Although I appreciate the wonderful studio shots on this forum, the thing I enjoy most is reading about the historic RMK's. (I especially liked the threads showing the detailed usage in Vietnam that I read through recently) I thought an interesting thread would be one that detailed various RMK on display in different museums or collections that had been used. I realize the shop in Orlando has a bunch, but what about some others?


Here's one:

Virgil "Gus" Grissom was the first NASA astronaut to go into space twice. He was eventually killed in a training accident in 1967. But, during another training in 1961, his Mercury Project "Liberty Bell 7" splashed down in the ocean and sunk. It was recovered in 1999. After almost 40 years on the ocean bottom (around 15,000 feet deep), his Model 17 was pulled out of the Liberty Bell capsule. It is now on display at Spring Mill State Park in Mitchell, Indiana.

Here's a pic (after a throrough cleaning, it is reported):

Very impressive!
Thanks for sharing!

I knew they had recovered Grissom's 17 but had no idea where it went. I wonder how it ended up in Indiana. Was Grissom from Indiana? The sheath is interesting since it was not with the knife when it was recovered. However it does appear to be a vintage Brown Button JRB Sheath with a lift-the-dot fastener on the keeper strap.
Hemingway you remind me of....me over 30 years ago when I was a student in college and first became interested in Randall Knives. It was the history....especially the military history that drove me to em.
Enjoy your new passion...it will be filled with incredible ups (when you find a nice old Randall) and incredible downs (when someone says your knife isn't what it is, or calls you a liar, or calls you stupid) but keep going forward. Let friends and others know your interest in Randalls and someone might tell you...Billy Bob Jones has one of those! Then you can go after it. The excitement of finding an old Randall...hidden away for 30, 40, or more years ago, is very exhilarating. I hope you find many old Randalls along the way.
Good luck

Yes, he's from Mitchell, Indiana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Grissom


How do you know the sheath wasn't found with the knife? Because the condition is too good for having been in the water that long? Or for some other reason? I'm just curious.

I may remind you of you in college but I'm a bit older than that -I put that phase of my life astern about 16 years ago

Hemingway the college deal refers to the fact that you are new to Randalls. Not so young that you are still in school. I didn't mean that....just I was very in to the history of Randall's when I first learned about them.
As for the sheath I don't believe the knives were delivered to NASA with sheaths. The knives were attached to a survival kit and had their own pocket. The handle had a strap around it that had a snap on it and the snap attached to the pocket of the survival kit securing the knife.

No worries, I wish I was that young again! With the knowledge I've got now, of course.

Interesting info on the survival knives/kit. I've never seen a picture of one of those set-ups.

There may be some posts here that refer to the survival kit and may have some photos. I don't remember but I guess you can do a search and maybe you will find some info.

Ernest,

The last time I was at SMSP and the Grissom Museum was 2008 and the knife was not there. Do you know when it was put on display? I am very familiar with the story and recovery of Grissom's knife, but figured it would go to a larger, more famous museum. That is so cool that it ended up back home in Indiana!!

Although the knife was on the outside of the survival kit we do not know if the sheath could have been packed inside for later use. With the kit being waterproof it could be the original sheath in that good of condition. One of our members here knows a Mercury Astronaut, he might have some information on this. Just my thoughts. oldguy

One of the kits is pictured in Gaddis showing the knives were mounted on the outside. IIRC Gaddis states the Mercury knives were shipped sans sheaths.


http://www.knifetalkforums.com/ubbthread...=true#Post32088

I don't know when it was put there. That picture was taken in December of 2010 so it must have been in the last couple of years. It's actually not my photo but from a thread in Bladeforums: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showth...-Survival-Knife

It does say in the thread that the knife was recently added so I'm guessing last year?

"IIRC"... You do Joe. You are correct.

Are you positive NASA did not buy sheaths later?????

Oldguy why would NASA buy a sheath for Grissom's knife when it was at the bottom of the ocean? Maybe Grissom bought a sheath for it before he ever went into space. I don't know but maybe the people that recovered the capsule returned the knife to the Grissom family and then they may have donated it along with a sheath to th museum. All speculation on my part ...... Other than the fact, they didn't come with sheaths and they didn't go into space in Brown Button Sheaths. Or any other Randall sheath for that matter. This bit of info is respectfully submitted.

Ronnie, They may have bought the sheath's later on, like after the first batch of knives. Second NASA would not buy a sheath for this knife after it was recovered any way, as it was a private salvage venture on the recovery and if I remember correct NASA may no longer own this space craft any way. And when you start checking some web sites you will find that the first mercury mission the knife was not in a kit but attached to the hatch, further more the Randall Astronaut Knives where not the first in knives in space as far as the United States, In addition to the Randall on Al Shepard's flight there was also a military four blade pocket knife also. oldguy

Oldguy....I never said that NASA bought a sheath for this knife after the knife was recovered. You speculated that NASA may have purchased the sheaths later on. Maybe.....but I don't think so. The knives were not....I repeat were not attached to the hatch....the knives were attached to the survival kits and the kits, I believe, were attached to the hatch. A good question is, if the kits were attached to the hatch, then why wasn't the kit still attached to the hatch when Grissom blew the hatch and therefore lost. The knife was found in the capsule, not on the hatch. If I remember correctly. At ant rate this is no big deal. I just wonder how this one and any others may have ended up with a sheath since they did not come with sheaths.

Ronnie, the first manned Mercury mission the knife was attached to the hatch and was knife was lost when they blew the hatch. That is when they started putting them in the kits. And the knives made for and with the astronauts names on them had sheaths. Some of these knives were carried on missions. Now the question is, Did Grissom have his own knife packed in the kit? Who really knows. Just because NASA got the knives with no sheaths does not mean that they did not get some made later.If you will reread Mr. Gaddis's book pages 178 and 183 you will see.And check some of NASA's information sites also. The only way you will know for sure is to get a original NASA Mission Equipment Material Packing List per Mission Rules for each Mercury flight.Edit by me the oldguy.

So you are saying that Alan Shepard also lost his Randall Survival Knife? His was the first manned space flight. Just asking because I thought Grissom was the only astronaut to lose his knife.

Yes it was lost. If you want to belive what Mr.Gaddis wrote in his book look at page 183. Just remember that this was the early years of the space program they were rolling changes and mods out a mile a minute.

Ronnie, Lookie here if I tell you the moon is made of cheese just go ahead and get you some crackers and a rocket because I'm telling you right. old guy

I am para-phrasing from Bob's book but on the first "2" sub-orbital flights, Alan Shepard on May 5,1961 and Gus Grissom's on July 21,1961, the Randall Astros were stowed in the hatch of the space capsule. Both men carried NASA knives. verses their personal ones.
Beginning with John Glenn's orbital flight (Feb. 20, 1962) and from that point thereafter the knives were housed in a special sheathed compartment on Mercury's survival kit.
Scott Carpenter's "3" orbit flight also resulted in his knife being lost and it "was" his personal knife. That flight was on May 24,1962. It is not clear from his letter & request for a replacement knife to Bo if the knife was lost at splashdown or sometime afterward. The knife was lost by the time the capsule was returned to the mainland.
I only hope that one of our more computer literate forum members could do a search and post a photo of the Mercury survival kit. You can clearly see the "Astro" attached to that kit. Hope this helps.
Best, Capt. Chris

Capt, read the rest of the paragraph and you will see what happened to Shepards NASA knife. Got your rocket ready? oldguy

Oldguy I love cheese. So if you say so I will get the crackers. I trust you.

I cannot find any recollection of what happened to his first knife. I read of some speculation of it being heisted by some one?? Of course: I'm on Codeine and not responsible for my actions...or missing a sentence here and there. (It would be a great opportunity for me to cuss somebody out...I could claim "Dental Cruelty"!!). Sorry: That's the best I can come up with tonight.
Best, Capt. Chris

This is an educated guess on my part, but it is based on the following personal experience:

1. I know several astronauts, including a Mercury astronaut, and I have had a long talk with this gentleman about Randall knives and the relationship between the Mercury astronauts and RMK. At the time of this discussion, he had lost touch with RMK and I put him back in touch with Gary Randall.

2. I was not part of the 1999 expedition that recovered the Liberty Bell 7, but I was on the 2001 follow up expedition to the same area with Curt Newport, the leader of that expedition. We discovered the world's deepest wooden shipwreck, a slave ship lost in 1810. I made a deep submersible dive to this wreck and recovered several objects, including a man's boot and other leather objects, which were remarkably well preserved.

3. I discussed the recovery of Grissom's knife with Newport, and the recovery is also discussed in his book "Lost Spacecraft," which I own. The knife was recovered in the muck in the bottom of the space capsule. There was no leather sheath.

4. As Newport described in his book, ownership of the spacecraft (and any contents purchased or provided by NASA) remained with the U.S. Government, specifically NASA, and the Smithsonian had the right of first refusal to acquire any items recovered. However, NASA transferred title to the capsule and its contents to the Discovery Channel Network before the recovery, the Smithsonian signed off on this transfer, and Discovery donated the capsule to the Kansas Cosmosphere, where restoration of the items recovered subsequently took place and the artifacts were displayed before going on tour to various museums around the country.

5. Given the history of the Liberty Bell 7 artifacts after their recovery and the close personal relationship the Mercury astronauts enjoyed with the Randall family, my best guess is that the knife on display in Indiana is not the knife flown on Liberty Bell 7, but is another personal knife that Grissom obtained from RMK. If it is the LB7 knife, the sheath was provided with the knife and was not flown. However, I doubt that this is the LB7 knife.

Interesting info thank you for speaking up. The suggestion that this is not the knife on the Liberty Bell makes a lot of sense but is a bit disconcerting if they do claim it to be the real deal.
Oldguy I didn't know Shepard lost his knife....that is news to me. Fly me to the moon....I'll eat the cheese.
Take care of yourself.
Over.

Not to get off the Mercury knife subject, but in keeping with the original conetnt of this thread: Here's a couple of pics I shot at the NKCS museum in Seveirville, Tn. (Inside / upstairs the Smokey Mountain Knifeworks).
Hope ya'll likt 'em, Capt. Chris
PS: The last couple of shots were taken the same day (earlier) at the "Parker" show. This was in 2010.

Here's a pic from the Randall Shop showing the survival kit:

After taking a closer look at the photo in the original post, it is clear that this is not the knife that flew on Liberty Bell 7. Although the LB7 knife was remarkably well preserved after spending 37 years at the bottom of the ocean, 16,000 feet deep, it was still in pretty rough shape when it was recovered. It required a lot of restoration, and it had a lot of pitting all over. The knife in Indiana shows no signs of either the pitting or having been restored.

As an aside, the Grissom family was NOT happy with the recovery of LB7. They did not want the capsule's recovery to rekindle the old argument about whether Grissom panicked and fired the hatch prematurely, and consequently damage his memory and reputation as an astronaut lost in the service of his country. Personally, I don't believe this has happened. If anything, the capsule's recovery rekindled the public's memory of these heroic astronauts and the sacrifices they made for their country.

David I agree the knife looks great. I don't know if it was sent to the shop and restored....have no clue. As you said it may not be the original. I certainly don't know. But I do agree with you on the gut factor of the men involved with the Mercury program. Grissom regardless of how the hatch came off prematurely....whether he blew it or accidentally blew it, or it blew by itself, it doesn't make a hill of beans to me. He had guts. He was a courageous man. I believe it was Shepard who said when asked what he was thinking prior to liftoff..."this thing was built by the low bidder." that sums it up. They were all courageous men who stepped forward at a time when our country really needed them. When we needed men with...."The Right Stuff". They all had it.

I have to agree 100% with David. That is NOT the knife recovered from Liberty Bell. I was able to look at the actual knife recovered from the capsule when the exhibit stopped in Denver. In fact I made it a point to get there one morning just to be able to see the knife alone without the distraction of other people around.

While the knife dug out of the muck at the bottom of the capsule looked well preserved, the knife in the pictures shown in this thread is pristine. Additionally no leather sheath was present in the exhibit nor mentioned anywhere. The linked pictures aren't great but do represent the knife that I saw.

Liberty Bell 7 knife

Jon

Another point, Jon, is that in all the restored photos, the lanyard is attached, yet in the Indiana knife, it is not, nor is that wrap thing around the handle that attached it to the kit. Seems like they would not have altered that in that way to put it on display.

Doing some more research, I read that the LB7 knife is on display at the Smithsonian? Obviously it can't be in 2 places. I'm starting to think the Indiana knife is one of Grissom's other knives that he owned.

This makes sense, afterall, the Indiana knife description only says, "Grissom's survival knife, made by Bo Randall". It says nothing about it being on the LB7 flight. Still pretty neat and worth a trip to Mitchell.

David, Ronnie, and Chris, Thanks for the other information. And yes they had guts knowing that they were sitting on a rocket that could blow up at any time or they could be doomed to a eternal orbit. You know if you look at the pictures the knife is on the side that the shop puts the etching on so they probably are showing one of his personal knives.oldguy

Okay Papa, next up, Francis Gary Powers' Model 8. This one will take a little more effort to visit since the knife is on display in a Russian museum.



"Powers had insisted he had simply wandered off course and crossed into the Soviet Union unintentionally. But he had been shot down over Sverdlovsk, more than 1,300 miles inside the border, and his captors had recovered a wealth of incriminating evidence from his person and the wreckage of his aircraft: detailed flight maps, a Department of Defense/ Department of the Air Force ID card, Russian rubles, gold francs, a hunting knife, a silenced .22 pistol, and a seemingly innocuous pin found in the prisoner's pocket. Powers warned his captors to handle that last item with extreme caution."

Full story here: http://area51specialprojects.com/u2_mayday.html

Alright, I'll get on this:) Anyone got the phone number to the museum....

Here's another "duplicate" Astro on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum:



http://nasm.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?id=A19620001000

I just got around to reading the BladeForums thread and the OP states that many of the new pieces are on loan from the Smithsonian. Wonder if the Indiana knife is on loan or permanent? I better get down there soon.

Ok guys I got the scoop. I just got off the phone talking to Meredith Miller, the collections manager at the Kansas Cosmoshere and Science Center located near Wichita, KS. She was outstanding to talk to and very helpful. The knife pictured is not from the Liberty Bell, as has been stated here by several people. The knife pictured is located at the museum mentioned in the first post. It is another knife that belonged to Gus. The original 17 has been restored and is on display in the Rotunda of the Cosmoshere Museum. I really would like to see that bit of history and look forward to working that trip in one day. At any rate hope this helps and if any of you live near the Kansas Cosmoshere I encourage you to contact Meredith Miller who was so kind she offered a private up close viewing of the knife and capsule. I would call that first class service.

I just received an email from Meredith Miller of the Kansas Cosmoshere. She sent photos of the Liberty Bell Randall. Clearly pitted but still would look good in my collection. I did notice something I did not notice on the 17 at the Randall Museum. That is the trade mark spells out Florida completely....not abbreviated. As Johnny Carson would say...."I did not know that."
If I can get one of my staff people to get it from my email to this site I will post the photos.

Good investigating, Ronnie. Did Meredith say who did the restoration and if RMK got involved?

Looking forward to the photos!

I emailed the photos to the Cap but he said they were too "encrypted" to down load. I don't know what that means other than I can't show you guys the photos. I emailed the Museum Collections Manager and asked if she could send them again so that I could get them to the forums for all of you to see. I'm sure she will respond one way or the other tomorrow and if so I'll send them again to the Cap...if he doesn't mind.

Good question Tom and yes I did ask. The restoration was done by the museums staff that do restorations. As for restoration, when we are able to see the photos you will see that there wasn't much of a restoration done. The knife was basically cleaned and rust was removed. There wasn't anything done in regards to removing the pitting. By that I mean there was no grinding on the blade or polishing like might have been done had the knife been sent back to the Randall shop. At least that is the way it looks to me. Still it is a knife that I would truly like to see up close and personal.
I owned an early Mod. 17 once and like so many other Randall's I sold it to make way for something else. Man I wish I hadn't done that!
Anyway hopefully we can see some photos here tomorrow.
Thanks to all for the positive comments.....I do appreciate it.

Ronnie I an glad you found out about the knife."Encrypted Photos" that's interesting. Maybe some kind of Secret Squirrel stuff. The Capt better be careful they might erase his hard drive.oldguy

I downloaded Ronnie's email,,,TWICE and it kept wanting me to "access" another program...and "register" to do so??? Not my cup of tea. I will gladly try and re-size and re-post photos for forum members...BUT...(There's that word again) I ain't "subcribin' to anything to do so. Hope we have better results on the third attempt.
Capt. Chris

Hopefully Cap she will send them some other way so you don't have to jump thru any hoops to do this. Sorry but as I have said in earlier threads I don't have a clue what the Cap is talking about but if he can't get them to work then....he can't get them to work. If they don't work....I'll draw a picture of the knife.

This has turned into quite the thread. Thanks to all who've contributed.

Now, Ronnie, do you speak Russian?

There's this Model 8 knife in this other museum that you could maybe shoot a call into.....:)

I would like to know about the Powers Model 8 myself. Like was it a old style or new style. Brass or nickel silver. Stag or leather. What other options did it have. Oldguy

And while we are at it does any body know how Sarah Palin's Model 25 Trapper is set up? oldguy

Hemingway...nyet can't help you there. Let's trade the Ruskies something for the Powers knife. Ummmm how bout we send them Obama for a Randall.

When exactly did Randall go to the new style grind on the 8. Oldguy if you can nail that down you will probably get your answer. Powers was shot down in 1960, I think, so I'm thinking it's the old style. Probably thinking wrong.

Ronnie I don't know. The switch may have been during that time so it could go either way. There was a picture of his stuff in a museum in Russia but I could not make out any details. The picture was kinda of fuzzy. oldguy

Here is reported photo of Power's stuff recovered and in muesum in Russia. including his Randall--Ithink, it was posted on this forum--but maybe not, don't remember for sure.

John Westbrook
# 4496

Powers was downed in 1960, the new style #8 showed up in catalogs in 1963.....so I am guessing it's old style.

In this photo the 8 looks old style to me.

It's the "old".
Best, Capt. chris

This just in...
Thanks to Jason Randall (actually his bride) for sending me this scan. This is Gus Grissom's knife that is in the space museum. Unusual trademark (blade to be more correct) stamp. The hilt is also indicative of the "first runs", i.e. not nearly the same shape and length as the #17's of today. Interesting, the way things evolve.
Also: As a side note: Jason tells me that the guy from the moseum is, either friends with (or related) to Grissom's brother and has made a knife himself. More to come...I hope. Thanks Jason!
Best, Capt. Chris

VERY cool!

Nice, Capt!

Everyone pulled together nicely to get to the bottom of this.

So, here's a question:

What was the thought process behind the design for the knife so that it would fit their needs in space? I have read that they couldn't find a knife appropriate for their mission and eventually turned to Randall to make a knife.

So, does anyone know what criteria they were looking for? What uses specificially did they see the design fulfilling while on their mission?

Or did they simply want a knife able to hold up in the event of using it in a survival mode once they returned to earth and before they could be picked up?

BINGO!!
Although the blade design was such that is allowed usage with their "space gloves & suit", the main purpose of the "survival kit" was just that / SURVIVAL! The splash downs were not, or had the potential to not be, exact. The possibilty of over-shooting (or under-shooting) the deignated splash down area were quite real. Facing many unknowns was the thinking behind many of the pieces of gear that were included in the kit. The small compartment between the handle scales could house several small items, which might prove invaluable in certain scenarios.
I also believe they carried gold coins and a S&W "Air Crewman". Probably not a lot of need to go on a "spending spree" in space! I am certain that some other folks will be able to add to this but this is what I have been told.
Best, Capt. Chris

For the reasons mentioned, I wonder if they would have just chosen the #18-5.5" had it already been developed. Guess we will never know.

The #18-7 1/2" would have been my choice, "especially" in the "all stainless" version! This was prior to that model design. Who knows: There is a more than better chance this design led to the next. (I mean, they're only 1 number off!)
Best, Capt. Chris

Yes, especially when they discovered that their matches got wet in the #17 handle upon splash down.

This is one of the best threads I have read in a long time... Thank you to everyone who makes this forum so great.

cheers!

Cap, is this the same knife from the pic on the first page of this thread?

I have no way of knowing that. The photos are from opposite sides. I only know that Jason said the photo that I posted came from the space museum...Sorry I cannot be more clear.
Best, Capt. Chris

no, I know, thank you. It just doesn't look like the same knife to me.

No, I think the consensus is that it's not the same knife. I think the conditions show that but also I think we've determined that one is in the space museum now while the other one is in the Indiana state park museum (the one on the first page).

H. Thank you for the update and clarification. The one pulled out of the LB7 is the second pic...

No blade runner. The knife that the cap has posted is the real deal. It's the knife on Gus's
Liberty Bell Capsule. The knife in the first post is a second knife owned by Gus and I suppose donated to that particular museum mentioned in that post.
Also blade runner you might want to read this entire thread from beginning to end....

That's what he said, Ronnie. The "second" photo...??? Am I reading all of this wrong?
Oh well...Capt. Chris

ronnie: sorry, but i did look through it all...i am suffering from some medical issues with that and my current prescribed medication, it is hard for me to concentrate but thanks for being so kind with your advice..

yes, i said 2nd, anyway, we move on with life

One we have all seen from the show room at the Randall shop

I didn't mean to piss anyone off. Cap this entire thread has been explained with respect to which knife is which. I don't understand your answer to blade runner? Of course it's not the same knife.
Bladerunner....sorry I apologize if my answer offended you. However to fully understand a posted thread I believe it is best to read the entire thread....from beginning to end. I've made that same mistake several times and asked a question that had already been answered and if I had read the entire thread I would have known that.

Getting back to my original post, we've now got TWO places to see a Grissom knife, a Russian museum to see Powers' knife...what other places have famous owners' knives on display other than the shop?

Westmoreland's? Angier's? Ross Allen's? Ronald Reagan's? Any of those available for public view?

I think Westmoreland's Mod.1 is at The Citadel...not real sure. Reagan's is at his Library in Kalifornia. General Jumpin Jim Gavin's is at West Point. My WWII Springfield is in my War Room. That's about all I know.

Ronnie, You know it's a good thing to see where some on the knives that have been with "important" people, but it's the common everyday user of Randall knives that I like to hear about. We need more of that here and you kinda of get to know the folks on this forum and see what Good People they are. Just my thoughts.oldguy

I did post 3 Randall knives from the National Knife Museum also.
Capt. Chris

Cap the National Knife Museum was once located at Chattanooga. Reading your comments I suppose it has relocated....is that the case?

Oldguy I really enjoy hearing or reading the stories of how the folks here became interested in Randalls and when they first learned about em. Where they purchased or received their first knives. I always find that interesting.

Does anyone have any information on Peter Hathaway Capstick's Randall? I remember reading something about it a few years ago in one of the newsletters. Something about the knife being acquired along with a letter of authenticity.

I love Capstick's books and would love some info on his Randall.

The Chattanooga Museum was shut down around 2000 and the contents were stored for a few years. Somewhere around 2004 the NKM worked out a deal with SMKW and the top floor was made into the current museum and remains there today. The sad news is that there are only two Randalls on display. One is the Tenite that Cap's photo is of and the other is a 13-6" that has an altered handle. The museum depends soley on donations and has very few from the custom world. In fact, they are barely able to keep the doors open even with no rent for the space. So if you happen to be in the area please give it a visit and a donation. It is well worth seeing even with only two Randalls.

Thanks Perry for the info. Will check it out the next time I'm in the area.

I had the pleasure of visiting RMK for the first time today while on a business trip to Orlando. Thank you to Gary, Jason and Scott for taking the time to speak to me. While at the shop, we spoke about my expedition to the spot where Gus Grissom's Liberty Bell 7 space capsule splashed down, our discovery of a 200 year old shipwreck nearby, my dive to 16,000+ feet to explore the wreck, and the condition of the items recovered. (See http://www.davidconcannon.com/images/Atlantic_Sands_DIVER.pdf for more info.)

The items we found on this wreck, which was within six miles of LB7 on the bottom, were remarkably well preserved. However, the salt water can act like battery acid on carbon steel at this depth. If you look closely at the photo of the recovered knife, you can see where this happened. This scarring is not present on the knife in the Indiana museum.

Perry the last time I was at SMKW's they had not finished the mesuem but you can still spend most of a day there looking at all of the knives and other stuff. It is a fun place to visit. I didn't realize they were in financial trouble. There is also a Bass Pro shop not to far away. Another place that can part you from your cash right quick.

Keith,

Info on Capstick's knife is in RKS 75 page 5. It is a 3-5 and is illustrated in his book "Last Horizons" on pg 257.

Jon

The Rhodium plating on this knife probably helped reduce the adverse effects of the saltwater environment.

Agreed Crutch. It was far superior to any "chrome" plating of it's day.
Best, Capt. Chris

This is a fun photo. Maybe the Astro in the OP got to go on this survival training with the original Mercury 7?

Keith,

I see Jon has already helped you out on Capstick's Randall knife, but if you're a Capstick fan and like knives, he also carried a Damascus USA knife made by Rob Charlton and designed by D'Alton Holder. The knife is extensively shown in his book "Sands of Silence". Capstick's knife had an ivory handle. http://damascususa.us/www/knife_pics/v6.html

I have one of the Charlton Capstick knives and I like it. The damascus adds a little variety to my collection. The handle on mine is polished giraffe bone.

To keep the thread going does anyone know what happened to the King Faisal II set (the knives in the RKS logo)? Be interesting to see what happened to those.

This from a post on this forum from Jan. 26 2006. It shows the LB7 knife as it looked when it was recovered.
http://www.knifetalkforums.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3662#Post3662
I hope I did this right if not don't fuss at me too much.

This "telephone cord" has always fascinated me. It is not shown in the survival kit photo. Any idea what it was attached to or how it was used?

My guess - and this is only a guess - is that the "telephone cord" was placed there to secure the knife in the weightlessness of space and during what NASA thought would be a rough ride.

Grissom had only a 15 minute flight and it was entirely over water. He was up and down like he was on a giant roller coaster ride. Plus, this was only the second manned space flight in U.S. history. NASA still had a lot of learning to do.

undoubtedly .. a 'springy" lanyard!

Can anyone tell me the material used on the handles of the original Nasa randall astros?

Here is a link to one of the oldest to ever come on the market.

Old Astro


I suggest you search these forums for the word "Astro" lots of good info.

Also, a copy of Gaddis boo would be very useful. It's the best history on the Astro.

I don't think the first Astros came with a handle. From the first and second appearances of the Astro in Randall catalogs 16 (1963-64) and 17 (1965-67), the first only offered a handle as an extra cost option; the second had a micarta handle as standard, but increased the price $5.00. (The second catalog showed no increase in the Model 1, and nly a $1.00 increase in the Model 5.)
Randall began selling the Astro Model 17 in 1962. Each astronaut received one, as did the Head of Project Mercury. Two spares were made at the time. Two were donated to the Smithsonian Institute.

catalog 16 (1963-64) -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- catalog 17 (1965-67)

Gus Grissom's Model 17 has been put on special display near Liberty Bell 7 at the Kansas Cosmosphere.





When I visited last year, I was given an opportunity to handle the knife. It was very special to hold this piece of history.









Here is a look at the Camillus folder also carried on LB7.



If you have never been to the Kansas Cosmosphere, you should go. The place is a gem. The displays are outstanding, the people are friendly, and you will never have a better opportunity to view some of national treasures displayed in their proper context. I can't wait to go back.

Great photos David! Thanks for posting.