All About Pocket Knives

Do any of you collect shell handled knives? There seems to be more interest in them lately. They are still plentiful and low priced. They might be the next hot item. They were well made inexpensive knives with good steel in the blades and springs. They were what i carried, lost, broke,stripped down and otherwise tortured in my youth. I never broke a pivot pin, and never had a blade bend or break unless i abused it. LETS SEE THEM

Oh Bill, you have asked for it now! LOL, I just love these knives because I remember seein the later ones in stores in my youth and never bought one but now, I got a fever!

I've got one somewhere around here - I'll have to look for It

........... Joe

While Joe is tryin to find the "one" he has, here's another one. This one Just has USA on the tang stamp, not sure what that means, anyone know?

It's an Imperial "contract", singin.

......... Joe

What does this mean Joe?

Imperial made knives for anyone who asked.
They often just stamped them U.S.A.
They would do short runs as well as thousands for there customers.

....... Joe

Ok, thanks, I just learned somethin else.

I must ask! What sort of material is this "Shell" and is it comparably dangerous as Cellulite?

Thank you Dave I have just permanently burnt my retinas looking for a conclusive definition of cellulite as if I didn't know better.

O.K., found one box of Hammer Brand shell handles!

JPD said......I must ask! What sort of material is this "Shell" and is it comparably dangerous as Cellulite?

There is NO substance (natural or man made) known to be as dangerous as "cellulite."

Seeeeee, one BOX! That's a great collection Joe I see some in there I have never seen before.

Singin

A knife like this is the first knife I remember buying for myself. It cost twenty nine cents, and a two blade cost fourty nine cents. The chain was ten cents. No sales tax. Eight or nine yrs old.1954 or 55 With a fifty cent allowance, I went through a lot of them. They were great to trade or sell, or lose. I must have bought at least ten or so before I moved up to the ninety eight cent ones with three blades.

Here is a fixed blade shell handle!
It's marked Hammer Brand, with the '45-'55 stamp.

Someone else around here has one stamped "Colonial".

They are the only two fixed blade shells of this type I have ever seen.

In order to attach the shell, it has liners that are pinned to the steel.
(help me out here folks! what is the handle area under the scales on a fixed blade called?)

...... Joe

They never reffered to it in their advertising Joe. I just finished pouring thru volumes of info and adds from the day and saw nothing about it mentioned.

Just spotted a shell handled fixed blade on the bay in a knife lot. Item #330518134734
Funny, these are the first i've ever seen and i've seen quite a few shell handle knives over the years.

Cellulite...................................is this another handle material I've never heard of before?

I thought that was the stuff women are deathly afraid of!

Gary - +1

Joe Dirt wrote:(help me out here folks! what is the handle area under the scales on a fixed blade called?)

...... Joe

Tang

Hey guys,
Do you think shell handled tutorial would be helpful?

Dale

Thanks Jerry! That's what I thought.... just wasn't sure.

Here is a page from the 1959 Imperial catalog, displaying
the fixed blades that gearhead is referring to.

These are thru pinned, unlike the Hammer Brand I posted which the scales are held in place by tabs.

These have a cell wrap that alternates in color from black to clear.
The knives appear to be black and silver pinstriped, as you see the silver color of the shell through the clear stripes.

......... Joe

Let's see what makes um tick, Dale! That would be great!

Here's some more Imperial "pinstripes", "HB's", "cameo's", and two blade toothpicks.

....... Joe

OK-
Here is a link to "Anatomy of a Shell Handled Knife" in the Schrade Legacy Forum. Since Imperial patented Shell handled knives and Schrade bought Imperial out and made shell handled knives pretty much until they closed the Irish factory in 2004, i thought it only fitting that this topic be in the Schrade Forum.

http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... 96&start=0

I hope you enjoy it.
If you have questions about the shell handles you can ask it in that thread & we can keep the technical info in that thread where we can refer to it easily.

I made the thread a sticky so it will stay there for a while.
Hope you enjoy it,
Dale

Utica also filed a patent for shell handles in the early 1940's. I believe it used tabs.