TL-29 Examination #5

Atlas Hardware Company (ATCO) was based in New York City selling hand tools. They imported goods from Italy like the TL-29 pocketknife. In 1932 they began to use the company name in commerce but did not yet have their products marked with the ATCO brand name but only with their origin "ITALY".
The secondary blade is etched "To Release Push Center Lock To Left" on the mark side reading from tip to hilt.

1932-1942

After WW2 they registered their logo in the US in 1955 and began to mark their TL-29 knives "ATCO ITALY" and the secondary blade etch still reading the same.

1955

 By 1965 they began importing from Japan to save costs. Things went well and they expanded to a larger distribution location in Fairfield, New Jersey (Essex County). By 1978 they began a partnership with Irving Frisdell of the famous Oxwall Tool Company of Oxford Township, New Jersey (Warren County).

A location at 227 Park Avenue in Queens, New York also.  Distribution from Essex to Warren of goods from New York City imported from Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and Taiwan. Oxwall Tools was affiliated with Warren Products, Ltd. and the Pioneer Merchandice Corp. Co., Inc. that had harrassed it's union workers to reveal union information or be expelled in 1962.   The Queens location of Oxwall Tool Company was abandoned in 1987.  Atlas Hardware Company then fell into bankruptcy in 1989 and assets seized to fulfill taxes owed. Irving Frisdell his partner did a " Nunc Pro Tunc" in the probate of the firm and purchased the assets from the tax authority. Began outsourcing nearly all of it's manufacturing overseas and changed it's name to "OxTech Industries" in 1999.

Oxwall Tool Company

A true historic gem but the burden to keep it maintained in the "Industrial Historic District" left it abandoned until it was seized for taxes owed then put to a Sheriff's auction in 2004.

An attorney named Stuart Kellner (Dufton Kelner, Ltd.) invested in this site and immediately had difficulty with local authorities.

 Slowly he began to strip the plant totally of machinery, sheet metal, tools and other valuable assets by 2006. A warrant put out for his arrest for failing to appear at municipal court regarding debris at the site. After paying off tax debt completely the Oxwall Tool Company facility was burnt by arson by 9PM the very same day.

The fire began in the basement of the most attractive part of the plant the General Store.

2012

"Tools For The Home Craftsmen The World Over"

PERI TL-15-A ELECTRICIAN PLIERS

These PERI brand pliers were paired together with ATCO TL-29 knife to make a CS-34 US SIGNAL CORPS. POUCH kit.  The one seen (above photo) I crafted from leather myself.

The story of this region is interesting:

By the start of the 20th century it was obvious that Venice's existing port at Bacino San Marco was incapable of servicing large modern ships.  A new port was constructed at the western end of Venice at Stazione Marittima.  Peri is a small village in Veneto not far from Vicenza and Venice.  During the First World War the Italian government had decided to develop an industrial zone and state-of-the-art port at Marghera on the mainland opposite Venice and near the town of Mestre .  A residential area was also constructed for the zone's workers. In 1923 the first chemical factory commenced production.  The C&E Marshall Company (Chicago) published it's first catalog of hand tools imported from this region in 1925.  By 1940 more than 60 factories were established at Marghera, and as a result during World War II Allied bombers targeted Porto Marghera.  Bombing missions June 1944 were events regarding the petroleum/oil/lubrication (POL) facilities that supplied Nazi Germany .  The MARCO trademark used by C&E Marshall Company is named after the original industrial area Bacino San Marco.  The TL-15-A electrician pliers were produced in 1952 bearing the brand name PERI which means "small" in translation "small pliers".  The United States imported much during the "Economic Miracle" period 1952-1960.

During the Vietnam War US combat knives were imported from Japan to save effort in a failing economy.  The TL-29 was distributed by various hardware stores and electrical supply chains.

The screwdriver tip on the secondary blade was made thicker on these.  See the comparison when along side a Ka-Bar #1148
(photo below).