with the semi-sharp tip, and then the completely rounded tip Sheffield, England (Ibberson) made Kleins that do have a rounded tip. Mine mostly cut rope and twine, so it's not a big deal. I have stripped cable with the Ibberson-made one once, and didn't need the tip.
Eric thank you for giving the description of the Hawkbill knives and outlining the changes made over time. I'm not surprised i was confused.
Here are my Schrade-Walden 186 and 136.
kj
There were 125 of these made in 1997. I've never seen one before, just stumbled upon it the other day. Skip - I believe this one is from your 'hood.
NFD3.jpg
Pretty cool.
As a retired firefighter I really like these.
I have one similar, but it's Napanoch Fire Dept.
David
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife" Meat Loaf
There were 125 of these made in 1997. I've never seen one before, just stumbled upon it the other day. Skip - I believe this one is from your 'hood.
NFD3.jpg
Pretty cool.
As a retired firefighter I really like these.
I have one similar, but it's Napanoch Fire Dept.
I actually picked that one up earlier this week too! It's a big week for FD knives from cities starting with the letter 'N'.
There were 125 of these made in 1997. I've never seen one before, just stumbled upon it the other day. Skip - I believe this one is from your 'hood.
NFD3.jpg
Pretty cool.
As a retired firefighter I really like these.
I have one similar, but it's Napanoch Fire Dept.
I actually picked that one up earlier this week too! It's a big week for FD knives from cities starting with the letter 'N'.
nfd1.jpg
Yes sir. That is the one I have.
David
"Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife" Meat Loaf
Nice knife Jason. That is one I wish I had. Actually a helpful piece of info with the 1st year of the napanoch FD. Here is a commemorative FD knife from SCHRADE I have.
JAMESC41001 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:47 pmNice knife Jason. That is one I wish I had. Actually a helpful piece of info with the 1st year of the napanoch FD. Here is a commemorative FD knife from SCHRADE I have.
Thanks Jay. Those Franklin Firefighter knives are really nice pieces. I dug into them a bit not all that long ago. A company called PA Bingo ordered 300 in 1992 and then another 300 in 2002. PA Bingo sold 'charitable gaming supplies' and would sell these knives to fire departments that would use them for fundraising by selling raffle tickets to win them.
There were 125 of these made in 1997. I've never seen one before, just stumbled upon it the other day. Skip - I believe this one is from your 'hood.
NFD3.jpg
Pretty cool.
As a retired firefighter I really like these.
I have one similar, but it's Napanoch Fire Dept.
I actually picked that one up earlier this week too! It's a big week for FD knives from cities starting with the letter 'N'.
nfd1.jpg
That's a nice one! Love the shield! Congrats Jason!
TOM - KGFG - (Knife-Guy-From-Germany)
I believe..., every knife is a soul, looking for a soulmate.
JAMESC41001 wrote: ↑Sun Apr 04, 2021 7:47 pm
Nice knife Jason. That is one I wish I had. Actually a helpful piece of info with the 1st year of the napanoch FD. Here is a commemorative FD knife from SCHRADE I have. 1F3A5562-7C49-4DFC-99EB-9CC502A2DDBF.jpeg34CD00A8-7F00-4EA0-BEA7-B395FEC1ED38.jpeg
Another Beauty! Nice!
TOM - KGFG - (Knife-Guy-From-Germany)
I believe..., every knife is a soul, looking for a soulmate.
OK....
Here they are:
The large one is a 886 UH and the smaller one is a 898 UH....
The 886 is 3-7/8" long and the 898 is 3-3/8" long.
As I understand, these were made for Schrade by Camillus.
Here is a good look at the tang stamps.....
"Life is tough.... but it's tougher if you're stupid."....John Wayne
That’s right Mike. There are a few that are not on the list. I had heard some info that camillus was used to fill some of the Sears craftsman orders. I had thought that the 866 and 898 would offer some clues. But they seem to present more questions then answers. Here are pics
I got this one in today. Been wanting one to add to my Schrade Bunch. It is a Schrade Walden 293Y. Blades do have some scratches & spots, but have great snap and no wobble.
Sometimes I Sit and Think .... Other times I just Sit
I May Grow Older, But I refuse to Grow Up!!
I'll sharpen it for you, but I don't give out band-aids!!
That's a nice one! Love the shield! Congrats Jason! 
.... Other times I just Sit