Miller Bros Question

[pocketkeeper]

Recently I found this Miller Bros Jack in a yard sale. Two questions. What is the name of the plastic used here? The knife predates 1926 so it is an old type. Second, notice the two small pins that would normally hold a shield....but there is no evidence of a shield ever being on this knife. Why is that?

[peanut740]

The pins prove it had a shield at some time.I heard that handle material called gum fuddy among other things.I don't think it is a plastic but some other composition.

[RobesonsRme.com]

What does the other side look like?

If those shield pins do not extend outside the handle material, I'd suspect the knife has been rehandled and whoever did the job just utilized all the pins that were there, including the shield pins.

Personally, I don't think I've ever seen a Miller Bros knife with those rubberoid handles.

Dimitri will clear this up, eventually.

Charlie

[pocketkeeper]

OK, I hadn't thought about the possibility that someone put new handles on this knife. It is clear the shield was never on these handles as there is no inlet for a shield. I'm wondering if the original handles had the Miller Bros little brass screws. I look forward to a response from Dimitri.
Dave

[LongBlade]

If the handles were pre-1929 and a plastic composite it may be a material called bakelite (which was also used as reel seats on some older bamboo rods)... after 1929 other plastic compostes came along such as tenite... Hard to say if the knife ever had the brass screws as I believe whether a knife had the brass screws or not doesn't necessarily date it... just my understanding but maybe someone else may know better. I do know that not all Miller Bros equal end jacks had brass screws.