Capt. Chris,

A couple of comments and a few questions:

1. Your point regarding the balance of the knife (unbalanced with butt cap) is well taken. I suggested the silver butt cap as a complimentary 'visual' option if the knife was to be equipped with a silver hilt and spacers (which to my mind would make it a display piece rather than a user).
-Has anyone ever used an RMK with silver hilt and/or other silver fittings?
-I've not owned or held an RMK with silver fittings. Since silver has a higher specific gravity than either brass or nickel silver, would using silver for the hilt/spacers alone (no butt cap) appreciably increase the weight of the knife, noticeably alter the balance, or otherwise render it less 'user-friendly'?

2. Silver fittings on an RMK is expensive! As James noted, probably not the most cost effective choice. A couple of questions about the silver:
-Does the silver have to be provided to the shop in a certain form or shape? Is there a minimum fineness required?
-In addition to purchasing/supplying the silver, is there an additional shop charge for working/shaping the silver (similar to the charge for customer supplied handle material)?
-Is silver more difficult to work/shape than brass or N/S?

Bob

Here is an example of clean, and tarnished silver(fine)
The #7 weighs a TON!!! and there is nothing balanced about it, the #2 is not much better....the knife ya'll are building will probably be a little different.
If ya'll are planning a silver butt cap, you guys, and gals are talking about a TON of money!!
I'm not in this...just my $.02
good luck!!
:-)Rocky

Nickel Silver is fine enough for me! The only Fine Silver I'm interested in, is the silver I can wear around my neck or the silver I can eat with!! That's just me!

So, I wonder ... when will you be updating the catalogue, I got this one at the ahem, ... shop... 3 weeks ago. Asking for a friend

Ref: pg 30, last two sentences of para.

Bob,
Sounds like an attorney wrote your post. I'll try to compose a response when I can.
Best, Capt. Chris
All members: Fine silver is .999 fine silver as opposed to .925 which is used in jewelry making. I will pull out my "actual user", in fine silver, and photograph it, as soon as I figure out which safe it's hiding in!
Hope this helps, Capt. Chris
PS" Hint: It does "not" have any type of butt cap...CCS

If a picture is worth a 1000 words.... I'll take 2 more jars of pickles please!

Musta been a really recent change, this exerpt is from a 1961 catalog, looks like they did it for the past, what, 50 or so years?

FWIW... it's also currently on the website as an option as well.
I would not personally go for it on a knife, but according to what we have available to us, it is listed as available...

Never been available as long I have been ordering directly from the shop (1978 or so). At least "as far" as I know.
Best, Capt. Chris
PS: Anyone seen this practice, actually, "on" a knife? I cannot recall it. Not saying it didn't happen just never seen it...CCS

If we are spending the bucks for fine silver.......Then we ought to be putting it on with something other than shop supplied wood.
If you want to put it on FWI or ox I get it. If the Captain was offering up stash material to make it all unique and then put on silver I can see it.
But if that's the only bell & nothing else out of the ordinary then I would say no.