Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Colonial Knife was incorporated in 1926 by three brothers; Antonio, Domenic, & Fredrick Paolantonio. It grew to become one of the largest pocket knife manufacturers in the US during the 1960s. The company shut down in 1998, but was back into production under the Colonial Cutlery International Corporation in 2001. Colonial Cutlery International, Inc. brand is the imported line of knives and tools while the U.S.A.- made products fall under the Colonial Knife brand.
User avatar
jerryd6818
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 39163
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:23 am
Location: The middle of the top of a bastion of Liberalism.

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by jerryd6818 »

pecktecksiong -- Welcome to AAPK. Glad to have you aboard.
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
Bonfire bob
Posts: 527
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:10 pm

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by Bonfire bob »

Greetings "pecktecksiong" and welcome aboard! This site is the only knife site you'll ever need for all pocket knife information. That includes myself, Bob Paolantonio, third generation owner/cutler, Colonial Knife Company, and all around info man. ::nod::
The Ranger line was so succsesful, we made them for years in many different styles and private labels. The 1075 steel was widely used on many knives, especially the Ranger and the Andvil Brands. The sharpness is realy a reflection of the .060 thickness used on these knives and this allows the grinding process to create a sharper blade! If you look at most of your sharp kitchen knives, they are relatively thin also. The combination of the 1075 grade of steel and around the 60 thousand thickness was a match made in heaven! ::ds::
Years ago we decided to use three springs for additional strength of the knife in general, and for omitting an additional operation that was used on the Old Cutler that had three blades and only two springs. Here's where the bench cutler like myself comes in. To insure the blades fall into the pocket of the knife, the tang of the sheep foot and spey blades had to be hit with a "step", (a three level small steel block) and a hammer, and this gave the bend you'll see in lots of your pocket knives. You had to be very carefull to hit the tang with the hammer just right, or you could break the blade, hit and break the handle material and damage the whole knife. This took me years to master and one of the important talents of a cutler. You can tell with poorly made knives when you see scratched blades that have not been dropped correctly. After 35+ years at my work bench, I could do this blind folded! ::woot::
I think I answered most of your questions my friend and if not, please feel free to elaborate on anything and I will do my best to help.
Once again, welcome aboard..... ::handshake::
Bobby Paolantonio, CKCo., R.A.P. Cutler and Heritage Cutler's....
pecktecksiong
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 3:39 am

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by pecktecksiong »

Thank you so much for your help, Bob. I felt privileged and honoured. Wow..... from the owner and cutler himself!
I will be on the look out for Anvil Branded knives. I read somewhere that the R.I school of design students had a part in the design. How many makers does that? Collectible, definitely!
Oh yes, silly me...the thinner grind helps. A great cutting blade overall! Learnt many new things today!

Don't you love the old graphics from the 70s?
IMG_1905.JPG
Attachments
IMG_1906.JPG
pecktecksiong
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 3:39 am

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by pecktecksiong »

Hi Jerry D. I wonder how a #72 pattern looks like. Any clue?
User avatar
jerryd6818
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 39163
Joined: Sun Jan 04, 2009 5:23 am
Location: The middle of the top of a bastion of Liberalism.

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by jerryd6818 »

pecktecksiong wrote:Hi Jerry D. I wonder how a #72 pattern looks like. Any clue?
:lol: :lol: Maybe. Thanks for your interest.

Specifications for the #72 are three blades, swell center, 3-5/8" closed length. Main blade is a clip cozied up next to a coping blade with a small clip on the opposite end. The #72 is a Camillus pattern with the #1047 being the Boy Scout version. Camillus also made a version with milled liners, gimping on the back of the center liner and all nickel silver metal parts except for the blades of course. They called it the #80 Deluxe Carpenter's & Whittler's knife. The #72s and #1047s are common and easy to come by. The #80s are few and far between.

Then there are what I call the clones (I'm pretty sure Camillus was the first to make the pattern in 1946). Schrade called it an #863, Ulster called it a #63, Sears had them made by Ulster as a #9494 and Imperial made a Scout version. Montgomery Wards contracted Camillus for their #84-11. The owner of the Remington tang stamp had one made by Camillus which is the #R-14. Many different tang stamps but only a few manufacturers and all with the specifications listed above. Since this is the Colonial Forum, I'll just say if Colonial ever made one I've never seen it. Here are a couple for your viewing pleasure.
Attachments
Camillus 72 - 1989 to Closing.JPG
Camillus 72 - '60 to '76 White Scout - Mark Open.JPG
Sears Craftsman 9494 - (Ulster #63) WhittlerM.JPG
Sears Craftsman 9494 - (Ulster #63) WhittlerM.JPG (29.17 KiB) Viewed 23161 times
Remington R14 Open.jpg
Trustworthy Hardware 72 Clone (Schrade) - Open.JPG
Empire (72 clone by Schrade) W Winsted CT - Open Mark.JPG
TJM Ulster 63.JPG
Forged on the anvil of discipline.
The Few. The Proud.
Jerry D.

This country has become more about sub-groups than about it's unity as a nation.

"The #72 pattern has got to be pretty close to the perfect knife."
--T.J. Murphy 2012
pecktecksiong
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 3:39 am

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by pecktecksiong »

Jerry D and Bobby, your sharing makes me realise how little I know. Thank you very much for the almost encyclopaedic info.
This is indeed the only place you need to be, where pocket knives are concerned.
Bonfire bob
Posts: 527
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2012 4:10 pm

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by Bonfire bob »

Hello gents and gals..AAPK kicked me off last week and I had to come in through a back door to get here! Gotta check that problem out eventually.... ::dang::
First off, Mr. Peckt. for short, shows us some old 70's combo card of a knife basically constructed like the Ranger. Unlike the Ranger with seperate bolster's, the 46 series is a shell knife. The # 4601, 4602, and the 4603 respectively...then a single card with our old # 4633, but on a three knife card was called the TP-333 set... ::nod::
I wanted to elaborate a bit on bending the blades as I previously explained...
When the blades are half open and you strike the tang to bend the blade, it's actually hit more on the kick part of the tang. The kick? Well, this is part of the tang that sticks out a bit on the inside that "kicks" inside the knife when you close it. It falls against the inside of the spring which is called "the blade's walk". This is the portion of the spring that the blade rides on when opening and closing. A few thousand of these and many tips from the old timer's will make you a pro, if it's in your blood.. ::super_happy::

Mr. Jerryd6818, your knife knowledge is extensive and you seem like the kind of gent that would have fit in right next to me on my work bench! You sure know your Camillus line....
Like Camillus, Imperial and many other manufacturers, private labeling was a big part of our business, just like today with many consumer products...
Just to state for a fact, Colonial NEVER made a # 72 type jack knife but I wish we did...
Good input guys; any feed back is always welcome! One more thing, thank you for your service sir! I was raised by a dad, stationed in Guam in WWII, and flew many bombing missions over Japan in a B-29 Bomber, and lived to come home. Bless you pop. Good day..
Bobby P. CKCo., "Cutler for Ever"...... ::tu:: ::tu::
pecktecksiong
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 3:39 am

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by pecktecksiong »

Dear Bob
I am sorry I'm late to the scene.
But I'm sure you're reading this, wherever you are. You will be missed by all of the knife community here.
Rest in Peace.
woodywoody
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2015 2:30 pm

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by woodywoody »

How rare of knife is it in the pic
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

They take a good edge. ::tu::
Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

pecktecksiong wrote:I bought my first Ranger stockman for variety. It is listed at $5 on ebay and I'm the only bidder. Probably because of rust and uninteresting black scales. I was planning to use it as an EDC since I'm a big fan of carbon steel pocket knives.
Ever since I finished sharpening it, my impression is that I will be hard pressed to find another steel blade heat treated this right!
I own perhaps 60 slip joints (from 30 brands / makers). It made my Hen & Rooster (Bethram Cutlery) stockman a disappointment. It made my Schrade 8OT mediocre. It was just so easy to sharpen, to the point that just on my coarse stone, it was threatening to slice paper. It was easy to finish on a cheap washita. The burrs formed was not stubborn like some 1095. I was scratch my head: Did colonial did something special? I then goggled "Ranger Pocket Knives" and here I am. So...IT WAS 1075? Great steel, great steal! I did not notice any appreciable loss of edge retention (compared to my other 1095s) after slicing up a few sheets of 80gsm paper. The knife had THREE springs too! (Well Buck's 301 Stockman had 3 springs too, but it doesn't have middle liners) It also sports a nice concealed pivot pin type bolsters. The scales are nicely saw-cut delrin? Nicely pinned to the liners too (perfect dome-shaped rivets) and nice long nail pulls. At the average price of $5-$15 on ebay, this is a knife every carbon steel slip JOINT FAN SHOULD OWN!
I was in fact so impressed that I bought a new in the pack vintage Ranger dated 1977 and sub-named "KODIAK", just for keeps.

I have a question for Bob though: Are Anvil branded, Frontier (powder horn)knives using these 1075 steel as well?
Many thanks!
I got the same black scaled one off the Bay but I had to clean years of paint off it.
Keep Near the Cross.
truck
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2017 10:43 pm

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by truck »

I found this in a pawn shop this very afternoon. It is branded as "Pine Knot" and a web search for that name led me to this thread. If it was made by Colonial as I suspect I'm curious if it's the same knife as a Ranger.
Attachments
IMG_1179.JPG
IMG_1180.JPG
I may not change the world but I'm gonna leave a scar.
User avatar
B.Mauser
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:40 pm
Location: Real Far From Providence In Colorado

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by B.Mauser »

Hi Truck.

Very nice find! It was definitely made by Colonial. They were sold at and ordered by Smokey Mountain Knife Works in the 1980's.


Its a copy of the Ranger Model # 933.


If it has carbon steel blades it would be Colonials 1075 steel they used on the whole Ranger line.

Do you think the blades are carbon steel? I dont see any patina or stains on yours.



Colonial also had some very shiny 420 stainless steel they used on some knives. Colonial had a reputation for being very willing to accommodate special requests If a company was willing to pay the extra charge. So there is also a possibility its 420 if you dont think its Carbon Steel.


Either way a very neat knife that should be just as good as the Ranger knives. And they are great knives. ::tu::



Here is a Ranger #933 in Colonials last Catalog.
Colonial Knife Co Catalog Ranger Model 933.jpg
Brian

Check out my Colonial Knife Blog - https://colonialknives.wordpress.com/20 ... roduction/
truck
Posts: 104
Joined: Sun Jan 15, 2017 10:43 pm

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by truck »

Thanks for the info Brian. My assumption is that the blades are stainless.
I may not change the world but I'm gonna leave a scar.
User avatar
B.Mauser
Posts: 51
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:40 pm
Location: Real Far From Providence In Colorado

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by B.Mauser »

You are welcome Truck.


I had a feeling this was going to be stainless. The blades just stuck out as not the same as other Rangers. Too shiny and clean. Colonial used 420 for most of their stainless knives. They also used some 440 but it was reserved for what they considered their higher end knives. I do believe its most likely this knife was made with 420.

I have seen Colonials pine knot knives before but I have never seen this truck driver model.

With your name I think this one was meant to be yours. Very cool thanks for sharing it with us. :)
Brian

Check out my Colonial Knife Blog - https://colonialknives.wordpress.com/20 ... roduction/
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

Love my Ranger Stockman. It takes a wicked edge. ::tu::
Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

deltaboy wrote:Love my Ranger Stockman. It takes a wicked edge. ::tu::

https://flic.kr/p/Wc7uVP
Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
zed6309
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 3031
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:07 am
Location: poole,dorset,uk

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by zed6309 »

I've only one a #933 I think, not sure on age of these ::hmm::
2017-10-28 17.57.59.jpg
Paul,

friendship is a rare and precious gift,
A day without a pocket knife is the day your need it,
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

zed6309 wrote:I've only one a #933 I think, not sure on age of these ::hmm:: 2017-10-28 17.57.59.jpg

Nice Scrimshaw pattern! ::tu::
Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
zed6309
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 3031
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:07 am
Location: poole,dorset,uk

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by zed6309 »

Thanks Deltaboy ::tu::

I found this on the net ::tu::
CCF01022014_00000.jpg
Paul,

friendship is a rare and precious gift,
A day without a pocket knife is the day your need it,
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

zed6309 wrote:Thanks Deltaboy ::tu::

I found this on the net ::tu:: CCF01022014_00000.jpg

Nice looking Pattern ::tu::
Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
zed6309
Bronze Tier
Bronze Tier
Posts: 3031
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2011 8:07 am
Location: poole,dorset,uk

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by zed6309 »

::tu:: it also shows there patented bolsters ::tu::
Paul,

friendship is a rare and precious gift,
A day without a pocket knife is the day your need it,
User avatar
deltaboy
Posts: 784
Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 5:54 pm
Location: DFW

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by deltaboy »

They are Solid knifes!
Keep Near the Cross.
User avatar
FRJ
Posts: 15173
Joined: Fri May 14, 2010 1:43 pm
Location: Ct.

Re: Ranger 3 blade by Colonial?

Post by FRJ »

Here's a 3 blade Colonial.
Attachments
DSCN8814.JPG
DSCN8817.JPG
DSCN8824.JPG
DSCN8825.JPG
DSCN8827.JPG
DSCN8831.JPG
Joe
Post Reply

Return to “Colonial Knife Collector's Forum”