Thrifty Thursday... Cheap Traditional Knives

A couple of my thrifty go-to users:
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Been feeling a little “hawkish” lately, and since I couldn’t grab one of the new GEC’s, and didn’t want to carry my now discontinued Case zytel hawkbill. Stumbled across this on the big bookstore, $8 with taxes and everything. So far I am liking it, sharpens easily so I am assuming it is a soft steel (mystery stainless)
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This is a rare week in which the Thrifty Thursday knife I post is one that I'm actually carrying this week. This 1936-1952 Imperial Scout is my Work Knife representative this week. You can see from its tag in the consignment shop where I bought it that it was inexpensive, and you can see from the second photo that it still needs more TLC.
imp.scout.pile.4open.jpg

pile.4open.pliers.jpg

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
This is a rare week in which the Thrifty Thursday knife I post is one that I'm actually carrying this week. This 1936-1952 Imperial Scout is my Work Knife representative this week. You can see from its tag in the consignment shop where I bought it that it was inexpensive, and you can see from the second photo that it still needs more TLC.
View attachment 2076252

View attachment 2076254

- GT
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The can opener dates your Imperial Engineers Knife to no earlier than 1947.
She looks to be in good shape over-all. Well worth the asking price, IMHO. Great score. 😇👍

I'm planning on carrying mine again starting Friday, along with a few others equipped with 1095. 👍
 
afishhunter said:
The can opener dates your Imperial Engineers Knife to no earlier than 1947.
She looks to be in good shape over-all. Well worth the asking price, IMHO. Great score. 😇👍

I'm planning on carrying mine again starting Friday, along with a few others equipped with 1095. 👍
Click to expand...
Thanks for the additional info on date for my knife. :thumbsup::cool::thumbsup: Maybe the knife is actually a "birth year knife" for me (1951); that would be cool!

Do you know what kind of can opener Imperial used before the "2 curved points" can opener on my knife? (FWIW, mine has "Can Opener" stamped on it, but nothing about "patent pending". It's also a bear for me to open the can opener; main blade is 5-6, bottle opener 7-8, can opener 8-9 IMHO.)

Where does the "no earlier than 1947" come from? I'm trying to get a "reference" for that, but all I've found so far is this patent info that says Imperial applied for a patent on that style can opener in Nov. 1944 and patent was issued on Christmas Day 1945 (seems like a strange date to grant a patent).
https://www.datamp.org//patents/displayPatent.php?pn=2391732&id=40228
Did it take Imperial more than a year to actually start using that style can opener? So often I see "Pat. Pend." on knives, which suggests the knife companies may have started using their "new inventions' before the patent was officially granted. Just working on "logic" (a questionable method, no doubt), I'd have thought the can opener might indicate my knife was made no earlier than 1944.

Any ideas about what the pen blade instead of an awl might indicate about date or purpose of the knife?

Have fun carrying yours!

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Thanks for the additional info on date for my knife. :thumbsup::cool::thumbsup: Maybe the knife is actually a "birth year knife" for me (1951); that would be cool!

Do you know what kind of can opener Imperial used before the "2 curved points" can opener on my knife? (FWIW, mine has "Can Opener" stamped on it, but nothing about "patent pending". It's also a bear for me to open the can opener; main blade is 5-6, bottle opener 7-8, can opener 8-9 IMHO.)

Where does the "no earlier than 1947" come from? I'm trying to get a "reference" for that, but all I've found so far is this patent info that says Imperial applied for a patent on that style can opener in Nov. 1944 and patent was issued on Christmas Day 1945 (seems like a strange date to grant a patent).
https://www.datamp.org//patents/displayPatent.php?pn=2391732&id=40228
Did it take Imperial more than a year to actually start using that style can opener? So often I see "Pat. Pend." on knives, which suggests the knife companies may have started using their "new inventions' before the patent was officially granted. Just working on "logic" (a questionable method, no doubt), I'd have thought the can opener might indicate my knife was made no earlier than 1944.

Any ideas about what the pen blade instead of an awl might indicate about date or purpose of the knife?

Have fun carrying yours!

- GT
Click to expand...
They started using that style can opener in '47, from what I found online. I don't remember where I found that info though. It was a few years ago, when I was trying to narrow down the date mine was made.
(My memory isn't as good as it used to be ... presuming it was ever as good as I think remember it was ...)

As for which can opener was used prior, my guess is the more popular can opener used on the military and Boy Scout knives from roughly 1938 ~ 1939 to 1945 ~ 1946. All I "know" for sure is it was one that put the sharp edge up as the can was opened.
Prior to this "safety can opener" design, troops getting cut by their rations cans was supposedly the number one cause of injury during the war.
 
afishhunter said:
They started using that style can opener in '47, from what I found online. I don't remember where I found that info though. It was a few years ago, when I was trying to narrow down the date mine was made.
(My memory isn't as good as it used to be ... presuming it was ever as good as I think remember it was ...)

As for which can opener was used prior, my guess is the more popular can opener used on the military and Boy Scout knives from roughly 1938 ~ 1939 to 1945 ~ 1946. All I "know" for sure is it was one that put the sharp edge up as the can was opened.
Prior to this "safety can opener" design, troops getting cut by their rations cans was supposedly the number one cause of injury during the war.
Click to expand...
This YouTube video is kind of interesting. It's done by Tobias Gibson, who used to post LOTS of reviews of Rough Rider models back when Rough Rider was a new company. The video is 15 minutes long, but the safety can opener stuff is all in the first 10 or 11 minutes.

He claims that Imperial had the patent for, and exclusive rights to use, the safety can opener from 1945-1952. He mentions the same "inventor" that was on that patent link I sent yesterday. He also shows some older can openers, and some "variations" on Imperial's safety can opener that other companies designed to get around patent infringement.

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
This YouTube video is kind of interesting. It's done by Tobias Gibson, who used to post LOTS of reviews of Rough Rider models back when Rough Rider was a new company. The video is 15 minutes long, but the safety can opener stuff is all in the first 10 or 11 minutes.

He claims that Imperial had the patent for, and exclusive rights to use, the safety can opener from 1945-1952. He mentions the same "inventor" that was on that patent link I sent yesterday. He also shows some older can openers, and some "variations" on Imperial's safety can opener that other companies designed to get around patent infringement.

- GT
Click to expand...
"Tobias Gibson"... a wealth of knowledge about camp/scout/utility knives.
 
I know I’m a day ahead, but thrifty traditionals were surprisingly featured in a new Knifecenter video. I might have a few nitpicks with some of what is presented, but all in all I enjoyed the video and was pleasantly surprised to see some of my favorites in it:

 
Here's a "trapper" from the Marbles Workman series. Spearpoint blade (with ruler on pile side of blade), flathead screwdriver/wirestripper/bottle opener (don't know if it will open cans), Philips driver, arrow shield, black G-10 covers, substantial shackle - a lot to like for a little money!
workman.mark.open.jpg
workman.pile.closed.jpg

- GT
 
5K Qs said:
Here's a "trapper" from the Marbles Workman series. Spearpoint blade (with ruler on pile side of blade), flathead screwdriver/wirestripper/bottle opener (don't know if it will open cans), Philips driver, arrow shield, black G-10 covers, substantial shackle - a lot to like for a little money!
View attachment 2084751
View attachment 2084753

- GT
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Gotta check that one out. Thanks for the photo Gary.
 
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