Randall Made Knife
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#171371 - 05/25/18 12:29 PM Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what?
Lofty Offline
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Registered: 02/06/16
Posts: 656
Razor sharp, always wanted a high condition one to have for carry.

But, in answer to question in title, it is signed and an or-what, but what a great knife. Exceeded all expectations in trying for "the look". Hope you got a charge out of it, anyhow.












one more quicky, simply for scale. Nothing was meant to be, or could be, an exact dupe, as Greg already was numbering knives, for own, and buyers, sake. This one would be his 284th Ek, and 1st done in such a manner.


Normal such knives he does are quite a bit more spiffily marked, finished, and sheathed, the above knife was a fairly detailed request for otherwise, with him looking through his books on the originals. Said just so folk understand rough was intentional. Demanded by customer, even.


If anyone wonders over the utility of such a knife, aside from the clip out front, it is essentially a 7" modern "bushcraft" knife, and a convex ground O1 razor wizard on wood. (PS- and WILL be dandy in the kitchen.)


Edited by Lofty (05/25/18 05:11 PM)
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#171376 - 05/25/18 06:03 PM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Lofty]
Eric Offline
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Lofty, That is one sweet looking Ek style Model 1. I would love to see him make an Ek Model 5 Paratrooper. I have had a couple of #1 WII EK's. Here are two examples of the doubled-edged Model 2. Simple but very effective fighting knife. Easy steel to re-sharpen and with lead rivets, if the wood slabs came loose you just pounded on the lead rivet to tighten it all back up. The extended tang was an effective coconut opener as well.


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Edited by Eric (05/25/18 07:16 PM)
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#171379 - 05/25/18 09:20 PM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Eric]
Lofty Offline
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Makes me wonder if he will just leave the 1 on further such knives (if any), he ought to, it intentionally fit so well, double purpose. Time will tell. I appreciate the kudos, and also appreciate the posts of originals for which I was hoping.

Yep, Ek kinda set the stage for full width/length tang fighters to come later, complete with the pommel for an upper to the chops, in his imagination. Most civilian knifemakers of the era had very fevered armchair commando ideas of fighters, fighting, and even technique. I believe many of the very first #1s had only the simple blade cover for IWB such as moi uses, Ek thinking a guy would stay armed even if belt removed. Not familiar at all with modern ground combat, and your special friend, Mother Earth if you want to live.

The rivets are also critical to balance of the full tang knife where tang/handle quite a bit shorter than blade, Ek termed it the knife fell into the hand, rather than out of the hand, and an excellent description of fighter balance, which Greg captured. Heck, considering all the other knives out there with "Ek" on them, I was just pleased as punch to get real rock maple and poured lead rivets.

Thanks again for taking a gander at it. In the future, somebody is going to make a fool of themselves with this knife in a public way by calling the owner names for scrawling their name down the side.


Edited by Lofty (05/25/18 09:52 PM)
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#171380 - 05/25/18 10:09 PM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Lofty]
Eric Offline
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Loc: Michigan
Lofty, Here are some more pics. Maybe Wall can reproduce one of these?


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#171381 - 05/25/18 10:18 PM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Lofty]
Lofty Offline
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A few lifted images from an excellent history thread found here...
http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/150554-john-ek-commando-knives-1941-1976/

First is of earliest knives before the Ek rollmark, and why I had Greg electro-pencil his mark as a favor to me. And that is a BIG favor when you ask a maker to alter their own mark, and even have the gall to call it their billboard on the side.









As for Greg making one of the others, he already does a couple, maybe the Jungle?, and for most of those, all it likely would take is money. Here is one totally modded by buyer to walnut and heavy duty 3/16ths" stock.



In retrospect, I SHOULD have discussed in detail the grind plunge line to be sweeping, rather than vertical, but was looking for a user with "the look" rather than a forgery. And for all I know, he may have a book showing an earliest with vertical plunge eliminated right off, in hopes of increasing blade strength. Makes no difference, I have been toting it fine all day long, and carries just the same.

PS- to my own plunge line comments, when I think about how I use a knife, the extra edge in back too appreciated to lose, even if Greg offered to trade for a swept grind. And the original swept grind was via a flat lengthwise grind, a V-shaped edge. While Greg's vertical grind a convex razor, and a super knife rather than mostly sticker.


Edited by Lofty (05/26/18 08:53 PM)
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ad te autem non appropinquabit.

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#171382 - 05/26/18 12:29 AM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Lofty]
pappy19 Offline
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I had an Ek fighter that I bought from Ek in 1967, but traded it for a .270. Don't remember the number, or if there was one.

Pap
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#171383 - 05/26/18 02:16 AM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: pappy19]
Lofty Offline
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Mike, glad you chimed in, as it was thanks to you and your experience via your grandson and his Wall knife that I ended up buying a knife.
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ad te autem non appropinquabit.

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#171387 - 05/26/18 09:11 AM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Lofty]
pappy19 Offline
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What model did you get? Grandson Brad still takes his Wall Model 19 with stag slabs, when he goes trekking. Greg Wall does a good job, not a Randall, but he's trying.

Pap
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Mike Allen
RKCC-CM-086
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Randall Collector
Behring Made Collector
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#171388 - 05/26/18 10:10 AM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: pappy19]
Lofty Offline
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I bought that thread starter Ek #1 from Greg, Mike. That very first "Ek" is a Wall. I wanted authentic original thin 0.125" stock rather than modern common thicker, and most modern steel and most folk's heat treat of same in such a thin and long blade would be fragile.

When you told of that likely O1 big skinner holding up to a kid's use, where we all know boys and men can break anvils, I figured Greg would be my man on this.

I could have specified 1095, or some other known tough, even lower carbon, but Greg was sure he could get me what I wanted in O1, and O1 does take and hold a far better edge. And he nailed it. Sure, it would lose in a vise flex test, but nobody is prying anything with a 7" 0.125" thick blade unless they like to watch things bend. As for hacking, stabbing, carving, it is stiffer and holding up marvelous.

It has definitely showed itself mighty tough in tests which often dent or chip such edges. I could not be more pleased. Greg knows how to make a heck of an edge, and real deal users. This will not be my last from him.

PS- that cited above history link would go a long way in showing what John Ek had, and when, and from where, if any doubt as to model you had.


Edited by Lofty (05/27/18 09:35 PM)
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#171395 - 05/26/18 01:07 PM Re: Hey, Eric, is this a mint signed Ek, or what? [Re: Lofty]
Lofty Offline
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Registered: 02/06/16
Posts: 656
For the economy minded who like the concept, have a grinder, or not allergic to hand sanding with paper wrapped around a tube, a decent facsimile of the secure grip scallops could be added to the current ag tool pig sticker as still made by Ontario, and same convex edge applied with same sandpaper on a soft mousepad backer on a flat surface. Many a trooper went to war with exactly such a pig sticker by Case or Union Cutlery/Kabar. Trooper and commando carrying pig stickers was not a metaphor, but a fact, and remains so to this day.



As for getting Greg to make me a paratrooper, cannot think of a reason he could not, providing he had a strip of O1 proper thickness and wide enough, otherwise, a wait on that to arrive. But, the question remains, what would I do with it, after it arrived. I am well past jumping out of planes with my hair on fire, and although it appears to be a really fast way to cut my shroud lines, coming and going, and everybody else's, too, am drawing a blank, otherwise. But that not helped by not knowing size and weight of blade.



Rather than post again, and besides, how many times can a guy post pictures of his ONE knife, anyhow? Just a shot of knife after a couple of days using for everything, yard to kitchen, entire meals. Also redoing convex my way, simply because I cannot do it his way. It was not dull in the least, but did not want to catch myself out wanting/needing the knife and it dull and needing a lot of work. Most times, when I do such edge work, am rewarded with a real hair popping edge on good steel such as this O1, which it did not have on arrival, while this time, spent most of effort getting it back to as sharp as Greg had it, in the first place.



As for why guys tote such stickers, the very limited planned use is obvious, and if adding to loadout something of limited utility, why lug a heavy fancy version, when far lighter is just as effective and far cheaper (and, honestly, often tougher)?



Edited by Lofty (05/27/18 09:46 PM)
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