All About Pocket Knives

Good evening-

I saw this knife on fleabay, looked like it was just a Catt Whitt-L-Kraft missing the BSA shield. I like the small scouts so I grabbed it up. Looking it over, I can't see that it had ever even had a shield. Does this knife exist in any catalogs? I show it compared with my Whitt-L-Kraft with a sheild, which has brass liners, thumb stud and liner lock. The knife I received today's no brass whatsoever. Any thoughts?

I would say brass liners pre WW2.
steel liners post WW2.
both nice knive's.

Dadumpsterdiver,
You have to scratch your head on that one. Both are good looking knives and there is no doubt your new one is a Cattaraugus Whitt-L-Kraft. Kerr's 600 scout knives lists 4 blade, D2589 no bail, D2589B with bail, All dated 1932 to 1942. I have 4 or 5 D2589B models and they all have brass. There are several members here way more knowable about Cattaraugus and Scout knives in general. Hopefully they may have some idea whats with that knife.

Lots of variations out their and yours is just that and most likely not an official boy scout .
Having steel instead of brass definitely puts it in the 1940s IMO .

Agreed. Has to be wartime or just post wartime production, with all the brass going to munitions and other wartime items. I was more surprised with there being no scout shield. I'm relatively new to the hobby and have not seen that until now.

Bill

Dadumpsterdiver wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 7:11 pm Agreed. Has to be wartime or just post wartime production, with all the brass going to munitions and other wartime items. I was more surprised with there being no scout shield. I'm relatively new to the hobby and have not seen that until now.

Bill

Most manufacturers were not able to obtain coveted BSA authorization, but there was a huge market for the “scout” or utility pattern. So they offered them for sale without the “official” BSA shields and etching. And those companies like Cattaraugus, Remington and others who did have BSA authorization frequently sold the same “Official BSA” patterns without BSA markings. Hence versions without a shield. Plus there are many brands made sans shields during the war - nickel silver contains copper, nickel and zinc, all needed for military purposes.

In the early years of the BSA there were efforts made by BSA to prevent unauthorized use of the words “scout”and “scouting”, but eventually they gave up (I suspect as usual the lawyers for both sides were getting rich ).

Ken

I don't think Cattaraugus made many if any pocket knives during the war,and none after the war.It could be an earlier knife since it has steel liners and bolsters.

Everyone-

Wow, great knowledge, experience and perspective being shared here. I have collected old tools for years and very similar changes occurred during wartime. The official scout knife shown is obviously treated more like a jewel, with the brass and high polish. Still trying to figure out if this was the victim of what I call "The polishers" or if it has survived all this time in it's current condition. The nice, crisp tang stamp makes me think of it being a great survivor. However, I gravitate toward the all steel knife because it is something that I wouldn't feel bad carrying. I can believe that it is an earlier knife, but I wonder if they could be contemporaries of each other, one being a higher "Quality" line. Also, I see no pattern number on the main blade, and the Official scout knife has one.

Bill

peanut740 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 12, 2020 9:37 pm I don't think Cattaraugus made many if any pocket knives during the war,and none after the war.It could be an earlier knife since it has steel liners and bolsters.

Are you saying Cattaraugus only made fixed blades from after the war until closing in 1963?

Yes,mostly kitchen cutlery.

peanut740 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 13, 2020 2:30 am Yes,mostly kitchen cutlery.

Thanks Roger. I did not know that.