A Wilbert gathering

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 10:54 pm

Thought I'd post a few Wilberts for your enjoyment

. I got four delivered, the pearl and whittler are mine with an option to buy the jack and the Wharny. I'm going for the jack but I'm not sure about the Wharny, seems someone must have worn a buffing pad out on those blades (and the bolsters to some extent on the center two knives)

. I'm not a big fan of buffed knives and really wish people would stop thinking they're increasing the value of a knife by doing it,nearly balked on the pearl because of it, but I really liked the style and otherwise excellent condition. Half stops on all blades in the bunch that really snap into place, can't say as I've seen anything like it.

Eric

stockman · Post by **stockman** » Wed Sep 05, 2007 11:36 pm

ea42, Wilbert very nice knives I like all of the knives you posted. The whittler seems to new IMO are you sure about it? It looks like a Schrade Walden 804 with a funny master blade. I might be all wrong I am just wanting to learn.

Thanks Stockman

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:54 am

No problem Stockman, you're right, it's identical except for a slight difference in the liners at the main blade end. The 804 has an extra shim on either side of the blade at the bolsters, whereas this one, due to a fatter tang, lacks it. The odd thing about this one compared to the others is that the tang stamp lacks "Chicago", and the other blades aren't marked. On the other Wilberts, all blades are marked. To knock it back a bit further, it's also identical, save for that big blade and the liners , to the #81004 3/8 (had fibestos handles), which first appeared in Schrade Cut. Co's supplementary catalog in 1938. The problem with Wibert is that they weren't actually a cutlery company, It was a blanket name for a host of makers manufacturing knives for Sears. I'm not certain how long the name was used, I've heard from one source that they were out by 1912, and from another that Camillus was making knives for them into the late twenties.

Eric

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:32 am

great stuff eric. i have an early cat. reprint from sears roebuck and co. and all the knives featured are wilberts.

stockman · Post by **stockman** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:45 am

ea42, I am interested in Sears knives, the older ones. I have been trying to learn what I can about them and the manufacturers of there knives. I don't have any Wilberts, I do have a Napanoch, Sta Sharp, and a Schrade Walden. It seem that it is hard to get history on there knives. I have emailed Sears historian without much success.

Stockman

upnorth · Post by **upnorth** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 2:51 am

Nice knives in that group, especially the Jack, Eric!
Here's a non-Chicago marked Wilbert, while we are "Wilberting"!

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:02 am

Thanks Johnnie, man it would sure be nice to have a copy of one of those catalogs

Seems like the old catalogs are more scares than the knives themselves!

Stockman, seems like the list of Sears early suppliers is endless, to name a few: Napanoch, Empire, Schrade, Ulster and Camillus (this was an on again off again relationship).

Eric

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:13 am

hey eric, how about i scan the pages for you? i looked but your knife is not among them. but a lot of other neat wilberts!

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:18 am

Nice Charlie! I knew I'd seen one on these threads a few days back, just couldn't remember where. I'd blame age on my memory loss, but it's more than likely due to these late nights in front of the computer

.
Glad you posted it, at least it confirms a different tang stamp, perhaps second gen.? Does the bone jack look like a familiar style to you? Perhaps Empire? The bone and multiple threads on the bolsters don't ring a bell with me

.

Eric

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 3:19 am

Johnnie, that would be great!!

Eric

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 4:41 am

hey eric, for you and anyone else interested. from; "price guide to pocket knives -1890-1970" by jacob n. jarrett.

hope you can read the ads. click twice to enlarge.

Ringmaster · Post by **Ringmaster** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 6:46 am

Hey Johnnie - thks for the catalog pictures, I just had to save them. I'm barely familiar with Wilbert, never owned one, but I was aware of them.

I find it kinda odd, that a significant number of the knives in that catalog have the shields on the "opposite" side... I thought for a minute, that the picture was reversed, but if that were the case, the other knives would be reversed ? I've seen a few, but very few, that were like that. Left-handed knives, perhaps ?

I guess we'll never know, but it's food for thought.

Ya'll take care,
JR

upnorth · Post by **upnorth** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:12 am

The jack looks like something I've seen, but I haven't found it yet, Eric. I'll keep turning pages.
I think I see my EO in Johnnie's cat scans, but in MIRROR image??
Thanks Johnnie, but you oughta fix that scan

!

jonet143 · Post by **jonet143** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:45 am

i had to look at the original before my eyes freaked out!

i guess the artist took a little liberty.

msteele6 · Post by **msteele6** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 1:44 pm

I bought a three backspring cattle knife with the Wilbert stamping not too long ago. The construction and blade grind looks very much like that on the Eureka jack that is pictured above.

With the knife in my hand it looks suspiciously modern. I'm wondering if anyone knows if there is somebody reproducing these old tang stamps.

ea42 · Post by **ea42** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 9:53 pm

Thanks a lot for those scans Johnnie! And thank you Charlie for checking out that knife. Msteele, I haven't heard any mention of Wilbert tang reproductions. I also doubt anyone would go through the trouble of forging a knife as under the radar as these, they just wouldn't turn enough profit to make it worth while (or at least I hope that's the case

)
Do you have a picture of that knife?

Eric

knife-nut · Post by **knife-nut** » Thu Sep 06, 2007 11:12 pm

I've noticed in a lot of old catalogs and advertizing, the artist took a lot of liberties with them. Most old Remington Scout knife advertizing has the knife with a long pull, where in reality they have a short pull. Some catalog drawings have the main blade that is so long that if you tried closing it the blade would'nt even fit in the knife. A lot of them have the shield in the wrong place. I don't think the artist even saw some of the knives they drew.

msteele6 · Post by **msteele6** » Fri Sep 07, 2007 1:58 pm

ea42,

It does seem strange that someone would counterfeit (maybe too loaded a term, reproduce?) a brand as obscure as Wilbert but another knife that I have concerns about is marked Paxton Gallagher, an even more obscure brand.

The things that bother me most about these is first, the bone on the handle is squared off on the edge instead of being smoothly tapered in all directions, second, the blades have minimal swedging, being mostly flat ground, thirdly the blades have a glaze finish (I think that's the right term) fine parallel lines at a right angle to the cutting edge. No crocus finish.

I'll try to post pictures, including a Shapleigh Eureka jack that is very similar to the Wilbert above and a Utica coke bottle harness jack that I have questions about.

msteele6