Model 3/6

[JE6245]

Okay, trying to get my feet wet here starting a thread and posting a picture. Hope it works out. This is a model 3 a friend picked up at Blade. Ivory handle and chromed blade. I tried to talk my friend into selling it to me but no dice. Sorry for the poor pics.

[samg]

Jim, that is a great looking Hunter! Classic. Here are the pics. Close your eyes Ron, don't look! 😀

[JE6245]

Thanks for the assist with the pictures Sam.

[Ta2bill]

Here is my contribution to this thread.

[samg]

No Problem Jim. Here you go Bill.

[BoBlade]

Jim,

Your friend's knife is a beauty! Thanks for posting it. (Yours too, Bill). Cracks in ivory don't bother me at all. Here is a 50's 3-7 that had more than it's share, but the functional integrity of the handle seems not to be compromised at all. It has pretty much every option offered by the shop at the time: Double Ni-Ag hilt, Ivory handle with finger grooves and name etched (To a Korean War vet). Sorry for the bad pics:



Notwithstanding, there are ivory handles that aren't funny (Cracking up). Here a 60's 3-7 that missed Murphy's gaze:

This was the seller's pic for that same knife on ebay. You can see why I picked it up on the cheap:


This is one that I have been dogging for years, It's a circa 1948 3-7 with perfect ivory handle. Hopefully some day (Mike Webb gets the Model 4):


I bought this 3-5 when the shop was still making them. The butt is solid nickel-silver and together with the ivory, it's one of the heaviest 3's I own:


Before I collected just Model 3's, I collected a bit of everything. Here are 50's Model's 1, 2, 3 & 4 all with ivory handles and all with a double hilt! The handles on the Model 1 & Model 2 are flawless. The 1, 2 & 4 are all dead mint:


Best,

[Ta2bill]

My early 1950's Pinned Ivory handled Model 3 is available if anyone is interested. $900 (SOLD)

[JE6245]

Whoa! Thanks Ron and Bill for the other pics. Fantastic. The only two ivory handled RMKs that I own both have cracks and they don't bother me a bit. I actually think they add character to the knife. However, you really have to admire the flawless ones especially given how rare it is for a knife to survive the years without cracking.

Which reminds me, when I was talking with Jim Behring at Blade, he said that he stabilizes ivory so it won't crack. I have no doubt about the truth of what he said but I have never heard of stabilizing ivory. Has that become a common thing?

[BoBlade]

Bill: I sent you a PM.

Jim: I've never heard that elephant ivory could be stabilized! If I had any questions, I would ask David Warther, as he is the expert that many people refer to. You can look him up easily.

Best,

Ron

[cut_n_run]

You might try Jim Stevens at scrimshawstudio.com. A number of years ago, I saw this on his website:
"Cracks in ivory can be minimized, and in some cases they can be
repaired almost to the point of invisibility, but no one can guarantee
a totally invisible ivory crack repair."
One of my ivory Randalls had checking across the scrimmed face of Bo Randall, so I sent it to Jim for possible repair. He ended up stabilizing the handle, and the checking has not noticeably worsened since then.
click here for picture:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lxycrx0bds...%20Bo.jpg?dl=0
-Steve

[JE6245]

Thanks for the info Steve. I'm happy with mine as they are but have seen some for sale in the past with wide cracks and wondered about possibly buying and repairing. I'll check it out.