Original owner, smoke-free home.
Circa approx. 1960s-70s (possibly earlier) - per Red Hill Cutlery (my local cutlery store in KY) from whom I bought this knife in about 2007 as a vintage knife.
A beautiful Imperial made in USA traditional large stockman 3-blade knife with a very nicely executed synthetic material stag-pattern handle in the brown to cream color range. The stainless steel blades snap open and shut tightly, slight lateral wobble in the open position, as might be expected on a knife this age that has seen regular use.
Very, very rare to find vintage Imperial US made knives from this era with stainless steel blades. I have only come across ones with the more traditional carbon steel blades. Imperial uses 440 stainless steel for their blades, however do not know the specific type of 440 used (ie: A, B or C).
Traditional serpentine (double curve) profile.
I have not carried this knife since buying it in 2007. I have kept it dry, clean and oiled, so no rust or other patina markings on blades or backsprings. Sharpened it one time since owning it - carefully with professional edge sharpening equipment that maintains a 20 degree angle - just enough to keep the blade functionally sharp but not alter any of the profiles of the 3 blades. - see photos -
Beautiful solidly built US made knife with high quality materials and fit and finish that will last from one generation to the next.
From a non-smoking home, stored in controlled temperature and humidity conditions.
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SPECIFICATIONS:
o synthetic Delrin type material stag pattern handle scales with oval Colonial shield inset in handle.
o stainless steel blades with the typical Colonial flat grind or possibly shallow hollow grind of that era.
o Main clip point blade has the iconic rarer 'long pull' slot with match strike serrations which collectors look for. The other two blades have a more common 'nail nick' pull.
o blade thickness - all: approx. 3/32 inches / 2.38 mm
o blade total lengths (base of tang to tip):
- main clip point blade: approx 3.0 inches / 73.0 mm
- sheep's foot blade: approx 2.0 inches / 50.8 mm
- spey blade: approx 2.0 inches / 50.8 mm
o blade edge type: plain
o nickel silver bolsters with brushed surface - bolster material is 80% nickel silver
o 3 pins (center pin supports the heat-treated backsprings)
o steel pivot pins for blades in bolster
o brass liners
o length closed: approx 4.0 inches / 101.60 mm
o length open (main clip point blade) approx 6.875 inches / 174.6 mm
o width: approx 7/16 inch / 12.0 mm
o weight: approx 2.5 ounces / 70.87 grams
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Imperial Knife Company history - summarized from: 1977 interview with Felix Mirando:
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/imperial-an-interview-with-michael-mirando.1154273/
and
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Schrade
Brothers Felix and Michael Mirando moved to the US in the early 1900s with their family from a little town in Italy called Frosilona, about ninety miles northeast of Naples. They were third generation knife makers - their father and grandfather made knives in Frosilona, known for knife production. The townspeople there were all individual knife makers. Every family made their own knives.
Felix and Michael initially worked in the US knife industry as employees of the Empire Knife Company located in Winsted, Connecticut. Felix started there in 1910 when he was fourteen years old and worked six years. Michael worked there seven years. In 1916, with their friend Domenic Fazzano as manager, they established the Imperial Knife Company in Providence, Rhode Island. Felix was twenty, his brother Michael was twenty-eight.
The reason for coming to Providence is that their beginning would be in making the kind of knives the jewelry industry was buying, and Providence was then the center of the jewelry industry. Balfour and Jostens were a couple of the more well known of the many jewelry concerns located there. They made skeletons (ie: knives with no handles) for “waldemar” type knives with a bail on the end so they could be attached to a pocket watch chain. The jewelry manufacturers bought the skeleton knives from Imperial and then they finished the handles themselves - typically gold, gold filled or silver handles.
During WWI they produced knives under contract for the US Navy under the brand name "IKCO". These knives were followed after WWI by their skeleton knives sold to the jewelry companies. Imperial then began making a growing line pocket knives at the beginning of the 1920s, and by 1940 they were the largest producer of pocket knives in the world.
Imperial produced simple single blade knives, two-blade jackknives, traditional 3-blade stockman knives and other similar knives with numerous handle variations that are increasingly sought out by collectors today. Beginning in the 1930’s they began making hollow sheet steel handled knives with celluloid handle covers. They improved on the original celluloid handle material over the years to make it more durable, wear resistant and resistant to oil and chemicals. They also made higher-priced knives with a more traditional construction of 80% solid nickel silver bolsters and solid Delrin-type plastic composite handles scales in various finishes and textures, attached to steel or brass handle plates. Per Felix Mirando: "What this company has always insisted on doing is putting a good value into whatever they made at the price...even with ... inexpensive knives, they still have a strong structure and good steel in them. I think it's saying a lot that we put the same pride and craftsmanship into the cutting edge of each knife, no matter what it sells for."
Imperial stainless steel blades are 440, their carbon steel blades are 1095. For the linings they use 1018 low carbon steel and most of that they brass plate - this is for the lower priced knives. The higher priced knives have solid brass linings and some have stainless steel linings also.
For 440 stainless steel blades, Imperial uses an atmosphere of cracked ammonia. The stainless goes through the furnace at up to 1950 degrees and into the cracked ammonia atmosphere quench on the other end. It has now gone -for 440 steel, from a hardness of about 22 or 23 up to 55 or 56 on Rockwell C scale with no change in color.
The blades then are put in the deep freeze at 120 degrees below zero for roughly four hours. That gives them spring flexibility, resulting in a 440 blade up in the high 50s on the Rockwell C scale with excellent spring temper. This gives the maximum hardness and still not have a brittle blade. After hardening and tempering the blade properly, then it is a matter of grinding and finishing to the final quality of edge and overall finish for that particular knife. The 1095 carbon steel blades go through a slightly different process and end up with a final hardness of 57 to 58 Rockwell C.
In 1941, Albert M. Baer purchased the Ulster Knife Company (founded in Ellenville, New York, in the 1870s), merged it with the Imperial Knife Company and named this new business the Imperial Knife Associated Companies to produce knives for the military during WWII. This company was the single largest cutlery producer in the world at the time. Albert's brother Henry was the company's first president and the namesake for Schrade's "Uncle Henry" line of knives. Tang stamps bearing the "Imperial" name appeared until 1988 and were replaced by the "Schrade" name after that.
On 31 July 2004, the year Schrade celebrated its 100th anniversary, they closed their factory in Ellenville, NY. The Schrade name was purchased by Taylor Brands LLC. In July 2016, Smith and Wesson Holding Corporation's Battenfeld Technologies division purchased Taylor Brands. They continue to manufacture products under the Imperial brand name as well as Schrade, Old Timer, Uncle Henry & Smith & Wesson. Production is now in China and the US.
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