All About Pocket Knives

I just picked up four Camillus Scout knives cheap and I am looking for suggestions on repairing them. I have done a couple of rehandles and blade swaps, and these look like fun. Am also willing to trade parts from some of these.

Knife #1 - worn main and broken punch, can barely make out that it is a 4-line. Has steel liners, so I suspect it is circa WWII. I want to combine it with knife #2, but which Main should I use? All blades are tight with good snap. Knife #2 - 3-line main doesn’t look right, I think it came from a Cub Scout knife or something. Both scales are cracked. All blades are tight with good snap. Knife #3 - Not sure of the age, perhaps made in mid 40’s?
The spiral punch is broken, and the tang is worn out on the 4-line main. I am considering building up the tang with a wire welder (I occasionally have delusions of adequacy!). I love the look of this knife and would love to save it if I can. Knife #4 - Parts knife. That is not a punch, but a worn blade. What is approximate age of a Camillus with the two-part can opener? I am open to any input, suggestions, and parts-trades. Go!

Building up the tang is a good idea, we have had full here who have done that successfully but it is important to note they used a TIG welder which runs considerably cooler I am told.

I wish I had a TIG welder myself, I would give it a try.

orvet wrote:Building up the tang is a good idea, we have had full here who have done that successfully but it is important to note they used a TIG welder which runs considerably cooler I am told.

I wish I had a TIG welder myself, I would give it a try.

Dale
After welding up the tang, it has to be re heat treated?

I think that was the whole point of using a TIG welder, they didn't have to reheat treat the blade.
I think they also used a heatsink of some sort right above the tang, something like Bloc-It. I think I got mine from Jantz Supply. I use it when soldering the guard onto fixed blades.

I had a tang welded up on a Western scout knife once. Elvis did the work. If I’m not mistaken a friend of his did the welding and again, if I’m not mistaken, he did not use a tig welder. But he put the blade in a great big old vise to use as a heat sink. Then Elvis ground the tang back down as it should be. It works great.

But all that is from my memory and it’s been a few years.

I use mig and a heat sink. Generally the tang will be hard enough letting it air cool (the rapid heating and cooling of the small area hardens it to some degree) but you can oil quench the tang about 30 seconds after the color leaves it if you want it harder without making it too brittle. I generally let them air cool and have never had a problem. It's at least as hard as a good factory tang.