Found this at the TSA store today, I would appreciate any info on the production time frame, based on my research it's 1953-60, but early 74mm stuff is not my forte.
I feel like I stole this for $3.
Back after a hiatus with a solid haul brought to me by the Taking SAKs Agency.
* Bantam
* Money Clip x2
* Director x2
* Executive, Smooth Alox
* Ambassador, Smooth Alox
* Altimeter Plus, pre plus scales
* 84mm. Climber - small
* Swissbuck Greensmaster
* 3 rivet Huntsman with bale
* Wanger X Victorinox Pen
* 84mm old cross Elinox
* 58mm 1996 Atlanta Olympics x 2
* 58mm classic SD Alox x3
* 58mm Shamrock Hoffritz classic.
I've been cleaning out my supply of squirts and getting them sold off but forgot I had a box of broken ones. I decided to make my knifeless dream squirt a reality
The donors for this project were:
* Squirt Radioshack Edition (stripper and 3d Phillips)
* Squirt PS4 (scissor, bottle opener, file)
* Squirt P4 (reamer and small flathead)
Work still to be done:
Titanium scales
Vixtorinox 58mm scissor
I may still swap the stripper head out for a standard pliers head.
So I'm on vacation and on my evening walk I keep passing a store with an old Victorinox sign in the window, so I decided to stop in. They are a restaurant supply store that stocks the full swibo and victorinox lines of commercial cutlery, and while looking around noticed a bakers knife on display and well 1 thing led to another and I left with 3 unopened bakers knives and the displays models of the bakers knife and the twine knife (floral knife with keyring) for $20 on top of my new lamb skinning knife.
Admittedly not my normal level of haul, but stupidly excited about the Bäckermesser.
Victorinox Ranger 79 available at Amazon or Wal-mart, both links below.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/65086222 sold out
Made by Gary Richard Cullen, who passed away earlier this year. This is the first custom slip joint I've ever owned, and it's set the bar so high I don't know what to get next, besides a leather case for it.
Blade and spring are CPM154, bolsters and liners are stainless steel, scales are black paper micarta. Liners are milled and the spine is roman knots by hand. The walk and talk is perfect.
A video he made of the knife
Not a bad day at the TSA.
Highlights are:
* 91mm and 84mm Golfer, both in leather pouches and like new.
* Spirit X in leather sheath
* 84mm Tourist, mid 60's
* Executive 81
* Ambassador
* Glow in the Dark classic SD x 2
* Fire Opal Rambler
* Sapphire Rambler
* Rambler red
* Manager red
* Executive x2 no scales (free)
* Wenger Evo Pocket Tool Chest
* Wenger Motorist
Modern Climber with LNF?!?!
So this is a crazy find today, a post 2005 Climber with long nail file and plus scales, and no keyring
Anyone seen this before?
Today's find is a 4 layer assembled in an order I've not encountered before.
* Opener Layer
* Saw layer
* Scissor layer,
* Knife layer
I am putting it in the 1952 to 1957 production range. Scissor and Saw are stuck closed so I've got some oil soaking in them, but worst case a spa trip to Ibach will sort her out.
New acquisition today, but I don't know much about determining a date range for the Pioneers. Any help would be awesome and appreciated.
It is a 4 tool pioneer.
* Pioneer Harvester (Swiss Army 2)
* Voyager Lite
* Huntsman Lite
* Executive (it's a sickness, as seen in my other post)
* Victorinox X Wagner Swiss Pen Lite
* Boker Tree Pocket Key
Called a meeting if the 74mm board today at the Ultrasonic Spa for 17 Executives, 5 Ambassadors and their 1 Companion. Many issues were discussed, hot oil massages were enjoyed, and a few spring replacements occurred. A subcommittee was established to visit the offices in Monroe, Connecticut.
In all seriousness I was getting these ready for individual photos, swapping a few into the collection as better examples of different generations of each model and returning the rest to the wild.
This summer I have all but completed my 74mm collection, missing only the diamond cut gold variants, and a few mother of pearl variants. Those will take longer and the crazy gold prices have driven many of those to being scrapped.
Honestly not one I'd thought to ever get into my collection in such amazing condition, they show up for sale so rarely and the price seem to go insane quickly. This came from another collector I met in my area earlier this year at my favourite place to find Vic's
EDIT 1: If you placed an order on Amazon when the cobalt blue 74mm executives were available, that has been sitting in " Order Received" status, you need to check your order.
After 30 days in order received status Amazon will email you asking if you still want the item or should cancel it.
Amazon by default will cancel the order after a day or so of sending the message.
You have to go to your Amazon account, click on the pending order and you'll have an option to confirm you still want it. I've had items like this for months and then suddenly it gets delivered.
Just a reminder that if you still have these orders active, it's time to check the order and confirm you still want it or they will automatically cancel it.
I had an exceptionally smooth transaction with u/buyfrom-malaysia he handled getting my package from China to Malaysia and then to Texas. The service was incredibly fast, items were packed with great care, and this was the smoothest customs process I've had since the Cheeto ended the de minimis exemption. Communication was very smooth and he kept me up to date along the way.
I'm already arranging another large order using his services so make the shipping less painful.
Today's TSA haul was just over $120 at includes:
* Director
* Executive Smooth Alox
* Money clip x 2
" Minichamp XL
* 75mm Student
* 91mm Mechanic
" 91mm Compact
* 84mm Artisan / Fieldmaster-Small
* Classic SD Alox in a color I don't have
It'll be shuffling time in the collection tonight to swap in better pieces and re-home some duplicates, and the Artisan has to go visit the mothership due to cracking liners
Clockwise from noon: Spirit MX clip, SwissTool Original, SwissTool RS, SwissTool X (my first one), SwissTool X, Spirt X.
My original is 25 years old this year, and it shows, the finish is etched, and its started to have issues with rusting on the inside where the plier head attaches to the handles, and on the locking springs. They seem to be a different material than the rest of the tool. The etching happened when it got lost on a coastal fishing trip, and was found on a another trip a few later when I was fighting with the pump for the livewell, which is what I was doing when I clearly forgot it there previously.
It may be time for her to take a trip back to the mothership.
I've had a CyberYeoman for years and have always been bothered by the cops that the inline Phillips has benefits, vs simply being a crappy compromise. The CyberLite Yeoman would have been better because it actually increased the tool count and utility.
So enter the Mark II.
Layer 1: Scissor and parcel hook with diamond file
Layer 2: Bit Driver & bit Caddy
Layer 3; OG Magnifier (titanium one on the way) and the cap lifter from a 93m alox with a modified backspring and hand fitted spacer
Layer 4: 91mm main blade, 93mm Reamer, another hand fitted spacer and 0.25mm bronze washer.
The liners are titanium I had laser cut, they were hand polished to 5000 grit and then anodized at 96volts, and while they look great, I can do better and have a gem like finish that I envision. It's really worth using multi-etch instead of Whink, and if you are doing titanium liners you want grades 1 or 2 commercially pure titanium, as it colors better than grade 5.
So what's next. I'll be redoing the liners, the backsprings and tools will be re-cleaned, and polished to 10000grit. I'm considering a few options for embellishments on the tools and backsprings. Scales are still a toss up between green plus scales, custom painted Silvertech, or making custom plus scales from Lichtenstein processed wood/kirinite/or antler and doing exposed rivets with a bale.
I'll have part 2 ready for next week when my multi-etch has been delivered and I've made some decisions.
Some new trivia learned from this is that there are at least 4 backspring variations for the magnifier layer.
The TSA has been good to me and bad to travellers again.
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84mm Artisan with file on the back of the phillips
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84mm Climber-small
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Orange Alox Classic SD
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La Colección Mexicana de Victorinox Classic Alebrije Special Edition
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$32 Out the door
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As a reminder, please don't travel with your fancy SAKs, but if you do please fly through Austin TX, so they may join my collection.
Cool find of the day, in my excitement I left behind a Alox Classic SD in Tiger Orange.