The News from ElephantToenails.com

Due to the rarity of Jumbo Swellcenters (vintage or custom), I have elected to bring you another custom Jumbo that is being finished up right now.

Jeff Claiborne has keep us in the loop on his toenail makes and has another (his second) he is finishing.

He said, it is green mastodon leg bone. The only work left is to “hand rub, then high polish buff.”

We vintage Jumbo purest may jump back at the sur nuff green here, but recognize it is a custom and not a replica… it has grown on me. If you can’t handle it, then you can give it to me for Christmas

I know you probably think I fell off a log and broke my hands, but between my work schedule and family scheduling, I am still here and OK (as far as I know anyway).

Wanted to update you on my interview with custom knifemaker Tony Bose- I’m scheduled to talk to him in the morning…it is going to be good. I know, again, we aren’t into customs much around here, but my gracious, to talk to a knifemaker of the caliber of Mr. Bose who has actually made swellcenters- albeit only a few, is way too cool for me. Again let me remind you of his statement that those knives were there hardest to make of ANY knife he has ever made.

I can’t wait. Plus, with all the technological advances in knifemaking we have today, if today’s makers call it hard, just think how hard it must have been back at the C. Platts factory!

Just got a heads up about a Jumbo Swellcenter Easy Open from our friend Jeff Claiborne. This is hot off the press intel with pictures, as we are the first to see it here in the ET.com exclusive.

While I am not a expert in custom knives, but I can tell you, there are very few easy open swellcenters out there. We’ve found a few Jumbos, but very few. Easy Open Jumbos…don’t know that I have ever seen a custom.

Thanks Jeff for giving us the exclusive on what is going to be a cool knife.

I’m excited to share with you a special feature for us here at ET.com. Within the next couple of weeks, I’ll be bringing to you two very special guests.

As you know, I have a little (tongue in check) project I have going over at Cutlery News Journal. It is the Audio Interview Series with key players in the knife industry. Two of the guests I’ll be interviewing are directly relative to us here. These knifemakers are Tony Bose and Don Hanson III.

Both of these men are very respected makers and both have made toenails. Before you jump back by saying ”but these are custom knifemakers, Scott, we’re into vintage (OLD) toenails here at ET.com,” allow me to say, I know that. Hang with me on this.

T Bose Pearl Jumbo

Mr. Bose was the first knifemaker to actually make the Jumbo Swellcenter. He will provide us with keen insight into what it is like to make one of those puppies. He told me recently, the Jumbo is the hardest knife to make of all he has ever made…and we’ll get him to tell us why.

D Hanson Blue Mammoth Bark Ivory Scales

Don Hanson III, if you don’t know him, is known throughout the world as Mr. Sunfish. He established himself in the custom knifemaking Who’s Who by making toenails. And even adopted it as his trademark, except as you know he calls them sunfish. 

Since we can’t go back and interview anyone from the early days of the C. Platts, Case Brothers, or early W R Case companies, obviously, in order to get insight into what it was like to actually hand forge and finish a toenail, these men are the modern-day equivalent. I think it will be fascinating to talk with these men.

Here’s what I’m going to do- The CNJ Interview will be a 30 minute in-depth conversation and will be released there in its entirety, but for you and me here, I’m going to cut out the heart of the toenail discussion and post it here. Be patient as it takes time to work out all the scheduling and production, but will let you know as soon as I can.

You will be able with a click to hear these conversations right here without any special plug-ins or downloads. I hope you will listen in!

You guys know we have been following the progress of the making of a Jumbo Swellcenter by knifemaker Jeff Claiborne.

Jeff told me it is now finished. And I’m exciting to present the unveiling of Jeff’s excellent representation of this rare vintage pattern. 

This is a stag handled Jumbo Swellcenter. Custom made jumbos are very rare. From my conversations with two knifemakers, both of which have made jumbos, it is a very difficult knife to make, but I’ll post more on that in a later post.

With that allow me to present this handful of a beauty-

If you missed the earlier posts on the stages making this knife, here you go: Part I  and then Part II 

Got an update from our friend and custom old knife maker, Mr. Jeff Claiborne recently providing us with additional behind the scenes of the knife getting real close to being finished.

He’s what he had to say about the later stage the knife is in:

“Scott, here is the next set of pictures- showing liners milled, stag cut and ground, blades handrubbed, and first fitting. Hope you enjoy behind the scene look at birth of the swellcenter. Thanks Jeff”

Here you go-

Don’t you love those Gen. Stag handles? I do.

Thanks Jeff for letting us see this beauty as she is being crafted.

Got the “heads up” the other day from a collector who has ordered a swellcenter custom made. I thought it was a cool idea and was surprised when a couple of weeks later was contacted by the actual knife maker. He confirmed the order and expressed his excitement about producing a custom made swellcenter toenail.

I have yet to ask permission to annouce the knife to the world at this point, but feel I can share with you some behind-the-scenes photos of this baby as it is being made.  This unique maker specializes in the old patterns- multiblade folders- and told me his favorite is the toenail. I’ll get the actual specs soon and hopefully will be provided additional shots of the final stages and finished produced. In the meantime, check out the creation of this old style swellcenter-