Can you help to ID this Worker

[demtek9]

I got if from someone in Colorado back in 2003. It isn't signed SF Stoneworks or Yellowhorse, but the guy told me that he got it at the Factory Outlet Years ago and it originally had some nice wooden box that came with it. I'm not sure of the materials except they look to be turquoise and lapis in the middle with sterling strips and onyx in the middle of those.

[demtek9]

Just a few pics of eye candy for those who look, but can't ID the Worker. Some of the rare ones:

Worker Evolution set
Black Worker
#002 Co-pilot
Executive
2 Spyderkey
Ti Handle Herbst from Germany
The Swiss Walker
Bone Jess Horn
Scrim Moki 20 of 50
Anniversary Delica
and #35 of the Boguszewski / Wegner Models

In my cases for Large:
Tuffram Police
CF Police
PIG Model
Org Black ATS34 Mili
Forum Mili
Alum Civilian
Tuffram Civilian Plain Edge
CF Civilian
Ti Handle Police PS and SE

I got a bunch more in a drawer, but this is all I have room for in the cases.

[The Deacon]

Can't say I've ever seen one quite like that before Jeff. Pattern looks more like David Yellowhorse's work than Santa Fe, but my understanding is that the Yellowhorses have always marked their knives, while Santa Fe stopped marking theirs at some point. The steel marking on it appears to say ATS-55. If that is correct, then it may very well be Santa Fe's work, as that steel did not come into use on Spydercos until around 1997.

You have some very nice pieces there.

[jaislandboy]

Wow Jeff! I can't help u to identify....but there's too much drool on my keyboard right now! nice collection!:eek: :cool:

[zenheretic]

My latest Yellowhorse has "By: David Yellowhorse - Custom" hand engraved on the clip side.

[demtek9]

I don't think it is SF Stoneworks...I've seen my fair share of those, but Yellowhorses that I've seen have wood on them and there was only one model sold to the public. There was an Spyderco eclusive Executive model that had Dino Bone on it, so it might have been something along that line. I was told this model came straight from the SFO and the Guy had a bunch of others I bought off of him that leads me to beleive that he got it there. The fact the handle is squared edges instead of a 45 degree bevel has always had me wondering???

[demtek9]

Here is the backside...it is highly polished along with the clip. Also there is some type of media for spacing that is white-ish in color between the overlay and handle. BTW: When it say the handle is squared off...I mean that it is less pronounced of a bevel than the inlays that I've seen before. It still has some shaping and polish on the edge.

[The Deacon]

Jeff, think your best bet for answering this is Sal himself, if he sees this thread and responds. With him in Europe right now, he may not be spending as much time as usual here for the next few weeks. Might want to bring it back up in mid-March once he's back in Golden if nobody chimes in with an answer before then.

It also occurs to me that it might not be a bad idea for you to email a copy of that first photo to Bill Wirtel of Santa Fe Stoneworks. He might be able to tell you for certain whether it was, or was not, their work.

Just out of curiosity, does the left handle itself appear thinner than the right? Does it look, for example, if it was ground down below the bevel before the overlay was mounted? Your photos suggest that might be the case. If so, it would an unusual feature on either a Santa Fe or Yellowhorse. There have been others who did customization as well. Serene in particular comes to mind. Their work followed no particular or distinctive "style", so it's hard to rule them out, but as with the others mentione, they generally "signed" their work. Frank Recupero did some beautiful overlays, but it really does not look like his work, and don't recall ever seeing one by him without at least some filework as well as the over lays. On top of that, I'm not sure any of his were ever sold through SFO.

What is the blade steel? That helps narrow down when it was made. It appears to be ATS-55, which would have come near the end of the Worker's long production life. Whatever it is, narrowing the date range increases the chances of someone remembering it.

[JD Spydo]

I'd put my money on it being a Yellowhorse. Sante Fe usually has a completely different layout. Sante Fe from what I've seen of them usually has designs on a solid color background or they have a lot of Spyder & Web layouts. But I don't follow the customs that closely so I am just flipping a coin :o

[demtek9]

It is an ATS 55, and I realized that the white filler is for the space between the 45% bevel in the steel handle and the overlay material. The ATS-55 models of that time had angled steel edges on the handle and this white stuff is a filler. The SF Stoneworks usually overlayed in to the edge of that bevel and didn't go flush like this one. When I asked the guy I bought it from who did it, he said it was some Native American artist that was famous. When I mentioned Yellowhorse, he didn't know yet it sounded right.....but I could never confirm this since it wasn't signed and I was buying it second hand from a guy I only knew through another guy at SFO.

[The Deacon]

The Yellowhorse family has a website, so perhaps an email to them, with a photo of that Worker, would either clear up the mystery, or deepen it.

[demtek9]

I bet I know who made this now....just look at this Co-Pilot and tell me you don't see a resemblance in the inlay, design and materials.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320079353714

[The Deacon]

Think you may have found the answer. Can't say I'd ever heard of that outfit before, or seen any of their work, but the resemblance betwee that CoPilot and your Worker is definitely strong. Coupled with the lack of Yellowhorse markings, it does point to Blue Mountain Turqoise being the ones who embellished it.

[dedguy]

I bet I know who made this now....just look at this Co-Pilot and tell me you don't see a resemblance in the inlay, design and materials.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320079353714
Isn't that the same guy selling that worker for 3k?

[demtek9]

I would say it was blue montain....here is a picture I found of other spyderco they did and it looks quite similar to mine.
http://www.webwest.com/bluemountain/