All About Pocket Knives

So, let's get this great new forum started. How about a thread to collect all the various Western tang stamps over the years? I'll start off with one from an R12 fixed blade. I think this knife is from the Camillus era.

Here is a pic I cropped down but you can still see. This is front and back of the latest barlow I picked up.

Here is a Western tang stamp guide I got somewhere.
It was probably originally published in Knife World.

I know it doesn’t have all their stamps, but it is a start.

Well, dang. They left out the one from the 50s -- Western over Boulder Colo over USA

The first one is from a 442a and the second from a beat up old West-Cut 334.

Here are two of the three stamps on my Western stockman. The third stamp, on the reverse of the main blade is the model number, 657.

Here are a few I have right now. I have some Westaco also but the stampings are light or worn and hard to get a good photo of. Not sure but I think the bottom "Bird" knife is Camillus made.

Here's 5 of mine.

Western 657

hope you can see tang stamps as battery died after 1st pic,these knives are similar,but must have been from different years one has carbon blades and a bail the other has stainless,both have western states in an arch over boulder colo,these 2 are the only advertising knives ive ever seen from western bought them both at a lawn sale for a quarter for the pair

Hey all, just picked up a 13" fixed blade Western this afternoon. Here is the tang mark. Can't seem to find or date it.

More photos at this Picasa web album. If anyone can date this I'm all ears.

I believe that it is a World War Two blade and guard which has been re-handled.

jerryd6818 wrote:Well, dang. They left out the one from the 50s -- Western over Boulder Colo over USA

Why I didn't post a picture the first time, I don't know. It's on an L39 I was given in 1957.
And I have one like the one Mike and Stressmaster showed. It's on a 901 Stainless Camper.

tongueriver wrote:I believe that it is a World War Two blade and guard which has been re-handled.

A local knife dealer (uncle*ron on ebay) says the mark dates around 1934-1950, also confirmed the rehandle.

Crossguard looks like iron; if so, that is largely a WWII trait (the use of brass was controlled as a strategic material). A shot of the pommel (if it still has it) will help date it a bit better.

By the production numbers, the knife is most-probably a G48-6 (6" blade, leather handle, sometimes referred to as a "Shark" knife) but might be a G48-5 (5" blade, leather handle, sometimes referred to as a "Baby Shark"). Lesser chance that it is a G48-8 (8" blade, leather handle, not common enough that it got a nickname I guess).

Is this from 1928- 1931, 0r 1935 - 1950 ?

It's the BOWIE knife:

Um, neither. The tang stamp dating estimates don't apply to this model.

The WWII-era version had a straight crossguard. Per Western, this knife was introduced as a commercial product in 1964. Based on examples of datable purchases, the mark on your knife was in use from '64-probably sometime in '66. Examples of the next stamp in the sequence (WESTERN/BOWIE/USA) were purchased as early as April 1967.

The sheath seems to be a later example, though it might be original to the knife. The sheath pivot was first cataloged in 1968. From examples of datable purchases, this sheath may have actually reached the market prior to August 1967, but the earliest example I'm aware of can be documented to that month and year.

So you have a nice example of the first version of the W-49 bowie; the sheath may be original or a replacement. It is a wonderful piece of kit, but dates to '64 at the earliest.

Jim

Excellent information, Jim; we all can thank you.

I hope it is helpful. I need to get in gear and get a synthesis of the information I've gathered on the W49 model posted in one block. With multiple data sources (published information, some examples where the purchases can be dated, and notes from interviews with a couple of former Western employees), it should be reasonably accurate. The big hangup is going to be gathering photos of examples: I'm too broke right now to go out and buy all the examples!

Thanks coffeecup. You inspired me to confirm or deny your statements.

Based on a couple other knife forum topics I am agree with your dating, AND I believe this was the first bowie knife produced with this tang stamp....I don't mean it was the first knife off the line, rather this was the original tang stamping used on the blade.
Western
Boulder, Colo USA

BOWIE

Yeah, that is the first tang stamp used when the knife was introduced as a commercial product. Rivet size--"small" relative to later rivets--is another clue that it is an early knife.

On the rare later Westerns done without bifurcated tangs (like the W49), the tang stamp rules for dating don't apply. It almost looks like we'll have to work out model- or pattern-specific dating guidelines.

Jim

coffeecup :
Hi Jim, Although not a bowie interesting anyway. Nice stamp of a West-Cut. My question is it does not have the split tang. Is it before the patent or a newer example.
I don't know if it will help but I also gave a close up of the pommel rivet.
moss

Moss, my hunch is that your knife was an SFO made for Western. Definitely not a split tang, but the knife definitely post-dates adoption of the split-tang construction. (Aside from the tang stamp, look at the pommel: they adopted that form after the split-tang. Some of the early split-tang knives still have the earlier "mushroom" pommel.)

Western was pretty-heavily committed to the split tang, doing a knife like this would have required extra work, so I don't think it was done in-house. From what I've been told by a couple of guys who worked for Western, they were still doing this occasionally as late as the 1970s, but I've never seen one. I wonder who made it--Camillus?

Back again;
Jim, here is I think an example of the next model you spoke of a couple of posts back.
After putting 2 and 2 together I think the original leather may have rotted in the South Viet Nam jungle and a small Red fox offered his hide as a repair for the sheath in the field. Check the thinness of the skin (that is a common dental pick for size).The thickness would to me indicate adapting to live in a hot humid clime. Sheath has the small rivet you referred too. The water hole is present in the lower shot. Could all this rhetoric be viable or not. For anyone who may not know I have added a pic of a later w 49 handle with the large rivets.
moss

I'm brand new to the forums and I'd love it if someone could help me identify my Western knives; age, model, style, etc. I really know nothing about knives in general, so anything would be helpful.

I don't have an image of the imprint on the tangs right now, but I do know they say

WESTERN
Boulder, Colo
Pat'd Made in USA

Thanks in advance!