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August 2002
Reprinted by permission
Blade Magazine
MODERN MESH OF HERITAGE AND HI-TECH
by Butch Winter
Marble's: If you're old enough, the name conjures the vision of hunters in high-lace boots, checkered wool shirts and peaked caps posing in the snow by several harvested deer hanging from a makeshift "meat pole." What's more, a Marble's Safety Axe or Marble's knives were part of the scene. Such a vision may not be politically correct in these days of animal-rights activists and tree huggers but, back then, every dyed-in-the-wool hunter wished he were there.
Webster Marble started the manufacture of the Marble's Safety Axe in his home in 1892. He built a factory in 1898 and continued to invent tools for the outdoorsman. After years of experimentation, it took 18 models before the Safety Axe was perfected and established.
Marble began making knives circa 1900. The first Marble's knife was the Ideal and was advertised in the 1900 McClures Magazine. The classic fixed blade was a clip point with a blood groove extending from ricasso to tip.
Beginning with the Ideal, Marble went on to make a plethora of different models and styles of hunting knives, too many to even touch here. He's credited by many with designing and making the first knife fashioned exclusively for hunters, "an accomplishment," the Marble's literature says, "that earned him the title of the father of the modern hunting knife."
Marble's made a lot of other tools for sportsmen over the years—sights, compasses, adjustable shotgun chokes, gun-cleaning equipment, waterproof match containers, and more. During World War II, Marble's was instrumental in designing and making many of the knives used by the military.
The company discontinued its knife line for a time in the late 1970s. Called Marble Arms, it was manufacturing gun sights only when the company was bought in 1994 by the Lauerman family, known in the upper Midwest as owners of department stores. In 1997, the decision was made to reintroduce the Marble's knife and the knives have been in continuous production ever since.
In October 2001, George Brinkley became partners with the Lauerman. Brinkley was president of Case during its successful restructuring in the 1990s to the thriving concern it is today. In addition, the name Marble Arms, Inc. was changed to Marble's Outdoors. Brinkley is now chairman and chief executive officer, while Craig Lauerman is president and chief operating officer. Jim Lauerman is secretary and treasurer.
"What attracted me to marble's was its similarity to Case—a historically significant brand, high perceived quality, and a dedicated collector base to keep the "romance" alive," Brinkley says. "Changing our name from Marble Arms, Inc. to Marble's Outdoors was done in an effort to clearly define our renewed commitment to advancing the vision of our founder, Webster Marble, who had a strong desire to design and manufacture a wide variety of useful, dependable and safe equipment for the serious sportsman and outdoor enthusiast. Our focus will be to blend the Marble's tradition of value and quality with the advanced technologies of the 21st century to create knives both appealing and functional.
"We'll concentrate on manufacturing eight blade designs, offered in four basic handle materials—Dymonwood™, stacked leather, Marble's jigged bone, and a new 'Safe Grip' molded material. Blackie Collins has designed a new folding hunter with a patented locking mechanism that will be available in late spring or early summer. Blackie is serving as a design consultant with us to develop new products and revive several of Mr. Marble's earlier inventions with new technological enhancements."
The eight models Marble's Outdoors will concentrate on are the Woodcraft, Fieldcraft, Trailcraft, Ideal, Plainsman, Sport, Caper and Trailmaker. All except the sport and Caper are Webster Marble's original designs. The 10-inch blade Trailmaker is available only with the jigged bone or stacked leather handle, while the Caper comes with jigged bone or Dymondwood. The other six models can be had in stacked leather, Game Getter (Dymondwood), jigged bone or Safe Grip, the latter a high-density polymer.
Gone from the traditional Marble's handle selection is sambar stag. Found in the Sambar region of India, the stag continues to be banned from export by the Indian government. "As with most cutlery companies," Brinkley observes, "[the ban] has caused us to substitute other materials such as bone and others to compensate." Stag always has been a popular handle material, so any discontinued stag-handle Marble's knife is going to be highly collectible.
The Marble's Safety Axe, the tool that "started it all" for the company, will undergo some changes. "There are a limited number of Safety Axes still available," Brinkley notes. "We'll no longer manufacturer the axe in the wooden-handle version after June. We are, however, developing a new version of the Safety Axe with the same features of the traditional model, but utilizing space-age components. The new [Safety Axe] will be a reflection of our commitment to merge Mr. Marble's great designs with modern technology, and will be offered at an affordable price point for the consumer to buy and use in late summer or early fall."
The Marble's CEO indicated that the variations in the old company line will be phased out as customer orders are filled. This represents a brand new field for collectors of Marble's knives. For instance, the Trailmaker was made in blade lengths of 7 and 10 inches, in either stacked leather or stag. From now on it will be offered only in the 10-inch blade with a jigged-bone or stacked-leather handle.
Another change: Marble's had used a lot of 52100 steel in the recent past. The Trailmaker, moreover, had a blade steel of 5160M. However, under the new regime Brinkley says blades will be made of a "specially formulated, American-made steel with excellent performance and edge retention. Marble's blades are stamped and precision ground on modern grinding equipment. The blades have Marble's convex edge and the handles, guards and butt are hand fitted."
Marble's has made special-edition knives for several well-known retailers and this practice will continue on a contract basis, according to Brinkley. It's not hard to spot a Marble's-made knife, even if it has another name on the blade.
So there you have it—the new Marble's piloted by a businessman with proven experience in the cutlery industry. The Lauermans are to be congratulated for bringing back an American classic, for giving those of us who never had a chance to buy an original Marble's knife an opportunity once again to own a part of our heritage as outdoorsman. There are Marble's knives out there for every knife enthusiast, the original pieces for those who enjoy owning such knives, the variations for collectors just getting stared, the contract blades, and the current production models for those who just want a hunting knife with classic styling.
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