Stag, the first Randall Made Knives handle material. Dating from 1937 when Bo first explored the idea of knife making and then actually doing so in the same year, stag handles have been a mainstay of Randall Made Knives throughout the history of the company. To this day stag is second only to leather in handle material used by the shop. This article will focus on early stag with finger grips with an assortment of photos for your review.
Modeled after the knives of William Scagel, Bo Randall initially made knives most often using crown stag and fancy spacer arrangements. Leather was not even on the radar as a handle material until November 1942 (Gaddis) when Bo started using the material on fighting knives he had only recently begun making a few months earlier.
Very few knives of any type – fighter or hunter – were made using stag for the handle during WWII, but there are a few extant examples. These WWII vintage knives are quite rare as the overwhelming majority of production was devoted to fighting knives and thus leather handles. Even the few hunters produced during the period most often used leather. Bo had determined leather was a superior handle material in wet environments, and according to legend that included bloody handles that might occur in a theater of combat.
Vintage stag is sought after by collectors for several reasons. One of course is the perception of overall “quality” accorded vintage stag versus newer material, and also the patina that only time gives the material. Now I am not saying newer material is necessarily inferior, but some of the old material just has the “look” that only comes with age. This “look” is amplified by the finger grips of the day which are generally deep and more defined relative to modern finger grips. The feel of these early grips in the hand is truly special.
Stag also offers good stability and durability compared to some other vintage handle materials like ivory and wood. Both of those materials are affected to a much greater degree by temperature and humidity variations than stag. This is evidenced by the many vintage stag handled knives with few if any checks much less cracks. On that note, checks in a handle material whether it be stag, ivory, or wood, are not the end of the world and often add character to the piece. So in your collecting venture, don’t completely discount a vintage blade because of a few checks in the handle. The handles are a natural product and you should expect some movement.
Still being the second most produced handle material used behind leather, it is not surprising that over the years some fantastic stag handled knives have been made, and the benefits to us as collectors is imeasurable. The addition of the finger grip option further enhances the appearance in some cases and often presents as some of the most beautiful handles to come out of the Randall shop.
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