May 23, 2015 admin
Originally Published in RKS Newsletter #67 August 2005
There has on occasion been discussion on whether a model 14 in standard configuration – extended tang – could be had in wood. The answer has been no, at least as far as recent memory can recall. RMK will not currently make one and has not for the 50 plus yeasr since the model’s inception because no one has seen one, until now.
I was set up a the Blade Show in my normal location a few years ago and a gentleman came by my table with the end of a knife visible sticking out of the brown paper bag he was carrying. He was looking for some information on the knife ad a value. I asked to take a look and to mhy surprise he pullled out a circa 1959-1960 “tenite” model 14 set up as follows: Orlando forged blade with a prominent hump, extended tang, HKL lift-a-dot “canteen snap” sheath, and what appeared to be brown micarta handle material. Knowing that a brown micarta with bolts and extended tang is very rare, I immediately made an offer on the the knife that was accepted.
I studied the knife for a bit with a few prominent collectors taking turns in evaluating the knfe also. It took some time and a walk oustide into the sunlight to get a better “handle” on the handle. What was intially thought to be brown micarta was actually rosewood! The handle is the same dimension as tenite with the countersinks for the bolts done to exacting tolerances with the channel for the tang done in the same fashion. The wood was milled to size with care and precision. The finger grips were obviously done by hand and replcate a tenite handle shape to a tee. The bonus to this rosewood handle is no shrinkage!
I took the knife over to Pete Hamilton for a look-see and an opinion. Pete examined the knife for a couple of minutes. He said he was not at the shop when this particular knife was made and it was possible it was done at the shop, but he couldn’t say for sure.
Some time later I showed it to the boys at RMK, and they agreed that it could have been done in the shop.
As we all know Bo would generally do things upon customer request and it is my opinon ths is one of those things. It is my position, as well as the several prominent collectors and authorities who have examined this knife position, that the rosewood handle was in fact made and put on at the shop. It is my opinion, this could put the knife in the “one of a kind” category and could be one of, if not the rareet model 14’s ever crafted by Randall Made Knives.
**Note that I tried to locate more and hopefully better photos of this item, but after 10 years and several computers, some seem to have disappeared. If any show up, I will add them to the article. Also, I modified one thing in the text about the maker of the sheath so as not to lend to any confusion on the subject.
Since this article was written, I have seen at least one other extended tang knife (model 15) that had a wood handle being passed off as authentic. The workmanship was so poor and mishapen there is no way it came from the Randall shop.
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