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Here's an interesting snippet I came across from the National Bureau of Standards 1933 book entitled "Standards and Specifications for Metals and Metal Products". It mentions a publication called the Pocket Knife Manufacturers Standard Catalogue. I did a quick Google search on the name of the catalog, but came up dry, other than that there's a copy of the catalog at the McCracken Research Library in Cody, WY, which is a hefty 2000 miles away from me.
I figured that I should probably post it up here, since some of this old documentation that is so important to our hobby, is quickly becoming lost to time. It appears that the catalog was designed to limit the number of pocket knife patterns and cover options that cutlers were allowed to produce in the US. If anybody here has more information on this catalog, or why it was produced, your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
PS - Some of the information here really goes to show how much the Barlow pattern was viewed as an inexpensive working man's knife.
I figured that I should probably post it up here, since some of this old documentation that is so important to our hobby, is quickly becoming lost to time. It appears that the catalog was designed to limit the number of pocket knife patterns and cover options that cutlers were allowed to produce in the US. If anybody here has more information on this catalog, or why it was produced, your knowledge would be greatly appreciated.
PS - Some of the information here really goes to show how much the Barlow pattern was viewed as an inexpensive working man's knife.
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT, DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, BUREAU OF
STANDARDS; SIMPLIFIED PRACTICE
RECOMMENDATION FOR POCKET
KNIVES, R99–30, JANUARY 1, 1930
POCKETKNIVES
On November 13, 1928, a general conference of representative manufacturers, distributors, and users of pocketknives drafted a simplified-practice recommendation. The industry has since adopted, and approved for promulgation by the Department of Commerce, this recommendation which limits the varieties of pocketknives to those described herein.
The basis of this simplification is the shape and size of the haft or handle which are governed by the basic die. To aid in identification, 140 illustrations referred to are shown as complete knives in the Pocket Knife Manufacturers Standard Catalogue. The haft of these knives represent the shape and size of 140 basic dies.
Special attention is drawn to the fact that the covers, as well as the style of blade, size of blade, and number of blades, are shown only to aid in identifying the hafts. The dimension indicated beneath each illustration represents the length of the haft. . It should be remembered that the shape and size of the haft is to be considered only as a means of identifying the pertinent approved basic die.
It is permissible for a pocketknife manufacturer to fit any standard haft, any required type of blade, or
any number of blades, so long as the total variety in the line of knives produced by that manufacturer does not exceed 500.
One hundred and forty cuts are shown in the Pocket Knife Manufacturers Standard Catalogue, but it should be noted that any one manufacturer is limited to 107 basic dies, selected from the above named catalogue. Moreover, any one manufacturer is allowed 5 basic dies not shown, provided his total does not exceed 107.
The haft-length tolerances or deviations are as follows: Up to and including 3% inches in length, one-sixteenth inch, plus or minus; longer than 3% inches, one-eighth inch, plus or minus. These deviations are allowed in order to accommodate the existing dies of manufacturers. It is further recognized that proportionate deviations in widths will occur.
Item 1. The number of styles or numbers should not exceed 500 knives in any one line; different colors of celluloid to constitute separate numbers.
Item 2. One hundred and seven basic dies shall not be exceeded in any one manufacturer's line.
Item 3. Fifteen standard colors of celluloid with 10 additional optional shall not be exceeded, these colors to be revised as necessary.
Item 4. The number of celluloid-handled knives in any manufacturer's line shall not exceed 200.
Item 5. The number of pearl knives in any manufacturer's line shall not exceed 75.
Item 6. Nickel-silver bolsters not sanctioned on pruners, barlows, and stabbers.
Item 7. Steel linings only sanctioned on pruners, barlows, and stabbers.
Item 8. Brass or nickel-silver linings sanctioned on all numbers except pruners, barlows, and stabbers.
Item 9. Black insides sanctioned only on pruners, barlows, stabbers, and such other patterns as may be developed from the stabber category; that is, basic dies Nos. 16 and 33 of the Pocket Knife Manufacturers Standard Catalogue.
Item 10. Pruners, barlows, and stabbers should have glaze-finished blades only.
Item 11. The catalogue shows illustrations of hafts or handles with or without easy-opener notch hollows, and these handles may be made either way without being considered as a deviation from the basic dies, each constituting a separate number.
Item 12. The 15 standard colors of celluloid are as follows:
- White.
- Black.
- Shell.
- Candy Stripe.
- Red horn.
- Buffalo horn.
- Gray horn.
- Tinsel.
- Red.
- Ultra pearl.
- Golden pearl.
- Abalone pearl.
- Green pearl.
- Blue pearl.
- Smoke pearl.
