UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons SA & NSKK Dagger Forum ??

How far would you travel to pick up a Blonde ?

This one was about 150 away.

I damn near ran into the a$$ end of a dump truck, while starring at her on the trip home!

B3

B4

You'll get that with a blonde sitting on your lap...

B5

Sweet! If I knew she didn't have any STD's...well, pretty far!

STD=Stains, Tears, Damage....hehehe

Oh but this was definitely virgin territory My Friend. Nary anything ever inserted into her screw compartment!

Who's the maker JR... Aesculap?

You got it Mate......... common......... but un-common condition.

She sure is good lookin'

Ill bet her scabbard is nice and tight!!!

Sorry... if this is an Aesculap then the grip has most likely been stripped of it's original varnish. Aesculaps are typically covered in very dark varnish that looks pretty bad as it wears off in patches. Stripping them to make them look better is not unusual. I guess you can call it a "bottle blond".

Several firms did varnish their grips as mentioned, and like the lacquer on many scabbards, it didn't hold up very well in some cases. Bickel is another SA firm that you see with a varnished grip as well. I know that Houston even mentioned that the blonde Pack grips he didn't recalled in his early collecting days. None the less, the Aesculap dagger is near mint and dons the original color of the carved handle as it was initially. I think that this is probably what you are seeing many times when you find an SA with a lighter grip at shows, on dealers tables and on their sites.

It's hard saying how long the original varnish held up on these grips and whether it deteriorated right away or not. Here is one on Paul's site that is very close to the same. Perhaps with this lighter grip this company used, they felt the need to darken these grips up to better match the uniforms of the SA membership.
http://www.lakesidetrader.com/pics/SA-285d.jpg

And here is one on Bill's site as what Moore was talking about.
http://www.therupturedduck.com/WebPages/Edged/e436a.htm

i must say your pictures are much better than the web page where this item was for sale!these pictures are very nice. f.c.
http://65.160.172.250/daggers/d250.html

Did'nt Heller varnish their grips as well? Regards, Leipzig

Pic-2

Personally speaking, I have strong doubts about any of these blonde grips. I have owned too many that upon very close inspection were lightened and it was apparent when the grip was closly examined under magnification. The inside of the tang channel is usually the dead giveaway as it remains dark. I hope this one is an exception, but Houston and I spent a long time observing and discussing this subject very recently (two weeks ago at my house). In fact he has my lightest blonde at present for study and possible sale. It looks very good, but we both feel it was enhanced. Maybe not, but it appears so.

In any event, blonde or not, that is one nice dagger JR. Please send me that vertical hanger for further "study"! That's too nice not to share...

Best, as always my friend...

Mark

As a long time woodworker and furniture restorer I can say I agree with the above comments. I have yet to see one of the very light grips that didn't show signs of enhancement as described above.
Jim

I agree, several of the grips produced for SA daggers, were initially light and varnished or stained to give them a darker look. Depending how this finish held up over time, would result on whether a collector left it intact, or removed the remainder to even out the color. I'm sure that the color of the SA uniform played a big part in this. You can even see this in SS grips that have turned significantly lighter brown over time where once they were more black.