All About Pocket Knives

Does anybody have a list of Camillus tang stamps that can be used to date knives ? Ive gotten a few latley and am curious they have good steel and a great snap.
Thanks,
Jug

When I find good threads I often print them as a PDF to save them to reference later. I found this thread on BladeForums.com - Camillus Collector's Forum -

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showt ... p?t=497708

I hope the authors don't mind.
marvin

source:
Camillus Tang stamps and dates - acourvil - Platinum Member - BladeForums.com
While we know that Camillus used numerous tang stamps through the years, that it is very hard to date a Camillus knife because tang stamps were frequently changed and sometimes old blades with early stamps were used, I thought it might be of interest to have an illustrated listing of Camillus tang stamps with approximate dates that they were used. So here’s a start at that; if you see errors or have other comments, let me know and I will edit as appropriate. With one exception, these all came from electrician’s knives (i.e., TL-29 or signal corp. style knives). Except for the last two, which are based on information from BladeForums.com, the date references are based on Goins Encyclopedia

The Goins' book has a listing of Camillus tang stamps and approximate dates. Probably follows the list shown above pretty well, but I don't have it handy to check.

I can tell you that the above list (or pictures) is not complete because I personally have some Camillus knives with tang stampings not shown. For instance, I have an old easy opener with Camillus arched over Cutlery Co. on both blades. I also have older Camillus knives with the arched stamp on one blade and the straight stamp on another. There is also an older Camillus stamp that is a three line stamp.

The oldest according to Goins' is the arched stamp on all blades.

I was waiting for Camco to check in, and give us some history, but I wanna thank Marvin for that post - I sure saved that one.

And, msteele is egzackly right, there are other Camillus stamps out there...plus, some stamps would disappear and then reappear later. I know I've bought new knives, back in the 80's and 90's that were marked with the "Sword Brand". Definitely made (or contracted by) Camillus, all with plastic handles.

That's about all I can add, at this point - I'd be interested in learning more about their stampings.

Take Care,
JR

Maybe one of the BIG BOY Moderators will move this to Knife Lore, as I'm not sure Tom (CAMCO) checks all the forums.

Hukk...johnnie...pa...anybody home??

Bill

ok, we will try for one of our deep throat guys! if there is a definitive answer, it will be found here.

Here are some examples of early stamps, pre WW1, both straight and arched. The pics labeled stamp1 and stamp2 are from the same knfe, a 2-blade pen ca 1916, straight stamp on the larger blade, curved stamp on the smaller. The picture labeled stamp3 is from a small 2-bl congress, ca 1915 or earlier, curver stamp on both ends. Note how the closed letters(A,O,R) in the 1915 stamp are shaded.

Terrific pictures, arathol ! Genuinely appreciated....

This, to me, is a terrific thread - about a company that made millions of using knives, but never gained the recognition nor following of other companies.

I can add, just a teeny bit, about the shading of the tang stamps... that is "scale", from the heat treating process. It's tougher than rust, and will be there, until sanded/ground away. When the stamp (die, if you must) begins to wear, the sharp leading edges wear down somewhat, and allow the "base" of the stamp to make a slight indent, on the tang. Removing that would require sanding of the tang, non-important to the cutler, because sanding makes the lettering more shallow, and takes time.

There's also a slight scale, in the 'A' of the straight-line stamp, if you look closely.

All in all, a lot of knowledge here...I look forward to everyone's post.

Grateful JR

I'm not so sure about the shading thing. The voids in the closed letters appear to be filled with diagonal lines, not just shaded as in not polished. Here is a better picture with the lines clearly visible.

most likely milling lines from dye manufacture.

Moved to Camillus Forum for easier reference.

Here’s a few additions to the collection and notes regarding tang stamps . Thought would post here with this older posting and do some updating ,maybe get it typed up this winter with a few more additions ? . It’s been awhile and if anyone has anything to add or want to discuss that would be great . Lot of good info and pics in these older posts .
Take care out there.