Another Cattaraugus 225Q Refurb

Onomea

Onomea

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Some of you may recall my post from a year or so ago on having a broken handled Cattaraugus 225Q I bought off eBay spiffed up with a stag handle:



I liked that result so much that I did it again — or rather my knife guy, a real craftsman, did it again after I explained what I wanted — this time adding a desert ironwood handle with nickel silver furniture.

Started with this, again off eBay:



Came out like this:





 
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I’m a fan of Cattaraugus knifes but do not own one. Cattaraugus county borders Erie county where I live. The cattaraugus Allegheny county line runs right through the middle of my pond at the cabin. Cattaraugus co was the home of Ontario Knife and Cutco. It also borders Bradford Pennsylvania which is home to Case knives and Zippo lighters. Lots of knife history in the area. Congrats on owning two beauties!!!!!
 
Here's the one my father brought back from the Pacific in WWII. I thought about having it restored and thought about just trying to get the leather handle repaired, as there is just wire where the leather washers should be.
GGS3iDL.jpg
 
BE Mike said:
Here's the one my father brought back from the Pacific in WWII. I thought about having it restored and thought about just trying to get the leather handle repaired, as there is just wire where the leather washers should be...
Click to expand...
Mike, there is a trick to removing the steel washers from the pommel. I don't recall exactly, but it is something like a quarter turn clockwise or counterclockwise for the first, top washer, which allows the steel washers to then be removed, and then the leather washers. (A lot of these knives get broken because people don't know that.) I believe that you can buy replacement leather washers. The blade of your dad's knife looks to be in very good shape, and the sheath looks like it is doing pretty well also.


(I, too, have the Cattaraugus 225Q that my father, a Marine, brought back from the Pacific. It is in good shape. I wrote a post about it several years ago. It has a sheath my mother and father made, and which I have had restored. I just clean up this knife occasionally. Would not dream of changing anything on it.)

 
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Your 225Q reminded me of when Marine Raider Gordon Warner showed me his Prototype KBar.
It had been blued and rehandled with wood.
When Gordon was wounded on New Georgia, lost a leg, a Buddy took his KBar and his I think two Japanese Swords.
Long after the War, his Buddy had his KBar polished, blued and re-handled.
Gordon told me his KBar was issued during training for field testing.
Originally his looked exactly like all the later production Knives except for one thing. It had a Brass Guard.
 
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Beautiful knives. I have several of the 225Q’s and kove the blades, rhey are workhorses for sure. Still to be had reasonably if you spend some time at it.
 
Check out the knife on the Major General's belt. The fact that a General could have any knife he wanted to, but he chose to carry a Cattaraugus Quartermaster knife ought to tell you something about these knives.
 

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Wow! Awesome job. I really like the first one. The 225Q is one of my favorite knives. Do you mind my asking how much he charges for such work? Please feel free to send me a PM.
 
Great way to restore a piece of history that was too far gone to return to original condition. Your knife guy is truly a craftsman and you have 2 very beautiful cutting implements!
 
My Cattaraugus pinned stag handle hunting knife is quite a bit older. It has been in my family since it was new ca. 1900, and was passed down to my uncle and eventually to me. Our family of German immigrants settled in the Rochester, NY area in the late 1800s and the knife was purchased locally. I have the worn original leather sheath, but thought the vintage cutter deserved something nicer. I asked my leather crafter buddy to fabricate a sheath for it and I think he did an outstanding job. This Cattaraugus is otherwise untouched, and still holds a great edge. I used its 125-year old stag handle patina as a guide to "age" the stocks and scales of my 1926 .44 HE W&K and bowie. The Cattaraugus will be passed down to my eldest son sometime in the near future. Enjoy!
 

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