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Old 03-20-2016, 04:29 PM
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Jacknola Jacknola is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New Orleans
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Here are comparison pictures.

Saw-teethed Orlando and Solingen (both about 1967-68):



Solingen 14 compared to Solingen saw-teethed 14 (both about 1967-68):



Orlando 14 compared to Orlando saw-teethed 14 (both about 1967-68):



I'll overlay the Orlandos and also overlay the Solingens tomorrow when I have better graphic tools. But eyeballing the knives, the outline of the Solingen teether will fit inside the outline of the conventional grind. This shows that the Solingen teethed could easily have been re-ground from conventional blades. However, overlaying the Orlando blades, the Orlando teethy outline does not apparently fit within the outline of the conventional blade. This would tend to indicate that the shop forged the teethed model somewhat independent of the conventional grind.

These photos also illustrate the slimmer ricosso and blade on the Solingen compared to the Orlandos. This is also true of the conventional Solingen vs Orlando 14 blades. I've always wondered if the original prototype 14 made by Mr. Randall in 1954 and provided as a model had the Solingen slimmer ricosso and blade. The slimmer dagger shape of the point of the Solingen teethy compared to Orlando teeth is also evident.

Re: the Solingen blade stamp, change from ricosso to Randall made logo.

Bill, thanks for the photos. With their help we know the old ricosso logo was used as late as mid-1963 and the randall etched logo was definitely being use in brown Micarta times, 1964-65.

I've looked at most of the records that mention the Solingens. Sheldon wrote that the old ricosso stamps were used on Solingen 14s until 1965, though the Randall-made Solingen logos began to be seen seen in 1963.

His timeline means that the last of the original 500 Solingen blades that were delivered in 1955 (with the ricosso stamp) were not made into knives until 1965. And from deduction, more Solingen blades were ordered in 1963 as the supply of original blades diminished. The new blades as delivered seemingly simply had "STAINLESS" on the ricosso, and they were subsequently etched at the Randal shop (?) with the familiar Randall made Solingen logo. According to Sheldon, there were a couple of years the different logos overlapped, which makes production sense.

Until the confirmed dates about the use of the two logos can be sharpened (pun intended) with further documented knives, I'll go with Sheldon's timeline. I know he attempted to verify the data in his book though that is always a work in progress. Perhaps I'll check with him on how he developed these dates.

Last edited by Jacknola; 07-28-2017 at 12:04 PM.
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