Hi Everyone,
I had this "brainstorm" last night: Everyone likes to see photos of Randall knives whether old or new and there are many different models to choose from and admire. Why not have a "Model of the Week" thread where members post photos of one particular model in an organized fashion starting from the Model 1 Fighter this week, the Model 2 Stiletto next week, etc.. By the time we run out of models and specials, most everyone will have picked up a new knife or two to spark a 2nd round! I don't know if I can take full credit for this brilliant idea because I heard that some dweeb from another forum may have initiated something similar. Whether rumor or fact, it shall not detract from the enjoyment we here at Knifenet get from seeing photos of each other's knives.
I'm mostly a field knife kind of guy, but I do have a few Randalls made for darker purposes as the song goes. Here is an early fighter that differs pretty significantly from it's offspring that evolved over a number of intervening decades: Non standard 6 1/2" length blade, no ricasso, 1/8" thick red spacers, short handle (only 3 1/2" worth of leather washers), thin (only 1/4" thick) buttcap and a brass wrist thing link. The sheath is by Southern Saddlery out of Chattanooga who supplied sheaths to Randall for only about a year from July of '43 to July of '44. Not as elegant as Clarence Moore or as crisp as Heiser, they were nonetheless well made and fit for their intended purposes. There is a letter from Bo shown in Hunt's 2nd book on page 287 where Bo says "The very first 1's & 2's made almost 100% by myself are recognizable by the unusual bent brass with hole drilled through I had to use for attaching the wrist thong; there are not many of these around." Thanks to Mssrs Gaddis and Hunt's efforts, we can place this knife pretty much dead square into 1943. I apologise in advance for my inability to post decent photos!
I really hope this thread can take off because of those pesky rumors that it was enjoyed on another forum
Thanks,
Ron