I recently picked up an old bone handled gunstock jack made for Sears, and I'm trying to figure out which company made this knife and around when it was made. It is etched on the master blade "Craftsman 9465 Sta-sharp" and tang stamped "Highcarbon steel U.S.A." Sorry I can't post pics, but we are still using a film camera. Has anyone collecting the gunstock jack pattern run across one of these? Does anyone have any idea about how to figure out the contractor? I'm guessing Camillus or Schrade but I haven't seen what their versions of this pattern looked like. Thanks for the help.
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Gunstock jacks
- Thread starter Bartleby
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Rivit said:
Schrade did indeed make alot of Craftsman knives, but not all.
Camillus has had the contract for quite awhile and through the 80's, Craftsman contracted several models from SEKI, Japan, from the same companies that made many of the Parker/Frost stuff.
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Actually the older ones marked "STA-SHARP" were made by Camillus circa 1930's to 1940's - when Albert Baer was a salesman for Camillus. He left Camillus and during and after WWII he was an owner of Imperial-Schrade, so starting after WWII Schrade made the pocketknives for Sears, with the CRAFTSMAN marking. Camillus seems to have taken over again by the late 70's to early 80's, but by then the Baer family also owned Camillus.
In the pre-WWII years, Camillus made several lines for Sears at different price points, including Dunlap, Sta-Sharp, and Kwik Kut...and also knives marked HIGH CARBON STEEL on the tang with the CRAFTSMAN blade etching.
It would be interesting to put together a group of old SEARS catalogs to see how their knives changed over the years. The 1890's to WWI ere knives were marked WILBERT CUTLERY Co CHICAGO, and I am told were made by Napanoch Knife Co.
I did see one knife one time that was marked SEARS ROEBUCK AND CO (arc) over CHICAGO.....the only one I have ever seen and possibly the oldest stamping.
In the pre-WWII years, Camillus made several lines for Sears at different price points, including Dunlap, Sta-Sharp, and Kwik Kut...and also knives marked HIGH CARBON STEEL on the tang with the CRAFTSMAN blade etching.
It would be interesting to put together a group of old SEARS catalogs to see how their knives changed over the years. The 1890's to WWI ere knives were marked WILBERT CUTLERY Co CHICAGO, and I am told were made by Napanoch Knife Co.
I did see one knife one time that was marked SEARS ROEBUCK AND CO (arc) over CHICAGO.....the only one I have ever seen and possibly the oldest stamping.
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knifeaholic, do you know the years for the SEKI, Japan "Craftsman" knives?
I have a nice bone handled stockman from then. I have been told they are from the 80's, but not certain what years?
I have a nice bone handled stockman from then. I have been told they are from the 80's, but not certain what years?
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Bartleby, if you have a flatbed scanner you can actually make scans of the knife on the scanner. I'm in the same boat, no digital camera, or at least a real one. You can put a large piece of relatively neutral colored paper behind it. Somewhere on here, there is a sticky that gives some instructions. I forget where though, maybe on the Levine forum. One of these guys here probably knows where and will hopefully post it.
Best.
Best.
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The Last Confederate said:
No, I can't say that I have ever even seen one...but like you say most likely 80's era.
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Well at least you have the computer to be here and we appreciate that!Bartleby said:
As I might have mentioned before, I used to be a professional photographer and now the only thing I have left is an old, fixed lens, range-finder and a cheap, cheesy digital that's more of a toy. Sometimes getting simplified goes a little too far. I'll know I've gone too far with the knives when I start thinking about getting a digital camera and lights just to take portraits of my knives. Oh, wait, I have been thinking of that. Uh-oh.
Maybe someone should come up with a "you may be a knife knut if..." list.
Of course you know it's torment for us just wanting to see that knife. <g>
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knifeaholic said:
I'll try to put up some pictures of mine Monday with the tangstamp.
They are made by the same company that made the Parker "American Eagle" knives.
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Here are the pictures of my Japanese contract Craftsman.
This one I actually have a softspot for, it was the first traditional slipjoint I ever bought for myself. Up until it, I was a SAK carrier, but a few years ago I got the urge for a traditional bone handled slipjoint, and found this one for a measly $14.00 still in the box at a gun & knife show. It holds a decent edge and has great walk/talk.
The model number obscured by the bolster is "95157".
Since getting it, I have seen several different patterns with the same bone handles, stamped Parker/Frost, including a 5 blade Sowbelly that I have since regretted not buying!
And though I have gone on to bigger and better slip's, I still carry this one every so often.
This one I actually have a softspot for, it was the first traditional slipjoint I ever bought for myself. Up until it, I was a SAK carrier, but a few years ago I got the urge for a traditional bone handled slipjoint, and found this one for a measly $14.00 still in the box at a gun & knife show. It holds a decent edge and has great walk/talk.
The model number obscured by the bolster is "95157".
Since getting it, I have seen several different patterns with the same bone handles, stamped Parker/Frost, including a 5 blade Sowbelly that I have since regretted not buying!
And though I have gone on to bigger and better slip's, I still carry this one every so often.
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The Last Confederate said:Here are the pictures of my Japanese contract Craftsman.
This one I actually have a softspot for, it was the first traditional slipjoint I ever bought for myself. Up until it, I was a SAK carrier, but a few years ago I got the urge for a traditional bone handled slipjoint, and found this one for a measly $14.00 still in the box at a gun & knife show. It holds a decent edge and has great walk/talk.
The model number obscured by the bolster is "95157".
Since getting it, I have seen several different patterns with the same bone handles, stamped Parker/Frost, including a 5 blade Sowbelly that I have since regretted not buying!
And though I have gone on to bigger and better slip's, I still carry this one every so often.
Interesting...if I had to make a guess based on your observations, it is from the 1989 time frame...at that time Parker had a deal with Sears...the Sears stores expanded their knife selections including adding Case knives (remember Parker owned Case at that time). OF course that whole deal only lasted a year or so.
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knifeaholic said:
OK, I didn't know that Parker had a deal with Sears.
That makes it easy to understand why these are out there with both names on them. Parker probably just had some stamped "Sears" and some "Parker" made in the same factory.
lambertiana
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knifeaholic said: