Keen Kutter Barlow--what exactly is this?

Thanks John for posting pictures of your beautiful pristine condition KK Barlow! It does indeed appear to be just like mine with one difference. Look at the stylized Keen Kutter stamping on the Bolster of your example. The letters are thicker or a blockier style where on mine the letters are less thick or wide. Does this mean anything? I don't know. Other than that, it is a dead ringer regarding the handles, the pin placement, pen behind primary, rounded bolsters and the tang stamp with the EC Simmons at top of saw tooth. Does your tang stamp at the bottom of the logo saw tooth have St Louis abbreviated STL over MO as Al pointed out in this thread in post #7 above? Thanks, Lloyd
 
Loyd, here are some photos of another one with the smaller Keen Kutter on the bolster. I believe I bought this from the same ebay seller as Augie got his? In regards to yours, I have always thought of the Keen Kutter stamps with the horns at the top of the sawtooth, and also the EC Simmons name on them, as being from around 1939. I base this on very little evidence ( I have one with that stamp and Sellens says it is circa 1939). Also, the tang stamps after Shapleigh bought Simmons in 1940, which don't have the EC Simmons name on them, all have the horns at the top of the sawtooth. Your bolsters also appear to have been ringed originally, like the ones on my knife below?
Not really sure what to make of the one I have either? The bottom of the backsprings, in the blade well, are dirty and rusty, indicating that the rest of the knife has likely been cleaned. However, also possible indicate that the knife hasn't been apart? The fit of the blades to the backsprings is pretty good. In the photo from the top, showing this, it appears that the blades are somewhat thinner than the backsprings. In hand they do not look quite as bad as the photo makes them look?
Dan
RIMG0600 by Dan Richert, on Flickr
RIMG0601 by Dan Richert, on Flickr
RIMG0603 by Dan Richert, on Flickr
RIMG0604 by Dan Richert, on Flickr
RIMG0605 by Dan Richert, on Flickr
 
Here are a couple better pics Lloyd, it does have StLouis Mo on the stamp. Maybe Simmons changed the logo on the bolsters or had an alternative logo.

Dan, I find yours very interesting in that it has the smaller logo but the knife is not a Utica, different pin placement, maybe Schrade or Camillus.


IMG_5576_zps4ztxln2c.jpg


IMG_5557_zps9wzhtvyz.jpg
 
Dan and John this is all very interesting! Dan you are right. The bolsters on my example look indeed to have been originally ringed but are very worn down. I suspect that the bolsters on mine were ground down or resurfaced and the Keen Kutter stylized letters restamped in a different stylized font from either your examples or John's. Why do I suggest or say this? Well the bolsters, given the probable age of the folder, look to nice and the stylized letters are to crisp showing no edge deformation or sharpness loss again for the suspected age of the folder. The tang logo marking it is true has the horn profile at the top of the saw tooth but the St Louis is abbreviated STL over MO but on the secondary or pen blade it is spelled out St Louis over MO from what I can tell or see. It is hard to tell if it is horned even under magnification but I am inclined to say yes. Otherwise everything else is like John's example. Like John said your example Dan is a lot different. The pin placement is not Utica like, the pen is in front of the primary and the bolsters are not as rounded. However both you and John's example have the same style tang logo marking. The back of the blade springs inside the blade well on mine are bright and shiny no rust or much discoloration. I am really starting to believe my example is a parts knife based on a Utica frame. Thanks for your input, Lloyd
 
Lloyd, I really think the Keen Kutter stamping on your bolster has to be original. I would think that anyone good enough to make the stamping look that good would have taken the time to sand down and buff the pivot pin to make it less conspicuous? I am sure there must have been variations in stampings? Three Keen Kutter barlows from two different makers, all with the smaller stamping on the bolster, none of them with patterns numbers and nothing exactly the same to be found in any available catalog? Somewhat of a mystery.
I'm stumped, regards
Dan
 
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