Ye Olde Rocket Forum - View Single Post - X-ACTO Catalogs and a 50's era Brochure

Quote:

Originally Posted by ghrocketman

The last versions of the #6L and #5L look just like the #6 and #5 handles, but with a wider collet slot to accommodate thicker material blades.

The first version of the #6L apparently has a "rounded" non-hexagonal handle unlike the standard #6 handle, per Earl's 1952 catalog posting.
Interested in any #6L/#5L.
Have been watching for week but no luck. Most likely "Needle in a Haystack" scenario.

Yeah, it took me a bit of looking at the illustrations in the 1952 catalog to understand that the handle on the 6L was 'rounded'. I could tell it was certainly not multi-faceted but was not sure at first just what the exact shape was they were trying to depict in the illustration. Then I finally figured it out that it was 'rounded'.

I have not been looking at Xacto stuff on ebay too very long now, just a few months, but I have not see one like that come up for auction. But you never know; I never thought those totally mint #80 carving sets with wooden boxes and still in the outer cardboard boxes would come up, but they did. And they are OLD; probably late 40s, but look (and smell!) absolutely mint. As I commented at the time, the guy out in California who ran the leather craftwork business that listed those must have had them well stored all those years...he was the original owner of the knives!

Earl