"Old Knives"

[4ever3]

You are correct, that is where I found it, but I could still post it if you like.

Jeremy, the only book I know of that illustrates PERMA-LUBE knives and/or a catalog ad page is Dewey and Lavona Ferguson's The Romance of Collecting Cattaraugus, Russell, Robeson and Queen Pocketknives. (that title might not be word for word correct)

What a fantastic pocket knife Charlie! Well, they all are but this one is in a class all on its own! Thanks for posting these to let us all have a look.

[/QUOTE]

 

[black mamba]

CN, you are a blessed man! Thank you for sharing with us.

 

[zerogee]

Dwight, never heard that about tortoise before, but now I feel better about the scales not matching on this knife. .....

Mike, yes, real tortoise shell scales almost never "match" -- unless both scales are the darker, less showy material. You'll basically never see two matching showy scales of the real thing - short of something really special, like a Sheffield Exhibition level knife. If you see two showy scales on a more usual production knife, it's tortoise cel.

Here's a 4"x6"x1/8" sheet of NOS tortoise shell celluloid that I recently sold:

This will give you an idea of how scales of tortoise cel might vary, depending on how they're cut from the sheet. The quality and nature of tortoise shell cel of course varied depending on who made it - this above is basically as good as it gets. (This piece has a matte finish on both sides - this seems to be standard for cel sheets.)

-- Dwight

 

[CNoyes]

I looked at my Terrier whittler. There is a bit less color on the pile side handle, but it isn't completely dark. Still some amber definition there.
So, I'm going to assume it's celluloid.

Jim, you keep calling yourself a collector. I've seen pocketknife collections in person and on-line that have kept me humble. Just check out the Made in Sheffield thread on this website.

I've been after Robesons for twenty-two years now. I don't buy like I used to. I think I tend to execise a little more judgement than I used to.

Besides, I know of other Robeson collections better than what I've managed to put together. I used to see a couple at some Mid-West knife shows that would go through the venue and buy every Robeson they saw, if they didn't already have the pattern.

 

[CNoyes]

Here are some premium Robeson pearl handled multiblades.
Robeson's best quality knives had the identical full tang stamp on all blades.
Several of these knives fit that category.

I think pretty much all these knives have flush blades whether ID'd as "PocketEze" or not.


This three blade equal-end shadow lobster has, "E. H. Shaw" engraved into the pearl handle.
Pattern number 735231.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a three blade Shriner's sleeveboard lobster with bail.
Pattern number 733745.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

A three blade pearl handled lobster with a wider cuticle/nail blade.
Pattern number 733445.
Excellent condition.

This is a nice serpentine three blade pearl handled PocketEze lobster.
There is a small oval metallic sticker on the back side stating,
"OIL THE JOINTS".
Pattern number 733213.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

A nice little pearl handled three blade lobster.
Pattern number 733135.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

A three blade pearl handled lobster with tip bolsters.
The pearl handle is nicely engraved, "G. Hulsey"
Pattern number 733077.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a small equal-end shadow lobster with pearl handles and an oval shield.
Pattern number 743164.
Excellent condition.

This nice four blade pearl handled equal-end has long pulls on all blades and
EO cuts on the frame for each blade.
Pattern number 743006.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This pearl handled equal-end crown knife has long pulls on all blades.
Pattern number 742366.
Excellent condition. It's unsharpened, but has a crack across the pearl on
the back side.

This is a swell-center, equal-end four blade with pearl handles and,
"G. W. WOLF" engraved on the back handle. Tip bolsters.
Pattern number 742358.
Excellent condition.

This four blade equal-end senator is one of the first knives I bought back in 1988 or 89.
Pattern number 742253.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This sleeveboard lobster has scissors as the fourth blade. Pearl handles with
a gold colored PocketEze shield.
Pattern number 742205.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

A nice PocketEze four blade equal-end shadow with gold colored shield and
pearl handles.
Pattern number 742198.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This knife has covered backsprings. It is a four blade equal-end shadow
senator. Nice bomb shield.
All long pulls.
Pattern number 742089.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is Robeson's version of a four blade gunstock whittler, like an old
NYK Orange Blossom.
It has pearl handles, a federal shield and Masonic emblem engraved on the
front.
This knife came in an original Robeson box with printed guaranty and
instructions on how to care for genuine pearl handles. Basically, it says,
"Take Care"
Pattern number 742082.
The area of dullness at the end of the master spear is a reflective
phenomenon. The knife retains all its original lustre.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a six blade pearl handled equal-end shadow lobster with slide out
tweezers and tooth pick.
I have seen one other Robeson pearl six blade lobster, but it was a different pattern than this one. It was a very nice knife.
This one has a pattern number of 763741.
Only in very good condition, unfortunately.

Enjoy.

 

[thejamppa]

Wow, Charlie, that is real stunning knife. Thanks for sharing!

 

[waynorth]

An exquisite group of Pearls, Charlie. "Pens and Gents' " knives don't get the respect they deserve in today's collector market. Everyone wants the bigger knives, but the workmanship in these smaller ones takes years to learn properly. You don't see many made like this these days!

 

[KnifeHead]

An exquisite group of Pearls, Charlie. "Pens and Gents' " knives don't get the respect they deserve in today's collector market. Everyone wants the bigger knives, but the workmanship in these smaller ones takes years to learn properly. You don't see many made like this these days!

That's an excellent point, (waynorth) Charlie, AND what an amazing collection of preserved old knives. Thanks for sharing your little treasures with us.

 

[CNoyes]

I'm enjoying posting these here. I'm glad you guys are finding them interesting.

I spent some time this afternoon going through the first fifty pages of the Tony and Reese Bose thread. What a bunch of fantastic knives from two premier craftsman making the kinds of knives guys like us like to see. Fantastic.

 

[CNoyes]

Today, I'm going to show some knives of various pattern and blade count. Some of these knives I find quite interesting.


First is a 4 3/8" swell-center Elephant's Toenail with worm-grooved green
colored bone handles and large escutchen shield.
This knife has two backsprings. The small blade bears one spring, the large
blade bears on both.
As far as I know, Robeson was the only cutlery to produce a two spring toenail.
This knife has some salesman sample markings on the back of the master
spear blade.
Pattern number 622409.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a 4" swell-center equal-end moose with dark brown bone handles and
escutcheon shield.
Master spear and clip blades.
Pattern number 622187.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a 3 1/2" equal-end jack with brown bone handles, a bar shield, slant
bolsters and an exaggerated master clip blade.
Pattern number 622847.
Excellent condition.

This is a 3 3/8" horticultural/budding knife. This is quite small for the pattern,
as most of these knives are in the 4' to 5" range. I've seen photos of
larger budding/grafting knives with a master blade shaped exactly like this one, but larger.
There is a bone spud built into the knife and a nail/file blade as secondary.
Pattern number 622076.
Full blades, but only excellent condition.

This 3 3/8" ivoroid handled Barlow jack has a spey master blade.
Pattern number 421200.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This oval equal-end box/utility knife has brown bone handles. There is a
master spear, secondary pen and cap-lifter/tack-puller/screw-driver blade.
It is 3 3/8" long.
It has no pattern number.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This ivoroid handled three blade regular jack is 3 1/2" long.
The handles advertise The Moore Oil Co. "That Good Oil".
There is a spear master, a screw-driver/wire-stripper and punch blade.
It has no pattern number.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a 3 5/8" brown bone serpentine PocketEze Wood Craft knife with
master clip, secondary pen and a special chisel/gouge blade.
The master blade is nicely etched "WOODCRAFT" with a firelog motif.
Pattern number 633875.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This three blade Eureka cattleman's knife is 3 7/16" long. It has nicely
jigged tan bone handles and a PocketEze shield. Master spear, spey and punch.
Pattern number 633717.
Excellent condition.

This equal-end three blade cattle knife has a master clip, spey and punch.
The handles are brown bone. The shield is one that Robeson only used on
knives with a belt punch. Some of the shields were stamped, "B-P".
The knife is 3 1/4" long.
Pattern number 632846.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This brown bone handled, tip bolstered sleeveboard has a spear master, pen
and scissors.
At first glance, one thinks it a lobster, but it is not. There is no blade on the
bottom.
It is 3 1/8" long.
Pattern number 632405.
Excellent condition.

This is a three blade scout/utility made for the U. S. Army during WWII.
It has nice brown bone handles and a shield stamped, "U.S.A."
It has no pattern number, but is built on Robeson's usual 214 handle-die
shape frame.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This cocobola handled 4 1/2" take apart slot knife is etched "KUCO" on the master blade.
Pattern number 231322.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This 3 5/8" equal-end knife is nicely etched "Carpenter's Choice".
The handles are black fibre composition and are held in place by the over-
lapping liners and bolsters. No handle pins were used.
Pattern number 138433.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is the bone handled version of the pattern above. It has handle pins.
It is also 3 5/8" long.
The master clip blade is nicely etched, "Carpenter's Choice".
Pattern number 632433.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is Robeson's standard four blade scout/utility knife. It has brown bone
handles with shield.
It is 3 5/8" long.
Pattern number 642214.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is another Robeson scout/utility from WWII. This one has the usual four
blades. Nice brown/tan jigged bone handles, but no shield.
It has iron liners and bolsters.
It is 3 5/8" long.
Pattern number 642214.
Excellent condition.

This is the NO-RUSTAIN version.
Nice brown bone handles, NO-RUSTAIN shield.
Master blade etched, "RUSTLESS-STAINLESS".
3 5/8" long.
Pattern number 649214.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

This is a four blade small or junior scout/utility. It is 3 1/4" long.
Nice brown bone handles with "OUTING" shield.
Pattern number 643814.
Excellent Unsharpened condition.

This is a Robeson made standard scout/utility, but stamped:
GLOBE / CUTLERY CO. / U.S.A.
Same as the standard scouts above. Look at the can-openers and
screw-driver blades.
No pattern number.
Very good condition.

This one has black composition handles and "KA-BAR" shield.
The master is stamped "KA-BAR".
Same knife as the standard scouts above.
No pattern number.
Excellent unsharpened condition.

 

[Miller Bro`s]

Nice show Charlie:thumbup:

Question, has the blade on that 742082 you posted above been welded at the tang of the master blade?

It sure looks that way to me, but I have been wrong before

 

[zerogee]

Nice show Charlie:thumbup:

Question, has the blade on that 742082 you posted above been welded at the tang of the master blade?

It sure looks that way to me, but I have been wrong before

It does look kinda strange, but I put it down to them severely necking-in the thickness of the main blade to clear between the two secondary blades. Knives of this pattern are usually made without a wedge or split-spring type construction -- more typically these have a thick main blade tang with parallel springs with only a spacer between the secondary blades (not the springs). The main blade has to be thinned down a lot to fit between the secondaries properly.

 

[CNoyes]

Dimitri;
Not to my knowledge. The knife is how I bought it.
I've never noted anything amiss having the knife in hand.
Knowing, however, your expertise in these matters, now you've
got me wondering.

I bought this knife off Ebay in the relatively early days of that operation.
The seller's photos made the front handle look as though it was badly
broken right through the shield.
Also, some reflection in his photos looked like brown rust on the main blade.
Yet the seller stated "no rust no pits" and "beautiful handles" or something
equivalant.

The auction was to end right in the middle of the day, just about the time I'd
be scrubbed and involved in a major heart surgery case. (No, I'm not an MD).

I gave somebody all my Ebay info and talked them through a last minute
bidding process.

I bought the knife for $180.00. When it arrived, it looked like a "mint" knife.
No cracks in the handles, no rust on the blades.

If the blade has been welded, I'm going to be really
disappointed.:thumbdn:

 

[Miller Bro`s]

Charlie, it might just be the photo you posted. But if you look just above the "Robeson" it looks to be a different color. However, as you noted the tip of the blade looks discolored and it is not, just a reflective phenomenon in the picture.

I hope it is not welded, it is an awesome knife, especially with the original box

 

[2Dead]

This is new to me. Its a Schrade Walden Half Whittler in smooth black celluloid. Tang stamp would put this one between 1946 and the 50's.

 

[tongueriver]

That is a cute Schrade Walden. It is black celluloid, which seems to be quite stable, from what I have seen. Delrin made its appearance in the year 1960.

 

[2Dead]

That is a cute Schrade Walden. It is black celluloid, which seems to be quite stable, from what I have seen. Delrin made its appearance in the year 1960.

Ahh. Thanks for that. Its not my first Schrade but it is my first Schrade Walden.

 

[malextwo]

2Dead - Nice SW. Half-Whits are a great pocket carry.

CNoyes - I think I'm suffering from sensory overload. Love all the beautiful bone!!

Mike

 

[CNoyes]

2Dead, that's a very attractive knife. Schrade-Walden, slick black, Wharnecliff frame. Beautiful.

Mike, thanks for the positive comment. Robeson used several very nice types of bone, almost all were exceptionally pretty.

 

[navihawk]

2dead, I have one of those. The way the blades nest in and the swedges makes for great quality. Charlie, thanks again for the eye candy.