Sorry to start another thread on the Astro training knives, but I think that I have discovered a photo that illustrates Gordon Coopers training knife without scales.
Gordon Cooper with his Astro on his leg. Cooper's looks very light in color. He was in favor for a long time to put survival items in the tang cavity, then tape the tang. It looks to be taped to me. If you look just below the thong hole, it looks like bare metal, then a lighter color seems to angle a bit. It looks like overlapping tape lines too. What does it look like to you? Perhaps someone with a program to sharpen photos can get a clearer look.
