Look at the blade tang (ricasso). There should be a little mark by the model number. It'll look like a letter or a chevron or a line.
Describe that, and I'll tell you when your knife was made. I have a letter from Chuck Buck, correcting some misinfo in the Buck book.
Buck will probably refinish your blade for little or nothing. Tell them the circumstances in which you found it, and that you will take better care of it.
You can gradually get most scratches out with Flitz or Simichrome, but it takes a long time. I'm still working on a couple of used Swiss Army knives after a year! Only have so much time for hand polishing.... If your scuffs from clumsy sharpening are deep, you'll probably need a factory refinish.
I have three Model 120's, and none is for sale. The price you got this one for was evidence that you are blessed with good fortune! One of mine was $65 at a gun show, and had to go back for refinishing, at which Buck did a splendid job.
Looks new!
"Tunnel in the Sky" is among my favorite books! But I think that Rod's 21cm blade molysteel knife, Col. Bowie, was more like the Fallkniven NL 2, the Odin model. It's laminated blade and the length is almost exactly what Heinlein wrote that Rod's knife was like. However, I'm pretty sure that his handle was more durable than the NL 2's leather handle. It looks much like a leather Randall handle.
www.fallkniven.com Look for the NL 2 there. The Randall Model 1 or Model 5 might also resemble Rod's knife, with an eight-inch blade option. I checked a ruler, and 21cm is about eight and a third inches. I picture his sister's knife, Lady MacBeth, as looking like a Loveless boot knife, with five-inch blade. It couldn't have been too big, or he couldn't have hidden it under that bandage on his leg.
Robert Heinlein fenced while at Annapolis, and was somewhat knowledgeable about knives, which he often featured in his books. He mentioned Solingen blades, but never a make or model.
If someone needed a good survival knife without spending a lot or waiting for a custom knife, the Buck No. 120 would probably be a fine choice.
I have heard that Buck blades are brittle, but every such story that I could confirm involved someone trying to beat the edge through bone, usually with a rock. One fellow managed to chip even a Fallkniven blade, but he was chopping at something, and missed. The blade went into the ground and hit a rock. This was mentioned in one of Nut'n Fancy's video reviews of the knife. See YouTube for No. 120 "reviews", although few amount to any real testing. But you can admire the knives!
I would also avoid throwing the knife, but like chopping bone, this is true of ALL knives not designed and tempered for that use! Also, do not stab the blade into wood, then try to flick bits of wood off by twisting the knife. That may well break the point. Nonetheless, this is a test that the SOG SEAL 2000 passed in Naval trials. I was impressed by that.
Congratulations on getting a good knife at a fine price! The handle is a little short for the long Applegate- recommended fencing grasp, but is fine in a hammer grip, or a modified version, with the thumb farther alongside the handle. That comment applies to almost all factory-made knives, and to many "custom" ones, like most Randalls.
Good luck to the member who wants to buy a No. 120. I think he'll like it when he gets one. Better get a spare, too.
You know how it is: if you like something, they'll quit making it, as Buck did with the Model 120. Thankfully the shorter Model 119 is still with us.
T-Star
