Camillus, gone but not forgotten

[muskrat man]

When I recieved this wonderful old bone handled stockman yesterday it reminded me of the day when I posted on "another forum" about how I bought a few camillus knives to remind myself of thier nice quality and got alot of steam about "what quality?" and "are you joking?" those people must have never seen any of camillus' older knives. this knife's tang stamp dates to the late 60's and early 70's bone handles, milledl iners and liner decoration, it reminds me of thier quality and of the quality of the past that is so hard to find today.

[jonet143]

great knife, kaleb!

[Pen & Toothpick]

I will have to keep my eye out for one around that time in bone also!

If you wouldn't have said anything I would have guessed that was your filework on the liners, I bet it gave you an idea or two.

[BIGHEAD]

I have one of their later stockmans with wooden scales It is a great knife,strong springs and excellent finish

[Pen & Toothpick]

Very nice wooden Scales Bighead!

You know it made me think, Camillus was a customer of one of the guys I worked with for 10 years.....it's 15 now because he came to work for the company I work for now!

Our Secratary even lived in Camillus, NY!......I covered Erie, PA to Rochester, NY...wonder if he has any Camillus stories and knives.

[Another Knife Collector]

Very nice knives Muskrat man & bighead. Camillus made some excellant knives as well as good quality affordable ones. Here's a few of mine from various eras. The whittler is one of my favorites and really shows the quality knives they produced.

[orvet]

The people who question the quality of Camillus may be carrying a Case in their pocket.........perhaps a Case made by Camillus!

Camillus was known as “the knife makers knife maker,” as they made knives for most other US knife makers. The funny thing is that they would never think of question the quality of the “other” makers.

Camillus did make some lower priced knives, but even those were good serviceable tools especially when compared to the junk flowing into our country these days.

Just my 2¢,
Dale

[upnorth]

Camillus made some great knives over the years. As Dale said, for several other cutleries.
Here's one under their own brand; 3 5/16" Jack with four-line tang stamps. Well made and nice to look at!

[orvet]

Here are a FEW, of my favorite Camillus.
I defy anyone to surpass the quality of similarly priced knives from the same era.

Dale

[Sauconian]

I like that swell center Dale ! Interesting blades too.

Here's a four line I've posted before. Patina for Charlie, and hand jigged bone. The line in the center is not a crack. I think it's where the person doing the jigging turned the bone around, and worked the second end back to the middle. Maybe that was an imperfection in the day, but it's charm and authenticity now.

Fran

[orvet]

Sweet one Fran!

Here is a another of my favorite Camillus EDCs. Here are the pics of before, as I got the knife & the one after I repared it with blades that Tom Williams (CAMCO) sent me. The tang stamps are much newer than the original blades in the knife, but they fit pretty well.

Ya gotta love that saw cut bone!

Dale

[Pen & Toothpick]

That's a pretty unique one Fran, I never saw an "Escarpment" across the jigged bone before.

[upnorth]

Nice Jack, Fran!
How often do you see a bone-handled "TL-29" Dale?? Very nice!!

[orvet]

Bone handled TL-29s are pretty rare.
Michael Silvey in Pocket Knives of the Unites States Military, shows a bone handled TL-29 made by Pal Blade Company on page 81. He said that there were few of them made, but that the only ones that seem to be marked were those made by Pal Blade Company.
I guess that makes my Camillus that much more rare.
I only have two bone handled TL-29s in my collection, The Camillus & a Pal Blade Co. The Pal Blade Co. is in nowhere as good of condition as the Camillus. I might even go so far as to hypothesize that Pal Blade (as opposed to Pal Cutlery –post WII) had softer blades than Camillus or Imperial. I base this on several knives in my collection; the Pal Blade blades seem to be more worn down than the Imperial, Camillus and other military knives of the period. Come to think of it, many of the Remingtons I have seen were worn down like the Pal Blades were. I guess that makes sense since Pal Blade bought the knife business from Remington at the start of WWII.

Perhaps someone who collects old Remingtons can speak to the hardness of their blades.

Dale

[JOE62]

A couple 14's that are part of my EDC rotation.

[Another Knife Collector]

In one of my previous photos I have a 1876 - 1956 anniversary knife (assuming it was made in 1956), according to Goins the stamp on it wasn't used until c1960. Not a big time difference but it could be relavant in doing research.

I just got another Camillus, and I've never seen anything like before, it's a serpentine scout?! Anyone see one before or have any info?

I also found one like Muskrat man's. original etch is just barely visable "Camillus Deluxe Stockman" on the clip, and "For Flesh Only" on the spey.

[dobro59]

I have one almost exactly like that,i think it is a model 69.Older cam's were great knives,to
later cam's were hit and miss.Knifeworld did a great article on them.Alas,another great company gone.

[Another Knife Collector]

Yes, the reverse of the tang of the stockman is marked 69. It would be neat if there was a guide to camillus knives, with the closing of the company and an increase in collectors perhaps one will be made soon.

[upnorth]

That serpentine Scout is the first I have ever seen, AKC!
Nice find!!

[muskrat man]

thems some beauties, here is another one of my favorite cams a three liner moose

[muskrat man]

and since i'm wearing that moose pic out, here is a 20 muskrat, also a straightline

[upnorth]

Whodathunkit?? Mooses and Muskrats are really twins, separated at birth!!
Nice knives MM (Moose Man??)

[muskrat man]

here's an old 4 line sword brand cattle knife

[muskrat man]

heres an old bone handled 4 line TL-29

[orvet]

Nice find Kaleb.
Pretty rare too from what I understand.
(See Michael Silvey; POCKET KNIVES OF THE UNITED STATES MILITARY)

Dale