All About Pocket Knives

Mall find. WESTERN BOULDER CO MADE IN USA 062 Folding 2 Blade Hunter Pocket Knife. Used Western folding pocket knife. Dimensions: 5-1/8" long, with two 3-1/2" blades. The blades, Delrin handle and nickel-silver bolsters show some wear, but all are tight and solid. cleaned with Mother's Mag. what year, etc. please?

1961 to 1972.

The keys here are the Delrin handles and the Boulder Colo in the stamp.

Western replaced the use of bone and stag with Delrin in 1961 and dropped any reference to Boulder in 1973.

Nice find! I really like the Western 062 and have 2 of them. They are so much more graceful and slender that most other brand folding hunters, some of which can be thick handled and chunky. Did yours have a belt sheath with it? One of mine has a belt sheath, but I don't know if it is original or not.

no sheath, still looking for the sales slip for my records.

mrwatch wrote:no sheath, still looking for the sales slip for my records.

This is the sheath that I got with one of the two I have. Like I said, I am not sure if it is original as it has no markings on it.

Here is a 62 with what I believe to be an original sheath.
My knife has Delrin covers.

That is a very nice pattern. It has sort of a copper-lock bolster that sets it apart...
What is the length (either open or closed)? The style fits right into my EDC preference.

Heres the one I have, with sheath.

americanedgetech wrote:That is a very nice pattern. It has sort of a copper-lock bolster that sets it apart...
What is the length (either open or closed)? The style fits right into my EDC preference.

Both of mine are 5 3/16" in length closed, so they are very close to other brands of folding hunters. One of mine is marked Western USA, and the other is marked with the Boulder, Colo stamp. FRJ, neither of mine have match strike pulls as shown in your picture. What era is that one from?

Thank you OC!

Western seems to be one of the overlooked brands in folding knives, and they are still affordable.

Well ....... I got curious, I took pictures of my original knife tang and realized how used up the down blades were:-) and decided to strike out for another 62 I was sure i had. I found two more. That's all I have. These three.
They're all Boulder. Two are 5 1/8". My original show and the one with the hole drilled through the cap bolster.
The one without the matchstrike is 5 3/16". All have Delrin covers. Maybe some day I'll get one with bone skins.
Western gave them one of the best looking sheaths I've seen.
Nice knives all!

EDIT: Randys sheath looks rather authentic, doesn't it?

They are beautiful, working knives. No doubt about that (in my mind).

I had the same thought about the sheath-s as well. I can not see any reason to doubt the sheath as original, judging by the rest that have been posted.

I dug my 2 Western folding hunters out. Both have Delrin handles, they have different tang stamps, the one with Boulder Colo. stamp came with the sheath. It is unsharpened and the pile side bolsters are covered with verdigris. It has 062 on the pile side of the clip. This 062 came in a trade from an AAPK member. The other, a refugee of a yard sale, has 062 on the mark side along with either an "O" or a "0" on the last line.

As for the "feel" in the hand, personally, I find the Westerns to be a bit too narrow in the rear bolster. My old Queen 39 and my Case 6265s fit my hand better. The difference is small but quite noticeable to me. I also noticed the kicks are not the same.

Excuse the sorry pictures.
Treefarmer

treefarmer wrote:I dug my 2 Western folding hunters out. Both have Delrin handles, they have different tang stamps, the one with Boulder Colo. stamp came with the sheath. It is unsharpened and the pile side bolsters are covered with verdigris. It has 062 on the pile side of the clip. This 062 came in a trade from an AAPK member. The other, a refugee of a yard sale, has 062 on the mark side along with either an "O" or a "0" on the last line.

As for the "feel" in the hand, personally, I find the Westerns to be a bit too narrow in the rear bolster. My old Queen 39 and my Case 6265s fit my hand better. The difference is small but quite noticeable to me. I also noticed the kicks are not the same.

Excuse the sorry pictures.
Treefarmer
DSCN4111.JPGDSCN4116.JPGDSCN4117.JPG

What is "Verdigris"
Is that the white / fluffy mold looking thing that happens in bone handles? I'm not sure that I see it in your images... that is why I am asking
I have been meaning to ask about this for awhile...

Edit: I see you said "Bolsters" My mistake. I'd still like to know the definition of the word tho please.

Verdigris is the fancy term for "green rust", the green tinted crap that grows on brass and copper due to chemical reactions.

Not to take away or hijack this thread but Ken has asked a question that often effects knives such as the 062 Western when stored in a leather sheath. First, Google the word verdigris and you will get a technical explanation as to how and why it occurs. It is unsightly but I've never had an issue of removing verdigris from a knife. Granted, it probably gets worse than I've experienced. Some times I've encountered good deals on sheathed knives because they have turned green and yucky in the sellers sight.
Here are a few pictures of the knife I mentioned. The chemical reaction between the metal and the leather is often seen around the rivets and snaps of the sheath, this one was clear, so far.
Treefarmer

Sweet pair of etched knives Cal.

treefarmer wrote:I dug my 2 Western folding hunters out. Both have Delrin handles, they have different tang stamps, the one with Boulder Colo. stamp came with the sheath. It is unsharpened and the pile side bolsters are covered with verdigris. It has 062 on the pile side of the clip. This 062 came in a trade from an AAPK member. The other, a refugee of a yard sale, has 062 on the mark side along with either an "O" or a "0" on the last line.

As for the "feel" in the hand, personally, I find the Westerns to be a bit too narrow in the rear bolster. My old Queen 39 and my Case 6265s fit my hand better. The difference is small but quite noticeable to me. I also noticed the kicks are not the same.

Excuse the sorry pictures.
Treefarmer
DSCN4111.JPGDSCN4116.JPGDSCN4117.JPG

I guess I was asleep the first time I read this.

That "O" or "0" in the last line is actually a "D", which is a date code letter for 1980.

All Westerns, folders or fixed, with the exception of the WESTMARK 701, 702 and 703 made from 1977 to 1991 have a date code, e.g., A = 1977, B = 1978, C = 1979, D = 1980, on up to "O" for 1991 either as a 3rd line or somewhere offset from the 2nd line (Circle I, Circle J and Circle K). Very few "N" or "O" stamped knives. The company was hurting those last 2 years.

1990/1991 was the time frame that Coleman sold Western to a group of businessmen who didn't know squat about the knife business and sold the name/rights to Camillus in 1991. Camillus promptly shut down the Longmont Colo facilities, laid everyone off, sold off the equipment and surplus blade blanks and supplies and moved manufacturing to Camillus NY. They dropped date coding and double-pin tangs on fixed blades.

If a Western folder the 2 line stamp

WESTERN
USA "some model #"

it is a Camillus period folder.