R. J. Richter leverlock

[button_man]

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I got this at the flea today..... fifty bucks

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[Bill DeShivs]

Great deal!

[Panzerfaust]

You did very well and I believe R. J. Richter was a Massachusetts importer so your knife was made in the 1950s.

[john]

Way cool the best deal ever only $50.00. I spent fifty bucks on lunch yesterday and it just went down the toilet.

[sammy the blade]

I could eat for a week on 50 bucks!

[whippersnapper]

I could eat for a week on 50 bucks!

You rich guys north of Richmond.

[jim d,]

That is a classic old German leverlock and should be a welcome addition to your collection - great find!

Jim

[gravknife]

Super old leverlock buttonman.

A steal at 50 dollars and hard to find in such decent condition .

Great buy congrats.

[sammy the blade]

I could eat for a week on 50 bucks!

You rich guys north of Richmond.

Didn't say how well I could eat. Good thing I like peanut butter and water, my favorites.

[whippersnapper]

Hey, I know. Haven't bought a steak in about 2 years.

I better get a deer this year but I'm getting too broken down to chase them...Let alone get one out of the woods if I did get one.

[button_man]

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Thanks for all the comments..... was Richter only in business after WWII....?
Just wondering whether there's any chance that this could be pre-war.
Other than ricasso stamps, how could you tell? The leverlocks don't have
as many changes as the stiletto-style knives, what with the change from
picklocks to bolster release, swedge blades, etc.

And btw, can the term "leverlock" be applied to all such lever-operated
spring-knives, or only some specific type?

The only issue with this particular knife is that (despite applying some
Fluid Film to the pivot pin) the knife fails to open completely once every
4 or 5 times. The odds of a successful deployment increase if you press on
the button fast and hard. But otherwise, it's in very decent condition:
no wobble whatsoever.... blade sits very deep in the channel when closed...
no damage to the scales.... blade has never been sharpened and it's hard
to tell if it's actually ever been used. I was frankly surprised at just how
nice this piece is. A welcome change from the extremely slim pickings
that I've experienced this year!

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[Bill DeShivs]

My guess is that Richter was a post WW2 importer.
If the knife uses a lever to open/close, it's a lever lock.
Remove as much of the previous oil as you can, then apply lithium automotive grease to the tang of the blade-especially where the tang rubs on the backspring. Then, see if the kickspring rubs on one of the liners. If it does, put a drop of oil on that side This might cure the opening problem..

[whippersnapper]

Fluid film is a poor choice for a knife lube imo. Unless you want to protect it from rust like cosmoline.

Love it on rusty cars though or to prevent them from rusting if you are lucky enough not to have any rust yet.

[XBMX]

What Bill says.

[rock-n-roll$$$$$$]

nice find, I like that the leverlock has that used look.