View Full Version : A good pocket/pen knife
Was going through an old box that belonged to my Grandmother recently, and found a few of my Grandfather's old pocket/pen knives.
I always remember him having one of these pocket knives on him, especially the yellow one ... and as you can tell by how the blade has been worn down, he used that one quite a bit.
Even though they need a little "cleaning", all of them still have a razor sharp edge. Which would be testament to my Grandfather keeping his tools, especially his knives, in tip top working order.
ETA ... The watch in the first pic was his as well. Still works too. :lifter:
G Wheeler II
03-10-2015, 18:33
It is nice to see a guy still loving Grandpas old knives, I still have 5-7 of my Grandpas knives and still carry them on special days/hunts.. Cool Guy...
DIYPatriot
03-10-2015, 20:17
I have a Boker and a Case that my grandfather carried. I also have his old Peace dollar, worn to almost a nub on a portion of it. He kept it in his pocket during WW2, rubbed it for good luck and carried it until the day he died. He gave me the Boker when I became a Boy Scout and the Case (with the coin) after he passed away.
To me, that's probably one of the greatest coins I'll ever receive. Out of fear that I'll lose it, I keep it in a safe with a few other relics at my mom's house. Next time I get a chance, I'll update the thread with some photos. They're worn all to hell, but that just gives 'em character.
DIYPatriot
03-10-2015, 20:20
Was going through an old box that belonged to my Grandmother recently, and found a few of my Grandfather's old pocket/pen knives.
I always remember him having one of these pocket knives on him, especially the yellow one ... and as you can tell by how the blade has been worn down, he used that one quite a bit.
Even though they need a little "cleaning", all of them still have a razor sharp edge. Which would be testament to my Grandfather keeping his tools, especially his knives, in tip top working order.
ETA ... The watch in the first pic was his as well. Still works too. :lifter:
BTW - that's a nice collection. Thanks for sharing.
Bill Harsey
03-12-2015, 08:28
Can anyone name the handle materials on the pocket knives shown?
Can anyone name the handle materials on the pocket knives shown?
Mother of Pearl, bakelite, and I don't know.
Pat
Barbarian
03-12-2015, 10:22
Celluloid and Delrin? (Without cheating)
DIYPatriot
03-12-2015, 10:30
How common are marble handles? What about ivory? I am extremely uneducated when it pertains to this subject. Guess you could say that I view knives as I do women. I don't know a great deal about them. Before I found my EDC, I wanted to try as many as possible. Having said that, I still admire them, but can't afford another one. Even if I tried, I'm pretty sure she'd cut me. :D
Team Sergeant
03-12-2015, 11:36
Mother of Pearl, bakelite, and I don't know.
Pat
That be my guess also.......
Mother of Pearl, bakelite, and I don't know.
Pat
Mother of Pearl was my first impression, but honestly i don't know either.
Guymullins
03-12-2015, 14:50
Sometimes we got very cheap knives out here and the Mother of Pearl was simply a cheap plastic sheet that clipped into the frame. Otherwise, Abalone was often used too.
ABS , a type of plastic which had a slight soapy feel could be that yellow handle. Bakelite was quite brittle compared to the early plastics and nylon used in some pocket knife handles.
Mr. Harsey, I believe the "Black composition" handles on the 3 blade with punch dates it to around 1940, if my old Remingtons and Case XX Testeds are a reference point. The other two are celluloids and look like 1950s-1960s Colonials with the crimped bolsters. Did he work for Westinghouse? If not he probably the teardrop jack got from a dealer. I have an almost identical green celluloid that was my father in law's. It was his first knife.
Mr. Harsey, I believe the "Black composition" handles on the 3 blade with punch dates it to around 1940, if my old Remingtons and Case XX Testeds are a reference point. The other two are celluloids and look like 1950s-1960s Colonials with the crimped bolsters. Did he work for Westinghouse? If not he probably the teardrop jack got from a dealer. I have an almost identical green celluloid that was my father in law's. It was his first knife.
Beef,
Don't know if you're asking that question I highlighted to Bill or me?
If it's directed to me ... No, my grandfather worked for the Great Chicago-Northwestern Railroad.
There is printing on the yellow handled knife that's been pretty well worn off, but you can barely make it out. It reads ... Western Railroad Supply Co.
Bill gave me some cleaning instructions over on another board, which I will endeavor to work on this weekend, between homework assignments. Will post better pictures when cleaned and hopefully get some better lighting so you can see the detail in the handle color(s), especially the black one.
DIYPatriot
03-14-2015, 09:28
Bill gave me some cleaning instructions over on another board, which I will endeavor to work on this weekend, between homework assignments.
Could you please share or PM those instructions? I have a few of my grandfather's that I'd like to clean up. Thanks
Beef,
Don't know if you're asking that question I highlighted to Bill or me?
If it's directed to me ... No, my grandfather worked for the Great Chicago-Northwestern Railroad.
There is printing on the yellow handled knife that's been pretty well worn off, but you can barely make it out. It reads ... Western Railroad Supply Co.
Bill gave me some cleaning instructions over on another board, which I will endeavor to work on this weekend, between homework assignments. Will post better pictures when cleaned and hopefully get some better lighting so you can see the detail in the handle color(s), especially the black one.
Yes, that was for you. I'm traveling, so using my phone to view the pictures. I couldn't make out much but "West..." See if you can read the makers on the tang. I'm pretty sure that two are Imperial or Colonials or maybe imported. I have a couple of Purina advert knives that were my grandfather's (he was a farmer) and they are of that make. We'll see what Mr. Bill has to say. I'm really interested in who made the 3 blade punch.
Could you please share or PM those instructions? I have a few of my grandfather's that I'd like to clean up. Thanks
Here is what he sent me ...
the only cleaning you should do would be use a wood toothpick to remove any debris inside the frame and the joint, some extra fine steel wool and WD-40 on the blades, if ya have to followed by a single drop of light oil (sewing machine) in the joint where the spring touches the tang of the blade.
the goal of the steel wool is not to make the blades bright but to remove any loose surface oxide. 0000 steel wool is what I would use.
DO NOT use a Scotchbrite pad of any kind. That stuff is aluminum oxide (sandpaper mineral) embedded in a fabric matrix that actually abrades steel.
Hope it helps.
.
Yes, that was for you. I'm traveling, so using my phone to view the pictures. I couldn't make out much but "West..." See if you can read the makers on the tang. I'm pretty sure that two are Imperial or Colonials or maybe imported. I have a couple of Purina advert knives that were my grandfather's (he was a farmer) and they are of that make. We'll see what Mr. Bill has to say. I'm really interested in who made the 3 blade punch.
Right now, all that I can make out is ....
The Black one: HENRY SEARS then below that 1865 then below that either a G or a 6 and 50N
ETA ... Just did a quick search for Henry Sears Knives, and found quite a bit. In the above line I said that the bottom line said G or a 6 and 50N .. when in actuality it's & SON.
Henry Sears & Co. was started around the end of the civil war in Chicago. In 1883 it became Henry Sears and Son. Look at the tang for a clue when the knife was made:
H. Sears MFG Co was made 1865-1883
Henry Sears & Son Chicago 1883-1897
Henry Sears & Son 1865 1897-1959
Note that the later models had 1865 stamped on the tang and does not mean that the knives were made in 1865. That is kind of confusing to some folks who think their knife is really old.
The company was actually sold to Farwell-Ozmun-Kirk Co aroound 1887 though they kept the same name. I do not think it has anything to do with the Sears we now know.
The Green one: On one blade there is some writing which is difficult to make out, but below it there is a cartouche that looks like a bird, possibly a rooster. The other blade has the PAT. NOS. 2037943 on the fist line and on the second line I can't make out the first three numbers, due to the tang being covered by the frame, but the last four are 0537.
The Yellow one: one the first line it appears to be a signature, can't really make it out and then below that it says CHICAGO U.S.A.
Let's see what I can make out after cleaning them up.
DIYPatriot
03-14-2015, 12:30
Thank you