Camillus 14. Bone or Delrin?

[TripleF]

It's tought to tell. Any help, and timeline, would be appreciated.

[Paladin]

Delrin, IMO.

[chautauqua]

i have a whittler with similar looking scales that are delrin

[trail]

The 1946 catalog shows the 14 pattern as being handled in bone stag, which I think is Camillus's term for bone jigged to look like stag. Their synthetic handled knives from the 1946 catalog are refered to as pyroxylin, which I think is celluloid.

The 1965 catalog shows the 14 as brownstag, which I think is delrin.

The 1982 catalog calls it brown delrin.

[gino]

Delrin

[knife7knut]

Easiest way I have found to tell natural from synthetics is the "rub 'n' sniff" test. Rub an edge of the scale briskly until warm to the touch and smell.Synthetics will usually give off a very distinctive aroma while MOST natural materials will have little or no odor. Also touching the tip of your tongue to the area will produce a sharp taste if it is synthetic.
Looking at the ends of scales is also a clue;bone will have distinctive little holes called Haversian canals due to bone being porous.I have yet to see anyone duplicate that in plastic.

[orvet]

Nice pattern Scott and a good example too.

I am 99.9% sure that is Delrin from the picture.
When I enlarge it I see it is smooth and no evidence of the Haversian canals, K7K mentioned.

[knifeaholic]

Its delrin. Typical of the handles that Camillus used from circa late 1960's through the 80's at least. Genuine bone handles used by Camillus circa 1950's did not even remotely resemble those handles in the jig pattern or coloring.

[TripleF]

Thanks guys!!

[jerryd6818]

Scott, easy way for me to tell is look at the pins. If they're spun pins, spinning of the pins melts the synthetic handle material where the spinning tool contacted the handle. Bone will have the circle if they got into the handle with the spinner but it won't have that "melted look".

[wazu013]

Delrin, but still a great knife. You have to remember that when they started using Delrin it was a real happening in the knife industry. Knives then were made to use and Delrin is very durable. To a Camillus collector Delrin is part of the game. Camillus did their best work for everybody else. When they had left over stock from a contract they would build a nice line of collecters. Otherwise they built to beat.
wazu013

[knifeaholic]

I just discovered this Camillus post WWII era stockman in my "for sale" roll. This is what Camillus bone from that era looked like. In my experience post WWII era bone handled Camillus knives from the 1950's era are pretty scarce.

[CalFred]

Looks like Delrin to me.

[CalFred]

Here is a bone handled Camillus I just didn't buy on Ebay scroll down.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Camillus-USA-Ba ... 500wt_1413


here is the same knife in Delrin

[wazu013]

When Dale calls it Delrin he's rarely wrong. I say Delrin.
wazu013

Nice pattern Scott and a good example too.

I am 99.9% sure that is Delrin from the picture.
When I enlarge it I see it is smooth and no evidence of the Haversian canals, K7K mentioned.