Spyderco history question...

[Lord Bear]

1) Anybody know what was Spyderco's first knife and what steel blade it was? Pix would be real cool.
2) Was Spyderco the first to use a pocketclip? If not, who was?

[defenestrate]

C01 Worker. Believe it started with Gin-1/G2 steel, made in Seki City, Japan. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but that's my understanding.

[defenestrate]

oh, 2> Spyderco had a patent long ago on the use of a clip on a folding knife. To paraphrase Sal, there was a little frog-shaped clip he or Gayle had that was used to hold keys, and that's where he drew inspiration for the idea from. Spyderco is traditionally credited with the pocket clip, round hole opener, and serrations on folding pocketknives.

[yablanowitz]

First knife was the C01 Worker. Blade steel was GIN-1/G-2 (different names for the same steel), although it was not marked. They looked like this, but this one is a bit later, with a three screw clip where the originals had two screw clips.



Sal is credited for being the first to use a pocket clip on a folding knife, among a number of other innovations which are widely used these days, generally without giving him credit.

[Lord Bear]

Thanks for the pic yablanowitz. (Now I wonder why that sounds so familiar? )
And also thanks to defenestrate. (I wonder how many know what that means? :) )
One further question. What year did the C01 Worker first come out?

[4077th]

The Spyderco Story is out on paperback and available from Paladin Press at a fairly good price (compared to the old hardcover price). The early history of Spyderco is very well covered in this book and the photos are awesome. Leaves the reader hanging around '99-2000 but that's print media for ya. Out of date at presstime. We need a Volume two but that's another thread....

Anyhoo, check it out. Lots of insight to a fantastic company. :)

[Lord Bear]

Thanks 4077th! :spyder:

[defenestrate]

And also thanks to defenestrate. (I wonder how many know what that means? :) )

The folks who read my nickname origin post over in off-topic likely do, but others, maybe not so much..

[The Deacon]

The folks who read my nickname origin post over in off-topic likely do, but others, maybe not so much..

Or those, like me who read Arthur C. Clarke's collection of short stories Tales from the White Hart, and thus "The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch". :D

As for the original question, while the Worker was definitely the first knife, I'm not sure if the steel originally used in it has ever been nailed down for certain. Recall that The Spyderco Story, which I don't have handy at the moment, noted both AUS-8 and GIN-1 being used in early knives.

[Lord Bear]

Or those, like me who read Arthur C. Clarke's collection of short stories Tales from the White Hart, and thus "The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch". :D

("Tales from the White Hart"... LOVE those stories! In fact, I don't remember which came first Clarke's White Hart or Spider Robinson's Callahan's Bar series. In either case, some of the most enjoyable words ever put to paper.)

If anyone has the Spyderco Story, (and if it has the DEFINITIVE answer), please chime in on first steel used and what year it came out.

[The Deacon]

("Tales from the White Hart"... LOVE those stories! In fact, I don't remember which came first Clarke's White Hart or Spider Robinson's Callahan's Bar series. In either case, some of the most enjoyable words ever put to paper.)

If anyone has the Spyderco Story, (and if it has the DEFINITIVE answer), please chime in on first steel used and what year it came out.

Well, considering that I first read Tales from the White Hart around 1960 and Robinson was born in '48, I'd guess it predates Callahan's Bar.

As for the Worker, I dug out The Spyderco Story and it does say GIN-1 was the original steel used for the Worker.

[Lord Bear]

Huh. I'd always thought it was AUS 8. Aw shucks, you win some, you lose some. Even gladder am I that some of the old SF classics are still remembered by others, not just me. (I still dearly wish that L. Sprague De Camp had turned his hand to the "Tavern" genre. Or even Asimov. *Sigh*)

[sal]

Hi Lord Bear,

Most of the early Clipits were Gingami I. We used AUS-8 for a short while when we couldn't get enough Gingami.

When we began marking the blades with steel, we were told tht we couldn't use the name Gingami I as it was promised to another company.

We had to mark something (companies weren't marking knives with steel much back then, but we felt it was important). There was no American steel equivalent, so we made up the name G-2 and listed the chemistry in our literature. G-2 at the time, stood for "Good Sh*t also.

We made 1200 pcs of Clipit "Workers" on the first run, 2 screw clips, very thin scales and 20% were left handed.

sal

[Gibsoniam]

Or those, like me who read Arthur C. Clarke's collection of short stories Tales from the White Hart, and thus "The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch". :D

Arthur C. Clarke was genius, he is greatly missed. Ray Bradbury is still my favorite (though the two are not exactly the same type of speculative fiction).

[Lord Bear]

Hi Lord Bear,

Most of the early Clipits were Gingami I. We used AUS-8 for a short while when we couldn't get enough Gingami.

When we began marking the blades with steel, we were told tht we couldn't use the name Gingami I as it was promised to another company.

We had to mark something (companies weren't marking knives with steel much back then, but we felt it was important). There was no American steel equivalent, so we made up the name G-2 and listed the chemistry in our literature. G-2 at the time, stood for "Good Sh*t also.

We made 1200 pcs of Clipit "Workers" on the first run, 2 screw clips, very thin scales and 20% were left handed.

sal

Thanks for clearing that up Sal. Seems I was partly correct at least. :D

[Lord Bear]

Arthur C. Clarke was genius, he is greatly missed. Ray Bradbury is still my favorite (though the two are not exactly the same type of speculative fiction).

Many of my revered SF pioneers have passed on: The Admiral, Robert A. Heinlein; The Good Doctor, Isaac Asimov; and many others. (Unlike Harlan Ellison who seems too full of negative energy to just pass away. )
Thank goodness their work still lives on to be enjoyed.

[sal]

Many of my revered SF pioneers have passed on: The Admiral, Robert A. Heinlein; The Good Doctor, Isaac Asimov; and many others. (Unlike Harlan Ellison who seems too full of negative energy to just pass away. )
Thank goodness their work still lives on to be enjoyed.

Those with the crystal balls.

sal

[Lord Bear]

I figure the good ones made some history as well as predicting it. :cool:

[defenestrate]

Or those, like me who read Arthur C. Clarke's collection of short stories Tales from the White Hart, and thus "The Defenestration of Ermintrude Inch". :D

Big fan of Clarke (and the other big classic SciFi authors for that matter).

[christopher]

As to when the first one was made for public consumption, I don't really know, but it was patented September 7, 82. I got my first sighting at the Western Stockshow in either '87 or '88 (Memory is so fleeting). There were some number of models available (I think 3 or 4) and I bought the C03 Mariner.

Between 1982 and 1987 is the closest I can come. Sal can you add to this?