Jump to content

** USMC pocket knife wooden handles curved blade **


General Apathy
 Share

Recommended Posts

General Apathy

.

Requesting please, any information and possible date on this style of knife.

 

My late father used to use this as a rose pruning knife in the 1960's, it has USMC pressed into the wooden handle, single blade and marked ' DUNLAP - USA '.

 

I have found similar DUNLAP knives on-line but none marked USMC.

 

thanks in advance lewis.

 

.post-344-0-08082900-1548694205_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Johan Willaert

My late father, as a professional gardener, had many knives like this..., but none Military marked though...

 

I,still have one or two of his knives, will check for brands and markings

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do not think this is United States Marine Corps but rather a tool made by United Shoe Machinery Co., they made many tools that were simply marked USMC and often get mistaken for military. Do a google search on the company and you'll see what I mean. They had a funky way with the script of their markings, I see the characteristics here especially with the "C"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy

I do not think this is United States Marine Corps but rather a tool made by United Shoe Machinery Co., they made many tools that were simply marked USMC and often get mistaken for military. Do a google search on the company and you'll see what I mean. They had a funky way with the script of their markings, I see the characteristics here especially with the "C"

[/quote.

.

Hi Dustin, thanks I am aware of the company who stamped things USMC with an accentuated letter C, this is the reason I posted it here to get opinions on the knife, if it were a Marine Corp knife then the curved blade is also a mystery.

 

you mention being made by United States Shoe Machinery Co, would you know if ' DUNLAP ' which is marked on the blade is one of their companies or not.

 

cheers lewis.

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gosh, I really don't know if there is a connection. It was just the USMC stamp that got me thinking about the United Shoe. A thought in one investigative facet.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy

My late father, as a professional gardener, had many knives like this..., but none Military marked though...

 

I,still have one or two of his knives, will check for brands and markings

.

Hi Johan, thanks for looking at your fathers knives, I seem to feel that all gardeners liked these curved blades, I was just curious as to why my fathers one should have USMC on the side, when it was made by DUNLAP.

 

on a side note you would like to be sat in my house this evening, I washed four pair of WWII blue denim jeans and three blue denim jackets, these were all the damaged ones that needed some repairs made to rips on them.

 

thanks lewis.

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

THe knife reminds me of an electricians knife or ones used by power linemen to slice and strip insulation from cable.

 

I use to see them at work often in the underground repair kits and tool belts.

 

I think Klien made the ones we had.THe old school knives were wood handled

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Did see this mentioned on a blade forum about Dunlap.

 

Appears it was a knife marking for SEARS & Roebuck made knives manufactured by Camillus.Dunlap was used prior to the trade name Craftsman.Not sure it pertains to the knife posted.There appear to be many patterns of the Dunlap knives.

 

"Col. Tom Dunlap was the hardware and cutlery buyer for Sears in the 1910s-40s period. He created the CRAFTSMAN brand of tools sold by Sears, though this brand was not used on knives until after WWII. He also created the Sears "National Hardware Week" promotion. I learned about him from the late Albert M. Baer, who sold Sears all of its knives from 1922 into the 1980s.

In the 1930s, Dunlap asked Baer to create three knife brands for Sears, at three price points. All three were manufactured by Camillus. The brands were STA-SHARP (best), DUNLAP (middle), KWIK-KUT (budget)."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy

Did see this mentioned on a blade forum about Dunlap.

 

Appears it was a knife marking for SEARS & Roebuck made knives manufactured by Camillus.Dunlap was used prior to the trade name Craftsman.Not sure it pertains to the knife posted.There appear to be many patterns of the Dunlap knives.

 

"Col. Tom Dunlap was the hardware and cutlery buyer for Sears in the 1910s-40s period. He created the CRAFTSMAN brand of tools sold by Sears, though this brand was not used on knives until after WWII. He also created the Sears "National Hardware Week" promotion. I learned about him from the late Albert M. Baer, who sold Sears all of its knives from 1922 into the 1980s.

 

In the 1930s, Dunlap asked Baer to create three knife brands for Sears, at three price points. All three were manufactured by Camillus. The brands were STA-SHARP (best), DUNLAP (middle), KWIK-KUT (budget)."[/size]

.

Hi Ron, many thanks, thats much more information than many of us knew before I posted this enquiry.

 

 

lewis.

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Johan Willaert

Hi Johan, thanks for looking at your fathers knives, I seem to feel that all gardeners liked these curved blades, I was just curious as to why my fathers one should have USMC on the side, when it was made by DUNLAP

 

on a side note you would like to be sat in my house this evening, I washed four pair of WWII blue denim jeans and three blue denim jackets, these were all the damaged ones that needed some repairs made to rips on them.

Checked the knives, no maker marks, except for a faint logo on one of them...

 

 

Too bad I wasn't there to seen the denims being stone-washed...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy

Checked the knives, no maker marks, except for a faint logo on one of them...

 

 

Too bad I wasn't there to seen the denims being stone-washed...

.

Hi Johan, thanks for looking at the knives,I think that theres a partial answer from Doyler, at least I now know that Dunlap knives were made by Camillus. Which also sadly muddies the water slightly further, why would a knife made by Camillus under the Dunlap brand then have USMC possibly ( United Shoe Machinery Corp ) stamped on the side slabs.

 

You will still get to see the denims when they are auctioned.

 

lewis.

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy

my dad was an electrician and I have his knife and it looks almost exactly like the knife pictured except it has a bail in the hole

Thanks, that backs up the mention Doyler makes of there being electrician connection, still hope someone has an idea or definite details on the USMC marking.

 

lewis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

... why would a knife made by Camillus under the Dunlap brand then have USMC possibly ( United Shoe Machinery Corp ) stamped on the side slabs.

 

Hawkbill knives are routinely used in the shoe industry to cut thick leathers. The answer to the question above is most likely because United Shoe Machinery Company purchased the knives wholesale from Sears and Roebuck, stamped them, and re-sold them through their catalogs to their customers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

General Apathy

Hawkbill knives are routinely used in the shoe industry to cut thick leathers. The answer to the question above is most likely because United Shoe Machinery Company purchased the knives wholesale from Sears and Roebuck, stamped them, and re-sold them through their catalogs to their customers.

.

Thanks for joining in I have seen lots of pieces stamped up with the USMC shoe company logo, including beeswax, thread etc. all relative to shoe production or repairs.

 

lewis.

 

.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...