Acetylene Prestolite knives

A place to discuss & share pictures of anything that relates to knives.
Post Reply
eveled
Posts: 2289
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:37 pm

Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by eveled »

I always wanted one of the knives with the square holes for an acetylene valve. They were for the old acetylene head lamps on early cars. I decided to make my own, out of an old Syracuse Beer Scout. Please post pictures of yours.
DCD525CA-FC57-4738-80A0-4F161471BDAD.jpeg
9AAB0825-6D6F-4A47-9314-EE3FC0ED7527.jpeg
5846F815-D908-486C-92F3-857C97F08D61.jpeg
8F225C2C-8EF2-440C-A36B-E42D3A2FD035.jpeg
User avatar
Ridgegrass
Posts: 5356
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:04 pm
Location: Ocean City, MD
Contact:

Re: Acetylene knives

Post by Ridgegrass »

Here's a KA BAR multi with a Presto-lite key. Do you have acetylene headlights!? :D J.O'.
Attachments
IMG_1317.jpg
eveled
Posts: 2289
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:37 pm

Re: Acetylene knives

Post by eveled »

Nice one! No I don’t have any acetylene lights. I’m a plumber and a welder so I wanted a fun way to carry a spare key.
User avatar
cody6268
Posts: 3869
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2015 7:51 pm
Location: Southwestern Virginia

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by cody6268 »

Some nice ones are being shown! Today, we're seeing a sort of the same idea with 1/4 bit drivers on basically every small keychain tool and bottle opener on the market.

My only Prestolite key is on an old bottle opener/church key advertising Genesee Beer. I don't drink, but I enjoy old church keys. They are cheap, take up little space (I've got over a dozen in a small Sterlite box), and well, they do work. I still use them a lot on condensed milk; albeit none of these. I have an old Ecko for that.
20210909_213610_HDR.jpg
The maker is given as the Mercury Novelty and Advertising company of 318 Broadway in NYC. Their best-known product seems to have been thermometers.
20210909_213610_HDR(1).jpg
Has anyone got an idea of when it was made? Prior to Prohibition?
User avatar
1967redrider
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 16106
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Alexandria, VA
Contact:

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by 1967redrider »

I think this one has been broken or modified, but it would probably still work. Some German Scout might have needed to light something else up. 😵🚬
Attachments
IMG_20210909_214142183.jpg
IMG_20210909_214153239.jpg
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
User avatar
Miller Bro's
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 11618
Joined: Mon Feb 16, 2009 11:22 pm
Location: Earth

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by Miller Bro's »

Here are a couple beat up old scout knives
Attachments
27_zpshqqvdmiq.jpg
26_zpsrdsqokq3.jpg
AAPK Janitor
369
Duffer
Posts: 1020
Joined: Sat Sep 19, 2015 9:33 pm
Location: Las Vegas, NV

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by Duffer »

A HS & B made by Schrade.
Attachments
24900FB9-4469-4904-A46D-DEFFB4A30447.jpeg
19639A38-6522-4517-9477-1323C07B3998.jpeg
Lloyd
User avatar
herbva
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 1865
Joined: Thu Oct 11, 2018 7:18 pm
Location: The Old Dominion

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by herbva »

1967redrider wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:46 am I think this one has been broken or modified, but it would probably still work. Some German Scout might have needed to light something else up. 😵🚬
John, I've seen one like that before somewhere! ( ::ds:: ) I think someone told me that square cutout was so it could be used as a skate key. (But you might be too young to remember the old roller skates that needed a key.) :D
"Better to do something imperfectly, than to do nothing flawlessly." ~ Robert H. Schuller

Herb
User avatar
1967redrider
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 16106
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Alexandria, VA
Contact:

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by 1967redrider »

herbva wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 10:53 am
1967redrider wrote: Fri Sep 10, 2021 1:46 am I think this one has been broken or modified, but it would probably still work. Some German Scout might have needed to light something else up. 😵🚬
John, I've seen one like that before somewhere! ( ::ds:: ) I think someone told me that square cutout was so it could be used as a skate key. (But you might be too young to remember the old roller skates that needed a key.) :D


Well bring over your skates and torch tomorrow, we'll figure it out. 😉👍
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
User avatar
Waukonda
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 3775
Joined: Sat Aug 31, 2019 1:35 am

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by Waukonda »

Interesting stuff here!
Ike
Maddogfl
Posts: 269
Joined: Fri Jun 21, 2019 7:59 pm

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by Maddogfl »

I am an old retired, new construction plumber. I used "B" tanks every day for years. I carried a tank valve wrench on my car key ring. I would certainly buy a Prestolite knife, for old times sake, if I found one.
ScoutKnives
Posts: 1394
Joined: Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:58 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by ScoutKnives »

W.R Case and Son’s
Attachments
D6D0AE04-D0A5-4566-88AF-4269931AAEBE.jpeg
Always looking for Mint pre war scout knives
eveled
Posts: 2289
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:37 pm

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by eveled »

4B99269E-CC3B-438E-9C87-B83FF6D3BA73.jpeg
This one is kind of cool. The feet are a bottle opener and there is a square prestolite key. Even the round hole for the key chain is the baseball.
User avatar
1967redrider
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 16106
Joined: Wed Feb 02, 2011 4:23 pm
Location: Alexandria, VA
Contact:

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by 1967redrider »

Being a baseball fan, that is super cool. ::tu:: 8)
Pocket, fixed, machete, axe, it's all good!

You're going to look awfully silly with that knife sticking out of your @#$. -Clint Eastwood, High Plains Drifter
doglegg
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 17731
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2017 2:35 am
Location: Grand Prairie, Texas

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by doglegg »

1967redrider wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 1:00 am Being a baseball fan, that is super cool. ::tu:: 8)
I agree 👍
User avatar
Ridgegrass
Posts: 5356
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2020 2:04 pm
Location: Ocean City, MD
Contact:

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by Ridgegrass »

The HSB is my kind of knife. ::tu:: ::tu:: J.O'.
eveled
Posts: 2289
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 9:37 pm

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by eveled »

Some more interesting key chain ones from eBay listings. I think they are all vintage except for the Indian Motorcycle one is a repro. Interesting that none of the adds mention the square hole acetylene or presto-lite. It’s the same problem I ran into searching for a pocket knife with the hole. The sellers don’t know what they have.
ADFB1C5D-D433-4759-870A-1BBA70214890.jpeg
42308DB7-A38C-43D0-A725-A7B3D629E327.jpeg
6977F620-2BD6-4426-9B1F-CD7D3F863171.jpeg
D931F761-4D03-4F4C-AB01-9E447CF1A928.jpeg
09E6F1F4-7C7E-46B7-9492-37AC405BC9D9.jpeg
79611AF2-7BCA-4068-98E0-E0B849FBC386.jpeg
E7D918E0-F5BD-4072-8E4F-BAC35887A881.jpeg
User avatar
gsmith7158
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 8548
Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2015 7:25 pm
Location: Canton, Ga. 100% of the time
Contact:

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by gsmith7158 »

Here's an old Empire with a prest-o-lite key.
Attachments
009 (4).JPG
------------------

Greg

IF YOU AIN'T BUYING OR LOOKING AT A KNIFE THEN YOU AIN'T LIVING.
Always looking to buy good quality Empire knives.

PROUD MEMBER AAPK, NRA.
User avatar
DM11
Gold Tier
Gold Tier
Posts: 7198
Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2017 4:46 am
Location: Kansas

Re: Acetylene Prestolite knives

Post by DM11 »

eveled wrote: Sat Sep 11, 2021 12:47 am 4B99269E-CC3B-438E-9C87-B83FF6D3BA73.jpeg

This one is kind of cool. The feet are a bottle opener and there is a square prestolite key. Even the round hole for the key chain is the baseball.
8) ::tu::
David
Post Reply

Return to “General Knife Discussion”