A TL-29, A strange history.

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You beat me to it, Amos :( (taking advantage of an old man like that! tsk tsk:eek: ):D :D
'Tis a good thread indeed!
Also, if you can get a copy of Silvey's book on military pocket knives, it's a TL-29 bonanza!!
 
Here is one I carried while in the Marines, during 75-79 and have used a few since.
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:cool: Great story and excellent information from the link provided.

My father, still living, grew up on a Wisconsin dairy farm before WWII. He cut wood for the kitchen stove with axe and manual saws; he also drove a team of horses on a harvesting crew in the Dakotas to earn some extra money. He taught me the value of using a pocketknife as a tool.

My father was a Marine in the Pacific during the war, then became an Army officer in the Combat Engineers during the Korean conflict. Growing up as an Army brat, I was early exposed to his GI folding entrenching tool and GI hatchet. While we were stationed in Germany, he was the Post Engineer. Somewhere along the line, he obtained a TL-29 knife that is still hanging on a pegboard in the garage of his home in California.

My father is not a man who hangs out in barrooms to swap war stories, so I was never given details about the knife; I only know that he is addicted to the M.A.S.H. television series because his unit in Korea built an advanced surgical unit for the Army. Unfortunately, I have only been paying attention to the knife forums for the past two years, so I did not look for identifying information. I only know that is wooden-handled and has the locking screwdriver and a bail. It is probably as old as I am, and it has seen a lot of use. When I am next in California, I will know what to look for.
Faiaoga :rolleyes:
 
Great read, a real Sunday treat :thumbup: I wonder what happened to all those knives.
 
Nice!

I've a Klein '29, and it's odd- the lock doesn't hold firm. It keeps it from closing but it can close about 15 degrees before the lock engages. Sucker has some of the weirdest grinds I've seen, but some time with a heavy SiC stone might do it.

I'll have to find a vintage one. The plastic just doesn't feel right.
 
Y'all realize this is from 2007?
 
2007 or 2013, the old TL-29 lives on in our memory cells. When I was in the Navy, as an electrician, we called the TL-29 an electrician's knife. The blade and the screwdriver blade were used constantly. The story brought back lots of memories, especially the part about using the electrical tape. We would tape ours up and use on "hot Wire" projects. Much quicker than finding the power supply and turning the power off to make a quick and easy repair. Had to replace a few because of melted screw blades!:eek::D

Omar
 
Great story Jacknife. I've seen some amazing practical jokes myself in and around the Navy. A military trained technician (in or out of the service) and a "gizmo" (of any type) are a thing of beauty. I have my TL-29 from the Navy (it was issued to me as an "Electrician's Knife) ... since I was a "twidget" I used a small screwdriver for most of my computer and Radar repair work but used my TL-29 for everything else under the sun.

One quick story: ET2 Roach broke into the armored cable that protected the Captain's personal Public Address connection (to overide all other circuits) and mustered the "Morale Supression Team" on the messdecks. The XO went "nuts" but nobody ever gave up Roach. I was interogated several times to see if I'd give up one of my guys - the correct assumption on the part of the XO and the rest of the crew was that somebody in Combat Electronics Division had to be the perp because of the complexity of the crime. Where does the TL-29 come into play? He used his to break into a "secure" junction box and attach a sound powered phone set to the correct terminals to "pass the word" over the 1MC.

USN Electrician's Knife and "tweaker" ca. 1988

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knarfeng said:
Y'all realize this is from 2007?
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Oh, yes, I've learned to look at the date on the first posting but I love coming across a story I've never seen before.

Maybe for the 2015 forum knife we could do a TL-29 - but Carl also has to write up all his stories and send out a copy with each knife. We'll make it a package deal, so much for the knife, so much for the book. Maybe that will give Carl enough to finish his manuscript!
 
I agree! Some manufacturer needs to do this pattern serious justice! Queen would do well!
 
I like this resurrected thread as I just picked up a Robeson TL-29 at a gun show today. According to the tang stamp it was made between 1917 and 1939. First one I've ever had.
 
LOOOOOOOOOOVE IT :):) :thumbup: Awesome, wish I had the tech skill to wreak similar vengeancce on my enemies :P
 
GEC did a run of these for STR and they made some acrylic handled versions. I am the proud owner of one and I love it!
 
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