All About Pocket Knives

Sunday on Father's Day, my dad gave me a couple of old knives that he had picked up. Since they are great old HOK's I immediately fell in love with them, lol. This little Camillus 40 is my first half congress and I think I'm right fond of the pattern. Especially since I'm 99% certain its bone and short line! Any of y'all have 40's? Post them if ya got 'em.

OK Cuz, haul out your 45X microscope and check the handles for the spots caused by haversian canals only found in bone. Look along the edges where the handles were hafted. That's a pretty good picture and I'm fairly convinced that those handles are the (good) black synthetic used during that era. All that said, that's a mighty fine looking #40. You're lucky to have it.

I don't have any of the Congress #40's but I do have 3 or 4 of the #41 Senators. They're like potato chips. Can't seem to get enough of them.

jerryd6818 wrote:OK Cuz, haul out your 45X microscope and check the handles for the spots caused by haversian canals only found in bone. Look along the edges where the handles were hafted. That's a pretty good picture and I'm fairly convinced that those handles are the (good) black synthetic used during that era. All that said, that's a mighty fine looking #40. You're lucky to have it.

I don't have any of the Congress #40's but I do have 3 or 4 of the #41 Senators. They're like potato chips. Can't seem to get enough of them.

Bless me cuz for I have sinned. I don’t have one of those microscopes. I know I know.

It is bone though, with it without the microscope. The feel and sound give it away. I don’t have trouble spotting bone in any other color but black. Guess I need to get on eBay and get one of them scopes after all.

I’ll have to look for one of those senators. I didn’t know about that pattern.

Colonel26 wrote:

jerryd6818 wrote:OK Cuz, haul out your 45X microscope and check the handles for the spots caused by haversian canals only found in bone. Look along the edges where the handles were hafted. That's a pretty good picture and I'm fairly convinced that those handles are the (good) black synthetic used during that era. All that said, that's a mighty fine looking #40. You're lucky to have it.

I don't have any of the Congress #40's but I do have 3 or 4 of the #41 Senators. They're like potato chips. Can't seem to get enough of them.

Bless me cuz for I have sinned. I don’t have one of those microscopes. I know I know.

It is bone though, with it without the microscope. The feel and sound give it away. I don’t have trouble spotting bone in any other color but black. Guess I need to get on eBay and get one of them scopes after all.

Magnifiers on eBay ---► https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat= ... pe&_sop=15

I would be shocked and amazed if that's bone. If someone knows for sure there were knives with black bone handles in that era, please step up and disabuse me of the notion that there were none.

There was also a #43 Senator with Celluloid handles.

As you can see, they called the handles on the 1946 knives "bone stag". In the 1948 catalog, the description just said "Staged" which I've taken to mean in those days "jigged" and they had changed from bone to the black synthetic. I freely admit I may be full of beans and taters because there is a lot of conjecture mixed in here but until someone steps up and Proves me wrong, I'm sticking with what's here.
By 1961 the #92 had been discontinued. My first #41 Senator I got my second #41 Senator in a two knife lot with a (unheard of to me) #53 Dog Leg Jack. All for $4.25 + $5.00 shipping. In fact the Senator was the reason I bought the lot. Now I have a knife (the 53) that I have only seen three of (two of which are mine) and can find in no Camillus catalog. It's kind of a mystery knife. By the way, it has a long line tang stamp.

Well, I’m most likely wrong. It happens a lot!

This are good looking knives!

I'm in agreement with Jerry. Looks like the black synthetic they used back then. The 40 is a great knife. You have a good one. I have a long line derlin 40 I use quit a bit. They are thin, light and get real sharp.

Wade that's a good looking knife. I do believe it is that early synthetic though but it's held up very well!
Here's one I just bought ,it must be the offspring of the 40. It's listed as a709 and the bone handles sure do favor those 72's made for SMKW in the 1990's.

Here is my 40. I think I have a couple more but I will have to dig them out.

Good looking knives all.

Greg, is your's a single backspacing or two? The little 40 is a single backspacing and it sure do make it thin in the pocket. And those little thin blades are just right for cutting a chaw off of a twist of Mammoth Cave chewing tobacco, works mighty fine.

Wade it's been 14+ years since I've had a chew but your words make my mouth water.

philco wrote:Wade it's been 14+ years since I've had a chew but your words make my mouth water.

Brother Phil, I wish I had your will power. I love chewing tobacco, I surely do. More than I should.

philco wrote:Wade it's been 14+ years since I've had a chew but your words make my mouth water.

....ditto,phil!!!............. .............