history
The model no. 304, then still noted under the number 204, appears for the first time in the 1901 catalogue. It was offered as a "small soldier's knife", although the tools were the same as for the larger soldier's knife, model no. 200. From around 1920, Victorinox produced model no. 204 with handles made of fiber, horn and staghorn (see catalogue 1922) and nickel silver jaws. These scale variants were only offered for a short time. In 1932 there were only fiber scales again, but the model was available in carbon steel or stainless steel. This remained so until the end of production.
The model changed only slightly in the course of production, except that from 1946 the newly patented can opener was used.
From the mid-1960s, the model was no longer produced. It was still represented in the 1969 catalogue, but only while stocks lasted.
functional parts
Model No. 304 has a large cutting blade, an awl, a screwdriver and a can opener.
There was the model with or without a towing bracket (the suffix "U").
material thickness
Large cutting blade: 2.3 - 2.4 mm; Awl: 1.5 - 1.7 mm; Screwdriver: 2.0mm; Can opener: 2.0 mm
construction
Model no. 304 is a 2-layer pocket knife. The upper layer consists of the screwdriver and the can opener, the lower layer the large cutting blade and the awl. The head rivet made of nickel silver, together with the 2 jaws, fixes the screwdriver and the large cutting blade; the foot rivet the can opener as well as the awl and a spacer. The center rivet is used to fix the two scale parts and the back springs.
scale material
Fiber red in particular was used as the scale material. At times, the model was also available with horn and staghorn scales, but only for a very limited time.
Liners/spacers/rivets
When carbon steel was used, the sinkers and rivets were steel; in the case of tools made of stainless steel, the liners and rivets are made of brass, with the head rivet and the jaws always being made of nickel silver and the intermediate layer made of brass.
Trade names: small soldier's knife, mechanic's knife