"Old Knives"

supratentorial said:
Neat barlow. Clauss had knives made for them by several companies. I have an old Clauss jack knife that was probably made by Case. I'm not sure who made your knife. Maybe Utica?
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I was thinking Utica as well on initial inspection, but what threw me off that supposition was the camber/angle of the bolsters as they draw towards the liners. I took a top-down photo to illustrate this a little better, though the lighting isn't the greatest:



It will definitely bear some more research this weekend. Until yesterday I had no idea that at one point Fremont, OH was considered the cutlery capital of the United States, so clearly there is more to learn about this little fella.
 
Tsarbomba,Heres my Master
12696960_551927444983703_5055620948335833681_o.jpg


Primble,not as nice as yours....All I can afford.....Unless....:D
12141129_511599682349813_1112564433150527058_o.jpg



Some amazing knives being shown as always......

I so agree....JD
 
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I know Robeson made knives for Clauss and most of Robeson's Barlows were round bolstered like that one.
 
supratentorial said:
Thank you, r redden. Goods used to be packaged in wooden boxes and crate openers were common every day items. But that knife is the only example of this pattern that I've seen. It seems likely that it was a promotional item for opening boxes of candies. It has an advertisement for C.S. Ball Candy Company on the crate opener. At first, I thought "ball candy" meant gum balls but "C.S. Ball" was the name of the fellow that owned the company. They were located in Ohio but they are no longer in business. The company is very old but I have not figured out when they closed down.
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Thanks Jake.That is very cool. :cool:
 
jdracing said:
Tsarbomba,Heres my Master
Primble,not as nice as yours....All I can afford.....Unless....:D
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That's a nice cigar jack, JD. I wonder if these were all Montgomery Ward specials to begin with. Thanks for sharing!

CNoyes said:
I know Robeson made knives for Clauss and most of Robeson's Barlows were round bolstered like that one.
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Good information, thanks Charlie. :thumbup: Some of the research I did shows that Case, Queen and Robeson all made knives for Clauss (as did some unnamed others, I'm sure). The real uncertainty lies in the 50 year window between Clauss moving to Fremont and their acquision by Alco, when it appears by all accounts they stopped producing traditional pocketknives. You don't see too many of them, though, so I simply had to pick it up despite the uncertainty in its ancestry.
 
jdracing said:
Tsarbomba,Heres my Master
12696960_551927444983703_5055620948335833681_o.jpg


Primble,not as nice as yours....All I can afford.....Unless....:D
12141129_511599682349813_1112564433150527058_o.jpg



Some amazing knives being shown as always......

I so agree....JD
Click to expand...

I have that same Master in Red...wish I knew more about it/them.

IMG_20321.jpg
 
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Good info Charlie. I don't think I've ever seen a Robeson barlow except in photos.

That's some impressive stag on that pruner.
 
Hey TsarBomba, nice Clauss you've got there! Based on the pin configuration and covers I'd consider Cattaraugus too. Here's a few old Catt barlows to compare, as you can see Catt may have contracted with another company too...

Catt_Barlows1.jpg


Catt_Barlows2.jpg


Catt_Barlows3.jpg
 
67nick said:
Hey TsarBomba, nice Clauss you've got there! Based on the pin configuration and covers I'd consider Cattaraugus too. Here's a few old Catt barlows to compare, as you can see Catt may have contracted with another company too...
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Phenomenal Catts there, 67nick! I'm familiar with the scripted bolster version, and yours has some lovely bone scales with deep rich color, but I'm especially intrigued by the unmarked ones and the sheepsfoot in particular (I'm bidding on a very similar one that needs a little TLC but is fundamentally sound). Yours is a lot like my recent Primble acquisition with what appears to be a smooth bone mark side and a sawcut pile side. I wonder if Catt was similar to the Craftsman stockmen I've seen where the number of digits in the pattern number generally indicated the maker -- maybe the three-digit Catt Barlows are from a different factory than the four-digit ones? Great photos of even nicer Barlows, thank you for sharing! :thumbup:
 
WOW,can't never compete with that Primble,and everyone seems to have those eye poppers
always coming...
Heres a couple that have been used quite a bit,but the covers are so sweet I've
been seriously thinkin bout putting some nice blades in them....I started trying to get the
smaller Boker apart,but that pin is in there....Looks like I may have to cut the pin.....

They've got character for sure...Just wish the blades were full,or fuller....
JD

12710846_552261208283660_3211849853079840032_o.jpg


Gimme a holler,
JD
msjdracing@rtmc.net
 
jdracing said:
Tsarbomba,Heres my Master
12696960_551927444983703_5055620948335833681_o.jpg


Primble,not as nice as yours....All I can afford.....Unless....:D
12141129_511599682349813_1112564433150527058_o.jpg



Some amazing knives being shown as always......

I so agree....JD
Click to expand...

Love the Beautiful Old Stag on the Turner Jd.

r redden said:
I have this massive Granddaddy Robeson Barlow next to a old Ulster Barlow for size comparison. This thing is a monster.

EpMTHBy.jpg
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Awesome old GD Barlow Randy!

67nick said:
Hey TsarBomba, nice Clauss you've got there! Based on the pin configuration and covers I'd consider Cattaraugus too. Here's a few old Catt barlows to compare, as you can see Catt may have contracted with another company too...

Catt_Barlows1.jpg


Catt_Barlows2.jpg


Catt_Barlows3.jpg
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Whew - Nick Sir- LOVE those Catts!

Primble said:
New York Knife Company:
35je1dt.jpg
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Primble- just breathtaking - I just love that Big Coke Bottle Lock-Back What a Knife!!!
 
jdracing said:
WOW,can't never compete with that Primble,and everyone seems to have those eye poppers
always coming...
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And I can't hardly compete with any of you guys, so I have to be content to mostly just watch the thread.

Good stuff guys. :thumbup:
 
TsarBomba said:
Phenomenal Catts there, 67nick! I'm familiar with the scripted bolster version, and yours has some lovely bone scales with deep rich color, but I'm especially intrigued by the unmarked ones and the sheepsfoot in particular (I'm bidding on a very similar one that needs a little TLC but is fundamentally sound). Yours is a lot like my recent Primble acquisition with what appears to be a smooth bone mark side and a sawcut pile side. I wonder if Catt was similar to the Craftsman stockmen I've seen where the number of digits in the pattern number generally indicated the maker -- maybe the three-digit Catt Barlows are from a different factory than the four-digit ones? Great photos of even nicer Barlows, thank you for sharing! :thumbup:
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Thanks so much Tsar! It's hard to say if your Primble piece and this Catt maybe related, but that's part of what makes this hobby so awesome. I just love the history, investigation, and above else the true craftsmanship of these old knives and knife companies. The sheepsfoot Catt seems to be a little less common than the version with the scripted bolster, I've seen two others besides the one I own, but based on the construction I think they were made around the same time. The clip point barlow I think was made a little later and could possibly be a contract knife. Each of the barlows has a standard four digit pattern number and for more info on Cattaraugus numbering system check this reference guide on AAPK; http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/content/knife-manufacturer-specific-research/cattaraugus-knife-reference-guide/cattaraugus-knife-numbering-system/
 
Primble said:
New York Knife Company:
35je1dt.jpg
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Primble that NYKC collection is gorgeous. I'd love to spend some time checking out your collection in person. You always post such great knives. :thumbup:

jdracing said:
WOW,can't never compete with that Primble,and everyone seems to have those eye poppers
always coming...
Heres a couple that have been used quite a bit,but the covers are so sweet I've
been seriously thinkin bout putting some nice blades in them....I started trying to get the
smaller Boker apart,but that pin is in there....Looks like I may have to cut the pin.....

They've got character for sure...Just wish the blades were full,or fuller....
JD

12710846_552261208283660_3211849853079840032_o.jpg


Gimme a holler,
JD
msjdracing@rtmc.net
Click to expand...

J D those covers are beautiful.
 
supratentorial said:
These two Schrade knives have a locking screwdriver that unlocks by pressing down on the spine of the knife blade. Newer versions had a liner lock (like the Klein knives above).
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supratentorial said:
Thank you, guys. TsarBomba, you should see the locking mechanism (if there is one) inside the well. If you post a photo like this one then me or another forum member will be able to identify it.
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Well I finally pulled out my linesman knives and took a closer look at the Schrade. Though it speaks to a possible loss of cognitive facilities in my old age :confused: it does appear I misremembered a detail about my Schrade after all. First, the outside:





Its original owner seemed to have a thing for that strange slanted-line "rune" on both scales. This one is nowhere near as pristine as yours, obviously, but I like to think it had a good, proper, honest working life before it got to me, and the marks on the scales and bolster are "character lines". :D It is still plenty usable, so I opened the blades to check the guts.



Well, what do you know, under a flashlight that looks like a slot and platform that could be part of an integral lock! I closed up the master spear and went to fold the driver blade into the handle, and what do you know, resistance! Well, you know how those linesman's knives have beastly thick and powerful springs... Gave it a little more juice, yet the driver's going nowhere. Push down on the master and suddenly ol' Bob's yer uncle! The driver blade swings closed with a minimum of effort.



So I'll revise my earlier comment, I have a working Schrade TL-29! Be it ever so humble, it's a nice little piece of history. Here it is with my 4-line Camillus version -- doesn't the shield just class that Schrade right up?



Thanks for sharing yours, Jake!
 
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Nice knives being shown by everyone. I really like that large New York coke bottle. I always ask about them when I see them at knife shows.
 
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