All About Pocket Knives

Nice set of Case Knif-Ax combos Ken!

Regarding how to tell the age of the Knif-Ax sets there’s a long-running thread about them on the Case Collector’s Club forum. According to information there on the earliest sets, introduced around 1933, the hatchets were stamped CASE XX. Then “a few years later“, (some say in the early 1940s timeframe) the stamp was changed to CASE’S TESTED XX and remained as such until 1965 when the stamp was changed to CASE XX U.S.A., the same stamp used on pocket knives at that time. The last Knif-Ax sets were made in 1970 but the “dots” system was not used on them, nor apparently on any fixed blade knifes made prior to 1978 (per Brad Wood’s article in Sargent’s 7th Edition.

There is also a post from a Case employee saying all three parts of each set (handle, knife, and hatchet) were marked, but apparently not all were marked the same. As evidenced by a set I have (it was my dad’s and I believe it to be all original) on which the hatchet is stamped CASE’S TESTED XX but the knife is stamped simply CASE. My understanding based on photos and associated captions in Sargent’s, this would be a “transition” set.

It’s well known that time periods for stamps used by Case for fixed blades do not conform to those used on pocket knives. Apparently on Knif-Ax combos the CASE XX and CASE TESTED XX time periods are reversed versus those generally accepted as correct for pocket knives. In other words the CASE XX stamped sets are older.

Gary aka hardman is a member here and on the CCC forum, as is Steve Pfeiffer aka knifeaholic. Both have contributed several posts on the CCC forum regarding this topic so maybe they’ll see this and comment. If you have access to Sargent’s Premium Guide to Knives and Razors 7th Edition, the chapter on Case fixed blades is a great resource.

Here are the sets I have.

Ken

Ken, thank you for your enlightenment... I guess means that they all seem to be legitimate sets... Once again, many than for your time... Ken

Super nice K/A sets.

I have a magazine ad from April 1936 that show the wood handle K/A set with the plain (no tooling on the leather face covering the knife blade) sheath and the ax marked simply CASE XX. This is the earliest variation of the sheath.

Ad from a 1933 New York newspaper.

Here are some more Case examples.

Great group Wayne

From a 1934 New York newspaper. Not really the season, but............

From a 1935 New York newspaper.

Third time is a charm!

Three times in a row I got the whole post compiled and hit the wrong button and erased it.
The two Kent pattern axes were a surprise gift from a friend in London. I sent him a surprise Jersey Pattern axe a few years ago, and this was his way of getting even.

The Sandvic loppers and two axes were gifts from a friend that is moving to Florida. The single is a Craftsman, and the double is a Keen Kutter with the original handle, Joe

From a 1935 New York newspaper.

From a 1935 New York newspaper.

I have a double bit that I bought at an estate sale. I cleaned it up and I am not able to make out who the maker is from the maker's mark. Maybe someone out there is familiar with the mark/brand. Thanks for any help!

Jacknifeben wrote: ↑Tue Apr 21, 2020 8:46 pm I found this MARBLE,S # 10 CAMP AXE at a auction about 30 years ago. It was completely painted flat black paint. If I hadn’t been reading about Marble’s knives I would have passed on it. I took it to a guy a lot older than me and he said back in the days of CC camps they would paint all of the axes to keep the workers from stealing them. I soaked it in paint thinner and cleaned it up and it looks like new.

That MARBLE,S # 10 CAMP AXE is SWEET!!! A beautiful piece! Thanks for the great photos, after posting this I am going back to look at them again.

Here is one of my favorite Double-bits, A Gamble's ARTISAN.

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:15 pm I have a double bit that I bought at an estate sale. I cleaned it up and I am not able to make out who the maker is from the maker's mark. Maybe someone out there is familiar with the mark/brand. Thanks for any help!

I can't make it out. It looks like there might be a fancy script "L" to the left. The BELL, or WBELL looks kind of crude. The bottom of one L is rounded and the other is more crisp. It might be a personal engraving. Try taking some water or oil and rubbing over the mark, that might get it to pop up a little better. I know I don't have one, but, it's ringing a bell, like I've seen it before. The pun was intended,Joe.

A Collins and a power kraft 100, with its original handle. The Collins we rehandled several times and use it a lot.

Here is one of my favorite Double-bits, A Gamble's ARTISAN.
Gamble's was a chain of hardware stores in the 1960' 1970's. 1920- Defunct‎: ‎December 31, 1984; 35 years ago. Like Western Auto Hardware stores.

Thanks, for the info and that is a great looking axe!

Couple of Hatches would like to know if anyone knows who made the LL Bean
LL Bean is on the right Jim Behring is the one on the left

rarefish383 wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 1:53 pm

GSPTOPDOG wrote: ↑Wed Jul 29, 2020 10:15 pm I have a double bit that I bought at an estate sale. I cleaned it up and I am not able to make out who the maker is from the maker's mark. Maybe someone out there is familiar with the mark/brand. Thanks for any help!

I can't make it out. It looks like there might be a fancy script "L" to the left. The BELL, or WBELL looks kind of crude. The bottom of one L is rounded and the other is more crisp. It might be a personal engraving. Try taking some water or oil and rubbing over the mark, that might get it to pop up a little better. I know I don't have one, but, it's ringing a bell, like I've seen it before. The pun was intended,Joe.

Thanks Joe, I'll give the water/oil trick a try. I like finding and buying old rusty axes that you can't see or make out a maker's mark and cleaning them up and learning who made them, sometimes it works out and sometimes it remains a mystery. Rich

I collect mostly the small or what are sometimes called a child's hatchet, and finding replacement handles has been impossible. I thought I would try manufacturers that are still in business, a very helpful lady named Jennifer got back to me with one that they have in Stock I ordered one and will see if it works, here is the information, Adog

I have a large collection of hatchets. Here are some old timers that I have been working on after the 1st stage of cleaning and before fitting to handles and sharpening, etc. etc. They were completely covered in rust when I got them. You could not see the maker's marks on them for all the rust.
I like True Temper and Plumb, also ones made in Germany or Sweden. The one on the bottom is a True Temper.

Adog wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 4:40 pm I collect mostly the small or what are sometimes called a child's hatchet, and finding replacement handles has been impossible. I thought I would try manufacturers that are still in business, a very helpful lady named Jennifer got back to me with one that they have in Stock I ordered one and will see if it works, here is the information, Adog

Thanks Adog, I always need more handles, I have a couple of boxes full of all sizes of small axes and hatches heads.

Hello Friends,

Can anyone tell me anything about this axt head? Or it's stamps? Found it on the bay & it just caught my attention. Probably because of the stamped acorn & oak leaf.

It's described that the blade width is 10.8cm or 4.25 inches & the total highth from blade to hammer head is 22 cm or 8.66 inches. And it weighs 1277 gramms.

One stamp shows an acorn & oak leaf along with something else that I can't make out.
The other one on the flip side is a number. ( 60212 )

Any information is appreciated. Thanks!

Tom