SCORE!!! W.R. Case & Sons Cut. Co. 102-12". The Most Accurate Replica Available.

Michael-Myers.net General Discussion
1

Hi, everyone!

I hope you’re all well. I have a bit of a surprise for the community!

When I got into the hobby not long ago I really wanted to collect the four main items needed to recreate the original Michael Myers look from HalloweeN, 1978. Those four items being the mask, the boots, the coveralls, and the knife. I wanted to collect only items that were as close to the original as possible. I quickly acquired the boots and, shortly after, I purchased the coveralls from our friend Connor. I quickly realized how difficult it was going to be to settle on a mask so I set-out to find the knife.

Like many of you, I began scouring the internet trying to track down a W.R. Case & Sons Cut. Co. 102-12". After a couple of months of pushing really hard to find one I finally had to admit to myself that no matter how bad I wanted one, or how many countless hours I spent contacting people, I may never actually get to own an authentic 102-12. The fact of the matter is pretty simple: the 102-12 is an extremely rare knife. I was bummed. Like, really really bummed.

Here’s where it gets awesome:

In my seemingly endless search for the knife I came into contact with many really cool people. One of those people is an avid knife collector who happens to own nearly every vintage knife catalog you can think of. I asked if he could find any information on the 102-12. Within an hour or two he sent me .pdf documents detailing the 102-12. I was stoked! I finally had something for all of my effort. I have to admit, though, it didn’t really click in my head at first what I was going to do with this information… or the journey I was about to embark upon.

You see, the catalogs gave me information on the knife that I hadn’t previously known. Thanks to my new friend, the avid knife collector, I now knew the exact years the knife was produced with the correct insignia, when it was discontinued, what kind of metal was used for the rivets, what kind of wood was used for the handle, etc. I felt like I had details that not many people were privy to (I don’t know how much of this information is widely known) and that’s when I had the eureka moment! I began thinking about making my own 102-12 as accurate and authentic to the original as I possibly could.

I work in the trades and I thought to myself, if I can build a house I can build a knife!

That’s when I began putting all of the pieces together. It was going to be a painstakingly detail oriented endeavor. I came up with a plan of how I was going to do this and what I would need. Over the next two months I procured everything making sure they were as close to 100% ACCURATE as I could get to the original.

I was in the middle of finishing my Bachelor’s degree (it’s never too late to get it done, folks!) so I had to postpone the actual build process until I graduated. Once school was done I began working on the knife.

This is where I have to thank Lamson78. Without his photos this would not have been possible. Where ever you are, thank you very very much, Lamson78! Using his photos (which conveniently includes a tape measure) I was able to recreate the exact dimensions of the 102-12 down to the tiniest detail.

I knew immediately that in addition to using only the most accurate elements of the 102-12 (proper rivets, proper wood for the scales, accurate dimensions) the knife itself had to be a real vintage chef’s knife. Nothing else but an era-accurate knife would suffice. The “replica” was made using a vintage carbon steel chef’s knife forged during the appropriate time period, modified to match the proper dimensions of a 102-12. It is, in fact, a real forged carbon steel chef’s knife manufactured decades ago. This is as close to the real deal as it gets!

Now I had everything I needed. All there was left to do was put it all together and make a knife!

Without further blabbering and endless explanation… here it is! My prototype! I call it “the Chef”.

The most accurate W.R. Case & Sons Cut. Co. 102-12" replica currently available (to my knowledge): https://imgur.com/a/SffI3gb

I’m going to make another knife soon and work out a few things that bother me about my first attempt.

So, what do you all think? Is it the next best thing to owning a real 102-12?

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!!

Best,
Hedge

1 Like
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Damn! I would love to know if you have any plans of making new batches and selling them to the community? It looks like the real thing!

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Hey, rodysti!

Thanks for the compliment! I’ll tell ya, it was a labor of love making that knife! It feels great to finally see it through to the end. I’ve thought about this moment where I finally get to post it to the forum for months!

I suppose I could make more if there’s interest from the community. I just hope you all like it. It became my obsession for months. Literally the last thing I’d think about while I got into bed and the first thing I’d think about when I got up in the morning. Lol. sigh

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I’d love to get my hands on a replica, beautiful work!

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Beautiful job :clap:

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Dude, thousands of people would buy a replica from you, especially of that accuracy caliber!!!

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DM’d

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Hey, thanks!

That means a lot to me.

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Thanks very much. It’s been a ton of work and a ton of fun!

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Heh. Thanks, Pilum.

I’m glad you like it! It makes all the long, long, looooooong nights working on it worth it. :slight_smile:

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Hey man!

Definitely! I would love to buy one from you! By any chance did you also replicate the case blade packaging as well? And did you actually made a real sharp blade out of it or is it a prop knife?

Please let us know your pricing and I’ll send you a payment!

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I will say though, that the only thing I would change, is putting your artist name as an engraving in the handle, that way it will keep the blade intact and pretty much fool those into thinking it’s the real deal, if you ever do end up selling them though, I’m interested! :smiley:

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so cool! congrats on the build!

happily place an order

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Hey, everyone!

So, it’s been a crazy 24 hours. There’s been a lot more interest from the community wanting to own one of these knives than I thought there would be. I’m really flattered.

I’ve been mulling this over all day at work trying to decide what the best course of action is moving forward. It’s not an easy decision to make. I’m not a business guy, I’m just a regular dude with a good eye for detail and a penchant for project-fixation. I love getting lost in my projects. It actually borders on – if not falls completely into the realm of – obsession.

You see, the 102-12 was an itch I couldn’t scratch and it was driving me nuts. So I decided to make my own to try and make that itch go away, but that only lead to more obsession as the weeks turned into months. That knife literally took over my life for over four months. I HAD to do whatever it took to make it happen. Making that knife was the ONLY alternative that would satiate my desire to own a 102-12. It had to be as perfect as I could make it.

And it worked. Mostly. I feel free from that fixation except for a few small details that I will work out on the next build. I own the closest thing on the planet to an authentic 102-12… Of course, I had to make it myself, and spend a ton of time money doing it, but I did it! The itch is gone! Lol.

Anyway, I love the enthusiasm you guys have shown for my knife. I really appreciate the compliments. It makes it all even better knowing the community likes it so much, and believe me, I can understand the desire to want one, maybe a little better than most. :slight_smile:

So, I’ve decided to share the knife with you all! I’m going to start making more of them in the near future and offer them exclusively here, on the OG M-M.net site. For the time being, I’m not going to have socials or engage people on the various facebook groups. I want the people here on the forum to have first dibs on them… and who knows, maybe this will help steer a few people back to the forum, I don’t know. It’d be nice to see the presence here grow a little.

If I’m being totally transparent here, I don’t really know how I want to move forward with this yet. I don’t think I want there to be any money exchanged until the knife is complete and ready to ship. I don’t like the idea of being paid in advance for something I haven’t built yet. Also, given how many people have shown interest in the knife, I think I’m going to have to start a list. I think the easiest way to do it is to let each individual know when I start working on their knife and when I’m done. If for some reason the transaction falls through, the knife will go to the next person in line. This is how James Mangrum goes about making the ID mask and it makes a lot of sense to me.

That also brings up the issue of cost. I’m going to be completely honest, I don’t know what a fair price for a knife like this is. To my knowledge there isn’t quite anything like it available. If I may be so bold, it’s kind of a piece of art, and as such it’s value is set by whatever people are willing to spend on it.

I know what it cost me to make, but that cost was inflated because I had to acquire nearly everything in order to make it… including all of the components used in my etching process, certain hand tools I didn’t own but needed, etc. If I boiled it all down to the cost of materials alone, not including the tools, my time, etc. this knife still falls in the high-end category. These are made using real, vintage, carbon steel chef’s knives, that alone puts it in an entirely different category than anything else available.

I’m going to need some time to figure out what is fair for everyone. I don’t want to gouge you guys, but I also don’t want to short-sell my art.

Also, I feel like I need to include a disclaimer:

The knives I procure and then modify will all vary slightly, I can only modify them so much to achieve the most accurate representation of the 102-12 I possibly can. In particular, the bolster is a difficult area of the knife to nail 100%. The donor knives will all have similar bolsters, but I cannot guarantee a perfect likeness to the 102-12". It will have the correct shape, but the proportions may be off a little bit. In fact, I should just add: the knives themselves are merely replicas. They are not perfect. They are simply the absolute best I can do at recreating the 102-12". They are, in my personal opinion, the most accurate replica available. They are my interpretation of what constitutes an authentic 102-12".

So, this comment turned into a novel. Sorry.

If you’d like to officially be added to my wait list, please send me a Private Message. If you’ve already sent me a private message, please send me another one. I want to make sure you had a chance to read this before committing yourself to anything.

I will create a new thread here in the coming days… probably in the classifieds section so as to keep the general discussion free from clutter, as a sort of official place to discuss the pricing and sale of “the Chef”. I’ll be in touch with each of you individually as I get started on making more of these replicas.

Anyway, I think that’s about it for now. I’m excited to get started!

Best,
Hedge

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It’s great to hear you mention you would make more of these, the quality may vary slightly, but if they are at least 95% accurate, that is more than satisfactory, cause I love not just the look, but the feel of the blade in hand, pricewise, it would be good to mention the overall cost once you have it, and those that really want one, will do what they have to do to get the money for it!

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Amazing work! You knocked it out of the park. PM sent.

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Bump.

Hi, there.

I’ve posted a thread in the classifieds section that goes over the sale of the Chef, including the price. Check that out for details. If you have any questions, just ask.

Thanks, everyone!

Best,
Hedge

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Hey man! How’s the progress so far with the knives? Also do you have any more pics of the case 102-12? Thanks so much brother!

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Hey, rody.

At the moment I’m currently working on 4 knives using blades from my personal collection. I’ve contacted the first 4 people on my wait list and let them know they are currently a work in progress.

As for pics, I think my plan is to take photos of the completed knives in my workshop and send them to the recipients individually. I’ll definitely be adding a photo or two of the 4 together once they look a little more finished. Also, my HOD mask came in the mail last week. I need to find some time to take a few photos in the full costume (with the knife) and post them here. Keep an eye out for that.

As for a time table? I’m really trying to get these 4 done soon. I already have 17 hours into them.

You see, I have a Journeyman’s License Test next month I really need to spend my free time studying for. After these initial 4 knives are completed, I’m going to have to step away from making them for about a month. After which I’ll promptly resume filling orders.

Thanks again for the interest!

Best,
Hedge

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Awesome man! And good luck on the test! Thanks for the update buddy, I sent you a PM regarding remaining on the list!