All About Pocket Knives

Hello,

I have a WWII era Schrade TL-29 electrician's knife. The knife has wood handle scales with a TL-29 badge. The main (spearpoint) blade has been cut off above the tang stamp. The tang stamp says Schrade over Cut Co. over Walden NY. I can't tell if there is a USA under the Walden NY line. I have examined the bolsters and cannot see any evidence of a pivot pin. My question is this; When did Schrade start using the swinden key method of assembling knives? If This knife was not assembled using swinden keys, how can I get the pivot pin to reveal itself?

There will not be "U.S.A." stamped into the tang. Your knife, as you know, was made before the Spring of 1946. The Swinden method was not incorporated until sometime between 1960 and 1962. So the pin is there.

Okay, Thank you so much for the swinden key information. If the pin is there, what can I do to expose it?

Drive a thin (think cheap kitchen knife or thin putty knife) carefully between one of the blade tangs and the center liner from the front. That should open it up enough to show the pin.

Here is a quick video showing how the Swinden key is made, and how to gain access to them:


https://youtu.be/YLEB0KySrkY?si=_kQVsGQuhYp6XaKT