Colonial Knife Co Providence R.I.

[deltaboy]

Deltaboy- very nice. I'm starting to like these knives, I want to get more in the traditional style. What make of single blade should I look at? From reading on the traditional forum, everything from different makers seems very similar , who is the top current maker of traditional style folders?

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Case makes a Sodbuster and there tons of them around.

 

[B.Mauser]

B.Mauser, thank you very much for the information, it's a really nice little knife. Here is a picture after I cleaned it up, DeoxIT made the bolsters shine in a couple of minutes

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You are very welcome Gunther. Great job cleaning that up. I am impressed. :thumbup:

My Ranger Stockman and a Western Stockman.

Hi deltaboy. Nice knives. I love the Ranger stockman, hard working knife.

 

[B.Mauser]

I just got this black Old Cutler Trapper. Model 320. I already had the yellow one. These are made in saw cut brown, smooth white, black and yellow.

Its in new and un used condition but it looks like the person I bought it from did me a favor and scratched up, I mean cleaned up, the handles with steel wool.

Still pretty nice.

 

[B.Mauser]

Colonial made the knives and owned the trademark for Sharp™ USA. These knives were sold at Kmart stores across the USA from the late 1970's through the mid 1990's. Colonial did not make or own Sharp Japan.

These were stainless steel and marked as such on the package.Some were also marked Stainless on the tang. I believe them to be 420 but Colonial never advertised which stainless. Colonial used 420 for most of their stainless steel knives reserving their 440 for what they considered their higher end knives.


The Sharp knives were made on the anvil knives machines. So they were basically an Anvil knife with just a couple changes. Colonial would stamp the main blade with the Sharp tang stamp instead of Anvil.Then they used the Colonial Stagalon handles instead of the Anvil handles.


Below are some pictures of Sharp knives.

Here is a Model 380 which Colonial called the Trapper. This one is still in the original clam pack from 1992.

Here are a couple I have. A model 380 and a little moose peanut with a blade marked 260.

There is some confusion when it comes to identifying these different models. There is a number stamped on the main blades that is the model number. The problem with relying on that number comes from something Colonial did in the 90s when things were not going very well for them.

Colonial would go through the warehouse and find knives to assemble using parts from different models or even lines. Many sharp knives used the exact same blades other than the model number stamped on the tang. They were just configured differently. So you could take the frame from a 260 or 280 and use a main blade marked 270 and it would come out the same other than the number.

So at this point the only model number I know for sure is the 380 because its the only one I have seen in original packaging.


Remember what I said about Sharp being made on Anvil machines?

There must have been quite a bit of Sharp parts sitting around because I even have a knife that is mostly Anvil other than a Sharp 380 main blade.

Here it is with a Sharp 380 for comparison.

I also have an old Colonial model #426 peanut that was made in the early 1960s. It has the solid nickle silver bolsters used before Colonial went to the pressed on bolsters. Its shape is the same as Anvil and Sharp so I though it would be interesting here also.

 

[Hickory n steel]

It's funny that they called their sharp brand stockman a trapper.

 

[Ironbut]

We were visiting relatives in FL for the last two weeks & I ran across this one at the flea market in Webster. I haven't had a chance to clean it up yet or sharpen it yet. Every other traditional knife I found there looked like the blades were almost completely ground away on a bench grinder.

 

[B.Mauser]

It's funny that they called their sharp brand stockman a trapper.

Yes it is. Colonial obviously knew the difference between a trapper and a stockman. I guess they liked the name trapper more.

Maybe they assumed the average consumer of these low end knives wouldn't know the difference and would somehow be more inclined to buy it with a cool name?

We were visiting relatives in FL for the last two weeks & I ran across this one at the flea market in Webster. I haven't had a chance to clean it up yet or sharpen it yet. Every other traditional knife I found there looked like the blades were almost completely ground away on a bench grinder.

Hi Ironbut. Looks like you found a nice one. Doesn't appear to even be sharpened since the factory.

I know what you mean about the knives ground down to nubs on some kind of electric grinder. Drives me crazy too. Cheap knives are just disposable to some people I guess.

 

[Hickory n steel]

Yes it is. Colonial obviously knew the difference between a trapper and a stockman. I guess they liked the name trapper more.

Maybe they assumed the average consumer of these low end knives wouldn't know the difference and would somehow be more inclined to buy it with a cool name?






Hi Ironbut. Looks like you found a nice one. Doesn't appear to even be sharpened since the factory.

I know what you mean about the knives ground down to nubs on some kind of electric grinder. Drives me crazy too. Cheap knives are just disposable to some people I guess.

My dad used to have the habit of using the electric knife sharpener at the restaurant he worked at,
Drives me crazy how he'd use a knife a handful of times then ruin it on that thing.

 

[Ironbut]

Hi Ironbut. Looks like you found a nice one. Doesn't appear to even be sharpened since the factory.

I know what you mean about the knives ground down to nubs on some kind of electric grinder. Drives me crazy too. Cheap knives are just disposable to some people I guess.

Yes, I doubt it's ever been sharpened. It's as dull as a butter knife, literally.

 

[B.Mauser]

Here are a couple new ones I finally took pictures of. These Forest Masters have no shields.


During Colonials last years in operation they did everything they could to lower their cost of making knives. One thing they did was stop adding shields to the handles. These came from the Colonial auction in 2002.


The red Forest Masters are rare but this is the only white stagged Forest Master I have ever seen. I have never seen a glow in the dark Forest Master either.

I have seen a glow in the dark key chain knife, an electrician and a Ranger Stockman all by Colonial but this is the first Forest Master.

Here are a few other similar models of stagged Forest Masters. These all have the belt punch and can opener like Victorinox knives.

 

[btb01]

Holy bright colors, Batman!

B.Mauser, those are fantastic! And they look pristine! Very cool knives. :thumbup:

 

[B.Mauser]

Holy bright colors, Batman!

B.Mauser, those are fantastic! And they look pristine! Very cool knives. :thumbup:

Hi btb01. Thank you, I am happy you enjoyed seeing them. I cant believe what great condition they are in after sitting in a wood crate in a warehouse since 2002.

 

[screened porch]

I could see the pen blade was ruined, but then I saw the patent number on it and thought it must be a rare blade design (and of course worth millions, even though it's a Colonial). Got it home and the patent number is for the pop-on bolsters. No idea who did what to this or why.

Criminy, what a song and dance.

There! Imgur worked! (the dropbox will disappear in a couple of days.)

 

[JupiterPaladin]

Colonial is a heck of a value nowadays. They can be picked up for a few bucks and very little effort to refurbish. You get some nice carbon steel for cheap!

 

[TedderX]

I win.

 

[JupiterPaladin]

So does anybody know what steels they actually used? The carbon steel blades seem pretty good but I've not picked up any in stainless yet, though it's just a matter of time I'm sure. I just figure that I've gotten them as users and the carbon steel seems like a better option.

 

[Hickory n steel]

So does anybody know what steels they actually used? The carbon steel blades seem pretty good but I've not picked up any in stainless yet, though it's just a matter of time I'm sure. I just figure that I've gotten them as users and the carbon steel seems like a better option.

I believe they likely used 440a for stainless, but either way they seem to have done a decent job with it.

 

[screened porch]

Seems like a while since we've heard from B.Mauser.

 

[B.Mauser]

I could see the pen blade was ruined, but then I saw the patent number on it and thought it must be a rare blade design (and of course worth millions, even though it's a Colonial). Got it home and the patent number is for the pop-on bolsters. No idea who did what to this or why.

Criminy, what a song and dance.

There! Imgur worked! (the dropbox will disappear in a couple of days.)

Oh I didn't notice these new posts. I thought this was still a few pages back.


Well I am sorry to hear you are not a Millionaire now scrteened porch. Funny story though. But yeah all the Anvils have that patent number.

Looks to me like someone took a chip out of the blade and decided to file it into that shape to keep using it.

Colonial is a heck of a value nowadays. They can be picked up for a few bucks and very little effort to refurbish. You get some nice carbon steel for cheap!

Hi JupiterPaladin. I sure do agree with everything you said there. I really enjoy getting them all cleaned up, sharpened and ready.

Share some picture of your finds sometime if you want. We would enjoy seeing them.

I win.

Hi TedderX.

Nice knife. That is the 2nd model of Davy Crockett knife made by Colonial.


The first model came out in 1950. It had a main knife blade and a secondary cap lifter and screwdriver blade. It also had a bail.


Here are a couple of my first model Davy Crockett knives.

The second model came out in the 80's. It was a little smaller, had a single blade and no bail. It was from a line of knives Colonial called "Collectables" and isn't marked Colonial anywhere. The tang stamp says just U.S.A.


Here is one of the second models new in the package.

So does anybody know what steels they actually used? The carbon steel blades seem pretty good but I've not picked up any in stainless yet, though it's just a matter of time I'm sure. I just figure that I've gotten them as users and the carbon steel seems like a better option.

I do. Most of Colonial knives were carbon steel. 1095 was reserved for their nicest carbon steel knives such as the Old Cutler line. Then they used 1075 for the mid grade knives like Ranger and Anvil and 1055 for the lower priced knives.

They did make some stainless steel blades. The fruit knives were stainless. Most of Colonials stainless knives were 420 but they also used both 440A and 440B. But 440 was saved strictly for their most expensive knives like the 2000 series of the Swiss Master line.(Swiss Army copy)

 

[JupiterPaladin]

Thanks for that B. Mauser so I'm assuming that means the bulk of the cheap Colonials we can pick up here and there will be 1055 carbon steel then. But now that you've given me this info, you've doomed me to a fate of searching out Anvil and Cutler blades so I can compare them! Really great info though. Thanks!

I also have another one coming but will get pics when I can. Does anybody know about the Providence RI knife companies? Like we're there a dozen of them, or just 1 contracting to Imperial, Colonial, Camco, etc?