At Last, Johnny Cade's Switch!! The Outsiders

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gunner
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At Last, Johnny Cade's Switch!! The Outsiders

Post by gunner »

Almost 20 years of built-up tension released this afternoon when I checked the mail :D
Around 1987 when I was in 7th Grade we all read The Outsiders, and then watched the racy (for our school) movie after we had finished. After that exposure I (and several classmates) had developed an unbelievable day-dreaming fantasy world tword switchblade knives. A few weeks later I was looking through an issue of Easyrider (naughty) and came across The Edge Company, which offered do-it-yourself switchblade kits. From that first ad I had ever seen (and totally psyched) I ordered an italian shellpuller lever lock in real stag for $39.99...my first ever real switchblade. After receiving it and getting a good look I noticed right off the bat that it was built quite a bit different than the one Johnny had used. What in the hell did he have? Then, in High School, after the Edge Co stopped selling switch kits I started ordering alot of Hubertus lever locks from a Texas company called Bill Todd Enterprises...after receiving the first one and looking down the spine I realized it must have been a knife of similar origin since the profiles looked so similar. I absolutely had to find one.
And then more recently, as an adult, from this and other forums (thanks guys!) I found out that Johnny Cade indeed used a german shell puller lever lock, but unfortunately they hadn't been produced by anyone in Germany in years, making them quite a rarity to achieve. I also quickly found out that I wasn't the only one hooked on getting one :cry:
I saw a few high-end collectors post photos of their precious ones...so I knew they were out there, but as hard as I tried I couldn't find one anywhere to buy, not even expensive ones that I couldn't afford.
So, finially, after an urge that's lingered since I was in the 7th grade I can proudly say that my switchblade collection has a prime example of a vintage german shell puller lever lock!! Like-new inside and out, Snaps hard, closes deep/centered and locks up rock solid, an absolute peach. The jigged bone scales are a two-tone dark brown instead of light tan/brown, and the gauge stamps on the bolsters are deeper, but those would be about the only two differences I can see from the screen used knife...I picked this up on Ebay, probably one of the most stressful auctions I was ever involved in, but it ended unexpectedly well. I feel very, very fortunate to be the new owner of this knife. Many thanks to the great switchblade gods for making it happen.
Here's some multi-angle pics and some 2.35:1 lbx remastered still frames of Johnny's knife in the movie. I hope you all like them. Enjoy!

Bottom bolster is stamped "SPRINGER" over "KONIG" (umlot over the O)
Rear tang is stamped "Solingen" over "Germany"
No other markings

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jim d,
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Post by jim d, »

Gunner,

Nice score!! I too have been wanting to add one of those to my collection. What is the tang stamp? Was it the one on Sharperdeal?

Jim
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gunner
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Post by gunner »

Thanks Jim! The tang is only stamped on the backside, "solingen" over "germany". Which looks very similar to the original film knife stamp, but it's really too hard to tell for sure. Nope, this one came from Ebay, I didn't know about the sharperdeal one :shock:
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jim d,
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Post by jim d, »

Thats right - ebay. It is the one on the post over in the main section. For some reason, I was thinking SD. Anyway, great find, and one that I know means a lot to you.

Jim
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whippersnapper
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Post by whippersnapper »

Congrats on finally finding your dream knife! 8)
j.a.c.

Post by j.a.c. »

I had that auction on my watch list .... some heavy bidding , glad to see some one from here end up with it. 8)
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Dick Carroll
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Post by Dick Carroll »

Don't ya just love it when a plan comes together....nice score
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missaman
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Post by missaman »

Still looking fo' my dream knife But Pat and I are working in it .....:wink:
Glad you found yours.............. 8)
Missaman
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Jackalope
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Post by Jackalope »

Very cool! Nice job on the video clips too!
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Vagrant
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Post by Vagrant »

8)
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JerrBear
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Post by JerrBear »

Way to go, Mr. Gunner!

GREAT pics!
JerrBear
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Razor Kitten
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Post by Razor Kitten »

Congrats on finally getting your dream knife! :lol:
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jarvis
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Post by jarvis »

Way to go, Gunner! It sure is a cool knife. 8) 8)
Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a Kaiser blade.
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storebought
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Post by storebought »

Best; very cool!
Never trust the weird looking little dog ~ or anyone else for that matter.
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butch
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Post by butch »

great score,Ive always wantyed that same knife since i saw the movie.
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