Robeson pocket knives

The first Robeson knives were imported by Millard Robeson from England and Germany exclusively. This continued from 1979 until 1896 when Robeson began manufacturing knives in the United States. Since inception, the company has gone through several reorganizations & eventually ended up as a Queen Cutlery brand.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks Tommy.
It's got somewhat thick bolsters therefor has somewhat thick scales which give it a nice heft.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Here's another nice little Robeson pen. Some kind of plastic covers. Brass pins and liners.
Nice blades. No half stops.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Here's a nice little fob knife I got today.
Just under 2 1/2".

Thanks for looking.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Beautiful little pearl Joe!
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks Dimitri. So well made too. ::tu::
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

That's a nice little knife. ::tu::

I thought I had one just like it, but mine has a pattern number of 722550 and yours appears to be 722735.

The only difference that jumps out at me is the location of the bail.

Not sure of the length of mine at the moment.

Wondering why they would have produced both patterns.

Charlie
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks, Charlie.
Yours is very nice as well.
Mine has a long match strike or coined pull on the manicure blade to facilitate cleaning nails. It is 735.
Would that help date it in any way?
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

I don't have mine in hand, but I'm pretty sure the file blade has that groove on the back side.

Tom Kalcevic's published date for the stamp, which I think is ROBESON / ShurEdge / ROCHESTER,N.Y., 1911 - 1921.

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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thank you, Charlie. It's a sweet little knife and it will go on a watch chain to my Hamilton Railroad watch ..... made in 1921. ::ds::
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Another Robeson came my way today. A nice Pocket Eze with an unusual blade.
I bought it from Steve Pfeiffer and he said it was a wood carving blade. 3 5/8".
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

That is a "WoodCraft" pattern and was most likely etched as such when new, utilizing little firewood logs to create the word.

They made them in both two and three blade versions. I don't think I've ever actually seen a two blade version.

Here is my example of that knife. Hopefully, you can see the etch.

That strange blade is a chisel or gouge, for lack of better description.

Charlie
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks for showing yours, Charlie. The etch is visible. If mine had a etch it's long gone.
Just another creative cutlery design from Robeson.
Would you call the long beveled portion of the blade a scraper?
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Another nice Robeson. I have not seen this shield before.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by stockman »

Nice stainless knife.

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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks, Harold, the coined liners are a nice touch.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

Robeson's NO-RUSTAIN stainless steel knives were usually etched RUSTLESS - STAINLESS on the master blade.

Charlie
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Not a "smidgeon" of an etch on this blade, Charlie. It has been used and scratched to some degree.
Beautiful knife you have there.
Thanks for looking.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

Thanks, Joe.

The blue background in the shield is original.

NO-RUSTAIN shields were blue, POCKETEZE shields were red and MASTERCRAFT shields were black.

We don't see that consistently on the knives we find today, so I cannot state that Robeson was religious about doing that.

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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by FRJ »

Thanks, Charlie.
Mine shows no sign at all that it was ever blue but the background is pebbled. ::tu::
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by kootenay joe »

I have some questions about 2 of my Robeson knives.
3 3/8" two blade EO Jack. The master tang is marked "Robeson" in an arch over "USA/Cutlery". The secondary Pen blade is unmarked.
I have thought that this is an older Robeson marking going back to circa 1900. But this pattern and bone jigging reminds me of the EO Jacks made for the military during WW II.
My questions are: is this an older stamping ? and, is this knife from circa WW II ? or is it quite a bit older ?

I will use the next post to ask about the second Robeson.
thank you for your help, kj
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by kootenay joe »

The second knife referred to above is a 4 1/4" Equal End Jack. The master blade has the Shuredge in script stamping on front tang and "12837" on the back. The secondary Pen blade is marked: "Robeson" in an arch over, " PAT./APP FOR". The bolsters and liners appear integral but using a loupe i can see they are not. The bolster ends have tiny projections that key into a notch in the liner. I will add a better picture of this later today. The liners appear to have been milled out to allow the ebony handle slabs to be inset. There are no handle pins so likely the handle slabs have been glued in place.
I would like to understand this style of construction and know app. when Robeson was using it and which other patterns were made this way.
thanks, kj
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by msteele6 »

I think that the top knife is a WWII era knife, maybe sightly before to slightly after. It seems to be one of the more commonly seen Robeson knives and I think that I have seen some that were marked only "U.S.A."

Certainly someone with more certain knowledge will be along to confirm (or deny).

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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

Please keep in mind that all published data on Robeson tang stamp dating is totally subjective and the only really detailed information that spoke in any increments other than multiple decades was published in Knives Can Talk! by Tom Kalcevic. He had access to old Robeson records, old Robeson cutlers and the spouse of Emerson Case, the former president of the company.

Are his dates accurate?

I have no idea, except that I could document at least two errors, based on Robeson letters in my possession, but they only put him off by one or two years, which I consider insignificant.

The tang stamp, ROBESON / U.S.A. /CUTLERY, Tom dates 1922 to 1939, in other words, right up close to the start of WWII.

How many blades so marked were still around when Robeson started making those EZ Openers for the war effort? Or, how accurate, indeed, is Tom's ending date of 1939?

Your EZ Opener is definitely circa WWII, regardless of the tang stamp.

An earlier stamp, circa 1900 to 1916, according to Tom Kalcevic, was ROBESON / CO. / CUTLERY and that is probably the one you were thinking of.

As to your 037 4 1/4" jack, the handles are not glued on, but held in place by slightly overlapping edges of the liners and bolsters, hence, no pins.

Bernard Levine discussed these knives two months running in his Whut Izzit? column in KnifeWorld Magazine a few years ago, including showing the patent description and drawings. I did not keep those and I cannot quote the patent dates off the top of my head.

They used the technique on several patterns, both large and small.

In his discussion re' pattern numbers, Kalcevic stated that the "8" in the third position, the position that described liners and bolsters material, as "Steel Frame Liner and Bolster". He did not state they were "integral", which, indeed, they are not.

Here are two other examples, first one is mine, second not.

Charlie
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by kootenay joe »

Charlie, thank you for specifically answering each of my questions.
I did not know that there are 2 Robeson arched stampings.
Regarding the big jack with the no pins ebony handle: the wood abuts the bolsters and does not appear to be overlapped. The spring edge liner does overlap the wood but the blade side liner edge has a gap between it and the wood, it does not overlap, yet the handle slabs remain tightly in place.
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Re: Robeson pocket knives

Post by RobesonsRme.com »

Dr. Joe, the handles might have shrunk over time, but originally the edges of the handles were beveled and encompassed beneath the reverse bevels created in the liners and bolsters. "Crimped", so to speak.

I do not recall any discussion re' adhesives in the patent description.

Doesn't mean somebody hasn't applied glue to your knife in the interim, though.

Charlie
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