[Jacknola]

Back on subject.... I think I have some answers after several hours of careful study. Pictures and diagrams will be forthcoming.

I am now relatively confident there was no special forged shape for the Solingen teethed model 14. All those "spear point" teethed Solingen 14s started life as conventional Solingen 14 blades that were reground in the Randall shop to the final shape with beveled top before teeth were added.

The catalyst for the altered blade profile was the request for teeth on the prototype model 18 in early 1963. Gaddis states that Gary Randall himself created the first teethed example working all night on a Solingen 14 blade to reshape it and then grind in the teeth.

So fabrication of the original saw teeth models used Solingen 14 conventional blades that were then reground to accept teeth... grinding down the top edge into a bevel... which made the "spear point" shape. It seems pretty clear that the Solingen teethed models preceded the Orlando blade teethed models ... at least in the early test cases.

Finally, examination of the stamp on the original 1963 prototype model 18s made from Solingen 14 blades show they had the old type "stamp" across the ricosso. This indicates (but is not proof) that the well known "Randall made - Solingen" etching probably began being used only after mid-1963 or so.

I suspect that the original 1954 order for 500 Solingen 14 blades was delivered with the old "stamp" and it wasn't until a new order for resupply of the Soligen blades that the etched trademark was adopted. What date that happened is not clear from reading Gaddis. It may take some documented knives ... or perhaps a call to Mr. Gaddis to pin that date down. Or there is one person still around who was very involved in that project and who probably knows the answer.. Mr. Gary Randall himself.

We might be able to narrow down the date the logo changed. Hunt shows a 1964 (?) brown Micarta, filled hole, Solingen teethed model 14 in his "Randall Models in Wartime" which I do not have. The obverse side of the same knife is shown in his "...Military Models" which I do have, but of course the Solingen stamp cannot be seen to confirm what logo was being used at that time. Perhaps someone will help by looking in "Wartime" and reporting if the stamp is the ricosso one or the Randall-made-Solingen one.

Also interesting is the more radical shape of the original Solingen 15s, but that is a different topic.