Older KA-BAR Union Cut Co with a history
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2021 1:16 am
Before I get into the knife, please allow me to introduce myself as a new member and first time poster. My name is Eric and I'm a long-time pocket knife user, and occasional casual collector. My most treasured pocket knives have a personal or familial connection. This knife is a case in point (no pun intended!).
This knife that you see is an older Ka-Bar folder. I have no idea what pattern it is (Stockman? Serpentine Jack?), I don't know the model number and I do not know when it was purchased. What I do know is that it came back from France shortly after March 25, 1945. This pocket knife belonged to my grandfather and he was killed in WWII, just a few days before the end of the war. He carried this knife with him from the US to the war and it came home in a box of his belongings.
The knife is NOT in collectible condition. If this knife could talk, the stories would be incredible. The scales used to be mother of pearl. They crumbled some 20~25 years ago. My dad and I did what we could to keep the rust to a minimum, but there is nothing that we could do to save the pearl. I don't believe that there was a shield, or a place for a shield, if I remember correctly. The missing pin must have come off with the pearl at some point, although neither of us can remember seeing it in the ziploc bag with the crumbled pearl pieces. As a child, I was always interested in pocket knives, and my dad had asked me to try and clean this one up and get some of the rust from the blades. If I remember correctly (and that was about 40 years ago?), I used some fine grit sandpaper and cleaned it up as best as I could.
I thought I that I would put it here in this forum first, before checking out the repair forum. It's a great little knife. It still has good snap, walk and talk for it's age and I love the slim design. Because of what the knife means to my dad (and myself), I would like to get a set of scales back on it in the next year or so. Anyway, I thought you might like seeing an old knife with a bit of history behind it. If anyone would like to chime in with the model name or model number (or any other knife history), please feel free.
This knife that you see is an older Ka-Bar folder. I have no idea what pattern it is (Stockman? Serpentine Jack?), I don't know the model number and I do not know when it was purchased. What I do know is that it came back from France shortly after March 25, 1945. This pocket knife belonged to my grandfather and he was killed in WWII, just a few days before the end of the war. He carried this knife with him from the US to the war and it came home in a box of his belongings.
The knife is NOT in collectible condition. If this knife could talk, the stories would be incredible. The scales used to be mother of pearl. They crumbled some 20~25 years ago. My dad and I did what we could to keep the rust to a minimum, but there is nothing that we could do to save the pearl. I don't believe that there was a shield, or a place for a shield, if I remember correctly. The missing pin must have come off with the pearl at some point, although neither of us can remember seeing it in the ziploc bag with the crumbled pearl pieces. As a child, I was always interested in pocket knives, and my dad had asked me to try and clean this one up and get some of the rust from the blades. If I remember correctly (and that was about 40 years ago?), I used some fine grit sandpaper and cleaned it up as best as I could.
I thought I that I would put it here in this forum first, before checking out the repair forum. It's a great little knife. It still has good snap, walk and talk for it's age and I love the slim design. Because of what the knife means to my dad (and myself), I would like to get a set of scales back on it in the next year or so. Anyway, I thought you might like seeing an old knife with a bit of history behind it. If anyone would like to chime in with the model name or model number (or any other knife history), please feel free.