LL bean knife

[tom5555]

Hi i picked up what was said to be an older knife.. 3 3/8 inches closed , marked LL bean freeport, ME ..i looked around on the internet and i think kabar might have made it for them.. is there anyway to date it .. thanks

[FRJ]

Welcome here, Tom.
Personally, I think Camillus when I see that knife. I really don't know who made it and I could not date it.
However, time periods in manufacturing could be attributed to blade shape, long pull, tang stamp and pins.
Are those nickle silver pins on that knife. And also the covers. Several kinds of material in yellow were used in the past
and these covers remind me of Camillus covers they used in their "Yellow Jacket" series.
Nice knife!

[edge213]

I think Camillus also.

[tom5555]

Welcome here, Tom.
Personally, I think Camillus when I see that knife. I really don't know who made it and I could not date it.
However, time periods in manufacturing could be attributed to blade shape, long pull, tang stamp and pins.
Are those nickle silver pins on that knife. And also the covers. Several kinds of material in yellow were used in the past
and these covers remind me of Camillus covers they used in their "Yellow Jacket" series.
Nice knife!

thank you for the info.. i looked on line and it seems to be a copy of their jack knife series made for bean.. would that be celluloid on the outside or just plastic

[FRJ]

If it is indeed from Camillus' Yellow Jacket series it is Delrin.

[edge213]

The OP knife is delrin.

[RobesonsRme.com]

Ka-Bar made folding guard English Jacks for L L Bean.

Not sure of other patterns.

Charlie

[btrwtr]

The frame and blade look like it could be a Western made knife. Unusual to see a single blade in this type frame but being a contract knife anything is possible.

[TPK]

I have no idea Tom but Welcome to the AAPK!

[tom5555]

i picked it up on ebay ( thought it was older) im pretty sure i overpaid at 17$ shipped.. but, i like the way it looks and the snap is as if it was never opened

[tom5555]

I have no idea Tom but Welcome to the AAPK!

[TPK]

Compairing with the prices I'm used to in Germany, that seems like a fair price to me. If you subtract the cost of shipping, (whatever that is) then I'm pretty sure you did fine IMO.

$10 - $30 for a nice HOK EDC. Good deal in my book Tom!

[knifeaholic]

The frame and blade look like it could be a Western made knife. Unusual to see a single blade in this type frame but being a contract knife anything is possible.

My guess is Western as well. I agree odd in a single blade, but I have seen quite a few of this exact pattern with the LL Bean stamp over the years.

Bean had knives made for them by Kabar and by Western. Maybe others.

Compare it to the Western medium stock patterns, the shape of the clip blade and the long pull look identical to the Western medium stock patterns.

[Runted]

Yellow must be a color that L.L.Bean used a lot.
I have a Fish Knife stamped L.L.Bean in a yellow delrin.
I thought it may have been made by Western because I have a fish knife by them
and it is close. But the Western is larger.
And I don't mean to steal this post, just add a little to the conversation.
Here is a picture of the L.L.Bean

And here are both the Bean and Western.

[tom5555]

If it is indeed from Camillus' Yellow Jacket series it is Delrin.

is delrin still used today, when did it start.. ( im trying to guess the age of the knife)

[Mumbleypeg]

Delrin is a product of DuPont chemical, they introduced it in the early 1960s. It’s a trade name for a type of acetal polymer (plastic). It began to be a commonly used material for knife handle covers by the mid to late 1960s. It is still used today. You can find everything you’d probably want to know about it and more through an on-line internet search

Ken

[FRJ]

Here is a Western that is similar to the OP.
Granted, it's a little stockman but that frame and clip sure look familiar. 3 3/8" -- Delrin.

As usual, our seasoned knifers come to the forefront.