All About Pocket Knives

coffeecup wrote:
I've always wondered if they were made during the Great Depression/pre-WWII years. Mine is reasonably well-made, but the bail suggests an attempt to lower costs.

Jim

I agree Jim. It looks like a bail on an inexpensive scout or camper pattern.
I actually have two TL-29s with a similar type bail. One on an shell handle Imperial and one on a Ric-Nor, which was possible made by Camillus. Tom Williams once told me that Camillus made some Ric-Nor TL-29s, but I don't know if they made all of them.

Dale

I have accumulated enough TL-29s and variants that I can usually pass them by, but this one was in comparatively good shape (i.e., nobody took a grinder to the edge of the screwdriver trying to sharpen it, the liner lock is not twisted and bent, the bail isn't missing, etc, etc) and I don't already have a decent Klein three blade hawksbill, so I bought it. A little elbow grease could make this one look practically new.

I picked this up today at a gunshow.It's a Ka Bar.It has U.S.ARMY stamped on the walnut handle.ARMY is hard to make out.It has steel bolsters and a steel lock.The camera died before I could get a picture of the blades.The blades are stained but are in very good condition.You need a glass to read the KA BAR but thr OLEAN N.Y. is readable.I looked through this thread and didn't see a KA BAR mentioned.Are these rare?

Rifleman wrote: I looked through this thread and didn't see a KA BAR mentioned.Are these rare?

I don't know how common the Ka-Bar TL-29 is, but they are nowhere as common as the Camillus or the other brands made by Camillus.
Now that I think about it, the Ks-bar may have been made by Camillus as well.
That is research I will have get to someday.......

Dale

Here is a little transformed one. Bokote wood handles - lost the driver blade and filed spring.
work by Caddyman73

Hey Gino.... SWEEEEEEEETTTTT!! John

Thanks.I just found this book on google books by C. Houston Price, Mark D. Zalesky that describes my Ka Bar as having wood handles and stamped U.S. ARMY.When the page comes up,scroll down a bit.


http://books.google.com/books?id=ko-r0f ... &q&f=false

I have an old Empire electrician's knife on fee bay right now if anyone is interested.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... :MESELX:IT

I put a bid on it Jack to get things started.

Dale

Thanks, Dale!

I might go peek at that myself, Jack ...

I was an electrician in another life, and actually carried an M Klein & Sons version for years ... not sure where she went ... I'm thinkin there's a garage excavation in my near future ...

I'm in total agreement, Aimus, the TL-29 thread should not be shrouded in the fogs of history. Let's bump it back to the front and go to town!

I posted this one in another thread but it should be on the "official" TL-29 thread. A brand new Utica. Yep, Utica is still making them in original configuration (Bear has one with a hawkbill blade).

This is a great thread! I love the knives fellas! I just gave my Mom a replacement Camillus TL-29 related to a "no longer employed" handyman stealing hers. She took it hard because it was my Dad's knife. She's much better now! Thanks for the catalog pictures I've copied them to my files for future reference. Rocky

Here is a brand not shown before..........

Red Devil - Made (or at least sold) things like putty knives, scrapers, utility knives, etc.

I think Empire made these knives for them

Here is an interesting footnote as to the use of the "Red Devil" trademark;

Red Devil, Inc.. Retrieved 2010-11-24. "Founded as Smith & Hemenway Company, Inc. in 1872 in Hill, New Hampshire, our place in hardware history was established over 134 years ago with production of several types of glass cutters, one of which, the "Woodward Wizard", was patented. ... During a buying trip to Sweden, the company's founder, Landon P. Smith, heard a blacksmith remark "those little red devils" after sparks from a forge singed his arm. The name stuck in Smith's mind and upon his return to the States he began to label many of the tools he sold with the Red Devil trademark. By the late 19th century, do-it-yourselfers as well as professionals were depending on our top-performing products."

Now that's the kind of history I like. Thanks Dimitri.

Your welcome Jerry!

Thanks Dimitri, Great history and a new TL-29 brand to add to my list.

Here is the list if anyone is interested:

Boker
Camillus
Camco
Case
Cattaraugus
Challenge
Colonial
Craftsman
Electric Mate (Prov Cut. Co.)
Empire
FD (Sears)
AE Fuller
Holub
Imperial
Jensen
Ka Bar
Keen Kutter
Kingston
Kutmaster
Klein Tools
M. Klein & Sons
Miller Bros. U.S.A.
OK (Ontario Knife)
Pal
Powr-Kraft
John Primble #47
Proto
Prov. Cut. Co.
Queen
Red Devil
Remington
Ric-Nor -made by Prov. Cut. Co.
Robeson
Robeson Shuredge
SCC (Schrade)
Schatt & Morgan
Schrade Cut Co
Schrade Imperial
Schrade Walden
Sears
Ulster
Union Cut. Co.
Utica
Western
Winchester
No Name

Thanks Dale, and that is quite a list

Dale, should that M. Klein & Sons be just Klein & Sons since we now know those prefix letters are a date code? Or am I off in left field again or should I say as usual. Your opinion please young Devil Dog.

Jerry, the "M" stands for Mathias, Mathias Klein the founder of the company.

Wrong again. Oh well, I'm used to it.

The Klein knives were produced with both tang stamps at different times.
Does anyone know when the change was?