Show Your Vintage Knife

[JohnDeere]

Little camillus I just bought.

 

[RTM]

This seems like a good thread to drop this knife into, since there are 199s up thread. This came out of my helping a friend move haul, and turns out this shingle knife is much older than I thought. The handle looks pristine, the blade shows signs of use, I was guessing 1970s. But the patent stamped on the blade holder dates back to 1932-09-06. Issued to Robert J Tobin, and apparently assigned to I.P. Hyde at some point. Their name is stamped on the back of the blade as patent pending. This thing is in theory no newer than 1950, but looks hardly used. Was gonna start poking around in catalogs from the era to see what they called it, but big gap between 19355 and 1954, and I don't see it in either.

Bummed I can't find blades for it yet. Thinking the real name would help

 

[gpw_42]

@housewolf, is that a space in the scale for a (missing?) toothpick on the left side of your knife, above the corkscrew? Neat old piece....

@JohnDeere have you checked the manufacturing era on you 3-line Camillus? I'm guessing 50s, based on the scales, but fully prepared to be wrong.

@RTM that's a nice shingle knife. Keep us in the loop on what you research - interesting!

 

[JohnDeere]

I think it is from the 60s or 70s.

 

[housewolf]

@housewolf, is that a space in the scale for a (missing?) toothpick on the left side of your knife, above the corkscrew? Neat old piece....

@JohnDeere have you checked the manufacturing era on you 3-line Camillus? I'm guessing 50s, based on the scales, but fully prepared to be wrong.

@RTM that's a nice shingle knife. Keep us in the loop on what you research - interesting!

@gpw_42
Mine is the riggers knife with a marlinspike & blade, no corkscrew, or missing toofpick. Sorry

 

[PatriotGma]

This is a machete I have. I don't know the history. I think the wording says "the doctor who sends some to the grave". Anyone know anything about it?

 

[four.cycle]

@RTM -

I show "I.P. Hyde" as a maker of cobbler's tools:

Hyde / Isaac Perkins Hyde & Co., Southbridge, MA / ca. 1875-1985 (?) / cobblers tools / patent 67313 Jul 30 1867 Albert E. Johnson /

 

[RTM]

@RTM -

I show "I.P. Hyde" as a maker of cobbler's tools:

Hyde / Isaac Perkins Hyde & Co., Southbridge, MA / ca. 1875-1985 (?) / cobblers tools / patent 67313 Jul 30 1867 Albert E. Johnson /

That may have been where they started (DAT agrees on the dates), but they sold ALL Kinds of knives.

Hyde Cutlery : 1928 : Hyde Manufacturing Co. : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

45 p., illus., 22.8 cm, trade catalog

archive.org

I have a handful of their Mill Knives, Paper Hanger's knives, obviously putty knives (even new ones), couple of shoe knives, etc. I keep most of them in my leatherworking box. About the only category I don't have is the fine cutlery.

 

[gpw_42]

PatriotGMA, thanks for posting your machete - the inscription is quite interesting. If you haven't already seen it, take a look back several pages to the machete which Lugz posted (last year?). The two seem kinda similar, at least the way I remember Lugz'. Side by side they may be more, or less, similar.

Oh, and welcome to GJ!

 

[four.cycle]

^ yeah.. I have a Hyde putty knife... a 3-incher, I think...

okay.... I see what I did.... the "cobblers tools" notation was entered while I was down in a "heel spokeshave" rabbit hole one week.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

I think the wording says "the doctor who sends some to the grave".

Mine says, "When you see me shine, prepare for a good death."

Anyone know anything about it?

Either original and from the Mexican Revolution or very, very well-done and expensive reproduction.

If you haven't already seen it, take a look back several pages to the machete which Lugz posted (last year?).

Post #159 on page 4 (2021! time flies when you're having fun!)

The two seem kinda similar, at least the way I remember Lugz'. Side by side they may be more, or less, similar.

They appear to be identical except for the engravings.

 

[Old Radar]

Post #159 on page 4 (2021! time flies when you're having fun!)

Wow! Hard to believe it's been a year and a half already!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Hard to believe it's been a year and a half already!

Right?! I was shocked myself.

 

[JohnDeere]

I got this buck 313 made between 1972-1986. I paid 25$ for it, it came in a cool old box for a 301 stockman. The engraving on the blade is the coolest part to me.


I also got this period correct oil.

 

[gpw_42]

Nice old Buck, @JohnDeere

I don't have one handy, but have looked at sites which "decode" some of the markings on Buck ricassos to determine DoM; not all Bucks have the markings to determine date. Might be worth looking up if you want to narrow down the year, from your date range.

 

[JohnDeere]

 

[Mike'smeatshop]

I am a Buck knife guy but here is about my oldest knife. Union Cutlery Ka Bar. Very sharp and holds and edge.

 

[Mintgrun]

This little knife was a scrap bin grab today. It seems like it might have a special purpose, with the little chisel shaped cutting edge at the **** end. Does anyone recognize this knife style?

 

[RTM]

Probably not a knife per se, but a watch case opener would be my guess. Is the main blade a little less than sharp? Or was it before you fixed it?

I’ve posted pic of a box of them somewhere here.

 

[Unk]

Agree, looks like a watch case opener.

 

[Unk]

Some E.C. Simmons Keen Kutter jacks. Most of these date from roughly 1900 to the 1930s. Cocobolo and Ebony scales.

 

[30-30remchester]

Those are some well cared for beautiful folder UNK. I have collected antique knives for 50 plus years. Seldom do I find wooden scaled knives in my country. They were the "workman's" knife and were often used up and thrown away.

 

[30-30remchester]

Here are a few from my collection. The small blade from the Maher & Grosh was very damaged with big chips missing when I found this in a old carpenter's tool box.

 

[Unk]

Very nice knives, 30-30. I especially like that double nail-nick on the Maher. I have a couple of Challenge knives. I like this one for the slanted, threaded and pinched brass bolsters, as well as the unusual swedge and nail nick.

 

[engineer2]

Valor #15188 pocket knife. Ordered via Popular Mechanics magazine around 1966.

 

[gpw_42]

Great to see this thread regenerated recently. UNK, I'm pea green with envy - that's a whopper of a collection! 30-30, I really like yours, too. And I think Engineer2 opens with our first stiletto.

I learned somewhere up-thread that many knives with broken springs are a result of having the tool on both ends open at the same time. I was glad for the lesson, and figure some folks may not have heard that before.

@Lugz, I have a nice one coming in the mail. Hope it'll be here Monday. No further details till it's in my...paws.

Picked up this Craftsman crowntop knife with pouchtoday at a resale shop for peanuts. It's been sharpened/scratched, but otherwise in good shape.

 

[30-30remchester]

Not much to look at here in the first few pictures.

 

[30-30remchester]

However here are a couple rare examples of early 20th century folders. The smaller is an unused Winchester salesman knife. This can be certified as on the backside of the master blade is a handwritten catalog number. Winchester developed a permanent ink that would etch into metal so their salesman could easily fill out the correct model. The second large knife is an E.B.SEARS made and patented in the late 1890's and it is a dynamite knife. Used to cut fuse and crimp blasting caps.

 

[Toolcrib]

Here is an Imperial scout knife out of my collection. Somebody must of carried this for years as the knife looks like it has been sharpened so much that not much is left. I don't know much about these and would love to know any information on this knife including time period. The can opener looks old!

 

[Private Lugnutz]

Lugz, I have a nice one coming in the mail. Hope it'll be here Monday. No further details till it's in my...paws.

Hmm. I'm guessing that's a hint. Paws. Dog. Dog tags. MIL-K? I guess I'll have to wait.

 

[Jerriffic]

My dad's knife that he carried during his Pacific campaign during WWII.
I never knew this was the knife he carried during the war until I stumbled on this picture of him wearing it on his belt on New Caledonia just before going to Guadalcanal.
I haven't been able to identify the maker, there are no identifying marks on it. The only thing i have to go on is the pommel and teardrop shaped guard/quillon, knife is 10 3/4"
The leather/wood sheath appears to be homemade; I added the duct tape to keep it from falling apart.

 

[gpw_42]

Jerrific, thanks for posting your dad's theater knife, that's a cool blade with awesome provenance...and that bat he's holding is HUGE! Theater made knives are an entire collecting sub-field, about which I know very little. Basically that there was more demand for knives than supply (ESPECIALLY in the South Pacific), so they used whatever they could get their hands on to make a knife. Which explains the lack of markings, and the homemade scabbard, as well.

Riffing on the S. Pacific theme, here's my "new" knife, a Kingston. This is from the first year of production, 1945, as a standardized knife. The knife came as part of a small group to a soldier from the 128th Infantry Regiment, 32d Division. The 32d was heavily engaged on New Guinea and the Phillipines. The soldier was in a hospital in New Orleans by 1945, but I don't know yet in what context. More questions than answers...and I expect to get the "fire letter" when I write for his records. At least I have his full name, serial number, unit from some mail that was part of the group. I don't collect 32d Division gear, but the grouping was cheaper than the knife on eBay, so easy math.

Lugz, this will prompt me to pull together my MIL-K info. Next week, maybe, as I have other priorities this week.

 

[30-30remchester]

GPW-42, I collect vintage knives and anytime you can get a personal history of a war knife, you have the best, no matter the condition. I have a handful of war knives with names and ranks but no further information. However, I have one that included the serial number and I discover he was a P-38 pilot that survived the war but died a year later in a training accident in Alaska. I found another war knife with name, rank and serial number and found out he was a band leader in the Atlantic theater of all things.

 

[Jerriffic]

"Jerrific, thanks for posting your dad's theater knife, that's a cool blade with awesome provenance...and that bat he's holding is HUGE! Theater made knives are an entire collecting sub-field, about which I know very little. Basically that there was more demand for knives than supply (ESPECIALLY in the South Pacific), so they used whatever they could get their hands on to make a knife. Which explains the lack of markings, and the homemade scabbard, as well."

Thanks for the reply gpw.
My father was in the Americal Div. 132nd Infantry Regiment.

 

[Private Lugnutz]

here's my "new" knife, a Kingston. This is from the first year of production, 1945, as a standardized knife.

Nice find! Most people don't know the future MIL-K type goes back that far! And I have yet to see one in the wild. Is it dated on the bail like the books say?

Lugz, this will prompt me to pull together my MIL-K info.

Looking forward to it.

 

[Unk]

30-30, those are some beautiful examples of vintage wood handled knives. That sleeveboard is sweet.

Jerrific, that's great that you have your dad's WWII knife. What a family treasure!

 

[30-30remchester]

Jerrific, what a neat knife with real history.

 

[Old Radar]

I found this rusted Western 648B knife at an estate sale the other day and posted on the Garage Sale thread. This is a summary and update to that post. I found a site that was particularly enamored with them--especially if they have bone stag versus the synthetic "bone stag Delrin". When I cleaned up the knife with Simple Green and a nylon bristle brush I was surprised to see the chalky white scales turn dark brown/blackish. When they dried, they returned to chalky white. Doing a little more research (and a lightly administered hot-pin test) I confirmed my scales are Delrin, which appears to date this knife to NET 1961.


Today I scrubbed the scales vigorously with a copper wire brush and some Bartenders Friend and the results looked promising until I hit it with the compressed air to dry. There was definitely improvement but a lot of the chalky white came back. Then I hit upon the radical idea to rub a couple of drops of olive oil into the scales. I don't think it "soaked in" but I wiped off the excess and it looks pretty darn good. The blade is currently taking a couple of laps in Evaporust. There's not much I can do about the pitting.

 

[RTM]

As olive oil is a vegetable product, it can get rancid and thus nasty. Mineral oil might be a better choice, unless an expert says otherwise.

 

[gpw_42]

OR your knife looks a LOT better!

Think I'd go with food grade mineral oil, but I have some handy (it came from Home Depot). Barring that, olive oil isn't a bad alternative, and can be removed with hot water and some dish soap, if and when you're ready. Welcome to the thread.