The U.S. Defense Department published to private industry requirements for a standardized fixed blade knife to issue to pilots and aircrews of the various service branches. In the end, it proved to be a logistical nightmare, however, Robeson did make the switch. You have a very scarce Camillus MARK 1. Enjoy and See you on the trail! This registration, granted in 1980, is for use of paranitrophenol as a fungicide incorporated into leather for military use, at a concentration not to exceed 0.7% on the basis of dry finished leather weight. Keen Kutter etched in blade and tang marked Sharpleigh / Im working on making one of these for a friend who is currently at the Air Force Academy and this article was incredibly helpful, thank you! The same is true for family businesses that have been selling knives for generations as they tend to have such literature lying around. I got my first one from an electricians mate on the CG Cutter I was serving aboard back in the 70s. These markings will usually show on the tang since they are less likely to wear and be scratched off there. flat sided pommel to be used for hammering prior to the adoption of the hex S-3647 A prototype that was to have a 10 MM screw compass This is when Camillus re-designed their screw top pommel. Very creative, one of the nicer sites I have seen today. In 1961, updates to the military specifications called for a 5-inch blade. To comply with the new corrosion resistant treatment, they then began treating their blades. capt14k, large bakelite pommel and multiple spacers. I know they were all built to US Government Standards, but was there any difference in the performance of the knives issued. Production date date 3/25/1943. I believe before it made its way into the survival kit it went on the ALSE vest. The 7-inch knife was not military issued knife. Among the "bright" finished knives you will find a variance. markings on the knives or the special way the knife was built. The sheath shall be made of leather in compliance with Federal Standard KK-L-271, The sheath leather shall be 8/64-inch-thick. Below the knives are short write up of what they are. Another part of the group has larger pommel version we all know. The M3 knife consists of 3 pressed steel parts: The blade, the hilt and the pommel washer. An interesting fact was that in 1944 the BuOrd wanted all the contractors to switch to the pommel to that provided on the PAL knives, it created a big stink because it required all sorts of adjustments on the assembly line and extra pressure on those existing contractors that actually made the pommel. Second, procurements came first before the acceptance of the Mark 1 drawings. The picture I posted is of a knife I had bid on in an auction, but did not win. I also picked up another old Camillus that has no dates on it whatsoever. Furthermore, standardization of equipment reduces costs upon the logistical system. Their commercial version of the survival knife had a polished blade instead of a subdued or blued blade, brass guard, and polished pommel. You are using an out of date browser. These knives should be professionally serviced by a Due to the change in ownership of the brand, and the fact that we have some information on what the changes happened, we can use the tang stamps to know when the knife was made. Any opinions? They did not adopt this knife, as we know the M3 was The problem with the drawing in Cole's III is there is no description of the finish or lack of one on the knife pictured, and as you said the parkerized ones have been very hard to come across. Co., Tidioute;Union Cut. The pommel screw in the middle looks to be steel, but nut is brass. If you dont have both the repro and original side by side, you might not be able to tell the difference sometimes. The gray painted Pommel indicates that it is issued to the Navy. Hoping you guys can help. It is knives like these that make some people on the outside question why Case knives are so expensive when they are just a great value for their money. M4 Bayonet Production Aerial Cutlery Company: 91,898 Camillus Cutlery Company: 332,698 W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.: 224,764 Imperial Knife Company: 917,894 Kinfolks, Inc: 119,702 Pal Blade Company: 268,000 Utica Cutlery Company: 515,000 By I just bought this knife from Ontario Knife Company. Also it is not cut to put on a belt. By 1876, after his uncles company had to close shop due to poor sales figures, Adolph charted out a new path for himself. The tang stamp on this knife is post Government contract era. This is the guard-marked type with a "plain" unmarked blade. It is kind of interesting that the concepts the BuOrd used to formulate the design they wanted for the Mark 1 came from two knives, Pal actually made the Mark 1 closest to the drawing. Ive bookmarked your site and Im including your RSS feeds to my Google account. Camillus clearly had skinning in mind with this knife. The leather will be treated with para-nitrophenol fungicide. Enjoy! apart. It doesn't get any better then this S-449 A and S-449B Prototype Hunting Knives with different The 1954 update calls for the knife to have a sharpened clip point blade and an additional rivet to the sheath. Did your Camillus knife go to the war? Eventually the U.S. Navy adopted the knife after failures on the Mark 1 and renamed it the U.S. Navy Mark 2. One of the tasks that this knife was designed to accomplish was helping pilots and aircrews egress their downed aircraft or to help first responders extract them from their downed aircraft. You can send them to my email: [email protected]. by Colonel666 Sun May 26, 2013 1:43 am, Post There won't be any pommel markings on this one. 1200 dozen made in Before you go dating your ka-bar knife, I think you might want to know some of the challenges that you could encounter, and why. It is possible that the knife may have been purchased commercially and not issued through the supply chain. The sharpening stone shall be fabricated from silicon carbide, grain size 280, hardness P, vitrified bond. They are the same size which is the size of a Mark I or Jet Fighter Pilot Knife. Today, heres all you need to know about dating your ka-bar knife as effectively as possible. I own one as a backup knife for my backpacking, outdoor, and emergency needs. knives under boxes and paperwork. These markings will usually show on the tang since they are less likely to wear and be scratched off there. joined the originals, now we have all that were present at the time of the Im not a fan of social media and dont use it. This does not impact the price of the item youre buying and it supports me to keep creating the content that you love. Before this requirement, knives of several types were procured by the individual branches of the military and dispensed to their members. I hope this is the right place to make this post.sorry if not. This is the factory reference The serrated spine was designed to cut through the aluminum skin surrounding the airframes of Korean and Vietnam War-era aircraft. However, the registrations for all registered products containing salicylanilide as an active ingredient have been canceled. They adopted the single pin We have seen it in outfitter stores, marketed on the internet, and may even have owned one. Thanks, Dwain. I always assumed it was a Marine issued Kabar knife. This prototype is date 5/13/1954. The WW II era knife has a long sweeping false edge while the current Western made two: one with a 6-inch blade, the G46-6, and one with a 5-inch blade, the G46-5. That doesn't make it right, it just makes it how they were found from poor The condition of the knife is worn, but otherwise good. SKIP. You will also find examples of the otherwise same knife only with the blade finished bright. Camillus Tang Stamps and Dates (www.bladeforums.com) Camillus Tang Stamps circa 1915-1946 -A WORK IN PROGRESS (AAPK-All About Pocket Knives) . Show me your knife, and I'll tell you who you are. Your email address will not be published. Any review of World War II military fixed blades must include several examples of Western knives. Not looking to sell it. At the time of sale, the business was profitable but the new buyer ran it into the ground once again. brass rivets, Another Kent with stagged bone and small brass domed Mikedon thanks for posting the pictures. The Camillus Cutlery Company was one of the oldest knife manufacturers in the United States with roots dating back to 1876. I have several good photos of the knife which Id be happy to forward but there doesnt seem to be a way to send them to you on this site. Has can openers, awl, driver. For all that good, though, some bad actors have learned how to make fake Camillus knives and pass them off as vintage. The one on the left there is a bevel at the top of the grip. A similar issue occurs when dating the Kinfolks knife, but the chances of that error are slim. It was probably stashed there by some kid whose dad was a Navy pilot. I like that, but cannot figure out what type of knife that may be. Bear7, Both products contained a second active ingredient, salicylanilide. current model. I have had this since about 1978 and Im sure the knife itself is a few years older than that. Some extremely valid points! The other contractors made the Mark 1 in their own convenient way but conform to the basic guidelines which were granted approval. S-4007 hand marked on the blade, Guardless and serrated As a flight equipment Marine. We made no attempt to do any cleaning in case the knife is old. I sent some pictures I have of mine, Major. It looks exactly like the type of knife I pull up in a Google search. The second question that arises concerning some of the features of this knife is the purpose of the two holes in the blade guard. They are hard to find. Stagged Rosewood, CR guard He started importing and selling German-made knives to his U.S. audience. There was a metal guard that fit over the end of the blade when the folding machete was closed. I'm just not in possession of good references to documentation that would support my opinion yet. This design was accepted, and the military specifications documents were updated to reflect Marbles concept in MIL-K-8662A (04 November 1957). But so many times the answer can be quite complicated. The design features for this knife came about through various inputs from servicemembers, survivability researchers, and training developers. Folding Knives from Camillus Cutlery Folding Knives Handle Color Black Select from a variety of quality Camillus and Western folding knife styles and folding knives that include liner locks, lock backs and frame locks. 5684 S50: Dated 8/21/1945 this design uses the Mark 2 blade, Fortunately for us, Camillus changed their stamps enough to map each one to different periods. https://prc68.com/I/OneManLifeRaft.html#Knife. Buying via the links on CutsandCarves could earn us a commission on the sale. Do you have any information on this kind of knife ever being produced? The Marine Corps then also renamed the knife the USMC Mark 2 Combat Knife. knife that was adopted. Surplus stores will purchase them in bulk through U.S. Government auctions, collectors will buy them at auctions, military museums will display them, and they will continue to be available for purchase on the internet. Also, note that not all old Ka-bar knives were used in the war. and sold through the PX system as well. Kent Sportsman's knife with stagged Rosewood grips and The knives illustrated in Post #5 could had been fabricated in that transitional phase, or part of sample packs for the Navy salt spray tests, but just a theory. The back piece has also been cut-through by the blade over the years, so the metal addition was definitely needed. The dummy cord is tied on a hole at the blade guard and then it is sewn in the green pouch. Now, that said, a few cautionary words that I put on the kissing crane knife dating piece too: Make sure you look for a reputable expert to get this done for you. Examine your knife pocket identifying mark on one of the blades. The Camillus factory drawing for the fullered blade knife identifies it as "Our # 5679 L 36 Hunting Knife with Mosser sheath." Here is an image of my fullered 5 inch blade next to the saber ground blade knife. It's easy! Where neither is possible, its best to stay away. SKIP. Above that it simply says "Army Air Forces". Camillus Cuda Bolt Spring Assisted Knife Gray (3.625" Black) CM19080 MSRP: $50.99 Our Price: $43.95 Add to Cart Camillus Erupt Spring Assisted Knife Black GRN (2.5" Black) Our Price: $33.95 Add to Cart Camillus HEAT Spring Assisted Knife Black GFN (3.5" Black) CM19167 Our Price: $55.95 Add to Cart We see this one constantly on sale as a "Vietnam small file transitional Camillus WW2 pilots knife.jpg. The grip will be made of leather in compliance with Federal Standard KK-L-165. scabbard marked with the Eagle, Globe and Anchor is a current reproduction oldjunkagain. and special units so many time we almost gave up the argument on the subject. down, risers and lines. Most of the knives shown I have factory documentation on from the It was later made with an etch on the blade "Sportsman" where possible. I dont know if it has any markings that would help determine where and when manufactured. Unbelievable piece. Well Camillus didn't start making these knives with this marking until 1974 so It is marked just U.S.N. I will highly recommend this site! I, too, have one that has a small Japan stamped on the blade at the hilt. Its blade is double-edged and has a length of 170mm (6 11/16 inches). If it were possible to convert you surely would be able to! HiI'm new to the site and am trying to identify a knife my daughter found yesterday. I cant glean a date of manufacture from the stamp. Rss feeds to my Google account where neither is possible that the knife after failures on the tang since are. Pommel markings on the blade over the years, so the metal addition was definitely needed internet. Camillus clearly had skinning in mind with this marking until 1974 so it is sewn in United. Picture i posted is of a Mark i or Jet Fighter Pilot knife the.. United States with roots dating back to 1876 steel, but can not figure out what type of ever! 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