All About Pocket Knives

This one followed me home last weekend, liked it the minute I picked it up. Not a lightweight for sure, but feels good in hand.
From what I've been reading this should be a pre WWII knife...is that right ? Never heard of Asten Felts but they put their name on a good knife.

WOW, Bob, that's a real beauty. Love those matchstrike nailnicks.
So that's where the chinese got the idea.

You will see a lot of hefty jack patterns and larger folding hunter patterns that were made for Asten Felts and for other felt companies. Case, Camillus, Kabar, and others. The felt companies made the felt rolls for papermaking machines used in paper mills. The liquid pulp was deposited on the continuous roll or mat of heavy felt while vacuum pumps pulled out the moisture as the paper continued through the process.

I have always assumed that the large knife patterns were popular since they could be used to cut and trim the heavy felt material in setting up the machine.

Maybe someone with actual paper mill experience can weigh in.

Thanks Joe....yeah those sneeky chinese

Steve, thanks for that information, I had no idea on the felt business just thought it had something to do with fur trapping like the Bill Boatman knives.

Pretty good description of "the felt," knifeaholic. But to add a little further description, the felts were actually more like cloth. And then they became synthetic. The "felts" supported the paper web as it moved from the press to the drying rolls. The felts had to be tough given the speed at which paper machines process. A lot of dewatering takes place on the felts.

There was a time when I did a lot of business with the paper companies in Michigan. Back then, you knew when you were getting close to a paper mill by smell alone. Particularly in August. As a rookie I once mentioned the odor to someone, a local person. He said, "Yeah, it smells like money." Most of those mills are long since shut down now. And those few that survived run a lot cleaner and more environmentally friendly business now.

Like Steve says there are a lot of knives from different companies with Asten Felts shields or marked celluloid scales. None of these knives were meant for work in the felt business, they were promotional items like all the EH Best knives and other promotional or advertising knives. I have not seen a KA-BAR as old as the OP knife (it is pre 1943) with that shield but have seen a lot of later KA-BARs with that shield. Cool old knife for sure. By the way, "matchsriker pull" is a misnomer they are really "dentate" pulls, they were not really suitable for striking matches (try it yourself) and one could spark the old "strike anywhere" matches on their shoe sole or blue jeans or most any other surface. I think the matchstriker business came from the same folks that refer to a Prestolite key square hole in some blades as a skate key.

Gunsil wrote:Like Steve says there are a lot of knives from different companies with Asten Felts shields or marked celluloid scales. None of these knives were meant for work in the felt business, they were promotional items like all the EH Best knives and other promotional or advertising knives. I have not seen a KA-BAR as old as the OP knife (it is pre 1943) with that shield but have seen a lot of later KA-BARs with that shield. Cool old knife for sure. By the way, "matchsriker pull" is a misnomer they are really "dentate" pulls, they were not really suitable for striking matches (try it yourself) and one could spark the old "strike anywhere" matches on their shoe sole or blue jeans or most any other surface. I think the matchstriker business came from the same folks that refer to a Prestolite key square hole in some blades as a skate key.

Now there is some good info worth remembering (thank you!). If I recall (and that is a stretch), that prestolite blade just MIGHT have fit the adjustable roller skates I had in 1954.

The only time I've ever seen stag that pretty was on other old Union Cutlery knives. That right there might be one of my Holy Grails!

Thank's to all for some good information, I never considered the promotional angle and it make's sense.
The felt business must have been good to give a knife of this caliber away.
I like the fact it has nickel silver liners and the clip blade is thicker than most folding hunters.

Hi, Case xx made the scalloped not serrated blades for them in the 80's or 70's, that's all I know about that company, George God bless

I picked up this Asten Felts Schrade 225 a while back. I had not seen one before.

Nice knife,

Added this large KA-BAR folding hunter this week, tang stamp dates 1927-1945. Really nice green/brown bone and an Asten Felts shield.

Some fine looking knives posted on this thread. All are in great condition for their age.

JohnR wrote: ↑Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:27 am Added this large KA-BAR folding hunter this week, tang stamp dates 1927-1945. Really nice green/brown bone and an Asten Felts shield.

That stamp ceased about 1943 when the mark changed to KA-BAR over Olean, NY. Super knife! Nickel or brass liners were discontinued by 1942 for the war effort, resumed after the war. Knife is probably pre-war.

Gunsil wrote: ↑Thu Jun 11, 2020 4:46 pm

JohnR wrote: ↑Mon Jun 08, 2020 11:27 am Added this large KA-BAR folding hunter this week, tang stamp dates 1927-1945. Really nice green/brown bone and an Asten Felts shield.

That stamp ceased about 1943 when the mark changed to KA-BAR over Olean, NY. Super knife! Nickel or brass liners were discontinued by 1942 for the war effort, resumed after the war. Knife is probably pre-war.

Thank you for the information Gunsil, much appreciated.