All About Pocket Knives

I have a 3" Sleeveboard Pen with jigged handles and tip bolsters that appears never used and the only marking is an etch on master blade: "Walden Stainless".
Is this an original Walden Knife Co. knife ? 1870-1923 so would be close to the 1923 date.
Expert needed here i think.
thanks, kj

I do not know the answer to your question but the handles appear to me as bone. Would that be correct? I like the shield, it is interesting. It's also worth noting the choils are cut correctly, which I see much more often on pre war knives.

It's original, Walden was one of the early manufacturers to use stainless steel.

Quote: "It's original"
Excellent news. Thank you !
I wonder if this was an example of stainless that the Walden Knife Co. salesman could show to retailers ?
kj

No I don't think so. I have one similar that only the blade was etched not easy to see, but the same bone jigging as your knife and another with a tang stamp but different jigged bone, pictures attached.

O.K., so Walden Knife Co. did not tang stamp at least some runs of stainless steel pen knives.
Very fine stockman example. I hardly ever see Walden Knife Co. knives. I think they are somewhat rare (not quite as rare as hen's teeth).
Thanks for helping and the pictures speak many words too.
kj

I just noticed the lack of a tang stamp and possibly MB hasn't noticed it either. I personally haven't seen a Walden Knife Co. knife that wasn't stamped. The knife you posted is certainly a Walden Knife product. The bone jigging and the shield are absolutely typical for a Walden/Winchester knife, and the etch is fairly common.

It might be possible that the knife is a second (if the pin crack is original) and the tang stamp was obliterated. That's the only explanation I can think of, however, as MB noted, it is authentic.

JMO

Here is a Sta-Sharp Stainless pen that had the misfortune to have been made with celluloid handles.Note the blades are in excellent condition and the handles,brass liners,and steel back spring has disintegrated.

msteele6 wrote:I just noticed the lack of a tang stamp and possibly MB hasn't noticed it either. I personally haven't seen a Walden Knife Co. knife that wasn't stamped. The knife you posted is certainly a Walden Knife product. The bone jigging and the shield are absolutely typical for a Walden/Winchester knife, and the etch is fairly common.

It might be possible that the knife is a second (if the pin crack is original) and the tang stamp was obliterated. That's the only explanation I can think of, however, as MB noted, it is authentic.

JMO

The first knife I posted above (with blades closed) is not tang stamped the blade was acid etched just like the OP's.

It is my opinion that the early one's were acid etched and not tang stamped, maybe to be able to distinguish between carbon steel blades and the new stainless steel blades. Some companies stamped the rear tang with SS, Stainless, etc. on their stainless steel pocket knives.

Also I have seen two or three others so far that had the Walden Stainless etch with no tang stamp, one of them is posted somewhere on this web site.

Love those old knives! The jigging on the bone in the OP is awesome! You boys have some mighty fine knives there K7K too bad about the cell going bad on that one, that was a cool old knife. I have two Walden knives. Neither one is stainless though, and both have hard wood handles.

k7k, wow ! i am truly amazed. The off gassing cell destroyed the liners & spring of the Sta-Sharp knife, but the stainless steel blades are not even mildly affected.
I did not know that stainless steel is not affected by the breakdown of celluloid. Very impressive especially considering that the Sta-Sharp stainless steel is an early stainless steel, less 'refined' than today's more 'high tech' stainless steels.
kj

I was wondering, do the early stainless blades have magnetic propertys?

Monte

kootenay joe wrote:k7k, wow ! i am truly amazed. The off gassing cell destroyed the liners & spring of the Sta-Sharp knife, but the stainless steel blades are not even mildly affected.
I did not know that stainless steel is not affected by the breakdown of celluloid. Very impressive especially considering that the Sta-Sharp stainless steel is an early stainless steel, less 'refined' than today's more 'high tech' stainless steels.
kj

When I got that knife it was in sad shape and eventually broke in half. I keep it next to my computer to remind me to check my cel handled knives frequently.

I know this is almost a year old but here goes:
"I was wondering, do the early stainless blades have magnetic propertys"
The blade on this WALDEN Stainless knife strongly attracts a magnet, as does modern stainless steel.
As far as i know all blade steels will attract a magnet. Somebody please correct if this is wrong.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:I know this is almost a year old but here goes:
"I was wondering, do the early stainless blades have magnetic propertys"
The blade on this WALDEN Stainless knife strongly attracts a magnet, as does modern stainless steel.
As far as i know all blade steels will attract a magnet. Somebody please correct if this is wrong.
kj

I believe the magnetic strength of a stainless steel blade is affected by the carbon content of the steel. I have a strong magnetic tool holder next to my computer that I use to store/display knives and many stainless blades will not hold on it.

I know that scrap yards pay significant price differences for magnetic stainless vs. non-magnetic stainless

Interesting. Before i posted i took a small magnet and held it close to 5 blades each with a different stainless steel. The magnet 'glommed' onto all of them. ("glom" to adhere strongly, including jumping across a space to get to desired object)
It is a separate topic but which stainless steels are only weakly magnetic ?
kj

Edit: i just tried a few more: CPM154, BG-42, CPM M4 & CPM 20CV, all strongly magnetic

kootenay joe wrote: It is a separate topic but which stainless steels are only weakly magnetic ?
kj

Edit: i just tried a few more: CPM154, BG-42, CPM M4 & CPM 20CV, all strongly magnetic

Most of the ones I have that do not stick are kitchen knives.

Surgical, food handling and higher grade kitchen stainless are non magnetic. I'm in no way a specialist on this but do know that there are many many grades of stainless. I have quite a few guns that are stainless and are all magnetic, including a $2000 pistol. I have a stainless Randall made knife that is magnetic as well. All modern automobile exhaust systems are low grade magnetic stainless and last the lifetime of the vehicle. So as I see it stainless is a good corrosion inhibitor, magnetic or not. Keep those carbon steel blades oiled. Ken

Well this is 'odder': i just checked my kitchen cutlery, stainless blades by Chicago Cutlery, Victorinox, Henckels and a few Japanese knives as well as my table knives & forks. All attract & hold a magnet. Some of these knives are 'low end' and some are 'high end' but all attract a magnet.
So far every stainless knife blade i have checked is magnetic, from expensive customs to Rough Riders to my kitchen cutlery.
kj