Pretty cool knife I found today

[1srelluc]

LOL.....Back in the early 90s I bought a dozen of those new in the box, 12 to a case. All were '79 dated. They had a wrist cord included.

If memory serves those were actually made in Spain for the W. Germans....The Spanish made several types W. German .mil knives under contract.

I gave $100 for the case. I held on to them for a few years and sold them off on ebay when the surplus dried up.

As for the orange clip point Schrade knives I found several of those in a cigar box at a yard sale but the springs had never been installed.

Sort of useless as they would not stay open but they sold well enough because they were in new condition. I guess folks bought them for parts.

I tried taking one apart to replace the spring but I buggered it up right bad....Still sold the blades though.

 

[JGalt]

It is simple. Just push down on this button here and you should be able to wiggle the metal head off and gain access to the interior. The insides just slide out then. The rest is pretty self-evident.


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Arrghh! Farking Germans and their engineering!

I finally got the whole thing disassembled, cleaned, and lubed. Had a hell of a time getting the inner steel spring in the right place, but it's back together and works great.

 

[egp320i]

It looks EXACTLY like yours in your photos in every detail, just without any signs of wear and tear, no worn paint, etc., mint, clean as a whistle.

Mine is actually downstairs in my car.

I still have the original Solingen edge mine came with on mine. And there was a cord, but I took that off long ago. If you take it apart and clean it inside with WD-40, it works really fast.

WD-40 is horrible for this unless it's the specialist PTFE dry lube

break free is good too, helps lube and clean

just a tip

 

[egp320i]

LOL.....Back in the early 90s I bought a dozen of those new in the box, 12 to a case. All were '79 dated. They had a wrist cord included.

If memory serves those were actually made in Spain for the W. Germans....The Spanish made several types W. German .mil knives under contract.

View attachment 1259231

I gave $100 for the case. I held on to them for a few years and sold them off on ebay when the surplus dried up.

As for the orange clip point Schrade knives I found several of those in a cigar box at a yard sale but the springs had never been installed.

Sort of useless as they would not stay open but they sold well enough because they were in new condition. I guess folks bought them for parts.

I tried taking one apart to replace the spring but I buggered it up right bad....Still sold the blades though.

Ebay you cannot sell any knives, least not now....maybe ago ago?

They are super picky about even basic gun parts, too "toxic" for them now

They also went from 6% to 13% fees, they got bigger, they got more greedy

 

[JGalt]

WD-40 is horrible for this unless it's the specialist PTFE dry lube

break free is good too, helps lube and clean

just a tip

That's a fact. Break Free CLP is all I use on guns or knives, unless it's a black powder rifle or pistol. Petroleum-based lubes make a gummy mess with black powder residue, so I use Ballistol.

 

[JGalt]

Ebay you cannot sell any knives, least not now....maybe ago ago?

They are super picky about even basic gun parts, too "toxic" for them now

They also went from 6% to 13% fees, they got bigger, they got more greedy

You can sell most knives on Ebay but they do prohibit certain types. Their policy states:

The following or similar types of knives aren't allowed:

• Automatic knives
• Butterfly knives
• Dual-action knives
• Gravity knives
• Out-the-front knives
• Paratrooper knives
• Push knives
• Switchblade knives
• Sword canes
• Spring-assisted knives where there is no manual movement by a thumb stud or screw clearly visible on the blade
• Hidden or disguised knives such as writing pen knives or belt buckle knives

Sellers can list the following type of knives:

• All types of knives not in the previous list are allowed. The listing must also follow our international trading policy. For example, the sale of knives on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie is prohibited with limited exceptions."

Most gun parts are ok too, as long as they don't go on what they consider an "assault weapon." Gun magazines are also restricted to ten rounds.

 

[Kruska]

Thanks! But from what research I'm doing it appears to be a Type IV (M1963), often referred to as the RT-1 or LL80. The Type III (M1958) didn't have that hooked part opposite the thumb lever. I'm not sure of the purpose of that part, probably a bottle-opener and a glass breaker.

The "AES 81" on the side of the handle represents the manufacturer, and the year of manufacture: In other words, A. Eickhorn Solingen (officially Annette Eickhorn Solingen GmbH & Co.), and a date of 1981.

From AI:

"During the Cold War era, the Bundeswehr required military gear to be clearly marked with manufacturing dates for contract tracking and quality control. If you look at different variations of these Type IV gravity knives (often commercially referred to as the RT-I or LL80), you will also see stamps like AES 83 (1983) or AES 84 (1984) depending on the exact year that specific production run was delivered to military stores."

Another indication of it's date of manufacture would be the zinc alloy of the metal parts where the blade comes out. Many of these were made commercially-available by Eickhorn in the 1980's and German soldiers could purchase them in the commissary.

These seem to be highly desirable to knife collectors, as just about every one I could find online was "no longer available."

You need to be careful - there are loads of civilian, fake and other armies Fallmesser models around.
It was that Nail-curb blade of yours that caught my attention. - sorry.

The AES LL80 was only produced for the civilian market in Germany, due to laws in 2003 the blade length is restricted to 8.5cm - usually also featuring that "bottle-opener" and the Nail-curb. Though units in the Austrian Jagdkommando used it.

The offical Army (Bundeswehr blade) measures 11cm - and the handle is marked with BUND, BW or Bw, without mentioning a date. All M1963 models are marked with BUND, BW or Bw. Only exception being the 1958 Model with that "nail-curb".

And there are AFAIK no copies for those 1958 or 1963 models marked with BUND, BW, Bw

An official M1963 Fallmesser featuring the 11cm blade marked BUND

However there are many wannabe Bundewehr Fallmesser with the marking AES LL80, AES78, AES79, and AES81

The "Nail-hook" blade 11.5 cm - was no more produced after 1963 for the German Army, but was copied by some series from Eichhorn Solingen aka AES - but would hold a 8.5cm blade. I think your Fallmesser is stamped AES 81. - which would indicate a civilian version with an 8.5 cm blade. So how long is that blade of yours?

 

[egp320i]

You can sell most knives on Ebay but they do prohibit certain types. Their policy states:

The following or similar types of knives aren't allowed:

• Automatic knives
• Butterfly knives
• Dual-action knives
• Gravity knives
• Out-the-front knives
• Paratrooper knives
• Push knives
• Switchblade knives
• Sword canes
• Spring-assisted knives where there is no manual movement by a thumb stud or screw clearly visible on the blade
• Hidden or disguised knives such as writing pen knives or belt buckle knives

Sellers can list the following type of knives:

• All types of knives not in the previous list are allowed. The listing must also follow our international trading policy. For example, the sale of knives on eBay.co.uk and eBay.ie is prohibited with limited exceptions."

Most gun parts are ok too, as long as they don't go on what they consider an "assault weapon." Gun magazines are also restricted to ten rounds.

So and old buck folder is OK, but anything more "modern" no can do.....sounds about right

funny thing is with many including Benchmade with axis, write flick it's as fast as an auto

I have a great Mel Pardue with axis

 

[AZrailwhale]

On the way back from doing some grocery shopping in another town, I stopped at a little junk store and found this knife: It's a Cold War era (1981) West German paratrooper's gravity knife, which was made by Eickhorn Solingen. I believe the shop owner probably thought it was supposed to be spring-loaded, and was broken. It measures 5-3/8" when the blade is retracted and the blade measures 3-3/8" when extended. It also has a 3-1/2" long spike that unfolds from the other end. The notch in the top of the blade serves some purpose, as many of these knives have the same notch.

These things are going for ridiculous prices to knife collectors, up around $190 to $225. They're illegal to carry in some states but my state allows them if you have a concealed carry permit.

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My guess is the notch is a line cutter, wrap the line from the canopy around it, then cut it with the blade. It would enable one handed cuts.

 

[toobfreak]

Arrghh! Farking Germans and their engineering!

I finally got the whole thing disassembled, cleaned, and lubed. Had a hell of a time getting the inner steel spring in the right place, but it's back together and works great.

There is a chance I might still have the original papers on that knife. If you want, I will try to remember to look through all of my warranty and user documents tomorrow and if I find the one on that knife, photocopy it and send it to you.

 

[JGalt]

You need to be careful - there are loads of civilian, fake and other armies Fallmesser models around.
It was that Nail-curb blade of yours that caught my attention. - sorry.

The AES LL80 was only produced for the civilian market in Germany, due to laws in 2003 the blade length is restricted to 8.5cm - usually also featuring that "bottle-opener" and the Nail-curb. Though units in the Austrian Jagdkommando used it.

View attachment 1259234

View attachment 1259238

The offical Army (Bundeswehr blade) measures 11cm - and the handle is marked with BUND, BW or Bw, without mentioning a date. All M1963 models are marked with BUND, BW or Bw. Only exception being the 1958 Model with that "nail-curb".

And there are AFAIK no copies for those 1958 or 1963 models marked with BUND, BW, Bw

An official M1963 Fallmesser featuring the 11cm blade marked BUND

View attachment 1259264

However there are many wannabe Bundewehr Fallmesser with the marking AES LL80, AES78, AES79, and AES81

The "Nail-hook" blade 11.5 cm - was no more produced after 1963 for the German Army, but was copied by some series from Eichhorn Solingen aka AES - but would hold a 8.5cm blade. I think your Fallmesser is stamped AES 81. - which would indicate a civilian version with an 8.5 cm blade. So how long is that blade of yours?

The blade measures 8.5 cm, so it's probably a commercial version. Still a pretty cool knife for $25.

 

[JGalt]

My guess is the notch is a line cutter, wrap the line from the canopy around it, then cut it with the blade. It would enable one handed cuts.

I figured out what the notch is. When the thumb lever is all the way back, it locks into the notch. Apparently it's a safety to keep the blade from accidentally coming out.

 

[Kruska]

I figured out what the notch is. When the thumb lever is all the way back, it locks into the notch. Apparently it's a safety to keep the blade from accidentally coming out.

Yes, for the 8.5 cm blade (civilian use) this is a requirement by law, meant for arresting the blade inside the handle stowing mechanism.

See video min 3:14


Maybe also of interest to you:
1 - the supplier of the original M1963 Model with a 11 cm blade to the Army was solely Firma CARL Eickhorn Waffenfabrik.

"2 – AES – Eickhorn Solingen
Founded in 1975 by Annette Eickhorn a few weeks before her husband’s Carl Eickhorn company was bankrupt. After being punished for fraudulent bankruptcy her husband Rolf-Juergen Eickhorn joined leading AES Eickhorn Solingen. The squirrel trademark was licenced to AES by E.&F. Hörster company c.1981. Under the management of their son Joerg Eickhorn AES Eickhorn Solingen company went into bankruptcy with several Million US-$ debts in 2004.

3 – Eickhorn GmbH (limited)
Founded in 2004 by Joerg Eickhorn a few weeks before AES company’s bankruptcy.
The company merges in January 2005 with the Solingen BORKOTT company, which had been deliverer of AES Eickhorn cutler.
The company finally was named Waffentechnik Borkott & Eickhorn and is still in business with some remaining knife patterns identical to the previous range of AES Eickhorn Solingen."